CHAPTER FIVE

***CLYDE’S POV***

Staring outside the window, with my hands buried deep in my pockets, Jake, my secretary, gave a brief summary of everything that had taken place at the company in my absence.

"And lastly, sir, I've completed the task you assigned. Your wife's access to the joint account has been frozen."

"Good." I breathed the word out slowly and turned to face him.

But the satisfaction I had been expecting never arrived and instead I felt a weird feeling settling somewhere beneath my ribs that I couldn't quite name.

"Now let's see how long she lasts out there without access to my money. It's time she remembered what she actually is without me — an ordinary orphan with no connections, and no single root to anchor her in this world.”

It had been a week since Charlotte left this house in anger. A full week without calling to inform me of what she’s doing or where she was. Something she had never done throughout our years of marriage.

Regardless of how strained things were between us, Charlotte had always been predictable in this one sense — she stayed. She endured. And if she left because I treated her badly, she always comes back within a day. That was who she was.

But her silence now felt different from anything I had prepared myself for. Like she had changed.

I knew she was angry and jealous of Flora coming back in here, something she should have expected after taking away what belonged to her. But I never knew she would be this dramatic about it.

My mind drifted back to eight years ago. To the night I’d planned everything down to the last detail; a surprise proposal for Flora. It was going to be perfect. It was going to be something she remembered forever.

And then my grandmother called.

I had rushed home expecting a medical emergency, heart already in my throat, only to find her seated in the drawing room with Charlotte beside her, and my grandmother was asking her whether she would like to marry me.

I still remembered the way Charlotte's cheeks had gone red. And she had said yes. Knowing full well what Flora was to me, knowing what that night was supposed to be, and she had still said yes.

The anger that rose in me then had been blinding and I refuse immediately, insulting her of being a gold digger.

But then my grandmother had made her position clear and gave me two options: marry Charlotte Harper, or forfeit Wellington Enterprises. The company would pass to whoever married her — me, or my cousin. The terms were not a suggestion. They were a verdict.

I hadn't had a choice back then.

Not when Wellington Enterprises was my birthright. Not when I had spent the better part of my life preparing to run it, bleeding for it, sacrificing for it. I couldn’t just let it go — not because my grandmother had decided to repay a life debt to an orphaned girl who had once pulled her from a burning car.

So I had chosen Charlotte.

And I had watched Flora's face fall as I got down on one knee at her favourite spot, surrounded by her favourite flowers, with her favourite music playing softly in the background and proposed to someone else.

For eight years, I had carried that memories and that has made the hatred I had for Charlotte keep growing and now I want her to pay for all what she had done to me and Flora.

For separating us.

And if perhaps I had shown Charlotte any form of affection during our marriage, it had been for only one reason — Genevieve. She had raised her perfectly for six years and has been there for every scraped knee, every nightmare, every first. That deserved some recognition, and some respect at least.

"Sir."

Jake's voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned slightly.

"There's also the matter of the Vaughn Elite Gala tomorrow evening."

I raised an eyebrow as I didn’t see any issue with that.

"I think it would be beneficial if you attended with your wife," he said, choosing his words with the careful. "I mean she’s been the one managing the Vaughn contract negotiations. The CEO has already met her personally. If you were to arrive with someone else... it might raise questions."

I exhaled through my nose.

He was right, and I hated that he was right.

Charlotte had been handling the Vaughn contract for three months now. I even heard she had personally arranged to collect Alexander Vaughn from the airport when he arrived in the city. And the relationship she had built with him was the entire reason this deal was still on the table.

Ever since she’d started working for the company, our profits had skyrocketed. Every contract she touched turned to gold. Every project she pitched sailed through government approvals without a hitch.

She was valuable. Yeah that was annoying and that was also the only reason I hadn’t divorced her yet. And moreover, I needed her at the upcoming shareholder meeting. After that, once everything was secured, I could finally serve her the papers and be done with it.

But tomorrow…

I grimaced as I couldn’t bring Flora to the gala. The Vaughn CEO had already met Charlotte and showing up with a different woman would raise questions I didn’t want to answer or even make me lose the contract.

And moreover, where would I even find Charlotte?

