บททั้งหมดของ The Goddess of Divorce Made Me His Boss: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Bernard POVI woke up to the sound of our upstairs neighbors fighting again. Their voices were loud and angry, just like every morning for the past three weeks. I rolled over and looked at the cracked ceiling of our tiny one-bedroom apartment, feeling the familiar anger building in my chest.This place was a dump. The carpet was old and stained, the kitchen was smaller than my old walk-in closet, and the bathroom had a leak that the landlord refused to fix. Tracy and I were sharing this miserable space because it was all we could afford after everything fell apart."Bernard," Tracy called from the kitchen, her voice sharp with irritation. "The coffee maker is broken again, and we don't have money to buy a new one."I groaned and sat up on the lumpy couch where I had been sleeping. We couldn't even afford a proper bed, just an air mattress that Tracy used in the bedroom while I slept on this uncomfortable couch every night."I'll fix it later," I called back, knowing I wouldn't be able

Richmond POVI couldn't stop thinking about the way Marcus had looked at Vanya in that conference room. It wasn't the look of a lawyer helping a client, or even a friend giving advice. It was the look of a man who was completely in love.I was sitting in my real penthouse apartment, thirty floors above Sacramento, staring out at the city lights and feeling jealous in a way I had never experienced before. The jealousy was eating at me like poison, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else.Marcus Thompson. Vanya's childhood friend, her lawyer, the man she trusted with her most important legal matters. He knew everything about her past, her dreams, her fears. He had been there for her through the worst years of her marriage when Bernard was destroying her confidence piece by piece.And now he was in love with her.I could see it in every move he made around Vanya. The way he looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The way he leaned closer when she s

Tracy POVI stared at my phone screen, scrolling through Vanya's Instagram account for the twentieth time today. Every post made me more angry and jealous than the last one. There she was, smiling in her expensive designer clothes, showing off her fancy jewelry workshop, posing with wealthy customers who were buying her designs."Five million dollar investment," I muttered, reading the caption under her latest post. "Goddess Jewelry expanding to three new cities."It wasn't fair. Three months ago, Vanya was nothing. She was a boring housewife who spent her days cleaning and cooking and being grateful that Bernard even looked at her. Now she was acting like some kind of successful businesswoman, living in a mansion and driving expensive cars.I threw my phone down on the couch in our tiny apartment and looked around at our pathetic living situation. The walls were thin, the furniture was cheap, and the whole place smelled like the fast food restaurant downstairs. This wasn't how my lif

Vanya POVI was sitting in my office, reviewing the final details for my jewelry exhibition, when my phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Jennifer Santos from the Convention Center, and I answered with a smile, expecting to discuss last-minute arrangements."Ms. Reed, I'm calling with some unfortunate news," Jennifer said, her voice sounding uncomfortable. "We're going to have to cancel your exhibition booking."My heart stopped. "Cancel? What do you mean cancel? The exhibition is in four weeks. Everything is already arranged.""I know this is very short notice, and I apologize," Jennifer said. "But we've had some concerns raised about your company's business practices, and we can't risk our reputation by hosting events for businesses with questionable backgrounds.""Questionable backgrounds?" I repeated, feeling like I was in a nightmare. "What are you talking about? What concerns?""We've received multiple reports that Goddess Jewelry has been involved in fraudulent activities,"

Vanya POVI stood in the beautiful event space, adjusting the final jewelry display case as the afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In two hours, Sacramento's wealthiest and most influential people would be walking through these doors to see my Goddess Jewelry collection, and I could barely contain my excitement.The past three weeks had been a whirlwind of preparation. After Richmond's boss generously offered this incredible venue, I had worked eighteen-hour days creating new pieces, arranging displays, and coordinating every detail of the exhibition. Fifty pieces of jewelry were now perfectly arranged throughout the elegant space, each one telling a story of strength, empowerment, and feminine power."Ms. Reed, the catering staff is ready, and the photographer has arrived," Michael Torres, the restaurant manager, said as he approached with his clipboard. "Is there anything else you need before the guests arrive?""I think we're ready," I said, smoothing