Chapter 2
If Dylan's mother, Mabel Foster, hadn't threatened to end her life and forced me to leave the business and stay home to try for a baby, the company's IPO wouldn't have been pushed back by two whole years.
But even though I was stuck at home for those three years, every time the company ran into trouble or had a big decision to make, Dylan always had to come to me for advice.
Chloe might not know this, but Dylan knew exactly what was going on.
Now that the company's gone public, he just tossed me aside now that he had gotten what he wanted.
I let out a cold laugh, cutting off those two shameless bastards who were still holding hands and acting lovey-dovey.
I said coldly, "Listen up, Chloe.
"You keep calling me just a housewife, and I haven't done anything for the company.
"So tell me, what exactly do you do? How much have you contributed to Evergreen Group?
"Don't tell me your big contribution is servicing Dylan in bed? Well, that's quite the effort."
My words made Chloe's face blush in an instant, and she almost couldn't stand still.
Dylan hurriedly supported her, his face twisted with anger.
He snapped at me, "Iris, why are you so vulgar lately? You've been cooped up at home for a long time, you're starting to sound like a total shrew. Can't you keep some dignity for yourself?
"Chloe's still a student, she's shy and proud. And she's been interning at Evergreen Group for half a year. She made a lot of contributions to the company."
Hearing his words, I couldn't help laughing out loud.
I said, "Shy? So she started chasing after married men and playing mistress before she even graduated?
"Proud? So she had the nerve to get pregnant out of wedlock and show up at my door, trying to take my place?"
Chloe's face went from red to pale, and tears started pouring down her cheeks.
She cried, "Why are you saying such nasty things to me? Dylan and I really love each other. It's nothing like what you're making it out to be!
"You were just lucky, you met Dylan more than ten years earlier than me.
"You're just a housewife, could never understand what Dylan and I have been through, how much we've struggled, how hard we've fought against everyone's judgment just to be together!"
Dylan looked genuinely moved and immediately jumped in to defend her.
He said, "Iris, Chloe is pure and innocent. She's really not some scheming gold-digger.
"She is a poor student I sponsor, and it is not easy to leave her poor village on her own.
"She interned at Evergreen Group just to repay me, and she didn't even ask for a penny of salary.
"What we have is real and honest, not tainted by any of that sleazy stuff as you think!"
To be honest, I was completely shocked by their shamelessness.
Pure and innocent?
Six months as an intern, and she was already five months pregnant.
And she never asked for a single penny.
But the clothes she wore and the bags she carried were limited-edition luxury items.
What an absolute bitch.
The comments coming in were as snarky as my own thoughts.
[Damn, it's the first time I've seen anyone make cheating look so classy and innocent.]
[I used to think this was a story about a benefactor and a poor girl saving each other, but this time? What the hell is this mess?]
[You just don't get it. Maybe Dylan was born with this hero complex. He just can't help wanting to save a damsel in distress. He's just following his heart, chasing true love. And come on, he already gave Iris a car, a house, and money. What else does she want?]
[Well, I'm speechless. Whatever, let the cheater and the homewrecker live happily ever after. Perfect match.]
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, not wanting to look again.
Seeing that I still wouldn't agree, Dylan finally lost all patience and said coldly, "Iris, let me tell you. Even if we don't get divorced, I won't touch you again.
"There's no point in dragging this out. Just tell me. What do you want?"
I opened my eyes and looked at him sarcastically.
I sneered, "Alright, since you two are so pure and innocent, maybe the baby in her belly just magically appeared. Whatever, it's none of my business anymore.
"If you want me to agree to the divorce, the divorce papers must be redrafted by my lawyer. Otherwise, no deal!"
After saying this, I opened the door and kicked the two of them out.
At first, I was burning with anger, resentment, and a bitter sense of injustice.
I didn't want to let them go easily.
But now, I've snapped out of it.
Throwing away my best years for a loser like Dylan, no way.
After they left, I immediately asked my bestie, Sophia Hale, to get me in touch with a top divorce lawyer.
When I waited for the lawyer to arrive, I pulled out my laptop and dug through the company's records in recent years.
I tried to figure out what the hell was really going on.
How could Evergreen Group, a company that had always been so steady and had just gone public, suddenly go bankrupt and get turned upside down overnight?
Just when I was totally clueless, the comments popped up again.
[Why's Iris still worrying about the company's finances? That place is a dumpster fire. Whoever takes over is just grabbing a hot potato.]
[Dylan has been wrecking Evergreen Group for three years. He stuffed the company with his own relatives without Iris knowing, and not a single one of them is decent. They've been colluding with outsiders, milking the company dry.]
[Now, Evergreen Group just looks good on the outside, but it's rotten inside. Even the IPO was a total sham, cooked up with fake numbers! Dylan himself has no clue how deep the mess goes!]
[Fortunately, Dylan wanted to sideline Iris, so a year before the IPO, he quietly switched the legal rep to himself and even sweet-talked her into handing over her shares for him to hold. As long as they get divorced, Iris won't get burned when it all blows up.]
So that was what really happened.
After reading all this, my loathing for that jerk Dylan hit a whole new level.