All Chapters of Divorced, Now Watch Me Rise!: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

CLAIRE"When did you get back?" Julian asked, still grinning."This morning," Blake replied. "Flew in from London, went straight to my father's place, he told me you were doing well.""Your father's in town?" Julian asked."For the week," Blake confirmed. "He's got meetings with some tech startups, wanted my opinion on a few.""Since when do you give investment advice?" Julian teased."Since I actually got good at it," Blake shot back. "Shocking, I know."I watched them interact, fascinated by this version of Julian, relaxed, joking, almost carefree."Claire, this is Blake Hartley," Julian said, finally remembering I was there. "My oldest friend. His father taught me to invest.""We already met," Blake said. "I ambushed her when she got home.""You what?" Julian asked, his expression shifting."The doorman let me up," Blake explained. "I forgot you were married, so when Claire walked in, it was awkward."Julian looked at me. "Are you okay?" he asked."I'm fine," I assured him. "Just s

CLAIREHOURS LATER Blake was lounging on our couch, scrolling through his phone when he suddenly sat up straight. "Well, this is interesting," he said.Julian looked up from his laptop. "What?" he asked."Cross Industries stock just dropped fifteen percent," Blake replied, showing his phone screen. "Market opened twenty minutes ago."Julian's expression didn't change. "Not surprising," he said. "The CEO was just arrested for embezzlement.""It's worse than that," Blake continued, reading. "Board of directors called emergency meeting, investors are panicking, three major clients pulled contracts this morning.""Let it burn," Julian said coldly, returning to his work.Blake exchanged a glance with me. "Julian," Blake started carefully."I said let it burn," Julian repeated, his voice firm. "That company has nothing to do with me.""You own shares," Blake pointed out."Which are currently worthless," Julian replied. "I'm aware."The doorbell rang, interrupting the tension. I got up to a

JULIAN“Come here,” she said gently.I crossed the room and stopped in front of her. She stood up and reached for my tie, her fingers brushing my neck as she finished loosening it.“Let me help,” Claire said, pulling the tie free and setting it aside.Her hands moved to my shirt buttons next, opening them one by one with slow, careful movements. Her touch was light but sure.“You don’t have to do this,” I told her.“I know,” she replied, pushing the shirt off my shoulders and it fell to the floor. “But you’re carrying so much right now. Let me take care of you tonight.”Something tight in my chest eased at her words. I let out a heavy breath.“Shower first?” she suggested, resting her palms on my bare chest for a moment.“Yeah,” I said. “Good idea.”I went into the bathroom and stood under the hot water for a long time, letting it beat against my stiff shoulders. When I came out fifteen minutes later wearing only gray sweatpants, Claire had fluffed the pillows and made the bed look in

JULIANBlake and I spent the next six hours going through Victoria's folder, every concern was legitimate, every question pointed to real problems."This contract with Meridian Tech," Blake said, pointing at a document. "The payment schedule makes no sense."I looked at the numbers. "Ethan paid them twice what the project was worth," I observed."Either incompetence or kickback," Blake replied. "My money's on kickback.""Add it to the fraud list," I said, making notes.My assistant brought lunch around one PM, sandwiches neither of us had ordered. "Here's your lunch, Sir." she said. "Both of you look terrible.""Thanks, Patricia," I said dryly."She's not wrong," Blake added through a mouthful of sandwich. "You look like death.""Appreciate the support," I muttered.Blake grinned. "That's what friends are for," he said. "Brutal honesty."By three PM, we'd identified twelve potentially fraudulent contracts, total estimated losses approaching thirty million dollars."Ethan was busy," Bl

JULIAN "This pension fund situation," Victoria said around two PM. "Have you made progress recovering the money?""The DA has frozen Ethan's offshore accounts," I explained. "But accessing the funds requires court approval.""How long?" Victoria asked."Months," I admitted. "Maybe longer.""Those employees don't have months," Victoria pointed out."I know," I said, frustration evident in my voice.Victoria was quiet for a moment, thinking. "What if my father helped?" she suggested.I looked at her sharply. "Helped how?" I asked."The Ashford Group could front the pension payments," Victoria explained. "Then recover the funds from Ethan's accounts when they're unfrozen."Blake sat up straight. "That's a significant offer," he said carefully."It's a loan," Victoria clarified. "Not a gift.""Why would your father do that?" I asked.Victoria smiled slightly. "Because it's good business," she replied. "And because it would demonstrate your commitment to employee welfare.""What's the cat