Chapter 2

I brought the new divorce agreement back to the office.

Milo and his hired actors did not notice anything amiss and appeared really happy, especially Milo. He almost let out a laugh right after I signed my name on the agreement. Of course, he instantly schooled his face and put on a sad, regretful look again.

“Honey, this is the toughest decision I ever had to make in my life.” He took out a pen from his breast pocket with a sigh. “Even if this is fake, I still don’t want to be parted from you for one single second.”

I scoffed in my heart and stared at the tip of his pen while waiting for him to sign the agreement.

“Wait! Don’t sign it!” A shrill screech interrupted Milo’s actions.

I scowled and turned to the young woman standing at the door.

Lily Lane.

Half a year ago, Milo suggested that we shift our attention to our family, since the company had stabilized. Because of it, I set aside all company matters and took care of our lives.

Lily was the secretary he had hired to replace me at work.

She strutted over to me wearing a sexy one-piece dress and an expensive necklace. She was completely different from the shy and simple image she had presented upon joining the company.

I instantly got a bad feeling, and, the very next second, my lawyer’s message confirmed my theory.

[Miss York, the detective we hired found that the money was transferred to a bank account belonging to Lily Lane. She appears to be your husband’s lover.]

I knew it.

So, Milo went through all this to get a divorce from me, not just to claim the company and assets for himself, but also because he wanted to make Lily his main chick.

I clenched my fists.

“Why are you here? Didn’t I ask you to wait at the warehouse?”

Milo scowled in annoyance; he was surprised by Lily’s appearance as well. He urged her to leave with a hint of anger in his eyes.

“Mr. Cardilo,” she insisted. “You left a document in the warehouse. I think it’s an additional agreement. I brought it here for you and your wife.”

An additional agreement? I feigned calmness as I read the document. It wanted me to give up on both the apartment and car after our divorce. It seemed like the company and eight million dollars’ worth of profit were not enough to satisfy their greed.

I sneered and pretended to be naive as I looked at Milo.

“You want the house and car transferred under your name? Dear, didn’t you say that we were just faking our divorce and that I simply needed to give up on the company and bank savings? Where am I supposed to go if I have to leave the house?”

Milo was stunned, as if he had not known the existence of that clause.

In slight frustration, he grabbed Lily and whispered to her, “Where did you get that additional agreement from? That’s crossing the line. She’s my wife, and she should still be able to live in her house.”

Lily shook off his grip and smiled at me. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Cardillo. I know that this agreement is unfair to you, but you’ve been a housewife for too long and don’t know the situation at the company. We owe too much money, and Mr. Cardillo has been keeping the company afloat alone for too long.

“He’s only choosing to divorce you because he doesn’t want to drag you into this mess, but you’ve been enjoying free benefits all this while. You really shouldn’t let Mr. Cardillo be forced to pay the debt alone while you don’t have to pay a single cent for it.

“If you sell both house and car, Mr. Cardillo will be under much less financial pressure. Sorry, I really don’t want to see Mr. Cardillo under so much stress. I was also worried about your lives as a couple in the future. That’s why I asked a lawyer to come up with this additional agreement.”

Heh.

She made herself sound so convincing.

Had the truth not already been revealed to me, I might actually have signed this addition. Unfortunately for her, she was too arrogant and greedy, so much so that it flawed her plans. I coldly balled up the agreement and threw it on the floor.

“I won’t sign it. I’m not giving up on my house and car either.”

My refusal angered Lily. She gave the creditors a look, and the actors immediately surrounded me before pinning me on the table.

“You could have paid off some of the debt with this, but you still don’t want to?! You’re asking for it!”