All Chapters of After The Divorce, I Suddenly Inherited $100 trillion : Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
13 chapters
Wedding anniversary
Bruce stood outside the penthouse suite, carrying a stack of pizza boxes in his arms. He checked his wristwatch for the third time and clicked his tongue, tapping his foot impatiently against the carpet. This was his last delivery for the night. After this, he was going home to prepare dinner. It was his wedding anniversary, and he had planned the perfect date night with his beloved wife, Caro. Caro wouldn't be back from work until 11 o'clock. He only had two hours to prepare for her arrival. "Come on," he muttered, ringing the doorbell for the fourth time. "I don't have all day." The door finally swung open. A tall, broad-shouldered man with a handsome face that looked like it was carved by a Renaissance sculptor stood before him. Bruce cleared his throat. "Your order, Sir. Mr. Willis, right?" Willis looked him up and down with open disdain. A white towel was wrapped around his hips, sweat beads clinging to his chest. "You fool," Willis snapped. "What took you so long?
Bruce's unstable marriage
Caro returned home at the stroke of midnight. She unlocked the door and stepped into the living room, taking off her high heels. The house was silent and drowned in darkness. Thinking her husband had already gone to bed, she reached for the switch, turning it on. Lights flooded the room. Bruce was sitting on the couch, his elbows rested on his knees, hands clasped together and head bowed. Caro was stunned to find him still awake. "I thought you'd be asleep by now, Bruce," she said. "Why are you still up by this hour? I told you not to wait." Bruce slowly lifted his head but he couldn't meet her eyes. Not yet. "We need to talk," he said quietly. "Caro." Her lips pressed into a thin line. Annoyance flashed across her face. "There's nothing to talk about," she replied, tossing her heels aside. "I've had an exhausting day. I need rest." "You broke your promise to me," Bruce said. "You said you wouldn't see other men. But you lied to me." Caro stopped moving.
Willis Stone
Bruce gritted his teeth bitterly. Those words hit him like a blow to the chest. His mouth felt dry, his heart slamming violently against his ribs. The word: Divorce, filled him with dread. Caro was daring him to leave her. Divorce was his only logical choice. It'd be too easy. But Bruce was married to Caro on a watertight contract. If he divorced Caro, he would be ruined completely without mercy. Caro waited for a response but his hesitation only irritated her more. "Just as I thought," She sneered, grabbing her purse and marching for the stairs. "You're a spineless piece of shit who can't survive without my family's protection." Her footsteps echoed as she disappeared upstairs. Bruce remained where he was. His chest burned and his eyes stung. His hands shook as he stared at the floor. For the first time in his life, he felt truly alone. * * * * The following day, Willis invested $8 million into Griffin Enterprise—just as he promised. The Griffin family were ecstatic.
Caro's Sudden Engagement
Bruce remained quiet. His father-in-law's ranting had drawn the attention of everyone at the party. A loud murmur spread through the room. "What the hell is wrong with that fool, Bruce?" "He just refused to serve the man that saved his in-laws from bankruptcy." "What an ungrateful bastard. Has he forgotten who feeds him?" "Marcus is a better man than me. I would've kicked him out years ago." These insults and snide remarks came from every direction. But Bruce breathed through it. He picked up his spectacles and wore them back. But then, Caro stepped forward, her eyes full of disgust. "I cannot believe I allowed myself to be married to an ungrateful pig like you. We were in a financial situation and what did you do about it?" Before Bruce could respond, she fired back. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Your salary from your pizza delivery job can't even buy our doormat." Bruce felt little pieces of him breaking away. He tried to speak but the words died in his throat.
