Chapter 8

When I returned to Lucas's company, everyone craned their necks to look.

Glancing around, I realized I didn't recognize many people anymore.

Some were comparing me to photos on their phones, whispering and gossiping.

Back when the company was just starting, I had brought in plenty of clients.

80% of Lucas's initial capital came from the Thompson name.

I was so love-blind back then. To help the company grow, I even poached my dad's business partners.

Faced with his "unfilial daughter", my dad could only pretend to be angry.

At the start of the next quarter, he introduced even better clients to me.

Everyone was supporting my "love".

Too bad I still chose the wrong person.

Faced with everyone's eagerness to watch the drama unfold, I walked straight into Lucas's office without looking back.

Sitting at the desk I had chosen, Lucas couldn't take his eyes off Sophia across from him.

"Lily, why are you here?"

"Why can't I be here?"

Joke's on him - I'm the company's biggest shareholder. It would be weird if I didn't come.

Lucas was clearly shocked by my appearance. He even withdrew the hand holding Sophia's.

Sophia's expression changed too, looking pitifully wronged.

"Lucas, since Miss Thompson is here to see you, why don't you two talk first..."

Tsk tsk, what great acting.

Seeing Sophia stand up, Lucas suddenly found his courage and started declaring his devotion.

"Sophia, there's nothing between me and her anymore. I swear you're the only one in my heart now. Even if she wants something from me, I'll definitely refuse!"

Oh my god, do they really need so much drama?

Before coming, my assistant had already scheduled an in-home spa for me. I just wanted to wrap this up quickly.

"Save it, Lucas. Who wants to get back together with you? In the future, you'd better not even tell people you know me, got it?"

Even through the glass door, I could see the onlookers' eager eyes.

Rather than be seen as the dumped woman, I'd rather show everyone my "past foolishness" all at once.

I took out the notarized documents, equity distribution agreement, and previously signed contracts one by one.

"Every document here is legally binding. I'm here today to settle accounts with you once and for all."

Lucas frowned. He probably never imagined I had an ace up my sleeve.

Heaven knows, I never intended these for a "divorce" back then.

My dad always said people's hearts are hard to read. Lucas had no family background, and if the company got too big, it could all fall apart in an instant.

I thought I should keep a closer eye on things for him, which is why I had these documents.

Lucas put on airs and called the company's legal counsel to examine them one by one.

Crossing my legs, I sneered.

The reports all said I was the one who benefited from him. Little did they know there would be no Lucas Miller today without me.

"These documents are all valid," the lawyer reported reluctantly. Faced with the facts, he didn't dare say otherwise.

Lucas nodded and had finance approve my payout.

"Wait." I raised my hand to stop Lucas from dialing.

"Lily, there's no chance for us anymore. I can give you the money, but my heart..."

Lucas gazed at Sophia longingly. The look in their eyes was sickeningly sweet.

"Your heart can stay right where it is in your body!"

"What you owe me isn't just the company accounts. There's also every penny you spent while we were dating. I want it all back today."

I pulled out another thicker stack of bills listing various expenses I had paid through different apps.

"Look carefully. Not a single transfer says 'voluntary gift'."

"You always gave me the impression we would get married. This money was paid as a premarital investment fund."

"Since we're no longer together, you need to return all the money that exceeded normal dating expenses."

Lucas's face cycled between pale and flushed.

The elite image he had painstakingly crafted would become that of a gold-digging freeloader from today on.

Sophia stood by his side and gently held his hand.

"She did accompany you for so many years. Now that she's met such an outstanding man as you, her future love life will surely be difficult."

My temples throbbed.

I swear, these two dramatic idiots deserved to be locked up together.

Sensing Sophia's "kindness", Lucas became generous too.

After calculating what I was owed, he even wanted to add a compensation bonus for me.

"Lily, take this money and treat yourself. I believe you'll find your own happiness."

Before he could sign the new check, I left with everything that belonged to me, not looking back.

Taking the money that was rightfully mine, I quickly established a new company.

Well, it wasn't really new - I was just helping out with the family business.

My dad insisted on having my back. With a wave of his hand, he invested $10 million in me.

Feeling fully appreciated, I was bursting with motivation.

"Dad, don't worry. This time I'm definitely going to poach all our competitors' talent back to our side."

With money, determination and strength on my side.

Following the principle of "better the devil you know", I rehired many of the original employees from the startup days.

Talking to them made me realize what a petty person Lucas was.

Just because they knew the true "financial relationship" between him and me, he found all sorts of excuses to squeeze them out after I stopped managing the business.

He even misused my name, offending quite a few people.

Fortunately, everyone was reasonable. They just took the money and left without causing trouble for me.

"If even one of you had come to tell me, I wouldn't have taken so long to wake up."

"Boss, back then you only had eyes for Lucas. Would you have listened to our truth?"

Amidst the banter, my company officially opened for business.

The path of entrepreneurship isn't easy.

But that's for other people.

As "Mrs. Henderson", I was already soaring in the clouds.

Every project Lucas had his eye on, without exception.

Before he could even finish revising his proposal, we were already wrapping up our celebration dinner.

After a few rounds, Lucas got so upset he ended up hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer.

Some of Lucas's old buddies came to play peacemaker, wanting me to give him a break.

"You two were truly in love once. There's no need to go this far..."

"Whoa, stop right there."

"My relationship with him is long over. Now it's just business. If he can't hack it, that's his own lack of ability. Don't try to guilt trip me."

After hanging up, I blocked every single one of them.

Back then, these guys clearly all knew about Sophia's existence. But until Lucas came clean with me, not one of them spoke up to say anything fair.

Now they have the nerve to accuse me of being ungrateful?

The old Lucas got ahead of them all because of my support.

After all, they were longtime friends. Lucas would throw them plenty of lucrative business.

I knew exactly what they were thinking now - with Lucas, their big tree, about to fall, all the parasites living off him would go down too.

"Ugh, that gold-digging bastard can go to hell!"

"What's wrong? Who upset my wife?"

A large hand caressed my face from top to bottom, stopping at my chin to make a playful radish-pulling motion.

Sometimes I felt Samuel treated me like a child.

Teasing me, coaxing me, taking care of my every need.

And secretly helping me too.

I knew exactly how those contracts, those business connections, had been obtained.

Without Samuel as my stepping stone, I wouldn't have broken through so quickly on my own strength.

"Thank you. I know you've been helping me behind the scenes."

I took his hand, sincerely expressing my gratitude.

"So have you calmed down a bit now?"

He tapped my nose. The cool tip of my nose touched the man's warm finger, and I found myself craving his warmth.

I nodded, my face inexplicably turning a little red.

The handsome man smiled faintly and slowly crouched down in front of me.

The ringtone of an incoming call broke the wonderful atmosphere.

Thinking it was those self-important "parasites" again, I answered irritably.

"Hello, who is this?"

"It's me, Sophia... I'd like to talk to you."