I Found A New Wife On The Day Of My Divorce

Chapter 8: The Price of Disrespect 000

My thumb hovered over the "Execute" button on my tablet as the heavy oak doors of the VIP ballroom swung open. I didn't care about the music or the scent of expensive lilies filling the room. My focus was entirely on the digital readout of the Miller Group’s stock price. It was bleeding red, and I was about to deliver the final blow.

"Xavier, stop this madness right now!" Sarah’s voice screeched from behind me. She had somehow bypassed the secondary security line, her hair disheveled and her eyes manic. "I don't know how you tricked those guards or who you borrowed that suit from, but you are ruining my reputation! Tell everyone this is a joke before Bradley’s father sees you!"

I didn't turn around. I didn't even acknowledge her presence until the transaction went through. 

"My account has just finished the acquisition of fifty-one percent of your father's company, Sarah," I said, my voice echoing in the sudden silence of the hallway. I finally turned to face her, the cold blue light of the tablet reflecting in my eyes. "The Miller Group no longer exists. It is now a subsidiary of Knight International."

"You’re delusional!" Bradley shouted, stumbling up behind her, smelling of cheap gin and desperation. "I just spoke to my father. He’s putting in a bid to save them. You’re just a delivery boy playing dress-up. That tablet probably has a screensaver on it to make you look important."

I smiled, and it wasn't a kind expression. It was the look of a wolf who had finally cornered the sheep that had spent years mocking him. 

"My assistant, Marcus, is already in the boardroom," I said, stepping closer to Bradley until he had to crane his neck back to look at me. "Your father didn't put in a bid, Bradley. He sold his shares to me ten minutes ago to settle his own gambling debts. You aren't a 'primary investor' anymore. You’re unemployed."

Sarah grabbed my arm, her nails digging into the expensive silk of my sleeve. "Xavier, please. You’re scaring me. If you’re really this rich... if you really have all this power... why didn't you tell me? We could have been the most powerful couple in the city! I wouldn't have signed those divorce papers if I knew!"

"My silence was the only test you ever had to pass, Sarah," I said, peeling her hand off my arm as if it were a piece of filth. "You failed it every single day for three years. You didn't want a man; you wanted a walking bank account. And now that the bank is closed to you, you’re realizing the man you threw away was the only thing keeping your family from the streets."

"Xavier, wait—" 

"Don't use my name," I snapped, the authority in my voice causing the nearby guests to stop and stare. "To you, I am Chairman Knight. And to this city, you are nothing but a cautionary tale about what happens when greed blinds you to the value of a person's soul."

Seraphina appeared at my side, her hand sliding possessively into the crook of my elbow. She looked at Sarah with a mixture of pity and disgust. "Is this the woman who thought you weren't 'ambitious' enough, Xavier? She looks remarkably small now that she’s standing in your shadow."

"She is small," I agreed. "And she’s about to get smaller."

I signaled to the two massive security guards standing by the ballroom entrance. They moved with a synchronized, lethal grace, flanking Sarah and Bradley before they could utter another word.

"My orders are simple," I told the guards, making sure my voice carried to the surrounding elite. "Take them to the service entrance. Strip them of their VIP badges. And before you throw them out, make sure the photographers get a clear shot of the moment the Miller heiress becomes a common trespasser."

"You can't do this!" Sarah wailed as a guard gripped her elbow. "Xavier, I’m your wife!"

"My ex-wife," I corrected, checking my watch. "And as of thirty seconds ago, I am also your landlord. My legal team will be at your father’s estate by midnight to begin the eviction process. I believe the term you used when you kicked me out was... 'trash belongs in the bin'?"

The ballroom doors opened wide, and the gala’s host stepped onto the stage, his eyes searching the room until they landed on me. He tapped the microphone, the feedback whining through the speakers. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the host announced. "Please join me in welcoming our guest of honor. The man who just completed the largest corporate takeover in our city's history, and the man who will be leading the new Vance-Knight conglomerate... Chairman Xavier Knight!"

The room erupted into applause, the sound drowning out Sarah’s final, desperate screams as she was dragged toward the service stairs. I felt a surge of cold, hard satisfaction. The face-slapping was over. The reign of Xavier Knight had begun. But as I looked at the screen of my tablet, a new notification appeared—one that made my blood run cold. It was an anonymous message: 'You think you’ve won, Xavier? You’ve only inherited your father’s enemies. Check the Vance Group’s secret offshore accounts before you marry your new queen.'