Chapter 3

I nodded and followed him to the private elevator.

The moment the elevator doors slid shut, I could almost hear the receptionist gasp.

*****

Stepping into the top-floor conference room, every executive in Universal Tech rose to their feet.

Their eyes were filled with surprise, excitement, and curiosity, but above all, there was a sense of calm, as if everything had finally settled.

"Welcome back to Universal Tech, Ms. Morrow!" someone called out.

Someone led the call, and the room erupted in applause.

I walked to the head of the table and motioned for everyone to settle down.

The applause died down.

I scanned the room, taking in the faces—some familiar, some changed by time.

"Thanks for holding down the fort these past five years while I was gone," I said. "From today onward, I'm officially returning as CEO of Universal Tech."

"I have only one goal." I paused, letting the words hang in the air.

I fixed them with a steely gaze as I continued, "To lead Universal Tech to become the absolute number one in the industry."

The room erupted in even more enthusiastic applause.

The morning meeting lasted all morning.

I quickly caught up on the company's progress over the past five years and highlighted some of the problems that needed attention.

The intense work gave me a thrill I hadn't felt in a long time.

This was where I truly belonged.

By the time the meeting ended, it was already noon.

Vivian trailed behind me, arms full of documents.

"Ms. Morrow, here are the quarterly financial reports for you to review," she said. "And here are the progress reports for the key projects."

I nodded and took the documents.

"Is the receptionist downstairs new today?" I asked, just making conversation.

"Nope, same as always—still that young woman," Vivian replied.

"Oh," I said, letting it drop.

I didn't ask any more questions.

I was no wonder. Five years spent as a stay-at-home mom had made me almost disappear from everyone's radar, so much so that even the receptionist at my own company didn't recognize me, the founder herself.

As I stepped out of the office, ready to grab some lunch, the elevator doors slid open.

My steps came to a sudden stop.

Tyrone was standing inside.

He acted like he didn't even notice me, about to hit the close button in a rush.

But when his gaze landed on me and on Vivian, who was standing respectfully behind me, his hand froze in mid-air.

His hand froze mid-air.

His eyes went wide with shock and disbelief.

It was like he'd just witnessed something that turned his whole world upside down.

He locked his gaze on me, lips quivering, as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Whitney?" Tyrone stammered, barely able to get the words out.

Tyrone's expression was something I'd never seen before—priceless.

There was shock, confusion, and a sense of absurdity all mixed together.

And in the end, it all turned into pure, angry betrayal.

He probably thought those five years of me acting all meek and polite were nothing but a calculated performance, just me playing a role to fool him.

"How are you here?" Tyrone blurted out.

Tyrone forced the words out, barely able to contain his shock.

Vivian instantly stepped in front of me, shielding me without hesitation.

"Sir, who are you? This is Universal Tech's executive floor, only authorized staff allowed," Vivian said, her voice crisp and unmistakably firm.

Tyrone didn't even spare her a glance.

His eyes were locked on me, like he was nailing me to the spot.

It was as if he was trying to bore a hole right through my face.

I shot him a cool, indifferent glance, walked around him, and stepped into the other elevator.

"Ms. Morrow, please take your time," Vivian said, giving me a slight bow.

She then turned to Tyrone, her voice cold and formal. "Sir, if you don't have an appointment, please leave at once."

The elevator doors slid shut, cutting off Tyrone's twisted expression, leaving his contorted face on the other side.

Back in my office, I didn't feel like eating.

I had Vivian grab a simple lunch for me.

When she brought it in, she looked like she had something on her mind but held back.

"Ms. Morrow, that guy downstairs..." Vivian started.

"Let him wait," I replied, not bothering to look up as I flipped through the documents. "If he tries to barge in, call security."

"Yes, Ms. Morrow," Vivian replied, then quietly left the room.

I knew exactly why Tyrone was here.

Universal Tech was his company's biggest client.

Their most important project was a collaboration with Universal Tech.

If that project succeeded, Tyrone's company could go public overnight.

He'd go from being the kind of "elite" who got all smug about making 300 thousand dollars a year to a true tycoon worth 1 billion dollars overnight,

So that was why he was so quick to bring up divorce yesterday. He probably thought the project was already in the bag.

He thought he was about to step into a whole new social stratosphere.

And as for me, the wife who stuck by him when he had nothing, I was just someone to be tossed aside.

He thought he'd planned everything perfectly.

Too bad he miscalculated one thing.

The most crucial piece was that the founder and absolute controlling shareholder of Universal Tech was me.