Chapter 3

I'd finished my shower, slipped into my pajamas, and was about to hit the sack when my phone buzzed.

I opened it and saw a message from an unknown number.

[Mrs. Graves, your husband isn't home tonight. He's with Scarlett.]

There was a photo attached.

In the photo, Milton was standing at Scarlett's apartment door.

She was leaning against his shoulder in a bathrobe, the two of them looking way too close for comfort.

I zoomed in on the picture and saw Milton holding a pharmacy bag.

It looked like Scarlett's "stomachache" was acting up again.

In my previous life, Scarlett was a master at this. She'd always claim to have stomachaches, dizziness, and heart problems.

Every time she "got sick," Milton would drop everything and rush to her side.

Back then, I was so clueless. I'd even make soup for him and bring it over, only for Scarlett to spill it all over me right in front of Milton, crying and saying, "Nadia, I didn't mean to."

The way Milton looked at me back then was like I was the wicked side character in his story.

I tossed my phone aside and rolled over.

I let it go.

Anyway, this time around, I was not here to be his wife.

The next morning, I got up at seven, threw on a simple white shirt and jeans, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Milton's grandmother, Veronica Graves, was already at the dining table. When she saw me, she frowned. "Why are you up so early right after your wedding day? Where's Milton?"

"Milton had something to take care of last night. He probably hasn't come back yet," I said, sitting down and grabbing a slice of toast.

Veronica's face darkened even more. "Out on his wedding night? What kind of behavior is that?"

I didn't say anything, kept my head down and ate my toast.

Veronica gave me a once-over and snorted. "Nadia, I know the Kimmons family pushed you into this marriage.

"Milton already has someone else in his heart, so don't blame him. Now that you're part of the Graves family, do your duty and act like the lady of the house."

"Of course, Veronica," I nodded.

She looked a little taken aback by how agreeable I was, then added, "In two months, you two should have a child. The Graves family can't go without an heir."

I took a bite of my toast and nodded.

However, I would never grant her wish.

After breakfast, I grabbed a cab straight to Jordan's company.

Jordan was an investment mogul in Mierian and a close friend of my real father, Lesley Kimmons.

When I was two years old, my parents died in a car accident, and the Kimmons family took me in.

Howell, my father's distant cousin, took over part of my father's assets and built his fortune off that inheritance.

But what they didn't know was that my father's true core asset, AK Lab, had been held by Jordan all this time, waiting for me to come of age and claim it.

Jordan's office was in the priciest building in the CBD. He was in his sixties, still sharp as ever, and his eyes welled up the moment he saw me.

"Nadia, you've grown up. You look like your father," he said.

He took my hand and walked me through all the details about AK Lab.

I spent three whole hours combing through every single file.

AK Lab owned cutting-edge patents in gene editing and had already developed three breakthrough drugs for rare diseases.

It was now applying for international patents.

With the right funding, we could build a world-class biotech powerhouse in three years.

"Nadia, when are you planning to take over?" Jordan asked.

I said, my eyes fixed on the data in front of me, already plotting my next move, "Now. Jordan, I need some startup capital."

"There's 15 million in the trust fund your father left you. You can access it anytime," he replied.

"That's not enough." I shook my head. "I want the kind of capital that can make us go big right away. Jordan, do you know anyone in venture capital?"

Jordan smiled. "Yeah, I do. But Nadia, you need to think this through. It's not going to be easy.

"Now that you're Milton's wife, if you start putting yourself out there and chasing your own career, people will gossip."

I stood up, gazing out at the city skyline, my voice steady. "Jordan, I want to be independent and not rely on anyone."

Jordan was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright. I've got your back."

By the time I left Jordan's office, it was already four in the afternoon.

I grabbed a cab home, and as I stepped through the villa gate, I saw Milton's car sitting in the driveway.

He was back.

I walked in and found Milton lounging on the couch in the living room, coffee in hand. He looked up when I came in.

"Where'd you go?" he asked.

"Out shopping," I said, setting my bag down.

He gave me a cold look. "Nadia, I don't care how you behaved when you were in the Kimmons family.

"Now that you're in the Graves family, you play by our rules. Don't wander off unless you have to. Grandma doesn't appreciate that."

"Okay," I replied.

I turned to head upstairs, but as I reached the foot of the stairs, he suddenly called out to me.

"Nadia."

"Yeah?" I turned back.

He set down his coffee cup, stood up, and looked down at me from above. "Scarlett had a stomach bleed last night. I took her to the hospital. Don't read too much into it."

I froze for a moment, surprised.

In my previous life, Milton never bothered to explain anything. He always thought it was pointless, and my feelings never mattered to him.

I wondered why he was suddenly explaining himself.

But I figured it out pretty quickly.

It wasn't because he cared about me. It was guilt.

He was scared I'd make a scene, scared I'd tell Veronica, scared things would get messy and spiral out of control.

I smiled. "It's fine. She's your sister, so of course you'd help her."

Milton's brows furrowed, surprised at how understanding I was.

"You really don't mind?" he asked.

"Mind what?" I tilted my head at him. "You said it yourself. We both get what we want out of this. You do your thing, and I live my life. Works for me."

With that, I turned and headed upstairs, not bothering to look back at his face.

But I was pretty sure he was frowning right then.

My reaction was totally not what he expected.

[Milton's Regret Points went up by 5. Current Regret Points: 5.]

The system notification chimed, and I grinned quietly to myself as I rounded the corner on the stairs.

It was only five.

However, I would take my time.