All Chapters of The Declined Card: My Ex-husband is now My Guarddog : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"Get her off the stage!" Kasen's roar shattered the stunned silence of the ballroom.His face was contorted in a mask of dark, pulsing rage. He glared at Maeva as if she were a rabid animal trying to ruin his perfect night. To him, this was nothing but a pathetic, desperate cry for attention from a woman who couldn't accept she was being discarded."Security!" Kasen barked, gesturing toward the podium. "Now! Drag her out of here!"The head of security, a burly man named Marcus dressed in a sharp black suit, rushed onto the stage with three other guards following close behind.The high-society wives in the front row leaned forward, their eyes wide with anticipation. They were eager to watch the plain Maeva get dragged out in front of the flashing cameras. Liora, still standing on the stage with the fifty-million-dollar diamond hanging heavy around her neck, let out a soft, theatrical gasp, retreating a step to look like a helpless victim.But Marcus didn't grab Maeva.He stopped three

The golden glass tower of the Sterling Conglomerate looked less like a corporate headquarters and more like an impenetrable fortress.Kasen stood in the center of the soaring, triple-height marble lobby, clutching his leather briefcase. He had spent his entire life looking down on others, but standing here, he felt microscopic. This was the heart of a trillion-dollar empire, a level of wealth that made his multi-billion-dollar company look like a corner convenience store.He swallowed his pride, adjusted his tie, and stepped up to the reception desk."I am Kasen Thorne, CEO of Axiom Global," he said, injecting as much charm and authority into his voice as he could. "I have an urgent, high-level matter to discuss with the newly appointed President. Or directly with Apex."The receptionist, a young woman wearing a tailored navy blazer, didn't even look up from her dual monitors."Do you have an appointment, Mr. Thorne?" she asked, her voice flat and mechanical."No. But this is a matter

The weight of a cardboard tray holding four iced coffees felt heavier than a billion-dollar merger.Kasen Thorne stood in the mirror-polished elevator of the Sterling Conglomerate, staring at his reflection. His wrist was bare; the custom Rolex Daytona he usually wore was locked in a home safe, a useless souvenir of the life he had lost over the weekend. He was dressed in a plain, unbranded charcoal suit that felt like a cheap uniform.The elevator pinged, and the doors slid open to the top floor. This was the Presidential Suite.Kasen swallowed his mounting rage, tightened his grip on the coffee tray, and stepped out. Every step toward the double glass doors of Maeva's office felt like walking toward a public execution.He pushed the doors open.Maeva's office was a sprawling, glass-walled sanctuary overlooking the entire skyline of Eden City. Sitting around a massive circular mahogany table were four men.Kasen's blood ran cold. He recognized them. They were senior board members of

"Cancel the dinner, Maeva."Kasen's voice was a low, threatening growl. He cornered her in the dimly lit VIP hallway of the municipal theater, blocking her path to the exit. His palm was still bleeding, red droplets staining his white cuff, but he didn't care. The image of Zane Castille kissing her hand and offering her a fifty-five-million-dollar gift in exchange for a date was a hot knife twisting in his chest."Step aside, Kasen," Maeva said. Her voice was flat, her expression detached as she looked at him."He is a shark," Kasen hissed, stepping closer, his broad shadow engulfing her. "Zane Castille doesn't do gifts. He is trying to absorb your logistics networks. He wants to bankrupt you from the inside out, and you're just going to walk right into his trap because of some cheap flattery?"Maeva didn't blink. She looked down at his bleeding hand, then back up to his eyes."You are my assistant, Kasen," she said, her voice dripping with ice. "You hold my files, you make my coffee,

For two agonizing hours, the sky wept over Eden City, and Kasen Thorne stood beneath it.The cold, heavy rain soaked through his suit, plastering his hair to his forehead and shivering deep into his bones. His ego, once as high and untouchable as the glass skyscrapers around him, lay shattered on the wet pavement. He didn't care about the freezing water. He didn't care about the stinging cold.Through the glass window of L'Aura, he had watched them. He had watched Zane Castille smile, saw the warm glow of the candlelight reflecting off Maeva's skin, and felt the agonizing torment of a man who had realized too late that he had thrown away a goddess for a handful of dirt. He waited until Zane finally stood up, bid Maeva goodbye, and exited through a private side door.A few minutes later, the front glass doors of the restaurant swung open.Maeva stepped out. Marcus stood beside her, holding a large, black umbrella over her head to shield her from the torrential downpour. She looked flaw