Chapter 4

Begum Corporation worked efficiently.

It didn’t take long for Gordon to see exactly what happened.

For once, he regretted blaming Medea without asking for the full story first, and his tone softened noticeably.

“Annie’s still young. I’ll make sure Sharon teaches her properly.”

Medea’s attention remained fixed on the divorce papers. She couldn’t even be bothered to remind Gordon that being young was never an excuse for bad behavior.

She took out the property transfer agreement and said flatly, “This is the contract for the Farcrest villa. Sign it. I’ll move there in the next couple of days.”

Gordon glanced over it. It was indeed the transfer agreement, prepared in duplicate.

He signed his name at the bottom without hesitation.

Medea took the papers back and quietly murmured to herself, “Just one more month.”

She was about to leave when Gordon suddenly called out to her.

“In the next few days, come back to the family estate with me. Grandma’s been missing you. Mom heard Sharon returned too, so she wants to welcome her properly as well.”

Medea almost laughed from anger.

So, he wanted her to return to the family estate just to help welcome his beloved woman home?

At first, Medea wanted to refuse.

But when she thought of Dorothy, she still nodded in the end.

“Alright.”

Dorothy was one of the rare elders Medea had genuinely gotten along with.

After the divorce, there probably wouldn’t be any reason for them to stay in contact anymore.

Forget it, she would treat it as a farewell.

After agreeing to return to the family estate, Medea quickly left Begum Corporation.

The moment she walked out, Sharon pushed open the office door and entered.

Gordon looked up and asked gently, “How’s Annie doing?”

“She was really frightened.”

Sharon shook her head, her eyes reddening slightly.

“Gordon, I know Miss Watts has issues with me, and I don’t blame her. After all, I did affect your marriage. But Annie’s still so young.

“Kids her age get scared easily. Could you maybe talk to Miss Watts and ask her not to target Annie anymore…”

Her tone sounded bitter and restrained, her posture humble and careful.

Under normal circumstances, Gordon definitely would have blamed Medea.

But today, he personally watched the surveillance footage and saw just how cruel a five-year-old child could be.

“Medea’s not that kind of person,” Gordon said patiently.

“Sharon, Annie may only be five, but she still needs proper discipline. Some of the things she said were way too harsh.”

Sharon’s heart skipped a beat.

She forced out a bitter smile and said softly, “You know what Michael’s health was like. All these years, I’ve been raising Annie alone. Without a father around to guide her, she’s become a little unruly.”

Gordon was Michael’s closest friend from childhood.

Even setting aside everything between him and Sharon in the past, he would still feel responsible for Sharon and Annie.

“I know,” Gordon said quietly. “From now on, I’ll help you raise Annie properly.”

Only then did Sharon finally smile through her tears.

But unexpectedly, Gordon found himself thinking of Medea again.

In the past, he always ignored her intentionally or otherwise.

Yet recently, he began to realize that compared to Sharon’s gentle maturity as a mother, Medea was actually far more stubborn deep down.

Only when facing him did she become unusually obedient.

When it came to Sharon, he really had wronged Medea quite a bit.

A trace of discomfort rose in Gordon’s chest.

Once Annie had fully adapted, he intended to arrange for Sharon and Annie to move elsewhere.

…

Medea knew nothing about Gordon’s thoughts.

The only thing on her mind now was the remaining one-month cooling-off period before the divorce.

For that one month, all she wanted was for Gordon to remember the affection they once shared and agree to finalize the divorce peacefully.

The world outside was vast.

Anywhere would be better than remaining trapped in this marriage

The next day, Medea returned to the family estate alone.

The night before, Annie claimed she wasn’t feeling well and spent the entire night making a fuss, insisting Gordon stay beside her and tell bedtime stories.

Gordon already suffered from poor sleep, so naturally he woke up late the next morning.

Medea couldn’t be bothered waiting for him and simply called a car herself.

Dorothy’s health had never been good.

Medea stayed by her side for quite a while, chatting with her gently and coaxing her to sleep before finally heading downstairs.

Downstairs, Annie was holding up a drawing proudly while acting spoiled toward Gordon’s mother, Catherine Begum.

“Mrs. Begum, look at my drawing! This is Mommy, this is Gordon, and this is you.”

