Chapter 3

Victoria's sharp, venomous voice rang out, clear and cutting, in every corner of the living room.

The atmosphere instantly froze.

The smug, mocking look on Victoria's face cracked like a cheap mask, peeling away piece by piece to reveal the panic underneath.

Her eyes went wide as saucers, staring at my phone in disbelief. Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't get a single word out.

Alexander, who'd always been as steady as a rock, finally lost his composure.

For the first time, real shock and a shadowed, stormy look flashed in his usually unreadable eyes.

He stared at me, his gaze so intense it felt like he was trying to drill right through me.

Vincent's expression also became quite a sight, shifting from professional composure to poorly concealed astonishment.

I hit pause.

The living room was so quiet, you could hear everyone's breathing.

"You you recorded this?"Victoria's voice trembled, thick with fear and fury. "When did you..."

I replied calmly, "Right when you first started insulting me."

Then I looked up at Alexander, sitting at the head of the sofa, "Mr. Reed, I just wanted something to remember this by,

"After all, this might be the last time we ever sit down and pretend to have a 'peaceful' conversation."

My tone was flat, but the word "peaceful" was loaded with sarcasm.

Alexander's jaw was clenched tight.

He didn't say a word, but his eyes were so cold they could freeze the room.

He probably never imagined that the woman who'd always been so docile, like a kitten in front of him, would actually dare to pull something like this.

To him, this was a provocation.

An insult.

It was like I'd just ripped a hole in the chessboard he thought he had perfectly under control.

Alexander finally spoke, his voice tight with barely contained fury. "What exactly are you trying to pull?"

"Nothing at all," I replied coolly, switching off my phone and setting it on the table. Then I picked up the divorce agreement.

"I just think this agreement needs a small change," I said, my tone calm and unbothered.

Instead of signing at the bottom, I took the pen and slashed a big X right through the clause about the compensation being paid within a month.

Then, right next to it, I wrote a new line.

"Compensation must be paid in full within 24 hours of signing the agreement."

Once I finished, I slid the agreement back to the center of the coffee table.

"Make this change, and I'll sign right now," I said in a quiet voice, but in the dead silence of the living room, it cracked like thunder.

Victoria's face went from red to white, then to a sickly shade of green.

She looked like she wanted to scream at me, maybe even lunge and rip me apart, but the threat of that recording on my phone kept her in check. All she could do was grit her teeth so hard it looked painful, shaking with rage.

Alexander's eyes had gone completely cold.

If looks could kill, I'd be dead ten thousand times over.

"Are you threatening me?" he asked, each word sharp and deliberate.

I replied, shaking my head. I met his icy gaze and gave him a smile that was completely devoid of warmth, "No.

"I'm just protecting myself.

"Mr. Reed, I'm just a nobody with no power, no influence. Other than this tiny bit of leverage, I've got nothing to fight you with."

I pointed at my phone, "15 million dollars is a fortune to me, but to the Reed family, it's just pocket change.

"I just want what I'm owed, then I'll disappear from your world for good. That's best for both of us.

"Or maybe..."

I paused, picked up my phone, and gave it a little shake in front of them.

"Does the Reed family prefer a more dramatic goodbye?"

A threat.

An outright threat.

Watching Alexander's face darken in an instant, I actually felt a rush of satisfaction.

For three years, I'd lived in his shadow, endured his mother's humiliation, swallowed it all, never daring to fight back.

Today, I finally put the knife right in front of him.

"Mr. King," Alexander said, his voice cold and commanding.

His gaze shifted from me to the lawyer beside him, who was still frozen in shock.

"Print out a new agreement," he ordered in a voice as cold as ice, completely devoid of emotion.

But the fact that he said it meant he'd caved.

Vincent snapped out of it and nodded quickly. "Yes, Mr. Reed."

Victoria looked resentful, like she wanted to say something, but Alexander's icy glare shut her up.

The living room fell into another suffocating silence.

I won.

I'd won this round.

But there was no joy in my heart, just a cold, empty sadness.

I looked at the man I'd loved for five years, and realized I'd turned into someone I barely recognized, a woman full of schemes and calculations, just to force him to keep his promise of 15 million dollars.

