Chapter 2

I handled my father's funeral arrangements calmly.

I chose the cemetery, filled out the paperwork, arranged the cremation, and made sure he was buried.

Throughout the whole process, I was so detached it felt like I was a bystander, watching it all happen from afar.

Richard didn't show up.

But Fiona did, dressed to the nines in a pricey black suit, dabbing at her eyes and pretending to cry in front of my dad's tombstone.

Then she grabbed my hand, laying on the fake sympathy thick. "Claire, the dead can't come back. You need to pull yourself together.

"Now that your dad's gone, nothing's holding you back anymore. It's time to put all your energy into having a baby."

I slipped my hand from hers and met her gaze. "Yes, nothing's holding me back now."

My voice was so calm she didn't sense anything amiss. With a satisfied nod, she turned and left.

I went back to that gilded cage.

The villa was cold, with not a trace of warmth or life.

I walked into my study.

It had been locked up ever since I married Richard.

Richard used to say, "Why does a woman need to read so many books anyway? Wouldn't it make more sense to learn flower arranging or cooking instead?"

I found the key and unlocked the door.

A musty, stale smell that had been trapped for ages hit me in the face.

The shelves were filled with everything that once made me proud.

Physics books lined up next to trophies from major national research projects I'd worked on.

I walked over to the desk, opened the bottom drawer, and pulled out a locked metal box.

The password was my father's birthday.

Inside, a stack of documents sat there, untouched.

Right on top was a patent certificate. [Stellar Initiative, Advanced Superconducting Energy Storage Materials

[Patent Owner: Claire Summers]

I ran my fingers over my name, and all those memories I'd locked away for three years came rushing back.

The late-night drafts, the acrid scent of chemicals in the lab, and the moment of triumph, celebrating with my mentor David Lewis and colleagues when the project finally succeeded.

Back then, there was a spark in my eyes.

Late at night, Richard finally came home.

He stumbled into the living room, smelling strongly of alcohol and a woman's perfume.

When he saw me sitting on the couch, he was clearly irritated. "It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you asleep? What do you want now?"

He pulled out a bank card from his wallet and tossed it onto the coffee table. "150 thousand. That should be enough for your dad's funeral. That's it, no more drama."

It was just another act of charity, handed down from above.

I looked at him and couldn't help but laugh.

I laughed so hard I nearly cried.

Richard was clearly getting irritated by my laughter. "Are you nuts? You think that's not enough?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, right in front of him, I picked up my phone and dialed a number etched in my memory.

The call connected almost instantly, and an old, gentle voice came through. "Hello?"

My voice was calm and resolute, like I'd never been more sure of myself. "Professor Lewis, it's me, Claire. I want to restart the Stellar Initiative we paused three years ago."

David on the line paused, then his excitement was impossible to miss. "Claire! You... you finally decided? That's amazing. You can come back anytime."

The drunken haze on Richard's face cleared in an instant.

He stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time.

For the first time, he saw an icy, unfamiliar confidence in me, not the Claire he was used to seeing.

"Claire, what the hell are you up to?" Richard snapped, his voice betraying a hint of panic he didn't even realize was there.

I hung up the phone, ignoring Richard's barrage of questions without a second thought.

I took the metal file box and walked straight into the study.

Richard followed me into the room. When he saw shelves packed with books about my field and a collection of trophies and awards, his surprise deepened.

"What is all this?" he asked, stunned.

"My past," I said flatly.

I pulled out a patent certificate and a thin licensing agreement from the file box. "Mr. Ford, do you remember your company's flagship product, the 'Polaris' new energy battery, the one that made you the richest man here in just three years?"

Richard's mind flashed back. He remembered. That battery was his greatest pride.

"What are you getting at?" Richard asked.

"The core technology, code-named 'Stellar', I'm the patent holder," I said.

I slid the patent certificate across the desk to him.

The name 'Claire Summers' was clearly printed in the owner's section.

Richard's face went ghostly pale.

"This... this can't be real..." Richard said, his voice trembling.

"Why not?" I let out a cold laugh. "Three years ago, I was so madly in love with you that I handed over the results of five years of hard work, no strings attached, to support your career."

I slapped the licensing agreement down in front of him.

Everything was spelled out in black and white.

[Patent License Agreement

[Licensor (Party A): Claire Summers

[Licensee (Party B): Ford Group

[License Details: Claire Summers gives Ford Group unlimited, free access to all patents under the 'Stellar Initiative'...]

Richard's eyes were glued to the agreement, his lips trembling.

Suddenly, he remembered.

Three years ago, when we got married, I beamed with joy as I handed him the agreement as a wedding gift.

He'd barely glanced at it before passing it off to the legal department, too wrapped up in me to care about anything else.

To him, it was only a "hobby". He never dreamed it would become the cornerstone of everything he'd built.

"Back then, for 'love,' I was willing to give you the fruits of my labor," I said, my voice unwavering as she stared at Richard's terrified face. "Now, for my late father, I can take it all back."

I picked up my phone, dialed my lawyer Ryan Shaw, and put it on speaker. "Ryan, you can start now."

"Yes, Ms. Summers," Ryan replied, his voice cool and professional. "We're officially sending a legal notice to Ford Group. First, we're pulling the plug on the 'Stellar Initiative' patent license, unilaterally.

"Second, we're suing Ford Group for patent infringement and demanding every cent they've made off it in the past three years.

"Third, to keep them from hiding their money, we're immediately asking the court to freeze all assets under Ford Group and Richard Ford's name."

Each word landed like a heavy blow, crushing Richard's spirit.

All the color drained from his face.

"Claire!" Richard howled, like a wild beast pushed to the brink, lunging at me to grab the files.

"Don't you even think about it!" I shot back.