Chapter 7

Vivienne’s POV

Alexander had always been a public figure as the CEO of Vanguard Global Enterprises. His name appeared frequently in financial news and business magazines, and his reputation had always been clean and admirable.

People praised his appearance, his height, and the powerful background he carried with quiet confidence. There were no scandals tied to his name, and over time many people began to treat him as a perfect example of success.

Isabella was no different in status. She had built her fame overseas with beauty, talent, and a strong professional image.

When the two of them appeared together, the public quickly decided they belonged side by side.

The internet erupted with excitement.

Fans created endless posts, edits, and imagined stories about their relationship. A hashtag combining both their names spread rapidly, drawing more attention with every passing hour. Thousands of people followed the topic closely, discussing every detail as if it were a confirmed love story.

Some even joked that they were already married. Others insisted that Alexander had remained single all these years because he had been waiting for Isabella to return.

To them, it was a perfect reunion.

A story worth celebrating.

I sat quietly in my office, scrolling through the comments.

Each word felt like a sharp blade pressing deeper into my chest.

My fingers trembled around my phone as I tried to breathe steadily.

I was his legal wife.

And yet the entire world was celebrating another woman standing beside him.

After a long moment, I turned off my phone.

Then I stood up and walked to his office.

I knocked once before entering.

“I need to speak with you,” I said calmly.

He looked up at me, his expression unreadable.

“What is it?”

“CCPR’s handling of the trending situation is not appropriate,” I said. “Linking Isabella so closely with V and R will damage the brand’s long term positioning.”

That was the professional explanation.

The personal one remained buried inside me.

He leaned back slightly and studied me for a moment.

Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Are you saying that as a professional,” he asked quietly, “or are you trying to cover up your own failure?”

For a second, I could not understand what he meant.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

His gaze turned colder.

“You have connections with investors,” he said. “It would not be difficult for you to influence public opinion.”

My mind went completely blank.

“You think I did this?” I asked slowly.

“You wanted to hurt Isabella’s career,” he replied without hesitation.

Something inside me collapsed.

“We have been married for three years,” I said, my voice trembling despite my effort to stay calm. “Is that really how you see me?”

“If you were unhappy with the arrangement,” he continued, ignoring my question, “you could have spoken to me directly instead of using methods like this.”

My chest tightened painfully.

It felt as if I could not breathe.

“And what would you do next?” he added. “Expose our marriage publicly and destroy her reputation?”

Tears gathered in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

“So in your eyes,” I said quietly, “she is completely innocent?”

He did not answer immediately.

All the emotions I had been holding back finally surged forward.

“You made promises to our grandparents,” I said, my voice unsteady but firm. “If you had told me from the beginning that you could never let her go, I would never have agreed to marry you.”

My hands clenched tightly.

“I am not made of stone,” I continued. “I have endured everything between you and her, and I said nothing. But I am tired.”

The words came out slowly, each one heavier than the last.

“If I truly wanted revenge,” I said, lifting my gaze to meet his, “I would not need to rely on rumors. I could destroy her career directly.”

The room fell into silence.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he sighed quietly.

“I spoke too quickly,” he said. “I apologize.”

The word sounded hollow.

It did not ease anything inside me.

“I will handle the situation,” he continued. “But Isabella is innocent. She does not even know about our marriage.”

That sentence hurt more than everything else.

I felt suddenly exhausted.

“Do whatever you think is right,” I said softly.

Then I turned and walked out.

Back in my office, I sat down in silence.

The divorce agreement lay in front of me.

I stared at it for a long time.

At some point, I realized something clearly.

His heart had already left.

There was nothing left for me to hold onto.

I picked up a pen.

And signed my name.

Slowly.

Carefully.

When I finished, I called my assistant.

“Send this to the CEO’s office,” I said.

After that, I sat there without moving.

Everything felt quiet.

Later that afternoon, my phone rang.

It was Nana.

She asked us to come home for lunch. Her voice was warm and filled with affection, as if nothing had changed.

I agreed.

After work, Alexander sent a message asking me to meet him in the garage.

I got into the back seat without saying anything.

The car moved steadily through the evening traffic.

Streetlights passed one after another outside the window.

“Nana probably wants to talk about the news,” he said.

I remained silent.

“If everything goes well,” he continued, “I will bring up the divorce.”

A dull pain spread through my chest.

I only nodded.

And continued looking out the window.

Alexander’s POV

I watched Vivienne leave my office, her expression calm but distant.

Something about it felt unfamiliar.

Still, the situation with Isabella required careful handling.

Public image mattered.

Control mattered.

Shortly after, Isabella called to apologize about the situation online.

I assured her that everything had already been handled.

When the call ended, I sat alone for a moment.

Then Jane brought in a document.

I opened it casually.

And froze.

It was the divorce agreement.

Signed.

Her name was written clearly at the bottom of the page.

I stared at it longer than I expected.

Then I closed the file.

Isabella’s POV

When I saw the trending topics, I felt uneasy.

Reputation mattered too much for me to ignore something like that.

I called Alexander immediately, and he reassured me that everything was under control.

I trusted him.

I also believed that Vivienne would never expose the marriage.

She cared too much about his reputation to do something like that.

What Alexander did not know…

Was that I already knew.

About their marriage.

And about the divorce that was coming.

Lately, I had started to notice something else.

Alexander seemed slightly distant.

It made me feel uneasy.

Perhaps it would be better if everything ended quickly.

Before things became more complicated.