Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Chapter 1

"Mr. Whitlock, your proposal is nothing short of perfection!" The woman sitting across from me closed the project proposal, her eyes shimmering with undisguised admiration. "Both the depth of the market analysis and the precision of the risk management far exceed our previous expectations. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've seen a proposal this impressive."To produce this proposal, my team and I had pulled all-nighters for two weeks straight. Behind me, every member of the team looked giddy with relief. Lyra Ellington was the Vice President of Dominion Group, a leading enterprise in Lakeshire. She was notorious in the business world for being fastidious and demanding. Earning her praise was no easy feat. This partnership would shape Celestial Group's strategic direction for the next three years. However, my wife, Naomi Prescott, who was sitting beside me, shot me a fierce glare and snatched the proposal right out of my hands. "Ms. Ellington, you flatter us," she sai

Chapter 2

After seeing them off, the smile on Naomi's face vanished in an instant. She turned and looked at me coldly. "What's gotten into you today, Kieran? Ms. Ellington asked you a question. Why didn't you answer? Were you trying to embarrass Matthias?"Before I could respond, Matthias walked over to Naomi with an aggrieved look on his face. "Naomi, please don't blame Mr. Whitlock. It's all my fault. My abilities are lacking, and I've embarrassed you."He hung his head, as though he had suffered a grave injustice. "I only wanted to ease your workload. I didn't think… I'd mess things up."Naomi's heart immediately went out to him. Glaring at me, her voice was filled with an irrepressible rage. "Kieran! Did you hear that? You're a long-time employee, yet you aren't even as considerate or sensible as a new recruit! "As the company director, not only did you refuse to guide a newcomer, but you also tripped him up and suppressed him right in front of an outsider! Are you really that narrow-mi

Chapter 3

Project Polaris was the company's most important overseas acquisition this year. I'd worked on it for an entire year and had successfully negotiated every single harsh clause. Now, at the very last moment, she wanted me to hand it over to an intern who couldn't even understand a financial statement? I guffawed. This was truly ridiculous. I looked at Naomi, the woman I had shared instant noodles with for a year, lived in a basement with for three, and helped rise to the position of CEO with my own hands. How could she have turned into someone like this? "Ms. Prescott." I stood up and slowly straightened the cuff of my suit. "I'll say this one last time. My team does not support dead weight."Then, without sparing another glance at her or Matthias, who stood beside her with a glint in his eyes, I turned and left. Naomi's angry voice rang out behind me. "Who do you think you're giving an attitude to, Kieran Whitlock? If you don't want to work here, leave!"I yanked the ID badge

Chapter 4

Matthias' triumphant expression froze, and immediately, a layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead as the color drained from his face. He lunged forward, attempting to snatch the contract from my hands. "W-What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"I tilted my wrist, easily avoiding his grab. "There's a nine-billion-dollar discrepancy. Do you want the company to go bankrupt?"Flustered and driven to a rage by his own embarrassment, he slammed his hand on my desk and bellowed, "What the fuck are you trying to say, Kieran? Naomi put me in charge of this contract! You've already been fired, so what right do you have to go snooping through it?" He seemed to have forgotten that only minutes ago, he had asked me to sign off on the handover. His twisted logic made me so exasperated that I chuckled. "Matthias, is your head filled with nothing but air?"My words stung his fragile self-esteem. His eyes darted around before he abruptly raised his voice. "I get it now. You're just jealou

Chapter 5

The day after I left, I flew to Melvaris. I powered my phone off, cutting myself off from the outside world. Sunshine, sand, waves, and chilled champagne—how long had it been since I felt so relaxed? I couldn't even remember. It wasn't until a week later that I finally turned my phone back on. Hundreds of missed calls poured in, along with thousands of WhatsApp messages. My inbox had completely overflowed.I couldn't be bothered to go through them one by one, so I clicked on Julian's chat.Julian: "Did you really leave, Kieran? The whole team's in disbelief. Ms. Prescott held an all-hands meeting today and announced that the idiot Matthias is officially taking over as Investment Director. I think she's lost her mind!"Julian: "This is bad, Kieran. Really bad. Mr. Waterson from the south region, Ms. Ellington from the Northwest, and Ms. Zimmerman—a major client who's been with us for five years—have all called today demanding to terminate their contracts and withdraw their inves

