Chapter 3

"You're just a pawn in our marriage alliance," I said. "You have no right to bargain with me. I'm only giving you one chance."

I dropped the cigarette on the floor and ground it under my shoe after I was done speaking. I then left the operating room with my bodyguards.

I thought Melanie was an intelligent woman. I assumed that she would be able to distinguish between her impulsive feelings and long-term interests and realize which was more important.

However, reality would soon prove that I overestimated her.

…

The next day, I returned to the company to handle certain matters after visiting Cindy.

I intentionally took a quick look when I passed by the office area and noticed that Zack's cubicle had been completely cleared out.

It seemed that Melanie wasn't that much of a fool.

I calmly sipped my coffee before turning to look at one of my subordinates, asking, "When did Team C's Zack Fleming resign?"

The man was briefly stunned before he pointed at the huge billboard beyond the glass windows, saying, "Mr. Fleming didn't resign, Mr. Sherwood. Ms. Perry named him the global ambassador of the company's newest product today. His workstation was moved to her side."

I crushed the coffee cup I was holding.

Instead of discreetly getting rid of Zack, Melanie appointed him the company's global ambassador and personally pushed him into the media spotlight.

I knew that she had done so to protect Zack. We were married for five years, and she knew I cared more about the company's interests than our marriage or feelings.

Furthermore, the company was in the midst of preparing to go public. If I acted rashly and took action against Zack, I would also be affecting the company's plans of going public.

I couldn't help but scoff as I stared at the huge billboard that was playing Zack's promotional video on a loop.

How preposterous.

Five years ago, Melanie was a fresh university graduate who knew nothing about business. I was the one who used my money and time to slowly teach her to stand on her own two feet amid the constant scheming and deception in the business world.

Now, she was using the lessons that I taught her against me.

However, what she didn't know was that I had already secured over a hundred million dollars in funding. Even if the global ambassador was swapped out at the last minute, it wouldn't affect the company's plans of going public.

Instead of worrying about the insignificant financial loss that I would incur by changing ambassadors, I was more focused on teaching her the consequences of betraying me.

My expression darkened as I made a beeline for Melanie's office. I was just about to enter when the two security guards, who were stationed outside the door, stopped me.

"Please wait, Mr. Sherwood. Ms. Perry isn't accepting any visitors at the moment."

I barked out an indignant laugh. I couldn't believe that I needed permission to enter Melanie's office when I was the CEO of the company. It seemed that she had truly deluded herself into believing that the company belonged to her.

I didn't say a single word as I kicked the door open.

Zack was sitting in the main seat in the office, carelessly signing and stamping official documents with the company's seal.

Meanwhile, Melanie pretended to be his secretary, feeding him fruit with an adoring expression. She didn't spare a single glance at the documents and allowed him to make all the decisions.

In the past, Melanie was very diligent because she had learned a lesson from the Perry family's internal power struggle. Every time a contract was delivered to us, she would hire ten different lawyers and professionals to assess the risks before signing it, regardless of whether I had already approved it.

I had given her the company's seal only because of her diligent attitude. However, she turned around and handed the seal to Zack, letting him fool around with it.

Since Melanie clearly didn't cherish the rights that I had given to her, she had no grounds to blame me when I took everything back from her.

Zack looked at the door when he heard it slamming open. His eyes widened when he noticed that it was me, and he swiftly leaped up from his seat and hid behind Melanie.

"C-Clive?"

My eyes zeroed in on the expensive watch that he was wearing.

It was the same watch that Melanie had given me for our wedding anniversary last year. She had spent millions of dollars to purchase it at an auction. Not only was every gear made with exquisite craftsmanship on the nano-level, but the dial was also encrusted with gemstones.

I thought that the watch was too flashy, so I only wore it at important events.

A few days ago, I couldn't find it when I wanted to wear it to a charity gala. I didn't think much of it after Melanie told me she had sent it to the shop for calibration and maintenance.