Chapter 3
The next morning, Adrian knocked on my door. “Serena’s here.”
Dressed and ready, I went downstairs to find her sitting at the table, face clouded with anger.
In the past, even the smallest frown would have me rushing to cheer her up.
This time, I walked past her without a word, flagged down a cab, and headed to the airport.
At the gate, I ran into Serena again.
She marched up, her tone sharp. “Elias, we’re married. There’s no need to avoid me over something so trivial.”
Without looking up, I typed on my laptop and replied, “You’re overthinking it. I’m not avoiding you.”
Before I could finish, her phone rang, the ringtone indicating her priority contact.
From where i sat, I heard Lucas’s voice. “Where are you? Don’t forget tonight’s event. Whether or not we close this deal depends on it.”
Lucas had been back in the States for three years, and Serena had quietly leveraged my name to help him numerous times. I had tolerated it,
choosing to look the other way.
But the tender smile on her lips and the sweet tone in her voice were things she had never given me.
Whenever I asked for more warmth in our conversations, her response was always the same: “Work already drains me enough. Can’t you stop being so demanding?”
I sent a message to my assistant, instructing him to inform our partners that Serena and I were beginning divorce proceedings.
After ending her call, Serena turned to me, her earlier smile gone in an instant. “There’s still work to do, and flights are fully booked. Give me your ticket. You can take the next one.”
I stayed put.
Serena repeated herself, her tone more insistent.
“I didn’t buy a ticket back to Charleston,” I replied flatly.
Her face twisted in frustration. “So this is all a show, huh? You’re just trying to make me jealous?”
“You’re being ridiculous!” she snapped before storming off.
12:06 PM C
<
I watched her retreating figure, a pang of bitterness rising in my chest.
No matter where she was or what she was doing, Lucas always came first.
As Lucas had once posted: true devotion is when someone’s priority is always you.
Chapter
I didn’t buy a ticket back to Charleston because my destination was Seattle.
After taking over Ford Enterprises, my primary goal was to expand into retail chains, and the land in Westfield District seemed like the perfect
location.
Adrian Starr had recommended a mentor to me, someone who was a close friend of his father. He assured me that one dinner with this man
could teach me a great deal.
From the moment we met, we hit it off. Over dinner, Professor Nathaniel Huxley helped clarify many of the challenges I was facing. He liked \me and suggested that I join his company for six months. He assured me that, during this time, I’d not only learn the ropes but also secure a
