One week passed like a blur. Ryan stirred awake while stretching out with a groan. His fingers blindly searched for his phone on the nightstand, and when he finally grabbed it, the screen lit up.A notification blinked at the top of is phone. It was a notification from his calendar.His face twisted in anger and his hands tightened around the phone when he read the notification, “Elizabeth McCarthy’s Birthday Party – 6:00 PM Today at APEX HALLS.”Ryan had marked this day and even the event hall in his calendar when Eizabeth’s birthday was still 3 months ahead. He had loved her so much that he wanted to even surprise her with the little money he had raised from his delivery job back then, even though he knew she wouldn’t appreciate it.But even before the birthday came, she divorced him and betrayed him more times than he could count. He wasn’t pained she divorced him, he was pained for all the efforts he had ever tried to put into the marriage, taking all the humiliation with the beli

"Nine minutes more, Elizabeth," Ryan said flatly, his voice was calm but it still sounded like a command which irritated and provoked Elizabeth. "You’ve wasted 6 minutes from your time already."“It is obvious that Lena here stands bigger than you, and you try to drag with us on this ground, if at all you are sensible,’ Ryan said and then Elizabeth frowned deeply.“What the hell makes you think you are bigger than me, Ryan?” she said with an icy gaze.Elizabeth raised her eye brow, her lips curling in a smirk. "Bigger than me?" she laughed, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "Oh please, Ryan. Because you won that little golden trophy at the Stallion Night VIP Party? You do realize nobody takes that seriously, right?"“Nobody takes it seriously, huh?” Ryan scoffed, as he suppressed a laugh. “But your shameless parents were about to cause a scene in the Stallion Night VIP party just because of the golden seat.”“How dare you?!” Mrs. McCarthy yelled at Ryan from behind Elizabeth.” But

“Now is the best time to prove it, you can’t just let watch the humiliation we would go through by leaving the entire Apex Halls for Lena…”Elizabeth was fuming from anger and disappointment, she had no idea what she could do. She knew very well her father and mother wouldn’t give that much up for just a birthday hall. And she was so desperate to not be humiliated in front of her Ex Husband, Ryan.Julian was quiet, he didn’t have anything to say, he still though that the amount was too outrageous and Elizabeth kept forcing him.“Are you even aware that our wedding is coming up soon? Do you know we are supposed to be saving up for that? What would this same Ryan say if we can’t afford a big wedding? He would still look down on you,” he said and Elizabeth scoffed and rubbed her forehead.“Is this how you are going to let my ex-husband win over us again? Is this how you want to humiliate me in front of him, to make him know even you cannot chest the bills?” Elizabeth said in anger and th

Mrs. McCarthy attempted to regain her composure, her voice became tight from the tension rising in her chest. “And what business of yours is that, Ryan?” she asked, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.They were both so nervous that they couldn’t really look at Ryan’s eyes, and their eyes darted up and down, but they avoided his gaze and something told them that they had been caught. They didn’t quite expect him to be aware of their recent engagements.“What business do you want with what we have been up to lately? Are you our manager or something, or do you still consider yourself part of our family? Don’t fool yourself, you can never be part of this family,” she said to Ryan and he huffed.Ryan didn’t even glance her way as he responded, his tone sounded so sure already that they knew he was knew what he was talking about. “Let me guess… You went there trying to buy something.” He paused deliberately, letting the silence in before continuing, “Or should I say—someone? M

Entering the office, the lawyer took a seat.Across from him sat the McCarthy family, Mr. McCarthy in the center, his expression looked very professional, Mrs. McCarthy to his right, looking composed, and Elizabeth to his left, her legs crossed.After a long, weighted silence, Mr. McCarthy finally turned toward the door and called out, “Sasha!”The door clicked open almost immediately, and Sasha his secretary, stepped in briskly with a notepad and pen in her hand.“Yes, sir?” she said, ready for instructions.Mr. McCarthy gestured toward the lawyer. “Please get our guest here a cup of coffee. Also get ready because they are other lawyers and other investors on their way here as well, this is just one if them.”“Get him something, perhaps something light from the kitchen. He’ll be waiting a while for the gentleman he’s representing.”The lawyer lifted a hand slightly, offering a calm smile. “That’s very kind of you, but there’s really no need. I’m perfectly fine.”Mrs. McCarthy waved d