Chapter 3
I glanced at the live chat and saw Emory's fans going crazy.
[Caleb, no. Don't sign it. It's all her trap.]
[That's 60 million dollars. Caleb, you just got back to the country. Where would you even get that kind of cash? You'd still have to ask Emory for help.]
[Exactly. Let her sue. Is Mr. Layton's legal team just for decoration?]
Emory was getting anxious too. He grabbed Caleb's arm. "Caleb, don't do anything rash. Let me take care of the money."
"No," Caleb said, pushing his hand away. He gave me a conflicted look. "This is between me and her."
He paused, then added, "I owe her this."
My interest was piqued.
What exactly did he owe me? Was it for bailing him out with my cash, only for him to turn around and run off into another guy's embrace?
Fine, I'd never understand the world of these male leads, but as long as I got the money, I was good.
"Perfect," I said with a satisfied nod. I had the smart assistant print out two copies of the divorce agreement right then and there. "Sign it, and meet me at the city hall at nine tomorrow morning."
Caleb picked up the pen without a hint of hesitation and signed his name in bold, sweeping strokes.
Emory stood off to the side, his eyes practically red with frustration. He looked like he'd just watched his precious get ruined, even if it was in name only.
Once he finished signing, Caleb slid the agreement over to me, then looked up with his crystal clear eyes. "Can we go now?"
"Whenever you want," I replied, gesturing toward the door.
Emory instantly swooped in to guard his precious and hustled him toward the door.
When they got to the busted-up door Emory had kicked in, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and shot me a frosty glare. "Don't think this is over just because you got your money. Whatever you did to Caleb, I'll make you pay back double."
I arched an eyebrow, totally unfazed. "Bring it on.
"Oh, and by the way, you trashed the door. The repair bill comes to about 300 thousand dollars. Make sure you wire it to my account. If you don't, I'll turn your epic door-kicking skills into a meme and blast it all over your company's group chat."
Emory's back visibly stiffened for a moment.
[I'm cracking up. What kind of villainess is this?]
[Mr. Layton must've forgotten to check his lucky stars today. He just ran into his arch-nemesis.]
[For some reason, I'm kind of hoping to see her drive Mr. Layton crazy.]
As I watched them leave in embarrassment, the corners of my mouth curled up even more.
Cannon fodder villainess? Destined to be disgraced?
Sorry, but from now on, I would be writing the story.
*****
The next morning, I showed up at the city hall right on the dot at nine.
Caleb was already there, dressed in a simple white shirt, standing in the morning light. He looked so slender, almost fragile, with a kind of delicate beauty, like he might shatter if one touched him.
Emory wasn't with him. I supposed the big CEO was way too busy running his empire to spare a minute for his precious and this little "errand."
When Caleb saw me, his gaze flickered and he came right over. "Morning."
"Let's get on with it," I replied, checking my watch. "They open in five minutes."
He looked momentarily thrown by my straightforwardness, but nodded quietly.
The whole thing was over in a flash. In less than ten minutes, the marriage certificate was swapped out for divorce certificate.
Clutching that shiny new divorce certificate, I swear the air felt fresher.
"I'll get the money to you as soon as I can," Caleb said quietly as we stepped out of the city hall.
"No rush," I said, waving it off. "I know you're strapped for cash right now. I'll give you a year. With principal plus interest, let's call it 100 million dollars."
The live chat immediately started rallying behind him.
[That's so ruthless. She's hiking up the price on the spot.]
[Caleb, don't worry. We'll crowdfund the money for you.]
[No big deal. Mr. Layton's got more cash than he knows what to do with. 100 million dollars is pocket change for him.]
Caleb's brows furrowed. "What are you getting at?"
"Simple, I'm not the kind of person who takes a loss," I said, waving my shiny new divorce certificate. "Marrying you cost my company a bunch of big projects, and my dad almost froze my credit card. So now I'm just making sure I break even and get a little payback. That's fair, right?"
He locked eyes with me for a few seconds, then gave a firm nod. "Alright."
There were no explanations, no bargaining, not even a hint of hesitation.
Honestly, that threw me for a loop.
I totally expected him to go full web-novel protagonist on me, getting all offended, even saying, "Don't look down on the underdog", then hustle his way to the top with Emory's help, just so he could come back and humiliate me.