Chapter 3
The next morning, in the Holt Group's CEO office, Trevor sat in his leather chair, rubbing his temples.
Celeste had kept him up all night, insisting their dog was depressed and making him spend half the night trying to cheer it up.
David, his assistant, knocked gently and came in, carrying the day's itinerary. "Mr. Holt, you have a senior management meeting this morning. Also, yesterday was Mrs. Holt's prenatal appointment, and you didn't go. Do you want me to go see her?"
Trevor paused, then snorted dismissively, "She's perfectly fine. What could happen? She's using the baby as leverage."
When he thought about the message asking for a divorce he'd gotten last night, Trevor's eyes flashed with irritation.
'Here we go again,' he thought. 'She always brings up divorce whenever we fight. Does she really think I'll chase after her as I used to?'
"Ignore her. She's being difficult," Trevor said, tossing the file onto his desk. "She'll come crawling back when she runs out of money in a couple of days."
To him, Anya Petrov was like a pet, totally reliant on him for everything.
She had no job and no connections. Without Trevor, she wouldn't last a day on her own.
Just then, the office door swung open.
Celeste walked in, carrying a fancy insulated lunchbox. She was dressed in a pale white dress, her face bare of makeup, looking all delicate and innocent.
"Trevor, I made you some soup. Hope you like it." Celeste set the soup down on the desk, her voice hesitant. "Yesterday, was Anya mad at you? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have called you. Maybe I should go and apologize to her?"
Trevor's expression eased as he reached for Celeste's hand. "Don't blame yourself. She's being narrow-minded. Even a dog deserves some sympathy, but she can't even manage that. It's unbelievable."
Celeste lowered her head, concealing the hint of triumph at her lips, and spoke softly, "Maybe Anya just cares about you too much, but the baby—"
"Don't even bring her up," Trevor interrupted, "She's out of her mind."
Just then, the receptionist called, sounding rushed. "Mr. Holt, there's a lawyer here to see you. It's about Ms. Petrov's request."
Trevor frowned. "Let him in."
Five minutes later, a distinguished lawyer in a tailored suit stood before Trevor, sliding the document across the desk. "Mr. Holt, I'm Victor Cross, Ms. Petrov's attorney. This is the divorce agreement she drafted."
Trevor didn't even bother to look at it. He scoffed, "She must've spent a fortune hiring you for this act, huh? Tell Anya to stop messing around. I'm running out of patience."
Victor pushed up his glasses, his voice cool and professional. "Mr. Holt, Ms. Petrov means it. She doesn't want a dime from the Holt family. She only wants a divorce right now. If you refuse to sign, we'll file a lawsuit."
"She's really leaving empty-handed?" Trevor was stunned for a moment, then his anger erupted.
'Is she actually going through with this?' Trevor thought.
"Where is she? I want her to say it to my face," Trevor demanded, shooting to his feet.
"Ms. Petrov doesn't want to see you. Also, this is the property transfer paperwork. The villa you're living in? Ms. Petrov paid for it in full before you two got married. You have one week to move out," Victor said coolly.
Trevor was completely dumbfounded.
'Didn't Anya always say her parents pooled their money to buy that villa for her wedding gift? Hold on. She paid for it all herself?' Trevor thought.
Celeste's expression shifted, and she whispered, "Trevor, do you think Anya has an affair? Why else would she be so resolute about this?"
Her words struck a nerve, fueling Trevor's suspicions and paranoia.
Trevor picked up his phone and tried calling Anya, but it went straight to voicemail. She actually blocked him.
A surge of panic and loss of control hit Trevor. He grabbed his car keys and stormed out, his face dark with fury.
"Anya, you think you can manipulate me? Let's see how long you can keep up this charade," he shouted.