All Chapters of I Stepped Down From Their Little Trade: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

My husband, William Aldous, instantly pulled a face. His expression was dark.“What is it this time, Sonnet? There’s a limit to this kind of drama. Divorce isn’t something you casually bring up.”I stared at him blankly, and a flicker of confusion washed over me.I did not understand why he would react this way. After all, I had been playing by his rules the whole time.Each time before this, I was the one handing over what was mine, cutting a deal with him, just so Jolie Howard could get what she wanted.I pulled my name from the employee-of-the-month competition and handed over the project’s core that I had poured my blood, sweat, and tears into. Bit by bit, I was erased from the company we had built from the ground up.Here I was, putting my marriage on the line to save my mother. This was supposed to be exactly what he wanted. So, why was he upset?I was on the verge of crying, but I held it back.I just looked at him calmly. “I’m not trying to make a scene. This is how it’

When I pushed the office door open, Jolie was sitting in my old chair.The project files on the desk were gone, replaced by a pink tumbler, a plush toy, and a photo of her with William.I still remembered that William had once said. “Sonnet, this office has the best light in the building. It’s the only one like it on the whole floor. It’s yours.”Jolie was sitting in the chair that used to be mine, discussing with William what to eat for dinner.“How about Japenine for dinner tonight?”He shook his head. “You always feel gross after sushi when it’s that time of the month. Let’s do something else.”“Pizza, then.”“Okay, sure.”It was not until they had finished deciding on dinner that they finally noticed me standing in the doorway.“Oh, you’re here.”He gestured with his chin. “Have a seat.”I did not sit. I simply placed the documents on the desk.He barely glanced at them before picking up a pen and signing.“Next time, don’t bother me with this small stuff. I’m busy, as

In the days after the surgery, it felt like the old William was back.He would get up early to make me chicken soup and bring it to my bedside. He would even blow on each spoonful until it cooled, then feed me.At night, he would stay on the couch in the living room and would not leave my side.“Sonnet, we’re still young. We can have more children later.”However, it did not last. The day of my mother’s surgery, everything fell apart.At dawn, Jolie called.William picked up, walked out to the balcony, and talked for a few minutes. When he came back, he looked agitated. “Something’s wrong with Jolie. I have to go.”I stayed quiet. After all, this was supposed to be the last day.Once my mother’s surgery was over, I would transfer her to another hospital and leave the city for good. After that, William and I would have nothing to do with each other.However, when the time for my mother’s surgery arrived, no one came to get her for surgery.I ran to the nurses’ station. “Ex

“Get someone to investigate it now!”Jolie’s face went deathly pale. Her legs nearly gave out.In less than two hours, the investigation results came out.Timothy pulled strings with the operating room nurses to bump my mother’s surgery down the list, using the excuse that Harold had to handle an emergency first.As for the pregnancy report, it had been tampered with, and the system logs showed Timothy was the one who did it.When all the evidence was laid out in front of William, he grabbed Jolie by the throat and pinned her against the wall. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”Jolie’s face went red as he choked her. She struggled desperately but could barely make a sound.“William... please... let go of me…”“Wilma is dead because of you. You tricked me into killing my own baby! Jolie, you’re a killer!”“That’s enough!”Harold rushed forward and pried his hands apart.Jolie slid to the floor, clutching her neck and coughing violently.Harold’s face twisted with som

William was rendered speechless and could no longer utter a single word.As I looked at him, I remembered every deal he had ever made with me.“You said it yourself, remember? There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you want help, you pay for it.“Well, now it’s your turn to pay.”He froze, speechless.After a long silence, he finally said in a low voice, “But Sonnet, we built this company together from the ground up. Are you really okay with burning it all down?”Before I could speak, he continued, “You can’t take down Aldous Corporation. Our foundations are strong. Even with Dylan backing you, we won’t fold that easily.”I gave a small nod, picked up my handbag, and said, “We’ll see about that.”Over the next six months, I released evidence of illegal financing from Aldous Corporation’s expansion after I left. I also got several partners on board to pull out of their long-term contracts.Dylan kept the money flowing and the pressure on. Aldous Corporation’s cash flow was a