For ten years, Beatrice had known Louis, but that day, he seemed like a stranger. This wasn't Louis. Louis would never strip naked and sleep with her best friend, Kylie. Damn it, her tears almost fell for such cruel people. "I want a divorce." Beatrice didn't mean it when she said it. She still hoped Louis would beg, at least ask her to stay and forgive him. But Louis had changed. "I agree. Let's divorce. I don't want to be with a useless woman like you."
Chapter 1
"I want a divorce."
Beatrice didn't really mean it when she said that. Deep down, she hoped Louis would beg her to stay, to forgive him for his mistakes. But Louis had changed.
"I agree. Let's divorce. I don't want to be with someone useless like you."
Beatrice's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe those words came out of Louis's mouth-her husband, the man who had been by her side for ten years.
Eight years of dating had convinced her Louis loved her. And two years of marriage... Shouldn't that have meant he'd never say such a thing?
"Useless? Did you just call me useless? How could you say something so hurtful, Louis?"
Louis stood up from the bed. He'd been sitting there the whole time, staring at her with an uninterested expression. Raising an eyebrow, he added, "We've been together ten years, and you still can't give me a child."
"A child? Now you're bringing up kids? You've got to be kidding me!"
"If you want a divorce, I'll agree. And if you can't afford the paperwork, I'll cover it for you."
Beatrice let out a bitter laugh. "What?"
"You haven't worked since we got married. Before that, you were just a low-paid journalist. You probably don't have much money-or any at all." Louis slid his hands into the pockets of his black pants, his gaze shifting to the window. "Anyway, I should thank you for letting me meet Kylie."
Beatrice laughed again, this time bitter and forced. "You're actually saying her name out loud now? You slept with Kylie and don't even feel guilty about it? Do you know she was my colleague? She's no better than me, you jerk!"
Louis sighed, turning to face her with a bored look. He scanned her from head to toe before speaking again. "I'll be moving in with Kylie. Can you go back to your poor parent's place?"
Beatrice clenched her fists at her sides, gripping her long skirt tightly. Then she lifted her chin, glaring at Louis. "You'll regret this!"
"Don't get your hopes up." Louis smirked. "I'm a successful CEO now. Someone like you doesn't deserve to be with me."
Without another word, Beatrice turned around and started packing. The room she had once filled with love and dreams now felt like hell. She quickly stuffed her clothes into a suitcase, her heart secretly wishing Louis would stop her, beg her to stay.
But by the time Beatrice left the house and stood at the gates of Louis's mansion, he was nowhere in sight.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her marriage was over, destroyed because she trusted the wrong person. Regret flooded her mind. She shouldn't have let Kylie into her home. She should've left her to deal with her abusive ex and the streets. Kylie was a snake, and Beatrice hadn't expected that snake to slither into her marriage.
After a few minutes of waiting, Beatrice managed to flag down a taxi.
"Where to, miss?" the driver asked.
"Take me to Moonlight Village."
"Whoa, that's pretty far. Are you sure you want to go there in this cab?"
Beatrice caught the driver's skeptical glance in the rearview mirror. Just like Louis, he judged her by her appearance.
"If you don't think I can pay, feel free to drop me off," she replied, turning to look out the window.
Her words left the driver uncomfortable, guilt creeping onto his face. But in the end, he drove her to her destination: Moonlight Village-a quiet spot outside New York City where her grandparents had settled after losing their only son, Michael Foster, and his wife, Anna Drew Hathaway.
"You can drop me off up there," Beatrice instructed.
The driver complied, pulling over as she requested.
"Here's your fare." Beatrice handed him a few hundred-dollar bills, leaving him visibly ashamed for doubting her earlier. But she ignored him, slamming the taxi door hard enough to make him flinch.
"Did you have to slam it that hard?"
She turned to see her grandfather, John Harper, standing nearby.
"Grandpa!" she cried, running to hug him tightly, years of pent-up longing spilling out at once. "I missed you so much!"
John chuckled, hugging her back. "I missed you too."
After a moment, they pulled apart.
"I'm getting a divorce," Beatrice admitted.
John raised an eyebrow. "So, you've finally come to your senses?"
Beatrice frowned. "You knew?"
"Of course, I knew. Did you really think I'd leave my granddaughter all alone in the city?" He laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You were never truly alone, sweetheart. I had people watching over you. Now, why don't you come inside and tell me and your grandma everything?"
"Oh, right! I haven't seen Grandma yet."
Beatrice smiled, and they walked into the house, the years of separation melting away.
"You're divorcing him? That bastard just let my precious granddaughter go like that?" Sophia waved her spatula angrily as she listened to Beatrice's story in the kitchen, where John sat nibbling on pie. "He needs to be whacked with this!"
Beatrice laughed weakly as Sophia angrily stirred some eggs in a pan. "I swear, I'm going to have a stroke over this. John, do we still have my blood pressure meds?"
"They're in your medicine box, dear."
Sophia finally joined them at the table, sliding an omelet in front of Beatrice. "Eat up, sweetheart. The trip from the city must've been exhausting."
"Thank you, Grandma." Beatrice picked up a spoon, ready to dig in.
"What's your plan now?" Sophia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I'm not sure. I'm still processing everything with Louis."
John chuckled. "Don't waste your tears on him. It's time to prepare yourself."
"Prepare for what?"
"For taking over our business."
Beatrice blinked, confused. "But isn't Benedict already running things?"
"He's taking over in England. You'll be the new CEO of Dimitri Group, Beatrice. No more games-it's time to step up and carry on your father's legacy."
Sophia pointed her spoon at Beatrice. "That scumbag Louis will regret everything when he sees you shine, sweetheart."
A small smile crept onto Beatrice's lips. "I can't wait for that, Grandma. So... where do I start?"
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