Chapter 3
Standing outside Sterling Tower, I looked up at it.
It soared into the clouds, impossibly tall.
It was still the same building.
But somehow, it just didn't feel like it did five years ago.
"Isn't that the psycho from the Sterlings?" someone murmured.
"Why's she back again? Didn't she make enough of a fool of herself last time? She's just a hick—no way she'll ever fit in with the rich crowd!" another voice chimed in, full of contempt.
The gossip swirling around me snapped me out of it.
I tore my eyes away, clutching the divorce papers even tighter in my hand.
Before heading out, I tried giving Alexander a call.
It rang once before the call was cut off.
When I tried again, I found I had been blocked. Since he wanted a divorce, there was no point in dragging it out, so I decided to bring the agreement to him myself.
Before I left, Natalie was clinging to me, dead set on holding me back.
She only finally let me go after triple-checking that I was really serious about getting divorced.
"I've got a case this afternoon. Are you sure you can handle this by yourself?" she asked, sounding worried.
Natalie was a lawyer, always busy.
Seeing how determined I was, she finally left, but kept looking back, reluctant to leave.
She still didn't trust me, worried I was just looking for an excuse to make a scene at Sterling Tower.
It was pretty clear that she wasn't the only one thinking this way.
The moment I walked into the lobby of Sterling Tower, the receptionist got so flustered that she spilled her water all over the desk.
The security guards instantly swarmed over, acting like I was some kind of threat.
Suddenly, I remembered what Natalie had told me.
When I was at my craziest, I even went on a rampage at Sterling Tower. The competition pounced on the chance to stir up drama, and for a while, Sterling Group's reputation totally tanked.
Because of that, Alexander came down hard on a lot of people.
No wonder they were all on edge.
I turned to the receptionist and put on a friendly smile.
"I'm here to see Alexander," I said.
The receptionist hesitated for a long moment, then said awkwardly, "Ms. Sinclair said no one can see Mr. Sterling without an appointment. Not even Mrs. Sterling."
I froze for a second, then it hit me.
Ms. Sinclair? That must be Fiona Sinclair, the girl who was a year below me at school.
She was the one Alexander had been treating like his precious for years.
"What if I insist on going up?" I asked calmly, already heading inside.
The receptionist got even more flustered, and the security guards moved in to block my way.
I frowned, just about to say something.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the lobby.
A crowd of people rushed in.
I was about to turn around when someone shoved me from behind.
I stumbled and fell, my not fully healed right hand crashed into the corner of the wall. Pain shot through me, and I gasped.
Right after, a girl spoke up with a syrupy, fake-sweet voice.
"Hey, someone help the janitor up... Oh, wait, it's you, Isabelle?" Fiona called out, her voice laced with fake sweetness.
I looked up, meeting Fiona's wide, oh-so-innocent eyes—she was really laying it on thick.
"Wow, Isabelle, you must be aging in dog years. I barely recognized you from behind. Did you hurt your hand?" she asked, her concern obviously fake.
I rubbed my swollen wrist, my expression turning icy.
"Ms. Sinclair, you're still young but already having trouble seeing straight? Figures—when it comes to men, you only go after the ones who already have a wife," I retorted.
Fiona's face twisted in an instant.
I didn't bother with her and made for the elevator, but she just waved, and the guards moved in to block me.
"Ms. Grant, did you not catch what the receptionist said?
"Let me break it down for you—nobody gets to see Mr. Sterling without an appointment, unless you're one of the execs. Oh, and guess what... you're not even on Sterling Group's payroll anymore, are you?"
I looked down, memories crashing back.
I'd been with Sterling Group ever since college.
Natalie told me that the jewelry lines I designed over the years helped Sterling Group get its foot in the door of the jewelry business, and I even ended up as the director of the design department.
But last year, everything changed.
Alexander replaced me with Fiona, who'd just graduated.
Seeing me just standing there without a word, Fiona gave a smug little smile and leaned in, her voice low and dripping with self-satisfaction.
"Isabelle, didn't you get enough humiliation last time? Crawling out of here like a beaten dog..." she sneered.
I stared at her for a moment, then let out a soft laugh—and with a sudden swing, I slapped her right across the face.
"As long as I'm not divorced, I'm still the rightful Mrs. Sterling—the lady of this house! Who do you think you are, trying to block me? Sterling Group's watchdog, or... Alexander's dirty little secret?" I shot back.
Fiona had always been pampered by Alexander—she'd never been put in her place like this before.
She clutched her face, eyes blazing as she went wild, lunging at me. "How dare you hit me?"
I dodged to the side, grabbed her swinging hand, used her own momentum, and slapped her again.
"If Alexander never taught you any manners, I'll do it for him!" I snapped.
Fiona was losing her mind, face contorted with fury as she tried to charge at me again.
Just then, the elevator chimed, and the doors slid open.
Alexander stepped out with his entourage in tow. His eyes landed on me, and for a split second, he froze.
Then he strode over and wrapped Fiona—who was trembling and sobbing—tight in his arms.
When he looked up at me again, his eyes were blazing with fury.
"Isabelle, are you losing it again?" Alexander snapped.