Chapter 2

The moment I walked out of the family court, I put the villa up for sale online without missing a beat.

Andrew had been following me, and when I almost stumbled, he quickly grabbed my arm.

He looked a little guilty. "Charlotte, so what are you going to do next?"

I was busy figuring out how much to sell the villa for, so I didn't really hear him. "Wait, what did you say?"

"So, what are you planning to do?" he repeated.

"Me?" I shot him a weird look. "I'm gonna get a haircut and buy some new clothes. Divorce is basically a fresh start, right? Gotta celebrate."

Andrew was at a loss for words; his face went cold. "You really haven't changed at all. Still as stubborn as ever.

"Even though we're not a couple anymore, we've shared a part of our lives. So I want to say something.

"Back then, we were young and broke, and we carelessly decided to be childfree, not really having any clue what that meant.

"But now, as my parents are getting older and I've become successful, I'm starting to realize how important having kids really is.

"I know you hate your dad for cheating and your stepmom for abusing you, so you're stubborn about not wanting children.

"But Charlotte, life is long. If you never have your own bloodline, you'll end up feeling really lonely when you're old.

"I didn't want my parents to miss out on having grandkids, and I didn't want to be the unfilial one. That's why I went with Emily. Hope you get it."

He kept rambling on, and then my cab pulled up.

I calmly shook off his hand and got into the car without a second glance.

Before the car drove off, I flipped him off. "Andrew, cheating is cheating. Don't try to make it sound noble.

"No matter what story you tell yourself, Emily is still the homewrecker, and your kid is still a bastard. Nothing you say will ever change that.

"Honestly, I'm glad we're divorced. I don't have to deal with your mess anymore. Hope you and your side chick live happily ever after, like a bitch and a bastard. Never want to see you again."

Letting Andrew have it felt amazing, and honestly, the divorce didn't bother me at all.

Maybe I already burned through every bit of love I had for him in a previous life, because since we were done, it felt like ripping out a chunk of rotten flesh. I was so damn satisfying.

The day after I got my divorce papers, I hit up a fancy salon, got my hair permed, and finally dyed those highlights I'd always wanted.

Then I went on a shopping spree, buying dozens of new outfits and completely restocking my closet.

When I saw the fresh, younger version of myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but tear up. "Charlotte, you're actually gorgeous. You've been through so much these past years. You deserve this."

With a nine-figure balance in my account, I could sit back and let the interest roll in. Honestly, I didn't need to worry about making money for a while.

I lounged on the couch for a bit, deleted Andrew, his parents, and all his relatives from my contacts, left all the family group chats, and deleted most of his friends, too.

My contacts list was finally clean. As I scrolled through, I spotted my girl Mia Sloan, the one who runs a bar.

I hesitated for a second, then hit her up.

I'd been so wrapped up in family drama that I hadn't reached out in ages, so when I suddenly called, she was totally caught off guard. "Hey, Mrs. Shaw, what's up? Why are you calling me out of the blue?"

I smiled. "I'm divorced. Drop the Mrs. Shaw. Call me Moneybags Charlotte now."

"Holy shit!" Mia yelled. "For real? Where are you? I'm coming to pick you up right now."

She was clearly dying for the gossip.

Half an hour later, after I'd spilled everything, Mia kept looking at me, like she wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out.

I quickly cut her off. "Mia, don't feel sorry for me. I'm filthy rich now."

Mia stared at me. "Fair enough."

She wiped her face. "So, what are you planning to do now?"

I clicked my tongue. "Well, ever since Andrew started messing around with Emily, I haven't gotten any action in two years.

"You know a lot of people. Do you have any clean, hot guys with good bodies? Hook me up with a couple."

As soon as I said I wanted some male models, Mia got super hyped.

By the afternoon, I had a stack of profiles in my inbox.

One guy, Lucas Grant, caught my eye right away. He had this fresh, clean vibe, not because he was good-looking, but also because he was a top student at Ameiya University.

How did a guy like him end up doing this kind of work?

I arched an eyebrow and told Mia to bring the guy over to the hotel tonight.

That night, in the presidential suite at the Grand Hotel, I finally met twenty-three-year-old Lucas.

He was tall, with features even more striking than in his photos. His skin had a healthy tan, and there was a subtle spark of defiance in his eyes.

With years of interviewing people under my belt, I could tell right away he was a good student.

He was dressed in a shirt and slacks, looking so stiff it was almost funny, his face clearly showing his embarrassment.

But I wasn't feeling generous tonight. I was here to get some action.

I walked over and hooked a finger under his chin. "You're Lucas?"

