Chapter 7

I said coldly, "Molly, I respect you as my elder. But there's no room for discussion on this. And pull your informants out of the company, or you'll face the consequences."

I hung up, brought two bodyguards with me, and headed straight to the Baxter Group.

We marched right up to Tom's office. My bodyguards blocked his secretary when she tried to stop us, and I barged right in.

Tom was lounging in his office chair, looking totally relaxed. Erika was sitting on the couch across from him, peeling an apple.

When the door opened, both of them looked up.

Erika froze for a second when she saw me, then a slow smile spread across her face.

She handed the peeled apple to Tom, her voice soft. "Mr. Baxter, it's ready. Try it and see if it's sweet."

Tom leaned back in his chair, kicked up his legs, took a bite of the apple, and grinned. "What brings you here? We don't get visitors like you every day."

I didn't say a word and walked straight in.

Erika stood up, acting like she owned the place. "Mrs. Baxter, have a seat. I'll get you some water."

"No need," I said.

She didn't insist, just stood there, unable to hide the smile on her face.

Tom set down the apple, wiped his hands, and looked at me. "Leslie, are you here today to finally back down?"

I just stared at him, not saying a word.

He took my silence as agreement, his expression turning smug. "You should've done this earlier. If you'd just swallowed your pride, we wouldn't have made such a scene."

Erika stood off to the side, stifling a laugh behind her hand.

Tom went on, "Look at Erika. She's gentle, caring, and always knows how to make me feel good. And then there's you, always with that cold face, so bossy. We're both women, but why are we so different?"

Erika lowered her head, looking all shy.

Tom looked at her with a soft expression, then turned back to me. "Leslie, I'm just saying, you really should take a page from Erika's book. Men like women who are a little softer."

Erika looked up at me, her eyes full of smug satisfaction.

She said, "Honestly, Tom's actually a great guy. You're lucky to have a husband like him. The way you acted before, I thought you didn't care about him at all. But now, looks like you're having second thoughts, huh?"

She smiled and kept going, "But it's fine. Just say sorry to Tom, change your attitude a bit, and live a good life together. Tom's generous. He'll definitely let it go."

She sounded so genuine, like she was really looking out for me.

Tom looked even more pleased with himself.

He stood up and walked over to me. "Leslie, coming here today means you still care about us. Fine, I'll give you a shot."

He said smugly, "Just fix your attitude, stop embarrassing me in public, and be more gentle at home. If you can manage that, I'll move back in, and we'll play happy family again."

After he finished, the office went quiet for a few seconds.

Both of them were staring at me. One was waiting for me to give in, the other was waiting to see me make a fool of myself.

I pulled a folder out of my bag and handed it to him.

Tom looked surprised. "What's this?"

"Divorce papers," I said.

His face fell.

I stared Tom down, making sure he heard every word. "I don't want anything that's already tainted." I sneered. "You want me to learn from Erika? Learn how to steal someone else's husband and play the mistress?"

I added, "Tom, you've got it twisted. It's not about you forgiving me. It's about whether I want you at all. And right now, I don't."

I slapped the divorce papers against his chest, and he grabbed them on reflex.

"Sign them, then pack your stuff and move out of my house," I said.

His face went from pale to flushed, and the divorce papers in his hands were like a hot potato. He didn't know whether to hold on or toss them away.

I stared Tom down and said coldly, "Tom, let me make this clear. Cheating is a dealbreaker for me."

Just as I turned to leave, I heard Tom shout, "Leslie, stop right there!"

I stopped and turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" he snapped, tearing the papers to shreds. "You're really divorcing me over this?"

I didn't say a word and opened the door.

He rushed over and blocked the doorway. "Leslie, I don't agree to this. So give up, it's not happening!"

"You don't agree?" I looked at him. "Tom, who are you to say no?"

He yelled, "I'm your husband! We've only been married a month, and you're already divorcing me over something so minor? What will people think? What about the Baxter Group employees?"

I laughed. "You really think cheating is no big deal?"

He raised his voice. "Cheating? Seriously? What guy doesn't have a few side chicks? I didn't even sleep with her. We just hung out, that's all. Are you really blowing this way out of proportion?"

I stared at him, and suddenly he seemed like someone I didn't even know.