How pathetic.

Soon, Vincent came back with the newly printed agreement.

I took it, checked it over carefully, and made sure the terms had been changed.

I picked up the pen and signed my name at the bottom.

Sophie Lane.

I pressed my name onto the page with so much force, it felt like I was saying goodbye to everything that came before.

Alexander signed too.

We each took a copy of the agreement.

In the end, our three-year marriage ended in a way so cold and ridiculous, it almost felt unreal.

"Now, you can get out," Victoria finally snapped, her disgust written all over her face.

She finally found an outlet for her hatred, not even bothering to hide how much she despised me.

I didn't even spare her a glance. I just stood up and turned to Alexander.

"If the money isn't in my account by this time tomorrow, you know what happens, " I said.

With that, I grabbed my bag and headed upstairs without looking back.

I didn't have much stuff. Just one suitcase was enough.

I didn't even bother to look back at the place I'd called home for three years. I just grabbed my suitcase and headed downstairs.

As I passed through the living room, Alexander was still sitting on the couch. He watched me, his gaze deep and unreadable, like a stormy sea.

There was anger, disgust, and something I couldn't even begin to understand.

But none of that mattered anymore.

I dragged my suitcase to the front door and swung it open without a second thought.

Just as I was about to step out, Alexander spoke up behind me.

His voice was low, eerily cal, "Sophie.

"You think you've won?

"You really think you can just take the 15 million dollars and walk away like nothing happened?"

I stopped in my tracks, but I didn't turn around.

I caught the faintest hint of a cold, mocking laugh from Alexander behind me, "Did you forget how you married into this family?" Alexander sneered.

My back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

His words slithered around my heart like a cold, poisonous snake.

How did I even end up marrying into this family?

Memories from three years ago came crashing over me like a tidal wave.

Back then, I was just a fresh college grad, naive, carefree, and hopelessly lost in my own unrealistic fantasies about love.

I was crazy about Alexander, chasing after him like a moth to a flame.

Everyone said I was being delusional.

They all said the Reeds would never even consider someone like me, a girl from a plain, ordinary family.

I was close to giving up, too.

But just when I was about to give up, Edward Reed, Alexander's grandfather, suddenly reached out to me.

He was a gentle old man, but his eyes were sharp and piercing.

He was sitting in a wheelchair, handed me a cup of tea, and got straight to the point, "Ms. Lane, I know you have feelings for Alexander.

"I can see you're a good girl, pure-hearted.

"Alexander's got a cold personality, and his life is a mess. He needs someone like you, a clean girl, to keep him in check.

"Marry him. Be our granddaughter-in-law.

"As long as you behave yourself and take good care of him, I promise the Reeds will treat you well."

I was completely stunned.

Happiness hit me so suddenly, it felt like I was dreaming.

I thought my hopeless love had finally touched fate.

I thought Edward Reed had seen my worth, like he could see right through me.

I nodded without a second thought.

I agreed to all of Edward's terms.

I wouldn't interfere with Alexander's work.

I wouldn't pry into his private life.

I'd take care of the elders and handle all the chores.

I'd be the perfect trophy wife, so flawless it was almost unreal.

Looking back now, it wasn't some kind of windfall or stroke of luck.

It was a deal, plain and simple.

A deal where I traded my life, my freedom, and my dignity for the title of Mrs. Reed.

And Alexander? He was always just a cold, detached observer.

He must've known about the deal from the very beginning.

That's why he was always so cold to me.

That's why he kept me at arm's length.

To him, I was never his wife.

I was just a high-end housekeeper his grandfather bought for him.

A tool to shut up all the gossip.

His words were a reminder.

A reminder not to forget my place.

A reminder that in this relationship, I was always at a disadvantage from the very start.

He could tear up the deal at any time and leave me with nothing.

He could even make the whole thing public, turning me into the city's biggest joke.

A gold-digger who traded her life just to marry into the Reeds.

The cold wind rushed in through the open door, making me shiver all over.

I didn't look back.

I didn't say another word.

I dragged my suitcase, step by step, out of the golden cage that had trapped me for three years.

The door closed silently behind me.

It shut out that man and my past.

