I Found A New Wife On The Day Of My Divorce

Chapter 5: The "New Wife" Proposal

"I don't sign anything without a clear return on investment, Seraphina."

I slapped the leather-bound folder onto the mahogany table between us. We were in the private back room of the city’s most exclusive club, the kind of place Sarah used to dream of entering just to take a photo for her social media. To me, it was just another boardroom.

Seraphina didn’t flinch. She leaned back, her sharp eyes tracing the line of my jaw with a predatory curiosity. "My uncles are vultures, Xavier. They think because my father is ill, they can carve up the Vance Group and marry me off to some puppet who will let them run the show. I need a husband who is untouchable. Someone who makes them tremble just by walking into the room."

"And you think I’m that man?" I asked, my voice cold. I took a sip of my scotch, the amber liquid burning with a familiar intensity.

"I know you are," she replied, her voice dropping to a seductive whisper. "I saw how you handled that dealership. You didn't just buy cars; you bought power. You’re Xavier Knight. You don't play the game; you own the board. If we marry, my inheritance is secured, and your 'Chairman' status becomes the most terrifying secret in this city."

I watched her. She wasn't begging. She was negotiating. It was a breath of fresh air after years of Sarah’s shallow demands for jewelry and status. Seraphina wanted an empire, and she was smart enough to know she needed a King to stand beside her.

"My terms are simple," I said, leaning forward until our faces were inches apart. "I don't do 'fake.' If I put a ring on your finger, the world believes you are mine. No one touches you. No one disrespects you. And in return, you help me burn the Miller Group to the ground. I want Sarah to watch from the gutters as I build a new life with a woman who is ten times the queen she could ever hope to be."

Seraphina’s smile was dangerous. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the back of my hand. The contact was electric, a sharp contrast to the cold indifference I had felt for Sarah for the last year. "The Millers are already dead, Xavier. They just haven't stopped breathing yet. I’ve already authorized my legal team to freeze their credit lines as a gesture of goodwill."

I pulled a fountain pen from my inner pocket—the one Sarah told me was a 'cheap knockoff'—and signed the contract with a flourish. My name, "Xavier Knight”, looked like a death warrant on the page.

"It's done," I said, standing up. 

"Not quite," Seraphina said, her eyes gleaming with a sudden, sharp intent. She stood up too, smoothing out her white suit. "The ink on this contract isn't enough. We need to make a statement. One that will shatter Sarah’s little world and send a shockwave through the corporate council."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

She stepped closer, the scent of her expensive perfume filling my senses. It was the smell of success and power. "The City Gala is tonight. Every billionaire, every socialite, and every vulture in this city will be there. Including your ex-wife and her little lapdog, Bradley."

I felt a dark surge of satisfaction. The "face-slapping" was about to begin. 

"One condition, Xavier," she whispered, her hand moving up to adjust my silk tie, her touch lingering on my chest. "We don't go as business partners. We go as the most powerful couple in the room. I want them to see you and realize that while they were laughing at the 'delivery boy,' you were actually the man holding their lives in your hands."

I grabbed her wrist, my grip firm but not painful. I looked into her eyes and saw the future—a future where Sarah was nothing but a bad memory. 

"I have a better idea," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "I won't just walk in with you. I'll walk in and buy the entire venue while Sarah is being kicked out for having a declined credit card. Let's give them a show they'll never forget."

My phone buzzed. A message from Sarah: "I'm at the Gala entrance right now. Bradley got us VIP passes! Too bad you're probably at home eating instant noodles. This is what real life looks like, Xavier.”

I didn't reply. I just looked at Seraphina and nodded. The trap was set. Sarah thought she had reached the top, but she had no idea she was standing on a trapdoor, and I was the one with the lever.