Chapter 2

When Lara had first received the paper cranes, she'd cried her eyes out, saying it was the most thoughtful gift she'd ever gotten.

Now, she held it up to the camera with disdain.

"Guys, look. This was what my loser ex-husband gave me. A bunch of scrap paper, and he thought that would be enough to keep me?"

She flicked her wrist. "Trash like this belongs in the garbage."

With a clatter, the paper cranes I'd folded with my own hands hit the floor. She crushed them under her high heels.

And my world shattered right along with them.

"Lara, don't get worked up over someone like Russell. He's not worth it."

Adrian eagerly handed her a glass of champagne. The camera happened to catch a close-up of the new gold watch on his wrist, the very same 12.5-million-dollar purchase that had just scrolled across the bank's live stream.

Lara took the glass and sipped, the disgust on her face instantly melting into pleasure.

"You're right. Why waste energy on a broke loser? Starting today, the word 'settling' doesn't exist in my vocabulary."

She lifted her chin high toward the camera.

"Ladies, do you see this? A woman needs to treat herself right. Back then, my husband couldn't even bring himself to buy me a nice purse and is always going on about saving for the mortgage. And now? Anything in this mall that catches my eye is mine!"

She turned and snapped her fingers at the mall manager standing behind her.

"Wrap up every new-season bag, outfit, and jewelry in your store. And clear the place out, right now. I don't like random people hovering while I shop."

The mall manager looked flustered.

"Ma'am, this really isn't standard procedure."

Adrian stepped forward and slapped the black card onto the counter.

"Run it! Don't you see? There's a billion dollars in here. It's enough to buy your lousy store ten times over. Keep running your mouth, and you'll be out of a job by tonight!"

The manager's face instantly turned pale. Complying with the bank's instructions, he could only bow and scrape as he began clearing the area.

In the live stream, Lara's follower count was exploding.

"Lara, you're amazing and a total baddie!"

"Now that's a queen! Dumping that loser was the best decision ever!"

"I'm so jealous! When is it my turn to hit the jackpot?"

In the bank's official live stream, the comments told a very different story.

"Oh my god, is this woman insane?"

"The acting is so over the top. She totally gives off that new money vibe, like she's desperate for everyone to know she's rich."

"That guy is disgusting too—textbook trash with a taste of power."

"I feel bad for the cardholder. What a nightmare of a wife he ended up with."

"Am I the only one who noticed the words 'Virtual Transaction' after every purchase? Haha. All that hype for nothing."

I sat in the VIP room, staring expressionlessly at Lara's ugly sneer on the screen.

The woman who once brought me a bowl of hot soup after I came home from overtime and who would sit by my bed crying when I was sick turned out to have all been a lie.

Or rather, when money entered the picture, all that tenderness hadn't meant a thing.

Ms. Harmon handed me a document at just the right moment.

"Mr. Brewer, this is a record of the reputational damage Ms. Crawford has caused both you and the bank during the live stream. Our legal team has already begun collecting evidence."

Instead of taking it, I just pointed at the screen.

"Can I talk to her?"

Ms. Harmon hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Of course."

The call connected quickly, and Lara had it on speaker.

Before I could even speak, her impatient voice came through.

"Russell? You're awake? Good. Saves me the trouble of notifying you again. I want a divorce. I don't want to spend another minute with a broke loser like you. The house and the car are mine. Consider it compensation for everything I've put up with."