Melissa woke up earlier than before and went downstairs. The house was still dark, and not even the elderly housekeeper was awake. She immediately brought out ingredients for breakfast. Not just any breakfast, the sort of breakfast she believed would soften the heart of her mother that had, overnight and out of the blue, turned to stone against her.Melissa didn't even want to think of what would happen if these gestures didn't work. She didn't want to think of how sharing a one bedroom with Peter would look like. She didn't want to think of the possibility of her calling Caleb and begging.So she cooked. She cooked more than she had ever cooked throughout her entire life and gently plated it all on a tray. The same tray that she had made Caleb buy for her, and when Madam Gabriella tried to use it after, she had told her it was too expensive for her stupid scones.Melissa grabbed the edge of the kitchen island and took in a deep breath to stable herself. Humility has never been her st

Peter carefully arranged the last of the parcels, then labelled them. He leaned back, watching with satisfaction. He was expecting at least fifty million from this cargo alone. And if he got his hands on that money, he would finally... finally be able to get back at the bastard who made sure he would go to prison years ago.His phone suddenly rang, and he turned, grabbing it from the low table. It was Melissa. Good fucking timing. He was absolutely going to call her, before the whole nonsense about living with him materialised. "I was going to call you," Peter admitted, waving away the young boys who had been helping with overseeing the packaging. "How is it going?"Melissa sighed. "The investor is running late. One hour and counting. This is what happens when some bastard gives you his money."Peter chuckled. "Well, what about this? I will come over right now before the investor comes, and we can go to the...""No," Melissa said immediately, shaking her head. "You wait till after th

Melissa stood up as the door opened, her heart hammering in her chest. All her preparations has led to this, meeting the very man shot had helped her company back then when she already believed she would never be able to open a company or be a CEO of a successful one, and the man who was now ready to abandon her kn the middle of nowhere and leave her in significant debt.The door opened, and the lawyers walked in, followed by Ian. Melissa's lips parted the minute he came in, her chest having. "You?" She said, her eyes wide. "You are the same man who..."Her voice trailed off unceremoniously as the door opened, and Coulter stepped in. He looked devastatingly beautiful, his eyes thin and extremely cold as they landed on him.For a long moment, no one said a word. Melissa's eyes held Coulter's, and it was like seeing someone lose blood in real life. Her face turned sheet white, and the hand she had been pointing to Ian wirh went down."Cou.... Coulter?"Coulter gave a small shrug, then

Melissa slowly fell to the floor, her chest heaving hard with unshed tears. Coulter. Martinez Corporation. Never in a million years would she have thought that her ex-husband Coulter would be the backbone of the company she had been so proud of.The same company that she had grown so proud of having that she had pushed him away, belittled him, cheated on his, divorced him, and humiliated him countless times.She brought her hand to clasp over her mouth as she struggled to breathe through tears.Martinez is gone. So is Caleb. So is Coulter. She reached for her phone to call the last person she could think of when Anna slowly slipped an envelope on the table. Seeing how meticulously sealed it was, she had already planned it before now."My resignation letter, ma'am," Anna said, her voice steady and she held Melissa's gaze. "I wish I could say it was nice working for you, but I hate lying. I will watch out for the official bankruptcy news. Goodbye."Melissa let out a shuddered breath as

Coulter reclined on his office seat, a pen clenched between his index and middle fingers, his eyes thin as he watched the news. The sun was already setting, and it had been hours since he left the Martinez building, right after taking the last of Melissa's hope away from her. Martinez Corporation has officially filed for bankruptcy. He watched as the penthouse was hounded by reporters, as Madam Gabriella emerged holding a teary Melissa."We will not be deterred by this. It is an unfortunate development, but we will bounce back better. We have strategic investments, things that would bring us right back to the top. Our products are some of the best in the market..."The door opened, and Ian walked in, his eyes darting between Coulter and the news. "That was fast," Ian said, folding his hands as he focused on the news. "Never in my life did I think I would see proud, selfish Melissa humbled like this. It is refreshing, to say the least."Coulter turned off the television and turned aw