Chapter 1
Jonathan Grant sweet-talked me into a divorce, saying it was just to protect the company. The moment the papers were signed, he turned around and married his pregnant first love.
I sold off the five houses I got as wedding gifts, and spent a year quietly acquiring 67% of his company's shares.
When the bank called, asking if I could mortgage my houses to save him, I simply replied, "The houses are gone, and Mrs. Grant is gone too. Tell him to beg his new bride."
*****
The call was from the bank's account manager.
She asked politely, "Is this Mrs. Grant?"
I closed the file.
"It's Ms. Stone," I corrected.
There was a brief pause before she quickly apologized, "Ms. Stone, sorry, my records weren't updated."
"Get to the point."
"Blue Ridge Holdings applied for an 800 million dollar bridge loan, but the appraisal didn't pass.
"Mr. Grant said you could use the two penthouses at Cloudview Residences and the three storefronts on Peace Avenue under your name as collateral," she explained.
I pushed the file aside.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"Mr. Grant said you wouldn't say no. After all, Blue Ridge is the empire you two built side by side," she replied.
I gave a short laugh.
"First, Jonathan and I divorced a year ago.
"Second, those five houses? I sold them all three months after the divorce.
"Third, you should be calling Mrs. Grant now."
"You, you sold them?" The account manager's voice faltered.
She sounded flustered.
"Mr. Grant didn't know?
"Do I need his permission to sell my own property?" I shot back.
She fell silent.
I hung up.
A year ago, Jonathan slid the divorce papers across the table to me.
He said, "Evelyn, Blue Ridge needs funding, and our assets as a couple are too tangled. Let's just sort out the paperwork for now. Once the project goes through, I'll take you back home."
I asked, "Is it really just paperwork?"
He said, "I might lie to anyone, but never to you."
I believed him.
As we walked out of the government office, he gently straightened my scarf.
"Be a good girl, wait for me," he said.
A month later, my best friend sent me a photo.
Jonathan was in a groom's suit, standing next to Lily, who was in a wedding dress.
She had one arm linked with his, the other resting on her belly.
She was the first love Jonathan never got over.
I called Jonathan.
In the background, someone called out, "Please kiss the bride!"
Jonathan picked up, clearly annoyed.
"Who?" he snapped.
"It's me. Evelyn," I said.
There was a moment of silence.
"Evelyn, I'm in the middle of something. I'll call you back later."
"So, Rose Hall at Willow Gardens Club counts as 'something'?"
He didn't answer.
I pressed on, "Our wedding house is literally next door. You really thought I wouldn't notice you holding your wedding here?"
After a long pause, Jonathan finally said, "You saw everything?"
"Yeah."
"Lily's pregnant. I have to make it official for her."
"And what about me?"
"We're already divorced."
"Okay." I said.
He sounded desperate. "Evelyn, please, let me explain. It's only because of the baby."
"Jonathan, congratulations on your wedding."
I hung up and blocked all his numbers.
The next day, I met with my lawyer.
"Miss Stone, are you sure you want to sell all five properties?" Attorney Clark asked.
He spread the documents out on the table.
"Yes, I'm sure," I replied.
"Two penthouses and three storefronts, total value is close to 60 million dollars. If you sell now, you'll get a bit less than if you waited for the market to peak," he explained.
"I don't care if I get less, just make it quick," I said.
Attorney Clark asked, "Where should the money go?"
"Transfer it to Summit Capital's account."
He looked up.
I slid the authorization form across the table.
"Keep everything confidential."
He nodded firmly.
"Got it."
During that time, I signed contracts, handled the handovers, and sorted through my old stuff.
Jonathan had no idea.
Neither did his mother, Margaret Grant.
Lily was even more clueless.
They all thought I was still holding onto those houses, hanging onto the hollow title of Mrs. Grant, waiting for Jonathan to come back.
But I wasn't waiting for anyone.
With that money, I started buying up shares in Blue Ridge Holdings.
Blue Ridge, a name we built together. A reminder of what we were.
Back then, he said, "This is our baby."
Now, this baby was about to change its last name.
All year long, Jonathan and Lily kept popping up in the news.
"Mr. Grant from Blue Ridge Holdings shows up at a gala with his new bride."
"Lily welcomes a baby, the Grant family celebrates a new addition."
"Mr. Grant buys a lakeside villa for his wife."
I never bothered to open any of them.
I only had eyes for the share numbers.
30%.
40%.
51%.
Until today, when the bank finally called.
I knew Jonathan was finally out of options.
My phone stayed silent for only ten minutes.
Jonathan's call came in.