I got into a cab and told the driver the name of a five-star hotel.

The car glided smoothly into the night.

Outside, the city's neon lights blurred past, like a grand farewell.

I pulled out my phone and opened the banking app.

The account balance was still just a cold, four-digit number.

The 15 million dollars still hadn't shown up.

My heart was in my throat again.

Alexander's last threat kept me on edge.

Would he go back on his word?

Would he use that so-called "truth" to force me to give up the money?

I had no idea.

All I could do was wait.

Trapped in agony, waiting for fate to pass judgment.

The car pulled up to the hotel.

I got the best executive suite available.

As soon as I walked in, I locked the door and drew the curtains.

I threw myself onto the soft, plush bed, sinking right into it.

Exhaustion and fear washed over me, drowning me completely.

I stared up at the fancy crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face again.

I was so scared.

I was terrified Alexander would really destroy me.

I was afraid I wouldn't get the money, and I wouldn't be able to provide for my kids.

I was afraid that after all this, I'd just end up right back where I started with nothing.

I bit down hard on my lip, refusing to let myself cry out loud.

I told myself, 'Sophie, you can't cry.'

From the moment you decided to take the money and walk away, you don't get to be weak anymore.

For your kids, you have to be strong.

You have to become a fighter.

I pulled out my phone and opened the banking app again.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Every second felt like an eternity.

I stared at the balance screen, not daring to blink.

I had no idea how much time had passed.

Maybe an hour.

Maybe two.

Just as I was on the verge of breaking down, the numbers on the screen flickered.

The digits shifted right before my eyes.

I held my breath.

And then, I saw it.

A "1" appeared at the front, followed by so many zeros I lost count.

Behind it trailed a long string of zeros, more than I could even count.

15 million dollars. It was really there.

The money had actually arrived.

In that moment, all my fear, anxiety, and humiliation melted away, replaced by a rush of wild, dizzying joy.

I actually pulled it off.

The money was really mine.

I clutched my phone, laughing and crying on the bed like someone who'd finally lost it.

I deserved every bit of this.

This was the price of three years of my youth and all my pride.

This was my future, and my kids'.

After I'd laughed and cried myself out, I finally started to calm down.

I wiped my tears and took a deep breath.

Alright, Sophie.

You've won the first round of this war.

Now, it's time for a whole new life.

I was just about to put my phone down and take a hot shower.

But then, the screen suddenly lit up again.

It wasn't a call or a text.

It was an email.

Four icy letters stared back at me as the sender's name.

Alex.

It was Alexander.

My heart dropped like a stone.

What does he want now?

The money's already in my account. Why is he still reaching out?

A chill of foreboding crept over me.

I hesitated for what felt like forever, but in the end, my fingers shook as I tapped to open the email.

There was no message in the body.

Just one attachment.

A PDF file.

I downloaded it and opened it.

The moment I saw what was inside, it felt like my blood had turned to ice.

It was a contract.

Or more accurately, an agreement.

The prenuptial agreement I'd signed with Edward Reed three years ago.

Everything was spelled out in black and white.

Party A: Edward Reed (Alexander's grandfather).

Party B: Sophie Lane.

Agreement terms: Party B agrees to marry Party A's grandson, Alexander, and promises to play the part of a dutiful wife for the duration of the marriage.

Party B must act the role of a proper wife and never interfere in Alexander's personal life or business.

In return, Party A guarantees Party B a comfortable lifestyle during the marriage.

But on the last page, there was a clause I'd never seen before.

And it was the most devastating one.

If the marriage is dissolved for any reason, Party B, Sophie Lane, must voluntarily leave with nothing.

Party B shall not, under any circumstances, claim any form of property or compensation from the Reed family.

As a token of gratitude for Party B's three years of dedication, Party A will give Party B 150 thousand dollars from his personal account as a final settlement.

150 thousand dollars.

Not 15 million.

Just one measly 150 thousand dollars.

My mind went totally blank.

How is this even possible?

I never saw that clause when I signed the agreement.

I was absolutely certain that there was no way!

This has to be a fake.

They must've slipped it in after the fact.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from my own signature, staring back at me from the screen.