“Annie’s family portrait is wonderful.”

A rare smile appeared on Catherine’s face as she praised her repeatedly.

A family portrait.

Medea almost found it laughable.

Catherine had never liked her, yet she had accepted Gordon becoming a father overnight with remarkable ease.

But when Medea walked downstairs, her gaze suddenly landed on the design sketches scattered across the table.

They were all her past works.

Even the “drawing paper” Annie used for that so-called family portrait was one of them.

After marrying Gordon, Medea gradually became the perfect wife devoted to supporting her husband and family.

Aside from sketching occasionally whenever inspiration struck, she long stopped seriously pursuing design.

But even so, every single draft represented years of her effort and passion.

One of them had even been the custom wedding attire she designed for herself and Gordon.

Medea’s expression darkened instantly, her voice turning cold.

“Who gave you permission to touch my things?”

Sharon looked surprised. “Annie wanted to draw earlier, and Gordon told me to find some paper for her. I thought these were just discarded drafts, so I brought them downstairs…”

Catherine had never been fond of Medea.

Her expression immediately turned displeased.

“They’re just a few sketches. Why are you making such a fuss? You’ve been married to Gordon for years without even having a child.

“Look how well Sharon raised Annie—smart, adorable, well-behaved. So, what if she used a few of your drawings?”

“You weren’t using them anyway. Medea, don’t be so petty.”

Gordon’s voice remained gentle as he tried to soothe her quietly.

Medea lifted her eyes and looked straight into Gordon’s deep gaze.

So, this was how little her work meant to him all these years.

To Gordon and the entire Begum family, her efforts were utterly worthless.

“It’s nothing serious,” Medea said slowly.

“That sketch Annie drew on was supposed to be my gift to Mom. A magazine offered a million for the design before, and it would’ve been the only piece of its kind in the world once completed. What a waste.”

Catherine stared at the ridiculous family portrait in Annie’s hands, and her expression changed instantly.

Regret hit her so hard her stomach twisted.

Medea never lied.

One million, and a one-of-a-kind piece at that.

Yet it had been ruined just to draw some ridiculous “family portrait.”

“Sharon, children still need proper discipline,” Catherine said sharply. “When you’re in someone else’s home, there are things you shouldn’t touch.”

Catherine let go of Annie impatiently, all the warmth on her face disappearing instantly.

“Mrs. Begum, I’ll be more careful next time.”

Sharon’s face turned pale, looking pitiful and wronged.

Medea gathered up her design sketches and returned to her room, unwilling to look at any of them any longer.

After hesitating for a moment, Gordon followed her inside.

The first thing he said was still in Sharon’s defense.

“Sharon didn’t do it on purpose.”

Medea’s tone remained calm. “What, she couldn’t see the designer’s signature? Or she couldn’t tell they were fashion sketches?”

Gordon looked at Medea and suddenly realized she no longer seemed as obedient and compliant as before.

Instead, she felt strangely vivid now.

“I’ll compensate you for the loss,” Gordon said, pressing his lips together slightly. “I’ll have my secretary transfer the one million to you later.”

Then he added softly, “Medea, just be reasonable. Sharon and Annie have had a hard life. Be a little more tolerant with them.”

Hadn’t she already tolerated enough?

She practically handed over her husband already.

“Alright.” Medea suddenly felt an odd sense of relief. “In one month, it’ll be our wedding anniversary. I have a gift for you that day.”

The moment Gordon heard that, the tension in his chest eased unexpectedly.

These past two days, Medea seemed like a completely different person.

For a moment, he actually thought…

However, it looked like he had been thinking too much after all.

In the end, she still couldn’t leave him.

A faint smile appeared in Gordon’s eyes.

“Alright. In a few days, it’ll be Mr. Watts Sr.’s birthday banquet. I’ll prepare a gift for him too.”

No matter what, Medea still carried the Watts name, even if the family once cast her out.

And the debt of raising her still weighed heavily on her shoulders.

No matter what happened, she had to attend Hedworth Watts’ birthday banquet.

“Okay.”

She lowered her gaze quietly, already counting down the days until one month later.

Their sixth wedding anniversary would also mark the day she said goodbye to being Mrs. Begum.