Chapter 1

In the final month of our three-year marital contract, I officially submitted the Termination of Marital Agreement and Role Handover Checklist.

When Keegan returned to the villa late at night with his childhood sweetheart, Reyna, I was packing up everything that belonged to me in the master bedroom.

"Mr. Armstrong, Ms. Goodwin." I paused what I was doing and addressed them in a calm, efficient tone, looking every bit like a top partner at McKinsey.

"I’ve already cleared out half of the master bedroom. Ms. Goodwin can move her things in whenever she’d like."

Reyna froze, her arm still wrapped around Keegan’s. A stray tear clung precariously to the corner of her eye.

She had arrived with a rehearsed speech about how they were just discussing work and asking me not to misunderstand, but now the words were lodged in her throat, leaving her stranded mid-script.

Keegan’s eyebrows furrowed tightly.

He stared at the massive craft-paper packing boxes stacked by my feet, his expression darkening dramatically.

"Karla, what kind of episode are you having now? Who are you trying to put on a show for, packing boxes in the middle of the night?"

"Mr. Armstrong misinterprets my actions." I offered him a printed table with an impeccable smile. "There are still thirty days left until the Joint Brand Image Agreement we signed expires. Considering the tedious nature of the upcoming asset audit and reputation handoff, conducting an advance asset inventory is basic professional standard for public relations."

"Public relations? Asset inventory?"

Keegan took a step forward, reaching out to grab my wrist. I raised my hand coldly to interrupt him, displaying the active recording interface on my phone screen.

"Mr. Armstrong, according to Clause 12 of our agreement, unnecessary physical contact will be treated as a threat."

"If you don't wish to receive a restraining order from my lawyer first thing tomorrow morning, please maintain a two-meter distance."

Keegan’s hand froze mid-air, his face turning thoroughly grim.

"In your eyes, these three years of marriage were just a public relations project?"

I looked calmly at his handsome yet anger-filled face. Politely withdrawing my hand, I took two steps back to maintain an appropriate social distance.

"What else? Surely Mr. Armstrong didn't think I stayed at Armstrong Group as an uncompensated image consultant for three years out of love?"

I offered a faint smile.

"According to the contract, upon termination, I am entitled to receive five percent in restricted stock units (RSUs) of Far East Real Estate, along with an eighty-million-dollar exit settlement."

"For the sake of that severance package, Mr. Armstrong ought to have been fairly satisfied with my level of service over the past three years."

"Karla!" The veins on Keegan’s temples bulged.

Seeing this, Reyna immediately grabbed Keegan’s sleeve with a frail, delicate touch. "Keegan, don't blame Karla. It’s all my fault. I shouldn't have come to talk about financing so late and caused Karla to misunderstand."

I turned my gaze toward Reyna, my eyes radiating utmost sincerity.

"Ms. Goodwin shouldn't blame herself at all. You arrived at the exact right time."

"Mr. Armstrong has a delicate stomach and prefers warm water at forty degrees Celsius at night. His ties and accessories are located in the third drawer on the left side of the closet. Moving forward, I’ll have to trouble Ms. Goodwin to take over these daily maintenance duties."

Reyna’s face instantly went through a spectacular range of emotions.

"Enough!" Keegan slammed his car keys onto the floor with a heavy crash.

"Karla, stop pretending to be magnanimous! Aren't you just furious that I went to the airport to pick up Reyna tonight instead of attending your award banquet?"

Keegan stepped closer. "Is playing this kind of playing-hard-to-get game really that entertaining to you?"

Looking at his self-righteous demeanor, I felt only amusement.

I pulled out my phone and opened my notes app right in front of him.

The pinned title at the top read: [Resignation Countdown: 30 Days].

Right before his eyes, I tapped to cross off "D-31" and checked the box for "D-30: Complete Master Bedroom Vacation and Successor Notification."

"Mr. Armstrong, you overthink things." I tucked my phone away and offered him a polite half-curtsy.

"It’s getting late, so I’ll leave you two to chat. I’ll be resting in the guest room. I have an M&A deal to handle at the office early tomorrow morning."

With that, I turned, walked into the guest room, and locked the door behind me.

Through the door panel, I could hear Keegan angrily kicking over a chair in the living room, followed by Reyna’s flustered attempts to comfort him.

The day after tomorrow would mark the arrival of my first severance payout.

Compared to illusory love, cold, hard performance bonuses were the true cure for everything.