Chapter 5

Astrid's secret identity as the mysterious business Guru made countless headlines. A lot of companies reached out to her for collaborations and interviews, but she kindly declined them as she had trusted partners who supported her company to move forward.

She was fully aware of the pressure that would follow her reveal in society, but she didn't care anymore as she was no longer the timid and gullible Mrs. Wade, who had no voice of her own.

In fact, she wanted to rub it on her ex-husband's face that he had lost a diamond while chasing after a rusty gold.

She made a promise to herself that she would never allow anyone to push her around again. As for love, no man would ever be worthy of her affection again.

Astrid's secretary, Nelson, walked into her large office holding a list of things she had asked him to research. 

“Ms. President, I have gotten all the names you requested for. Just as you said, they are all involved in sharp practices," he informed her, and she took note of them.

“Good, have them struck out. Those old geezers think they can get away with their illegal dealings without getting caught. Issue them their dismissal letters and have them blacklisted for good," she ordered with a stern voice before Nelson left her office.

Now that she was fully present in her company, she was single-handedly fishing out those who were corrupt. 

She wasn't going to condone any mistakes or omissions caused out of carelessness by any of her employees, including her board members. 

After settling down in her office, she went through prospective candidates who would be employed to work at her company in the next coming interview.

She ruled out unnecessary resumes and selected those who satisfied her criteria. As a business guru, she never took anything for granted, not even her employees.

Meanwhile, at the Wade family house, Grandma Wade had summoned her grandson. She was infuriated by his actions and demanded an explanation.

“Rowan! What do you mean by she left on her own? You clearly made her leave by bringing an unwanted homewrecker into your house!" She roared furiously at her grandson.

“What am I supposed to do? She decided to leave on her own. Besides, none of these would have happened if you had not interfered with my relationship with Victoria in the past," he spewed out, unremorseful of his actions.

Grandma Wade stared at him wide open, shocked by his accusation.

“I know that you drove a wedge between me and Victoria. You were the reason why she left with my son in the first place. How could you make her choose between me and money? I thought you cared about me." Rowan questioned his grandmother with a hint of betrayal in his voice.

Grandma Wade narrowed her eyes at him, disappointed by her grandson's foolish decision.

“And what did she choose in the end?" She inquired with a distinguished voice.

He stared at her speechless. Rowan was  pained that she had to make him pass through such hell. “You knew how broke I was after she left Grandma. But you chose to bring Astrid as her replacement. Now, I am the one being abandoned again," he accused her, and she closed her eyes in anger.

“No, you made Astrid leave you, and I don't blame her for doing so. But for that vicious woman who chose wealth over you, I won't tolerate it." Grandma Wade persisted on her ground without hesitation.

Seeing that his grandmother wouldn't change her mind, he made his final decision in front of her.

“If that is the case, then it is best we cut ties. I won't abandon my son again."

“Very well, don't come back to me if it is not about Astrid because I won't give a listening ear," she concluded adamantly. Even though she cared so much about her grandson, she couldn't change the love she had for Astrid.

She let him leave without feeling any form of guilt. As far as she was concerned, she made the right decision for him, but he was too blind to see it.

Rowan drove back to his house feeling down and betrayed. He never thought that Astrid would leave him.

He tightened his grip on his steering wheel, pinning all sorts of blame on Astrid for abandoning him.

‘she is the one that chose to leave. It is her fault not mine!'

Once he got home, he felt her absence regardless of the fact that Victoria and his son were in his presence.

“Rowan, you are back. What took you so long? Noah missed you a lot," she pretentiously said with a worried tone. 

He looked at his son, who was staring at him with glistening eyes like that of a person who had cried for a while.

“I am sorry," he apologized, carrying his son into his arms.

Victoria smiled and reached out to touch him, but Rowan moved away from her. “Don't get things twisted, Victoria. Just because you showed up randomly with my son doesn't mean I have forgotten about our past," he clearly warned her, and she bit down on her lower lip.

“I know that you don't trust me now. But I want to let you know that my return is genuine. And I will do everything for you to see me in a good light. Our son has taught a good lesson, and I hope we can experience life with him together," she said smoothly, like a tender rabbit.

Rowan walked past her and went up to his room with his son in his arms. He never forgave those who abandoned him, and now that Astrid had done the same thing he dreaded the most, he was certainly going to get under her skin. He hated that it had to be her, and the fact that he was affected by it so much made him confused.

After placing his son on his bed, he took up his laptop and sent an email to his secretary. He had already read about his ex-wife's trending headline and was ready to storm her world.