Chapter 6
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
I opened the door, and Joan was standing outside.
She was dressed in a sharp black suit, her hair neatly tied up in a bun, her eyes sharp and piercing. She looked nothing like the Joan I remembered from five years ago.
She stepped inside, taking in the luxurious villa. "Seems like life's been treating you well these past five years."
She looked at me, her eyes full of mixed emotions. "So, why do you want a divorce?"
I didn't say a word. I took out my phone and played an audio recording.
A few days ago, I accidentally found a voice recorder in the study. It belonged to Hardy.
He must've forgotten to turn it off after a meeting and left it lying around.
It contained a conversation between him and his assistant.
I pressed play. The assistant's voice came through first. "Mr. Smith, I've finished looking into Mrs. Smith's assets.
"She doesn't own any real estate or financial investments.
"All she has is the supplementary card you gave her, and some minor equity stakes in a few companies—all gifted by you."
Then came Hardy's soft chuckle. "Good. Her silly brother, Mark, tried to get me to transfer the villa on the south side of the city to her name, saying it would give her some security. How naive.
"As long as she behaves, I'll make sure she can live comfortably for the rest of her life.
"But security? My woman doesn't need any of that.
"Her only security is me."
When the recording ended, the room fell silent.
Joan looked at me, stunned.
I looked at her and said calmly, "Do you understand why now?"
Just then, my phone rang again. It was an unknown number.
I answered.
"Hello, is this Ms. Yolanda Jenkins?" A confident woman's voice came through. "This is the HR department at Peak Group. Our director is quite interested in you and would like to talk with you again. Are you available tomorrow morning?"
That unknown number felt like a ray of light breaking through the clouds.
"This is the HR department at Peak Group. Our director is quite interested in you and would like to talk with you again." Her words echoed in my ear.
My heart skipped a beat.
A huge, almost unbelievable wave of joy flooded me in an instant.
I instinctively looked at Joan.
Her eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, but more than that, there was a sharp, confident glint, like she already understood everything.
She mouthed to me. "Take it."
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. "Hello, this is Yolanda Jenkins. Yes, I'm available. Okay, I'll be there at ten tomorrow morning."
After hanging up, I was still in a daze, like I was dreaming.
Hadn't Hardy already used his connections to shut down this chance for me?
Why? Why would I have a second interview?
"Can't figure it out?" Joan's voice snapped me back to reality.
She picked up the recorder, twirling it between her fingers. "It's simple. Hardy called that Mr. Sanders at Peak Group, but a director called you for the second interview.
"That means someone higher up, with more authority than Mr. Sanders, noticed your resume. And honestly, they don't give a damn about Hardy."
Joan's analysis was spot-on. It was like a bolt of lightning, clearing away all the confusion in my head.
Exactly. Hardy wasn't invincible.
His power only went so far.
"There must be something really special in your resume that made that director break the rules for you," Joan said, and there was a look of admiration in her eyes that I'd never seen before.
"Yolanda, you're so much better than you realize. These past five years held you back."
My eyes started to sting with emotion.
It'd been ages since anyone said something like that to me.
I'd almost forgotten that I used to be someone who sparkled.
"Thank you, Joan," I said.
"Don't thank me yet," Joan said, standing up and pacing the living room. "You can't let this opportunity slip away.
"This isn't just a job. It's your biggest trump card in the divorce case."
She stopped and turned to face me, her expression deadly serious. "Yolanda, you need to understand. When a judge decides how to split the assets, they look at a lot of things.
"A woman who can support herself and has her own income is seen completely differently by the court than a full-time housewife who's totally dependent on her husband.
"The former is seen as an equal partner in the marriage, and the latter is more likely to be seen as someone who's on the receiving end.
"Even though the law says marital assets should be split equally, in reality, there's a lot of wiggle room, especially with someone as calculating as Hardy.
"He's probably already found ways to hide and protect his money from being split.
"What we need to do is make sure you face him as a whole new, independent, and valuable member of society.
"Not as an incompetent trophy wife pampered by him."