Chapter 1

On our third wedding anniversary, I brought my husband the keys to a limited-edition Maybach.

Instead of celebrating, he kicked open the private dining room door with his pregnant secretary in his arms, slamming divorce papers into my face:

"You barren, washed-up bitch. Other than throwing your old man’s dirty money at me, you can't even give me a son to carry on the Sterling name! Watching you cling to that wedding ring makes me sick!"

His buddies in the private booth burst into laughter, waiting for me to break down in tears.

I took a slow sip of my red wine, raising my glass toward him.

"You're right, Julian."

I really can't get pregnant.

"Too bad the micro-camera on your tie clip has been live-streaming this to your entire company gala for the last ten minutes."

……

The smug grin on Julian Sterling's face froze.

"Chloe Vance, what the fuck are you talking about?!"

Before he could lunge at me, the phone in his pocket buzzed uncontrollably.

He pulled it out. The executive WhatsApp group was already flooded with over ninety-nine notifications.

[Is Mr. Sterling out of his mind?! What is playing on the main screen at the gala?!]

[Holy shit! He's hugging Evelyn Moore and trash-talking his wife! Over a thousand employees and all our business partners are watching!]

[Mr. Reynolds from Apex Capital went pale. He just walked out!]

Julian snapped his head up, glaring at me with eyes that wanted to rip me apart.

The buddies who had just been roaring with laughter were now completely white-faced.

Someone scrambled to kill the audio system in the booth, while others were already shuffling toward the door, looking for an exit.

Julian’s business partner, Mark Dawson, was the first to jump up, his voice trembling.

"Julian, are you insane? Do you have any idea the lead investor from Apex Capital is literally in the room right now?!"

Amid the chaos, I was the only one who remained calm.

I methodically cut a piece of my steak, lifted it to my mouth, and chewed slowly.

"Take it easy, Julian."

I even took the time to point it out.

"You have lipstick on your mouth. Tangerine shade. Evelyn is wearing crimson today."

Julian flinched violently.

Next to him, Evelyn Moore’s delicate face lost every trace of color.

She clutched her stomach, tugging weakly on Julian's sleeve.

"Julian... my stomach hurts... our baby..."

She was playing the victim card to deflect the heat.

Julian instinctively moved to support her—his usual heroic knight act.

I set down my fork and dabbed my lips with a cloth napkin.

"Evelyn, I actually picked up your ultrasound report from the clinic last week."

"It says you're twenty-three weeks pregnant."

"Yet you only joined Sterling Group fourteen months ago."

I looked up, meeting Julian’s ash-gray face.

"Julian, do you want to do the math?"

The room fell into a suffocating, dead silence.

Even Evelyn’s quiet sobs cut off instantly.

Julian was completely stunned.

With a roar of fury, he knocked over the bottle of red wine on the table.

"Chloe Vance!"

The wine splashed across my dress, blooming into a dark, ugly stain.

I didn't even blink.

My phone screen lit up on the table. A text from our receptionist popped up on SnapChat:

[Chloe! The gala is in total shambles! Two major clients are on the phone canceling their contracts! Sterling Group’s after-hours stock is already in free fall!]

A second later, Julian's phone shrieked.

It was his mother, Beatrice Sterling.

The moment he answered, her hysterical screech echoed through the room.

"You idiot! You humiliated our entire family at the gala! Everyone saw it! Make that bitch cut the live stream right now!"

The reality finally hit Julian. The blood drained from his face, leaving behind pure, unadulterated terror.

I stood up, brushed the wine off my skirt, and picked up my clutch.

As I walked past him, I paused and whispered in his ear:

"I'll take the divorce papers."

"Though I doubt you can afford the payout anymore."

His entire body turned to stone.

I walked to the door, pulled it open, and glanced back at the terrified Evelyn.

"By the way, the ultrasound report had one more detail."

"You're having a girl."

"Congratulations. Looks like you failed your mission to give him a son, too."

The door swung shut behind me, sealing the room in total panic and dread.