Chapter 4: Don't Pretend to Be Generous

“Now that you’ve figured out I’m not twisted, do you still want a divorce?” Shantal challenged him.

She knew Ullysis wasn’t the type to get riled up easily. But he was arrogant, and nothing bruised his ego more than being embarrassed, especially in front of his employees.

She was pushing his buttons. Hard.

And a man like him? He wouldn’t take it lying down.

Sure enough, Ullysis’s face darkened. He strode toward her. Shantal didn’t wait, she spun around and walked straight to the parking lot.

But just as she opened the door, he stopped her.

She looked up, meeting the sharp, icy stare she knew too well.

“Anything else?” she asked, frowning.

“What game are you playing?” His voice was low, steady… annoyingly calm for a man who looked ready to explode.

That voice. Deep, smooth, laced with quiet authority, the kind that had always drawn her in, even when his words didn’t.

But Ullysis was never much of a talker. Only brief, sharp words when necessary. No wasted effort.

“I’ll buy the five percent stake your grandfather gave you,” Ullysis said, eyes locked on hers. “Market price. You don’t have to transfer it to me.”

Shantal held his stare, her expression unreadable. Was he trying to see if she was serious about walking away, or just playing him? Whatever he saw, her face didn’t give it away.

“I won’t cheat you,” he added. “What’s yours stays yours. You don’t have to pretend to be generous.”

Shantal almost laughed. His arrogance could really be something else.

“Pretend? Ullysis, I signed the divorce papers and waited at the Civil Affairs Office. If you’d shown up, we’d be divorced by now.” Her voice sharpened, laced with quiet mockery. “Who exactly do you think I’m pretending for? You?”

She smiled coldly, her eyes locked on his.

“I’ve been by your side for a year. If I couldn’t change you then, what makes you think I’d try now by playing ‘generous’? Or do you not have that much confidence in yourself?”

Ullysis had no comeback. Not immediately.

If he truly wanted to divorce her, he would’ve, whether she kept her money or not.

But… did he want it?

Maybe more than her?

Had he gone to the Civil Affairs Office first thing?

And even when he didn’t show up, she’d still come to the company.

Why?

“So… do you really want to divorce me? Walk away with nothing?”

Ullysis didn’t notice his usually sharp voice cracking.

From the moment they met, he never believed Shantal married him for money. And now, here she was, returning everything that should’ve been his.

For the first time, it hit him.

Maybe he’d been wrong all along.

“Yes. I want nothing. I want a divorce.”

In her previous life, those cold words of his, spoken before his death, had haunted her. Every time she remembered them, it shattered her heart all over again.

But this time, she wouldn’t wait for regret to catch up to her.

Some breakups were messy. Bloody. But at least they healed eventually.

Better that than clinging to pain that never faded.

Shantal’s voice was calm, detached, as if this divorce had nothing to do with her.

Ullysis fought the tight panic building in his chest. It had started yesterday, the moment she signed those papers.

Her face stayed blank, her tone unreadable. Like a storm brewing, quiet but dangerous.

“Grandpa gave me those shares as protection. In case you hurt me.”

She paused, watching him.

“Even though you don’t love me, you’ve been… generous. But now? I want to end everything clean. No ties. No favors.”

That 5% stake was worth billions. But Shantal couldn’t care less.

To Ullysis, it felt like she wasn’t just cutting business ties.

She was cutting him off entirely.

“As for your divorce agreement… keep it. We’re done. No need to stay in touch. Right, Mr. Ray Ford?”

The name change sliced through him. Cold. Formal. Final.

Ullysis’s panic tightened. The more he tried to swallow it down, the worse it got.

Why? Why couldn’t he breathe?

Shantal checked her watch and frowned. “It’s been less than an hour. Let’s go. No more wasting time.”

She turned, got in the car, and shut the door with a sharp finality.

Around them, whispers buzzed like wildfire.

“Is Mr. Ray Ford getting divorced?”

“She said so herself. It must be true.”

“Look, he followed her…”

But Ullysis barely heard them. His chest tightened as Shantal’s car pulled away.

And for the first time, he wondered,

“Is this really the end?”

Ashley promised herself, one day, she’d return the humiliation she suffered today.

The thought only fueled her desire. Her ambitions burned hotter than ever.

But the moment she looked up, her smile froze.

Ullysis wasn’t following Shantal to the Civil Affairs Office to finalize their divorce.

He was walking back toward the building, his face dark, unreadable.

Ashley’s eyes dimmed for a second, but she quickly gathered herself.

When Ullysis got close, she leaned in, her expression soft and hurt, fishing for sympathy.

“Mr. Ray Ford…” she whispered.

Ullysis stared at her, silent.

Ashley’s heart jumped. His silence… that was a good sign, right?

Her cheeks flushed with excitement. She clenched her fists to hide it.

He must like me.

Why else didn’t he defend Shantal earlier? His silence… wasn’t that his quiet admission?