Lucas mumbled a shy little "yeah."

His bashful innocence was my type.

He was seriously gorgeous.

His eyes were crystal clear, his lashes long and curled, and his lips were a tempting shade of red. He looked like a wickedly seductive heartbreaker.

I grabbed his chin and made him look me right in the eye. "You're asking for 150,000 dollars. That's a hell of a price.

"But I like you, so I'm willing to pay. Whether you walk away with the full amount depends on how you do tonight."

Lucas took a deep breath. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you're well taken care of tonight."

His hands were trembling, and his ears and neck were bright red.

When he kissed me, he was so inexperienced that his teeth accidentally grazed my lip.

I couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

He was so innocent, so fresh, and honestly, adorable.

I pinned him down and started unbuttoning his shirt, one button at a time. "Baby, you're in luck. This is my first time with a male model, and I don't have any weird kinks.

"Honestly, I haven't gotten laid in forever. need to spoil myself a little and let off some steam.

"After tonight, you'll get everything you want."

Lucas let out a muffled groan, his hands instinctively pulling me closer as we lost ourselves together.

*****

The next morning, I woke up feeling on top of the world, while Lucas was still fast asleep.

I left the bank card on the bedside table, planted a soft kiss on his cheek, and quietly slipped out.

I was so decisive that I didn't even notice Lucas's tears as the door clicked shut behind me.

I never imagined our lives would get entangled again in such a complicated way.

*****

After my return, the second thing on my list was to use what I knew about the future to get in early on some promising investments.

You can never make enough money, but I wasn't about to risk my neck for it again. Investing in projects with real potential and making money from a stake sounded right to me.

I tracked down my old assistant, Ethan Lane, who was still grinding away at another company. I poached him with a fat paycheck.

When I told him I wanted him to scout out investment opportunities, Ethan looked a bit nervous. "Ms. Reed, I-I really don't have any experience with this kind of thing. Why do you trust me?"

How could I even explain? In my previous life, even after I was gone, Ethan kept fighting for me, standing up to the Shaw family no matter what.

He got blacklisted by the whole industry, scraped by his whole life, and even on his deathbed, he never bowed to the Shaw family.

I never really gave Ethan much, just a salary of 300,000 dollars a year, not even a company car. Yet his loyalty to me was unwavering.

While I was drifting as a ghost in the world, I always felt guilty about it.

I took a deep breath and made something up. "Honestly, I've got this gut feeling about you. I can see you've got real potential. Focus on finding the right people and projects.

"I'm not throwing money around for nothing; if something looks promising, we'll dig deeper together. So don't stress yourself out."

That finally put Ethan at ease, and he started working for real.

He really was sharp. Within a few days, he handed me a project. "Some friends from college developed this game.

"They were about to launch, but a big company ripped them off and totally steamrolled them. They can barely keep going.

"I've looked into how the game is built, and honestly, the smoothness and visuals are on a whole different level. The copycat company doesn't even come close.

"They're trying to bully these guys out of the market and then snatch it up cheap.

"If we get a chance to work with them, I really think it'll pay off. Ms. Reed, want to take a look?"

So, half a month after we went our separate ways, I saw Lucas again. This time, it was a formal meeting.

I was the investor, and he was the one pitching for funding.

Lucas walked into the café we'd arranged, dressed in a suit that looked a little too cheap for the occasion. The instant he stepped through the door, his lips turned pale as a sheet.

His pupils shrank as he locked eyes on me, staring like he'd seen a ghost.

It didn't take me long to figure out why he was so scared.

Loosely trailing behind him were three or four people, calling out, "Hey, Mr. Grant, why'd you stop?"

Lucas's back went cold, and he awkwardly shuffled in, almost tripping over himself.

I kept my voice gentle. "Mr. Grant, don't worry. I'm not going to eat you alive."

Lucas's ears and neck turned bright red in an instant.

Luckily, his crew was all big and burly. Not a single one of them noticed a thing.

The pitch went off without a hitch, and honestly, the game Lucas and his team made, Lost Path, really caught my eye.

With a little time, this game was definitely going to rake in some cash.

I shot Ethan a look, and he handed over the contract.

Ethan said, "This is the partnership Ms. Reed has in mind. Take a look. We're investing five million dollars for a 40% share in your company.

"Down the line, profits will be split according to our profit-sharing model.

"This is the initial draft. Take it back, talk it over, and if you're on board, we can move forward."

Lucas kept checking me out, staying silent the whole time.

I figured they'd want to discuss it, so I got up and went to the restroom.

When I came out, Lucas was waiting right outside the door.