"Astrid, I met someone I truly love. Let's get a divorce."
Astrid Caldwell was in the middle of organizing key points for next week's international conference when she heard that.
For a second, she seriously thought she was hallucinating. She looked up instinctively, eyes landing on the man holding the divorce papers.
"Come again?"
Kieran Ellsworth placed the papers in front of her, tone flat. "Sorry to tell you like this."
"'Tell' me?" Astrid snorted, lips twitching in sardonic amusement.
"Wow, Mr. CEO really treats everything like office memos-even ending a marriage. What's the reason? Gotta give me something before I sign."
"I already said, I met someone. Keeping this marriage going isn't fair to you."
"Someone you 'really love'?" Astrid let out a chuckle, but it wasn't funny. It was bitter-at herself.
"Kieran, we've been married for two years. In all that time, none of your friends or business partners even knew I existed. I thought it was because you valued your privacy, didn't want your personal life exposed. But now I get it-you just kept that space open. Always ready to bolt the moment your true love showed up. Isn't that it?"
His brows knit just slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"That's not what happened. Colleen and I only realized how we felt about each other recently. She didn't know about you when she fell for me. She's... innocent."
"Innocent? Really? Do you think I'm that gullible?" Astrid snapped, her voice rising.
"Two years. Seven hundred and thirty days. Who went out past midnight to find your meds when your ulcer flared up? Who sat by your hospital bed every time your stomach bled from all that business drinking? Who stayed with your grandfather when he was ill, doing everything you couldn't because you didn't have the time or the patience? Now you're telling me you found ‘true love' and think that gives you an excuse to toss me like a used rag? Where's your conscience? Did it rot away somewhere?"
Kieran leaned back from her sharp words, clearly caught off guard by the sudden surge of emotion. He rubbed his temples, his voice dropping a notch-gentle, but somehow even colder.
"Astrid, I know you've done a lot for my family-for me. Grandpa adores you. But... feelings aren't something you can control. I don't love you. That's just the truth."
At that point, Astrid completely gave up. She took a deep breath and said, "Fine. I'll sign the divorce papers."
Kieran didn't expect her to agree so easily. After a moment, he asked, "After the divorce, are you still planning on staying at Ellsworth Corp?"
Astrid let out a cold chuckle. "We're getting divorced. What would be the point?"
Kieran replied, "Colleen has pushed the development of the ProVex Virus inhibitor forward and got accepted into KY International Medical Institute. I'm still under probation, so I'll be heading back to Evania for a while."
Astrid frowned slightly, a bit stunned. "ProVex virus inhibitor? Colleen took part in that?"
Why hadn't those old guys mentioned it to her?
Kieran's eyes lit up with pride as he talked. "Colleen is a genius in the medical world. When it comes to pharmaceuticals, she's top-notch. But the corporate world is full of scheming and backstabbing. She's too pure for that mess. Wouldn't work in Ellsworth Corp."
"But you-you're built for this stuff. You thrive in it. That's why Grandpa values you so much. He might not even agree to our divorce."
There was a clear trace of disdain in his tone toward the workplace dirty politics.
Enjoying the life that came with wealth and power, he still managed to look down on the very kind of people who helped build it.
Astrid stared at him, fully mocking now.
Hilarious. She used to think he was someone she could count on.
Kieran didn't notice the change in her expression. He kept going, "As long as you stay at Ellsworth Corp, Grandpa won't make things hard for us. If you stay, I'll give you 1% in company shares-you'll get a few million in dividends every month."
Astrid let out a short laugh. "1%? And you think I care? You want me to step aside, give you two space, and stick around to clean up after you-help you grow the company and keep the money rolling in? Wow. Must be nice to live in that fantasy."
Kieran thought he was already being generous. Now she was just being ridiculous by trashing the company like that.
His face darkened. "What do you mean ‘clean up after'? Ellsworth Corp is doing just fine without you."
"Joining KY Medical is a major move. Colleen and I are contributing to society. You're living the high life-what more do you want?"
Astrid stood there, looking at the man who used to be her husband.
The same handsome face that once made her heart race now just looked like a total joke.