The Billionaire's Discarded Wife

Synopsis

Claire Summers was warming her son's milk when the divorce papers arrived. The microwave chimed. She turned, mug in hand, and saw the paper on the coffee table. "Who left this here?" she asked. Margaret Brown, the housekeeper, shrank back slightly. "Mr. Summers had it sent over. He said... He wants your signature." Claire didn't answer right away. She set the mug on the table and picked up the paper, leafing through the pages. The asset division clause was brief. Claire shall receive a one-time settlement of 150 thousand dollars and shall relinquish all further claims to marital assets. Three years, and all she was worth was 150 thousand dollars. She had married Richard Lane when Lane Holdings was worth less than 300 million dollars. Three years later, the company had grown twentyfold, and this tidy little sum was what he thought her share of that story was worth. "Mommy." From the table, four-year-old Leo Lane tapped his cup with his spoon. "My milk's getting cold." Claire set the papers down. She walked over to him and smoothed a hand over his hair. "Let's eat." Leo tilted his face up to hers, his eyes, so bright, fixed on the documents in her hand. "What's that?" "Grown-up stuff," Claire said. "Is that a divorce agreement?" Claire went very still. "I saw it on Daddy's phone," Leo said, in the same easy tone he might use to ask for the weather. "He was talking to his secretary. He said he was going to give you 150 thousand dollars."