Chapter 3
I turned around.
I walked over to Olivia.
She kept that gentle smile on her face, even tilting her head slightly to look up at me.
"This watch isn't keeping good time," I said, meeting her gaze. "Ms. White, don't let it make you late for court."
She smiled, "Thanks for the heads-up. But I mostly do non-litigation work, so my schedule's pretty flexible."
I left her alone after that.
I turned around and grabbed my suitcase.
"That 2.04 million dollars," I said, my back to Edward. "I'll pay you back."
"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Edward's voice came from behind me, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Are you planning to rely on those so-called friends you made at the spa club?"
I didn't slow down. "That's my business."
I pulled open the conference room door and walked out.
I didn't look back.
As I walked down the hallway of the law firm, the lawyers at their desks were shooting furtive glances my way.
They used to call me "the boss's wife."
But now, their eyes were full of amusement and mockery, as if I were the star of some drama.
"I heard she got kicked out," someone whispered.
"She was always just a gold digger. Now that the real wife is back, of course she has to pack up and leave," another snickered.
"And now she's being chased for two million dollars. Bet she's headed straight to jail," someone else chimed in.
I held my head high.
The sound of my heels echoed through the hallway.
One step at a time, I walked out of that building.
The sunlight outside was blinding.
I stood by the curb and took a deep breath.
I pulled out my phone and started flipping through my contacts.
Two million dollars.
That was no small sum.
The money I'd saved over the past three years was at most a few hundred thousand dollars.
I was still way short.
I called up a rich man I used to know who works in the fund business.
"Hey, Mr. Smith," I said.
Well, well, Vivian the Beauty, what brings you to call me? he teased.
"I need to borrow some money for a bridge loan. The interest is negotiable."
There was a three-second silence on the other end.
"Vivian," Mr. Smith's tone changed. "Look, it's not that I don't got your back, but word's all over the grapevine. Mr Sterling put the word out that anyone who lends you cash is basically picking a fight with his firm.
"You know how it is, none of us in business wanna mess with a big-shot lawyer like him."
With that, he hung up.
I stared at the black screen.
I gritted my teeth.
Edward, you were ruthless.
He was making sure I have nowhere left to run.
For the rest of the afternoon, I spent my time dialing eighteen numbers.
I called every person I thought might help me out.
Everyone I could think of who might lend me money got a call from me.
Not a single one said yes.
All of them rejected me.
Edward's influence in the industry was overwhelming.
He wasn't just a top lawyer, he had powerful political and business connections backing him.
No one was about to risk offending him for a washed-up gold-digger like me.
By evening, I was sitting by the window of a convenience store.
I was eating a cold bowl of oden from the convenience store.
Suddenly, my phone screen lit up.
It was a WeChat message.
It is from Olivia: [Vivian, are you free to grab a coffee?]
She even dropped a pin for me.
It was a fancy café nearby, just a stone's throw from where I was.
I stared at the message for a moment.
I finished off the last fish ball.
I wiped my mouth with a paper napkin.
I replied: [Sure.]
Twenty minutes later, I met her in a private room at the café.
She was already there, with two Americanos on the table.
"Have a seat," she said, still as gentle as ever.
I sat down, but didn't touch the coffee.
"Just get to the point," I said.
She pulled a stack of paperwork out of her bag.
She slid it over to me across the table.
"This is a property waiver agreement," she said, her hands folded on the table.
"If you sign it, you're admitting that every dollar you got from Edward in the past three years was never yours to begin with, and you're giving up any right to ask for compensation." She added.
I stared at the agreement. "And then what?"
"Then I'll cover the 2.04 million dollars for you," she said, locking eyes with me. "Just think of it as me paying to buy Edward some peace and quiet."
I let out a laugh.
"Ms. White, you really are loaded," I said.
"I just don't want Edward getting dragged into all this drama," she said softly. "Vivian, you're smart. You know there's nothing in it for you if you keep making trouble.
"If Edward really takes you to court, you'll have to pay back every dollar and might even end up in jail."
"Are you threatening me?" I shot back.
"I'm helping you," Olivia replied, her voice as gentle as ever.
"Helping me?" I picked up the agreement and flipped through a couple of pages. "It says I have to leave this city in three days, and I'm never allowed to reach out to Edward again."
I tossed the agreement back onto the table.
"Ms. White, this isn't just about buying peace and quiet. You don't just want me gone. You want to wipe every trace of me from his life for good," I said.
She took a sip of her coffee.
She didn't deny it.
"You're not good enough for him," she said, setting her cup down. "With where he is now, he needs someone who can actually keep up with him instead of some parasites who does nothing but max out his black card."
That word "parasite" hit like a slap.
"I'm not signing away two million dollars," I said.
"You've got no other choice," she replied.
"Whether I have options or not, that's my business," I said, standing up. "Keep your money and treat yourself to a decent watch. Stop chasing after someone else's cast-offs."
I turned and pulled open the door to the private room.
As soon as I stepped out.
I saw Edward standing in the hallway.
He was wearing that smoky gray suit.
He was glaring at me, his expression stormy.
He'd clearly overheard my last words.
"Vivian," he said, his voice tight with anger. "What are you making a scene about now?"
I looked at him.
"Me? Making a scene?" I shot back.
"She's trying to help you out, and instead of being grateful, you're just talking back," Edward said, stepping right up to me. "How much more drama are you going to stir up before you finally quit?"
I watched him take her side without a second thought.
Suddenly, exhaustion washed over me.
"Edward," I said, looking him straight in the eye. "If I told you I never went after your money these past three years, would you believe me?"
He stared at me.