Home / Romance / Divorced, Now Watch Me Rise! / Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

All Chapters of Divorced, Now Watch Me Rise!: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

259 Chapters

Verbal Deal

JULIANVictoria arrived at eight AM again, this time carrying two coffee cups. "I brought coffee," she announced, setting one on my desk. "Black, no sugar.""Thank you," I said, surprised.Blake eyed his own cup suspiciously. "Did you poison this?" he asked.Victoria laughed. "If I wanted to poison someone, Mr. Hartley, I'd be far more subtle," she replied."Noted," Blake said, taking a careful sip. "This is actually good coffee.""I have my moments," Victoria said, settling into her usual chair."So what's the plan today?" she asked me."Employee interviews," I explained. "I want to understand how deep Ethan's damage goes.""Smart," Victoria approved. "My father will want to know employee morale."We spent the morning interviewing department heads, one by one, each conversation revealed more problems.Missing equipment, delayed projects, vendors refusing to ship materials. "This is worse than the contracts," Blake muttered after the fifth interview."This is operational collapse," Vi

Normalcy

JULIAN"I'm saying we need documentation," I replied calmly. "Otherwise anyone could claim Ethan made them promises."Bradford's lawyer slid papers across the table. "These emails show discussions about the contract," she said.I read through them quickly, they were vague, mentioned possibilities, but nothing concrete."These don't constitute a binding agreement," I observed."A jury might disagree," the lawyer replied.Blake leaned forward. "Let me guess," he said. "You want ten million to make this go away."Bradford looked at him sharply. "We want what we're owed," he said."You're owed nothing," Blake replied cheerfully. "But you're hoping Julian is desperate enough to pay you anyway.""Blake," I warned."What?" Blake said innocently. "I'm just clarifying the situation."Victoria was watching the exchange with interest."Mr. Bradford," I said. "I understand you made investments, but paying ten million without a valid contract sets a dangerous precedent.""So you're refusing?" Brad

Relax

JULIANCharles Ashford was nothing like I expected, he walked into my office at eight AM looking more like a college professor than a billionaire investor.Casual blazer, no tie, reading glasses perched on his nose. Victoria followed behind him, looking nervous for the first time since I'd met her."Mr. Cross," Charles said, extending his hand. "Charles Ashford.""Mr. Ashford," I replied, shaking firmly. "Thank you for coming.""Call me Charles," he said, settling into a chair. "Mr. Ashford makes me feel ancient."Blake appeared with coffee, having anticipated the early meeting."Charles, this is Blake Hartley," I introduced. "My advisor.""Hartley's son," Charles said immediately, his face lighting up. "I haven't seen you since you were what, twenty?""Twenty-two," Blake corrected, grinning. "You loaned me ten thousand dollars for a startup that immediately failed.""Ah yes," Charles said, laughing. "The artisanal pickle company.""We don't talk about the pickles," Blake replied.Vic

Need This

JULIANThe associate brought out various items, casual jackets, designer jeans, shirts that weren't white or blue. "Try this," Blake insisted, handing me a dark green henley."I don't wear green," I said."You do now," Blake replied. "Trust me."I tried it on to humor him but the associate nodded approvingly. "It works," she said. "Brings out your eyes.""See?" Blake said triumphantly. "Listen to the professional."By the time we left, Blake had convinced me to buy three new shirts, two pairs of jeans, and a leather jacket I would probably never wear."This is ridiculous," I said, carrying multiple bags."This is called having a personality," Blake corrected. "Try it sometime."We walked down Fifth Avenue, Blake pointing out various stores and making commentary about everything we passed."That restaurant is terrible," he announced. "I got food poisoning there last year.""Good to know," I replied dryly.We passed a jewelry store and something in the window caught my eye, a delicate n

Auction

CLAIRENEXT EVENING I was in the bathroom touching up my makeup when I heard Julian come through the front door. "You're home early," I called out."Blake's orders," Julian replied, his voice getting closer.He appeared in the bathroom doorway, loosening his tie. "Did he tell you where?" I asked, applying mascara carefully."He won't tell me," Julian said, sounding both amused and exasperated. "Just said to be ready by seven."I glanced at the clock, six fifteen. "That gives us forty-five minutes," I observed."I'll shower quickly," Julian said, already pulling off his shirt.While he showered, I went to the closet and debated what to wear. Blake had said fancy, which could mean anything from cocktail dress to full gown.I settled on a midnight blue silk dress I'd been saving, elegant without being overdone.The bathroom door opened and Julian emerged in a cloud of steam, towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets still clung to his chest and shoulders."That's distracting," I ob