Ashley could already picture it, her, Mrs. Ray Ford.

But the next second, Ullysis’s voice cut through her fantasy. Cold. Sharp.

“What did you say to Shantal when she came here?”

Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. Panic bubbled up.

“I… I didn’t say anything. She called me a bitch… said you didn’t go home all day because… because of me…”

She stammered, her fear clashing with the tiny shred of pride in her voice.

Ullysis didn’t answer. He simply walked past her.

For a moment, Ashley thought maybe he believed her…

Until she heard him say to Weldon,

“Send her to the Finance Department. Let her collect her back pay. After that, make sure she leaves Ray Ford Corporation. For good.”

Ashley’s face drained of color.

She spun around, reaching for him.

“Mr… Mr. Ray Ford!”

But Weldon blocked her path. Calm. Ruthless.

“Mr. Ray Ford doesn’t like troublemakers,” Weldon said flatly.

“We’ve got plenty of secretaries to take him to dinner. You weren’t special.”

The truth hit her harder than the words.

Weldon arranged those dinners… not Ullysis.

Weldon’s eyes narrowed, his voice laced with mockery.

“Mrs. Ray Ford was right. You are as dumb as a pig. And the dumbest part? You thought you could fool him. You just wasted your only chance to be honest.”

Ashley’s legs felt weak. Her arrogance collapsed into fear.

Getting fired wasn’t the scary part.

The real nightmare?

Mr. Ray Ford fired her.

What major company would ever hire her now?

Her mind spun. She couldn’t accept it. Couldn’t believe it.

Didn’t Ullysis hate his wife?

Why… why defend Shantal?

“Mr… Mr. Weldon…” Ashley’s voice trembled. “I… I know I was wrong… please… I won’t do it again…”

Weldon didn’t even blink.

“It’s too late.”

Ashley’s heart dropped.

And in that moment, she realized…

Ray Ford wasn’t just a company.

It was a battlefield.

And she’d already lost.

Weldon wasn’t stupid enough to offend his already frustrated boss by siding with someone like Ashley.

He used to think the women working at Ray Ford Corporation had at least some common sense.

Clearly, he’d overestimated them.

Ambition made them reckless.

And today? It made Ashley stupid.

Weldon’s eyes stayed cold as he told her,

“You’d better leave quietly. If you make a scene, security will throw you out. It’ll be ugly.”

“Mr. Weldon! Please, ”

Ashley’s voice cracked with desperation, but it was too late.

The Shaw Lounge was packed with employees, watching the show.

No one stepped in to help her.

Why would they?

Earlier, Ashley strutted around like she owned the place, thinking two dinners with the president made her special.

Now? She was a joke.

No one wanted to be dragged down with her.

Weldon turned away and stepped into the elevator, but the unease in his chest didn’t fade.

His boss’s cold, stormy face hovered in his mind.

And something else nagged at him…

Why was Mrs. Ray Ford so desperate for a divorce?

What Weldon didn’t know was… Shantal wasn’t exactly happy about it either.

Just as the elevator doors slid shut, his phone rang.

Shantal.

She only called when she couldn’t reach Ullysis.

But today? The tension in the air shifted.

Weldon hesitated.

A secretary rushed over.

“Mr. Weldon, the president is looking for you.”

“…Alright.”

He shoved the ringing phone into his pocket and headed to the office.

The moment Ullysis spotted the caller ID, his icy stare could’ve frozen the room.

Weldon quickly held out the phone.

“It’s… It’s Mrs. Ray Ford.”

Ullysis’s face darkened, his jaw clenched tight.

Weldon thought he was good at reading his boss. But right now? He wasn’t so sure.

“Should I… answer it?” he asked cautiously.

The phone kept ringing.

The tension thickened like fog.

Ullysis’s eyes were storms barely contained.

“Answer it,” he snapped.

Weldon obeyed, switching to speaker.

Shantal’s sharp, impatient voice cut through the room.

“Mr. Weldon, tell Ullysis my time isn’t his to waste. If he doesn’t have time for a divorce today, he needs to say when. I don’t have patience for games.”

Weldon broke into a cold sweat. He glanced nervously at Ullysis, but his boss stayed silent.

“Uh… Mrs. Ray Ford,” Weldon stammered. “Mr. Ray Ford is… very busy today. Important matters. Please, wait a little longer. I’ll ask him when he’s free…”

“Fine. But tell him to hurry up. No need to waste time over something as simple as a divorce.”

Weldon opened his mouth but froze as Ullysis snatched the phone.

“Shantal, ”

The line went dead.

Shantal had hung up before he could finish.

Ullysis’s face darkened even further. His expression turned terrifying.

Weldon stood frozen, a chill creeping down his spine.

Shantal had never hung up on Ullysis before.

The tension snapped like a breaking wire.

Ullysis’s frustration boiled over.

That damn woman… she really dared to turn her back on him.