Divorced
The divorce proceedings took three days to process. On the final day, everything was set. Bruce sat quietly at the head of the long polished table, his hands folded loosely in front of him. Lawyers and clerks lined either side of the table, passing papers back and forth. Willis leaned back in his chair, relaxed, one ankle resting over his knee while Marcus and Caro sat opposite him. A thick folder was placed in front of him. Willis cleared his throat. "Before we begin, this is a contract termination agreement," he said, pushing the folder towards Bruce. "You'll receive a sum of $1 million upon signing." He paused, watching Bruce's expression with relish. He went on. "In exchange, you waive all future claims against Caro Griffin and the Griffin family. You get nothing beyond the buyout. No alimony. This works only with your full consent." One of the lawyers gently placed a pen in front of Bruce. But to everyone's surprise, he didn't reach for it. Instead, he stared
The Shepherd family
Bruce picked up his last belongings in his room. He didn't have a lot of possessions; only a few shirts and two worn out shoes that he had bought with his own pocket money. Nobody came to see him off. Not his ex-wife, not his in-laws. The Griffin family were too busy celebrating the divorce to bother with him. For all they care, he could drop dead. Outside, rain poured mercilessly from the sky, drenching the small Griffin estate. The rain didn't stop Bruce. He couldn't bear to remain there for another second. Opening his small umbrella, he stepped into the rain and began his slow walk from the Griffin estate. He didn't look back. The divorce was over. He had left immediately when that strange text message appeared on his phone. "Could it be true?" He asked himself. "Am I truly the heir to the Shepherd conglomerate?" The question echoed relentlessly in his mind. There had been two messages that day. The second text was a location where he would be picked up.
History of the Shepherd family
Oswald led Bruce down a large hallway, lit by beautiful chandelier lights. The walls were lined with hundreds of paintings; each framed in gold and dark wood. The faces in the paintings were of men and women dressed in Renaissance style clothes. Later generations were in tailored coats, then military uniforms and finally, modern clothing. Oswald stopped before the first painting. "This is where it all began," he said gently, "In the late sixteenth century, the shepherd family built its foundation rearing sheep." "At the time, sheep were considered wealth. The wool and meat brought endless profits. The Shepherd family saw an opportunity and traded their wool at a large scale." "They exported their wool across all of Europe down to the middle east. Gold flowed like a river into the Shepherd's pockets. It was the golden era." Oswald moved to the next painting. "As the centuries ran, the shepherd family shifted to banking. They funded merchants, insured voyages, and lent
The Newest Chairman of The Shepherd conglomerate
Bruce stared at the test result for a long time. He couldn't believe it. He was the sole heir to a legacy that spanned five centuries. He was so overwhelmed, and before he realized it, tears slipped down his cheeks. "You know," he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "All these years, I thought I was a nobody. I truly believed I was trash." "So I gathered," Oswald said, gently placing a handkerchief into his hand. "I'm deeply sorry you had to go through all that, Master Bruce. But it was necessary for the sake of your inheritance." "What I don't understand is why did you force a contract marriage between Caro and I?" Bruce demanded. "Do you have any idea of the damage it did to me?" Oswald straightened. "Caro's grandmother, owed me a debt. In order to settle her debt, she agreed to take you in and raise you as her own. The contract marriage between you and Caro was the final seal of that debt." He turned and began walking away from the gallery hall. Bruce followed
Fired
Minutes after Bruce gave the order, an emergency executive meeting was held at Shepherd Group. All board members were summoned. Willis Stone stepped inside the boardroom, looking brighter than his usual self. Ten executives were already seated around the glass table, exchanging idle chatter as they waited for the meeting to begin. Willis best friend, Kingsley, glanced up and chuckled. "You seem to be in a high spirit, Willis. What's got you in such a good mood?" Willis smirked, lowering his voice as he sat down beside him. "Remember that loser, Bruce, whose wife I was screwing around with? They just finalized their divorce today." Kingsley laughed. "Seriously? You are a homewrecker." Willis grinned. "You should've seen his face after signing the divorce papers. What a pathetic loser." "So what now?" Kingsley asked. "Are you seriously going to marry Caro Griffin?" "Of course I will," Willis said. "She's my type of woman. I've got big plans for her." "Well, it's a
Willis schemes exposed
Willis jaw dropped hard. "I'm fired?" he croaked, his throat tight. "That is correct," Oswald said, his expression unchanging. "Effective immediately. You have ten minutes to clear your desk. Security will arrive shortly to escort you out." Something in Willis snapped. His face flushed red, veins bulging at his temples. He had dedicated twenty years of his life clawing his way to the top—and it was ending like this? There's no way he was accepting defeat. "Wait a damn minute," he shouted, slamming his palms onto the table as he shot to his feet. His chair skidded backward with a harsh screech. "Y-You can't fire me. I'm the executive director of this company." Oswald met his fiery gaze without blinking. "You're right," he said coldly, "I can't fire you. But the new chairman can. And these are his orders. You'll be replaced immediately by someone far more qualified." Willis couldn't believe his eyes. He felt like the world had tilted. "No... no, " he shouted, his b