Chapter 2

I refreshed Instagram. Lauren Scott had deleted all her wedding dress posts, replacing them with a single, highly dramatic caption:

"It was just a dinner hosted by the brand to thank us for the endorsement. We were playing truth or dare, and I lost. The brand challenged me to take a photo with any man present. Mr. Whitfield only agreed to help to save me from embarrassment. I apologize for the misunderstanding."

The attached photo was a selfie of her pouting with a victimized expression.

Miles was quick to comment: "Ignore them, Lauren. I’ve got your back. No one dares bully you."

A flood of comments instantly appeared below:

"We all get it, it was obviously a joke. Those reporters love chasing shadows."

"Some people? Are they talking about Mr. Whitfield’s dying wife? Mr. Whitfield is so miserable, married to a woman like that. She’s dying anyway, that’s just her bad luck. Yet she stays at home making trouble, blaming Mr. Whitfield and Lauren for making her sick."

"The way Mr. Whitfield protects you is so hot!"

I stared coldly at the screen, took note of every single account that liked those comments, and put them all on our company’s blacklist.

I had founded this entertainment agency solely to secure Miles’s position as a gold-star producer.

I had poured all my money and connections into him.

Now, he was indeed the crown jewel of our company, with everyone kissing his feet. Even his favorite rising star, Lauren, had ridden his coattails straight to the top.

And I, the majority shareholder of the company, had become the annoying, dying wife in their mouths.

They probably thought I loved Miles to the bone. They thought the company would go bankrupt without him.

They forgot that it was my empire that made him who he was today.

Without him, I could build a dozen gold-star producers.

Lauren replied to every comment with a blushing emoji.

Her reply to Miles was a blowing kiss.

The doorbell rang. It was FedEx.

The courier handed me the divorce papers signed by Miles, along with a gift box.

I asked him what it was.

He scratched his head. "A lady asked me to hand this to you. She said you’re a miserable, dying soul, but she’s generous enough not to hold a grudge."

"These are white lilies. She wishes you a peaceful recovery."

I calmly told him to throw Lauren's mocking funeral flowers straight into the trash and shut the door.

I pulled out the divorce papers and signed my name, stroke by stroke.

My phone buzzed. It was a WhatsApp message from Carter, the company’s vice president.

"Ms. Marlowe, are you sure about this? You can’t just freeze Mr. Whitfield and Lauren’s joint projects."

"I know your health is failing and you’re having a lover's spat with Mr. Whitfield, but please don't joke with the company's future. You’re not just ruining our two pillars, you're throwing our investors' money down the drain."

I replied coldly: "You’re right. I forgot to deal with you. You’re fired. I’ll have the board take over your duties immediately."

After hitting send, I immediately called the Board Secretariat, instructing them to take full control of project approvals and finances.

"Suspend and audit anyone who pleads for Miles and Lauren. If they don’t like it, tell them to pack their bags."

I looked at the executives who were leaving nice comments on Lauren's Instagram. I had hired them with top-tier salaries, headhunting them from across the country.

I gave them their platform. I sent them to Harvard for executive training.

Yet, now, they only recognized Miles.

They completely forgot who gave them everything they had.

They were loyal dogs trained by Miles, possessing the exact same ungrateful nature.

Ungrateful people don't deserve to be executives.

They should sleep on the streets to learn what the real world feels like.

As soon as I hung up, I realized Miles had sent me over a dozen messages.

In the end, probably driven mad by the silence, he called me from a new number.

I picked up.

The second the call connected, his furious roar boomed through the speaker.

"Are you insane! I’m about to launch a new project, and Lauren is scheduled to shoot! How dare you freeze all our resources!"