Chapter 6

I stared at the words "the cafe on campus" in silence for a long while. That was where we had gone on our first date. I replied to her with a single word. "Fine."It was time for me to go back and put an end to this.After returning home, I didn't go to the cafe on campus. Instead, I arranged to meet a few old friends for some coffee at an ultra-private, high-end club in Meriton. These people weren't my old friends, per se. They were the true heavyweights of the domestic capital scene—Cameron Hale of Apex Group, Nico Laurent of Vanguard Group, and Jordan Mercer of Solene Group. Any one of them could rattle the entire venture capital scene with a single move. They were also the very same potential partners Celestial Group had once tried to secure at great expense but never managed to win over. Naomi had humbled herself, pleading with several middlemen just to share a meal with them. Yet, they hadn't even bothered to look her way. However, now, they were all seated across fr

Chapter 7

"Kieran Whitlock, you bastard!" Matthias suddenly burst into the room like a madman. Pointing at me, he cursed, "Kieran, you despicable snake, you're just waiting to strike when I'm at my lowest!"Before I could retort, the hot-tempered Cameron shoved a stack of documents in Matthias' face. "Punk, do you recognize these?"Papers scattered all over the floor—records of gambling debts and forged educational and professional credentials. They were ironclad evidence. Cameron's cold voice cut through the room. "Did you really think no one knew you were embezzling company funds to cover your gambling debts? Do you take us for fools?"Matthias instantly went limp and collapsed on the floor, his face ashen. Naomi looked as though she had been struck by lightning. Stiffly, she turned her head to face Matthias. Her lips trembled as she gritted out, "Matthias… is he telling the truth?"Matthias shuddered. He didn't dare look her in the eye. He could only shake his head desperately. "N-N

Chapter 8

"Because… Because we…" Naomi choked back a sob."Because we're married?" I finished for her, a mocking smile tugging at my lips. "Have you forgotten, Ms. Prescott? The moment you kicked me out of the company, we ceased to be husband and wife."I pulled a folded piece of paper from my pocket and tossed it in front of her. It was a signed divorce agreement. "I signed it the second you pointed your finger in my face for that man's sake and called me an obstacle to the company. I've been waiting for you to find the time to sign it, too. It seems the timing is perfect now."Naomi stared at the divorce agreement as if she were looking at the most terrifying thing in the world, her entire body trembling. "No… I don't want to… I don't want a divorce, Kieran!" She shook her head frantically. "I was wrong. I know that now. Please just give me one more chance!""You want me to give you another chance?" My eyes were as cold as ice as I crouched down to meet her gaze. "I gave you countles

Chapter 9

This standoff lasted for an entire week, until one rainy night. I worked late that night, and when I walked out of the office building, it was raining cats and dogs. Naomi was still standing there, soaked to the bone. Rainwater streamed down her cheeks, making it impossible for me to tell if it was rain or her tears.When she saw me, her eyes lit up, and she rushed over recklessly, blocking the path of my car. My driver was startled and slammed on the brakes. My brow knitted as I rolled down my window. "Naomi, what on earth are you trying to do?""Kieran," she sobbed, leaning against the window. Her voice sounded exceptionally fragile amidst the patter of the rain. "Can we talk? Just for ten minutes, please?""We have nothing to talk about.""No, we do!" she exclaimed urgently. "Matthias… actually reported me! He exposed everything he knew!"Her expression was filled with terror. "I don't want to go to prison, Kieran! Help me. You must have a way to save me, right?"I took i

Chapter 10

After that night, Naomi never showed her face in front of me again.Two weeks later, news arrived. Celestial Group was officially under investigation for illegal fundraising and contract fraud, involving a staggering sum of money. As the company's legal representative and primary person in charge, Naomi was taken into criminal detention. Matthias was sentenced to ten years after selling Naomi out and dragging several other companies' old dirty dealings into the light. Naomi, who faced multiple charges, was sentenced in the first trial to 15 years in prison. I didn't attend on the day the verdict was announced. Julian was the one who told me the news. "Kieran, her parents asked someone to pass you a message. They want to see you."I thought about it for a moment and decided to go. I met the elderly couple in a coffee shop. In just a few months, they appeared as if they had aged ten years. Their hair had gone completely white. Jennifer Caldwell burst into tears the moment she s

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