Eventful

CLAIREI looked at Julian, whose hand had moved unconsciously toward the painting. "My father sold her paintings after she died," Julian said, his voice hollow. "I thought they were all gone.""This one wasn't," Blake said quietly. "It stayed in Victor's private collection.""How do you know that?" Julian asked, still staring at the painting."Because I checked," Blake admitted. "When I saw the auction catalog, I recognized the name."Julian moved closer to the painting, close enough that a gallery attendant glanced over nervously. "She painted this the summer before she died," Julian said. "We went to Lake Tahoe, just the two of us."His voice was thick with emotion. "She brought her easel and painted while I swam in the lake," Julian continued. "I remember lying on the dock watching her work, she was so focused."I touched his arm gently but he didn't seem to notice, lost in the memory. "She told me that day she wished she could paint forever," Julian said. "That if she could just p

Club

CLAIREMarcus drove us deeper into downtown, away from the gallery district. "Blake, where are we going?" I asked for the third time."You'll see," Blake replied, still grinning.Julian was quiet beside me, his hand holding mine tightly. "Julian," I said softly. "You okay?""I don't know yet," he admitted.Blake turned around from the front seat. "That's why we're not going home," he announced. "You need to not think for a while.""I'm fine," Julian protested."You're not fine," Blake corrected. "You just bought your dead mother's painting at auction, you're allowed to not be fine.""Blake," Julian warned."But," Blake continued, ignoring him. "You're also not allowed to sit at home and brood about it.""I don't brood," Julian said.Both Blake and I looked at him. "Okay, sometimes I brood," Julian conceded."Frequently," I corrected."All the time," Blake added.Julian sighed but didn't argue further.The car stopped in front of what looked like an abandoned warehouse. "This is where

Family

CLAIRE Blake handed him the microphone and pulled up the song list. "Nothing embarrassing," Julian warned."Define embarrassing," Blake replied, scrolling.He selected something before Julian could see it. Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" started playing.Julian shot Blake a look but didn't refuse. He started singing, his voice surprisingly decent.Not professional, but definitely better than Blake's attempt. "You've been holding out on us," I said when he finished."My mother taught me," Julian admitted. "She loved Sinatra."Blake and I exchanged glances, both noticing the shift in Julian's mood. "Claire's turn," Blake announced quickly, changing the subject."What am I singing?" I asked nervously.Blake was already selecting. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin started playing."Blake, this is too hard," I protested."You can do it," Blake encouraged, shoving the microphone into my hand.I started singing, my voice shaky at first but gaining confidence, by the chorus, I was actually e

Ahead Of Schedule

CLAIREOne week later, I stood in the production facility watching Maria fold the last blazer for Nordstrom. "That's five hundred pieces," Nina announced, checking her tablet. "Complete."Relief washed through me. We'd done it, ahead of schedule, exactly to specifications. "Everyone, can I have your attention," I called out.The twelve seamstresses stopped their machines and looked up. "We're done," I announced. "The Nordstrom order is complete."Cheers erupted across the floor. Maria hugged her sister Elena, both of them grinning. Rebecca high-fived Amanda, nearly knocking over a rack of dresses."This is amazing," Sofia, Maria's daughter, said. "I can't believe we actually did it.""We absolutely did it," I confirmed. "And you all should be incredibly proud."Nina was already organizing the finished pieces, sorting them by store location. "The Nordstrom representative is coming at two PM," she reminded me. "We need everything tagged and ready."The next three hours were a flurry of

Breaking Out

CLAIRE"Celebrating how?" Sofia asked."Team dinner," I decided. "Tonight, somewhere nice, company pays."Excited chatter filled the room. "Where are we going?" Rebecca asked."I'll make a reservation," Nina offered. "Somewhere in the city with cocktails and good food.""Perfect," I agreed.The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning up and planning for the next orders. By five PM, Nina had secured a reservation at an Italian restaurant."Seven PM," she announced. "Table for fourteen.""Fourteen?" I asked."You, me, the twelve seamstresses," Nina counted. "Unless you're not coming?""I'm absolutely coming," I confirmed.I spent the next hour at my desk, responding to emails and updating social media, the Nordstrom announcement would go live next week, but I wanted everything ready.My phone buzzed with a text from Julian.Julian: How did the Nordstrom pickup go?Me: Perfect. They loved everything.Julian: Congratulations. Proud of you.Me: Thank you. Team dinner tonight at 7, I'll be

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