Chapter 4

On Jaiden's first day on the job, he stirred up a major incident.

The company was following the usual steps to get a bank loan. I dealt with the bank manager before, a pushy middle-aged lady who loved to pressure people into drinking.

Back then, she made me chug a whole bottle of strong liquor just to get that loan approved.

But Jaiden couldn't put up with that crap. When the manager kept shoving drinks at him, he lost it and splashed his drink right in her face.

The manager's face turned cold in an instant, and she declared with a haughty tone that the project's loan was canceled.

After everything blew up, Helena called Jaiden out.

She said, "Seriously, couldn't you just suck it up for once? Can you chill out with that attitude?"

Jaiden was fuming.

He shot back, "She kept shoving drinks at me; you know how she is. Nobody gets to order me around."

Helena shot back without thinking.

She snapped, "My husband, Edward, can suck it up; why can't you just do the same?"

That was the last straw for Jaiden. He shouted, "Edward, it's always about Edward. So what am I to you?"

Helena's expression was a mix of anger and helplessness as she yelled back. She snapped, "Can you stop making a scene? What more do you want? The company put you in charge; if you mess it up, that's on you, not me."

After a heated argument, they both walked away, pissed off and not speaking to each other.

A coworker sent me the video of their fight.

I shook my head, couldn't help but feel frustrated. If this kept up, they were going to run the White Group into the ground.

Out of gratitude to Grace and my feelings for the company, I pushed myself to come back, even though I was still hurting. I wanted to talk with Helena. If she didn't let me take charge, at least let the deputy manager handle things.

But Jaiden's words sent me spiraling into darkness, as I'd just been shoved off a cliff.

He said, "You're nothing but a stand-in. Helena hasn't loved you, not even once in the past ten years. Now that I'm back, you really think you still stand a chance?"

I didn't respond to Jaiden. I just fixed my gaze on Helena, my eyes silently asking her for the truth.

Helena stayed silent for a long moment, her eyes shadowed and her voice icy.

She said, "Honey, don't pay attention to what he says. There's nothing between Jaiden and me. Just go home and rest up; the company doesn't need your help right now. Jaiden and I will take care of things."

Jaiden leaned in with a sly grin. He said, "Why bother calling him anymore? This is your chance, just divorce him and be with me. Isn't that what you've been dreaming of all along?"

Helena bit her lip, looking torn for ages before she finally spoke up.

She said, "It's not like that yet. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

I stared at Helena, and suddenly, the past ten years felt like one big, cruel joke.

The truth was, I was the fool all along.

I was tired. I was out.

After leaving the office, I nearly collapsed as an intense pain tore through my body. Glancing down, I saw my shirt stained with blood.

Damn it.

I really shouldn't have lost my cool.

My eyes were burning red as I barely held myself up against the wall. I felt awful, so I called Kyla. Then everything went dark, and I blacked out.

In a daze, I felt myself being rushed to the hospital. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Kyla clutching my phone, crying as she made a call.

"Helena, Edward's wound has split open, and he's bleeding out. He needs surgery right now. You're his wife, you need to come and sign the consent form, or his life is at risk," she said.

I could faintly hear Helena's mocking voice on the other end.

"Oh, drop the act. Since when did he start throwing tantrums, making a scene, and threatening to end it all? Did he hire you to play this part? Seriously, this is just sad," she said.

Kyla was hopping anxiously on the spot, her voice rising in desperation.

She said, "I'm not an actress. I'm not. I really am his girlfriend. He needs surgery, I'm begging you."

Helena was stunned for a moment, then her voice erupted like a volcano, as if she was about to launch a rocket.

She said, "Say that again? Are you his girlfriend? Has he lost his mind? Absolutely not. Which hospital are you at? I'm coming over right now."

I couldn't help but feel confused. Seriously? She didn't even love me, so why freak out when someone else cared about me?