Chapter 3

"Hey! Chloe! What are you zoning out for? Clean up this mess and start over!"

Tiffany’s screeching voice brought me back to reality.

I looked down at the ruined food on the floor. A cold, dark smile crept onto the corners of my lips.

"Of course, Mrs. Williams. I’ll clean it up right away."

I knelt down, picking up the mess piece by piece, as if I were sweeping away the foolish, naive version of myself from the last five years.

Rob, since you chose to be this ruthless, don’t blame me for what comes next.

Just then, the front door clicked open.

"Honey, did the baby behave today?"

A deep, gentle voice echoed through the foyer, filled with a tenderness I had never once heard during our five years of marriage.

My body froze. My grip on the cleaning cloth tightened.

Rob walked in, looking sharp in a custom-tailored designer suit, holding a limited-edition luxury shopping bag in his hand.

Tiffany immediately jumped up, throwing herself into his arms with a high-pitched squeal.

"Babe! You're finally home!"

"The new private chef is so incredibly stupid. The food she makes is disgusting! You have to fire her right now!"

Rob laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist and handing her the bag.

"Alright, if you don't like her, we'll replace her. You can choose any chef in Los Angeles until you're completely satisfied."

As he spoke, he casually looked up toward the kitchen.

In the next second, the smile on his face completely froze.

His pupils dilated in pure horror, staring at me as if he had just seen a ghost.

I stood up, dusted off my apron, and met his gaze with absolute calm.

"Mr. Williams, long time no see."

The air in the room turned to ice.

Rob's throat bobbed with difficulty. His face drained of all color, turning a sickly pale.

"Chloe? What... what are you doing here?"

Sensing something was wrong, Tiffany looked up from her new bag, glancing between Rob and me with a frown.

"Wait. You two know each other?"

Rob snapped out of his shock. He quickly pulled Tiffany behind him, a flash of panic crossing his eyes before it was replaced by cold hostility.

"No, we don’t," he lied through his teeth, his voice freezing cold.

"She’s just a former cleaner from my old office. I fired her for stealing. I had no idea she managed to sneak her way into becoming a private chef."

A cleaner? Fired for stealing? I almost laughed out loud.

Five years of being his wife, and now I was reduced to a thieving maid.

"Oh my god, a thief?!" Tiffany shrieked, instantly flying into a rage.

"Kick her out right now! What if she steals my jewelry? This pink diamond necklace cost you twenty million dollars at the auction!"

Twenty million dollars. So, he was never broke. His money just never belonged to me.

Rob glared at me, his eyes filled with a heavy, threatening warning.

"Chloe, pack your things and get out of here right now. For old times' sake, I’ll still pay you for today."

"But if you dare to utter a single word of nonsense, I will make sure you never find another job in this city again!"

He still thought I was the same weak, submissive wife who would let him push me around.

I took off my apron, folded it neatly, and placed it on the counter.

"Don't worry, Mr. Williams. I’m just a chef hired to do a job. Since the client isn't satisfied, I'll leave."

I grabbed my purse. As I passed by Rob, I paused and whispered in a voice only the two of us could hear:

"The view from this mansion is beautiful, Rob. I just wonder... how much longer can you keep playing the bankrupt victim?"

Rob flinched violently, snapping his head to look at me, his eyes filled with sheer terror.

I didn't give him a second look and walked straight out of the mansion.

The moment I stepped past the gates, I pulled out my phone and stopped the voice recording.

This is only the beginning, Rob.

Everything you took from me, you will pay back with your life.