Chapter 3

Nico’s expression darkened completely, and the family gala ended on a sour note.

Nico didn’t come home that night. I heard he had bought an estate on Long Island for Lola and was staying there with her.

He had unilaterally decided to give me the silent treatment, while everyone waited to see how I, the woman who had held her head high for five years, would compete with an orphan for his attention.

I had no intention of competing.

Back in the first year of our relationship, I had already told Nico that if he ever found another woman and no longer wanted to be with me, he could call it quits at any time. I wasn’t the kind of woman who would cling to a man who no longer wanted her.

I had said it calmly and matter-of-factly, which had infuriated Nico. He had wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and kissed me fiercely before declaring, “Who’s been filling your head with this nonsense about calling it quits whenever I want? I’m keeping you by my side for the rest of my life.”

We might not have had forever, but I had been happy enough during those five years. That was enough for me.

Before leaving, I still had one event to take care of.

It was a charity project I had spent a year planning, offering free legal consultations to low-income communities. The event was supposed to be open to everyone at no charge.

Just as I was heading to the venue to make the final arrangements, my assistant called, sounding frantic.

“They’ve canceled our venue booking!”

“The management said the Don stepped in and booked the entire place at three times the usual rate. Apparently, he’s hosting a charity auction to raise money for poverty relief.”

My grip tightened slightly around my phone.

I didn’t need to guess who that charity auction was for.

“I understand.” I suppressed the sharp pang in my chest and kept my voice steady. “Please reassure everyone who has already booked an appointment. I’ll find a solution for the venue.”

After hanging up, I called Nico.

He rejected my calls again and again. It wasn’t until my final attempt, after the phone had rung for a long time, that he finally answered.

“What is it?”

His voice was languid, and I could faintly hear a girl laughing in the background.

Pressing my lips together, I got straight to the point. “Could you let me use the venue until my legal-aid event is over? I’ll give it back afterward.”

Nico let out what sounded like a scoff, his voice turning colder when he spoke again.

“So that’s why you finally decided to call me. It’s for that event of yours.”

“I’ve spent a year preparing for it.”

“I know.” His tone was casual. “But I have to look after Lola. She wants to use this charity auction to draw more attention to people living in poverty. That’s far more meaningful than your legal-aid work, where you just sit around chatting with people.”

My breath caught in my throat.

I had spent countless sleepless nights preparing more than a thousand case files, yet in his eyes, all I did was sit around and talk to people.

I had once believed he respected my work.

Perhaps my silence softened his tone a little. “If you really care that much about your event, I could—”

Before he could finish, Lola’s timid voice came through the phone.

“Mr. Moretti, I don’t want the venue. Please don’t let me come between you and Miss Mercer.”

“What do you mean, come between us?”

Nico’s voice softened when he spoke to her. “You can have the venue. I promised your brother I’d take good care of you.”

Of course. How could anything come between us when there was nothing left between us in the first place?

I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath.

“Forget I asked.”

Nico seemed momentarily stunned. Clearly, he hadn’t expected me to give up so easily.

But he soon recovered and said, “Since you’re being so understanding, I’ll set you up with your own law firm later. Consider it compensation for this.”

My own law firm.

For a moment, I was lost in thought, remembering how he had once made me a similar promise.

Back then, he had held me in his arms, his hand closing over mine as I held my pen, and said, “When you have your own law firm, I want to hire you to draw up a marriage contract for me.”

“My only condition is that you never leave me.”

That had been the first time he had ever talked about our future together.

I lowered my eyes, my voice as cool and even as before. “There’s no need. It’s just a venue.”

Nico fell silent for a moment before speaking through gritted teeth. “Claire, you’re always so calm. Is it really that hard for you to swallow your pride for once?”

Then he hung up.

I stood there holding my phone for a long time before finally returning to my office and calling my private wealth manager.

“Settle my accounts and liquidate my assets. Return everything the Moretti family has given me, and turn the rest into cash.”

“Are you planning to...” He paused briefly before asking, “Leave?”

“Yes.”

After all, I couldn’t spend the rest of my life working as legal counsel for the Moretti family.