Chapter 3

A picture message from an unknown number popped up. When I opened it, I found a high-definition photo: under the bright blue sky of the Azure Isles, Sophie was plastered against James in a revealing bikini, both of them grinning with champagne in hand.

Beneath it was a taunting note: [Claire Linwood, thanks for walking away with nothing so quickly. A shortsighted woman like you will never understand James's potential. You missed your shot at a future millionaire, so go cry over your little paycheck.]

I couldn't help laughing. It was almost funny that a gold digger living off my ex-husband's lies thought she could mock me. I submitted the number and screenshot to the National Anti-Fraud Portal as suspected cross-border scam activity.

When I looked up again, Henry was watching me quietly. "Ms. Linwood, running into trouble? If you need it, the company's legal team can handle your private matter at any time." His voice held just the right amount of businesslike concern.

I met his gaze and shook my head. "Just some junk messages, Mr. Thornton." Then I pulled the key subcontractor agreement between Landon Enterprises and our group from the files, fed the stamped original into the shredder, and listened as it was chewed into thin white strips.

Then I turned to the door. "Secretary." She came in at once, and I said, "Draft a termination letter for James Landon's company. Inform Procurement that every subcontractor on the Southgate Initiative is being replaced. I want a new shortlist before day-end."

Watching the last scraps spill from the shredder, I felt a clean rush of satisfaction. James Landon, hadn't you claimed to be broke? Then I'd do one better and make your little performance become reality.

On a private island in the Azure Isles, the sun was perfect. James had rented an entire three-level luxury yacht for Sophie's thirtieth birthday. Though I'd blocked them all, one of my interns still followed Alex on social media and was secretly screen-recording his livestream for me.

In the video, the deck was overflowing with champagne and flowers while Alex Shaw and Evan Drew shouted over the music, "Congrats, Jim. You finally got rid of that shallow, money-obsessed Claire. She ran the second she heard 'bankruptcy.'"

In a loud Hawaiian shirt, James wrapped an arm around Sophie's waist and bragged to the camera, "Just wait. Once we get back, I'll toss some overpriced designer bag in front of Claire and tell her the bankruptcy was fake—a stupid loyalty test. She'll be begging me to remarry her."

Sophie playfully punched his chest. "James, you're awful. If it were me, even if you really lost everything, I'd still stay with you and beg on the streets beside you." Deeply moved, he kissed her cheek and murmured, "My Sophie really is the sweetest."

At the height of the party, James's phone began vibrating wildly on the table. The screen showed his boss's name. Still smiling, he answered in an easy tone, "Hello, Mr. Kingston. I'm on an island right now—"

He didn't finish before Mr. Kingston's furious roar blasted through the phone. "James Landon, what the hell did you do? Linwood Group just terminated our Southgate contract. The money we've already sunk into it is gone, our cash flow has snapped, and we're staring bankruptcy in the face. If you can't fix this today, you're finished."