I was still mulling over how to handle it when something caught my attention on the television. I reached for the remote and raised the volume.

“…in what sources are already calling one of the most unexpected sightings of the year. Billionaire CEO Alexander Vaughn was photographed this afternoon outside his corporate headquarters, publicly embracing an unidentified woman. Mr. Vaughn, who is widely known for his guarded private life and near-total absence from social media, was seen pulling the woman close before kissing her in full view of the gathered people. In a statement to reporters, he reportedly referred to her as 'his woman.' The woman's face was not visible in any of the footage. Many are already asking — who exactly is this mystery Cinderella?"

I stared at the screen for like a minute as there was something familiar about it.

The footage was brief and slightly obscured by the crowd around them, but it was enough. Alexander Vaughn's face was clear, but hers was turned away from the camera. All I could see was her back, and her dark messy hair.

And something tightened in my chest.

Because for some reason, the woman in another man’s arm looked like…Charlotte.

My wife.

I took a step closer to the screen without meaning to.

No. That was absurd.

Why would she?

I shook my head and stepped back, pressing my lips together.

Charlotte was my wife. Whatever the state of this marriage, whatever the terms of our arrangement, Charlotte was not the kind of woman who would be photographed kissing another man in front of half the city's press corps. She wasn't this… reckless.

And beyond that, why would someone like Alexander Vaughn even take a liking with Charlotte? He was one of the most powerful figures not just in Norland but across several countries. And that kind of person would like someone like Charlotte who has nothing to offer someone of his caliber?

If not because she saved my grandmother’s life, how could she even dream of marrying me?

No, it's just a coincidence.

There is no way she would be the one.

“Daddy?”

I turned around only to find Genevieve standing in the doorway, still in her school uniform, her small face creased with worry. Jake read the room without a word and quietly excused himself.

I smiled and reached over to switch off the television, setting the remote down. "Hey, honey. How was school?"

But she didn't answer. She just looked at me with those wide, searching eyes and asked, "Why hasn't Mommy come home yet?" Her voice was very small. "Did she... did she abandon us?"

Abandoned.

The word landed somewhere it shouldn't have and I felt my pulse spike before I could stop as If i was scared she might have really done that.

But that’s impossible as I was sure about one thing; if Charlotte would do anything, she would never leave me.

Why?

First, she loved me so much. That even if I treated her badly she will still continue clinging onto me and begging for my attention.

Second, if she left me, she’d be penniless. I’d made sure she had no independent wealth, or any separate accounts. Everything she had was tied to me.

And third—most importantly—she’d never leave Genevieve. She loved our daughter more than anything in this world. And if we divorced, I’d make sure she never got custody. My lawyers were the best money could buy. What judge would grant custody to a woman with no family, no independent income, and no support system?

She was not gone. She was angry, and she was somewhere, and she would soon come crawling back to me, begging me to take her back.

I crossed the room and crouched down to her level, keeping my voice easy. "No, sweetheart. She hasn't abandoned us. She loves us far too much for that."

"But it's been so long." Genevieve's brow furrowed. "She always calls me. Even when I was the one who was wrong, she always called, begging me.”

I reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Your mother could never leave you. Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"Because you are the only person she has in this whole world. You are her whole world. She would never walk away from that."

Genevieve went quiet for a moment. "But what if she's still angry at me?”Her voice went low, tears lacing her eyes,“Because I didn’t go with her the other day? Or because I insisted that momma should stay with us?”

I pulled her into my arms before I could think about it, feeling the slight tremble in her small frame. "Listen to me," I said quietly. "Your mother could never be angry at you. Not for anything. You are everything to her. Do you understand me?"

She pulled back after a moment, her expression lifting slightly, like a cloud shifting. "Really?"

"Really." I smiled and ruffled her hair as I stood. "Now — enough of that. Tell me about school. Did you sort things out with your friends?"

Her face came alive. "Yes! They were so happy I came back. Thank you for letting me come home and go back to my old school, Daddy. I missed them so much."

"I'm glad."

But then the brightness in her face suddenly dropped again. "But Daddy... my school is doing a recital soon. And I haven't practiced at all yet." She hesitated. "Mommy always helps me practice."