I Found A New Wife On The Day Of My Divorce

Chapter 9: The Regret Begins

"My mother is the one who made me do it, Xavier! You have to believe me!" 

Sarah’s voice cracked as she lunged toward the edge of the stage, her fingers clawing at the mahogany wood. The sheer desperation in her eyes was a stark contrast to the cold, arrogant woman who had tossed a stack of divorce papers at my face only forty-eight hours ago. She looked like a ghost haunting her own life, her expensive silk dress torn at the hem from her struggle with the guards.

"The Miller family is under a lot of pressure, and I was just trying to protect our future!" she sobbed, her mascara running in dark streaks down her pale cheeks. "I never stopped loving you. I was just... I was confused! Please, tell them to stop the acquisition. Tell them we’re still together!"

I stood at the podium, looking down at her as if she were a smudge of dirt on an otherwise pristine floor. I didn't feel the surge of anger I expected. I didn't feel the urge to shout. All I felt was a profound, chilling indifference. 

"My heart isn't a revolving door, Sarah," I said, my voice amplified by the room’s surround-sound system. "You didn't protect our future; you sold it for a shiny suit and a man who couldn't even pay his own valet fees tonight. You traded a diamond for a piece of shattered glass, and now you’re upset that you’re bleeding."

"Xavier, honey, look at me!" she wailed, ignoring the gasps of the city’s elite. "We can fix this! I’ll fire the lawyers. I’ll tear up the papers. We can go back to how it was!"

"The person you’re talking to died the moment you called me a 'worthless delivery boy' in front of your lover," I replied. I turned away from her, reaching out to take Seraphina’s hand. The warmth of her grip was the only thing that felt real in this room full of sharks. "Allow me to introduce the woman who actually understands the value of a partner. This is Seraphina Vance—my wife. And as of tonight, she is the only woman who will ever share the Knight name."

Sarah froze. The word “wife" seemed to hit her with the force of a physical blow. She looked at our joined hands, then at the glowing diamond on Seraphina’s finger—a stone that made her own engagement ring look like a prize from a vending machine. 

"You... you married her?" Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible. "In one day? You replaced me in one day?"

"I didn't replace you, Sarah," I said, leaning into the microphone for one final, crushing blow. "I upgraded. You were a liability. She is an asset. They say regret is a slow poison, but for you, I hope it’s instantaneous."

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the back of the hall. Bradley, fueled by a mixture of jealousy and too much champagne, broke free from the guard's grip and charged toward the stage. 

"You think you’re a big man now, Knight?" Bradley roared, his tie hanging loose around his neck. "You’re still a fraud! I don’t care what these people call you. You’re a loser who got lucky! I’ll sue you for everything you have! I’ll—"

"They are quite loud for people who have no standing in this building," a deep, booming voice interrupted. 

A tall man in a charcoal suit—the CEO of Thorne Logistics and Bradley’s own father—marched onto the floor. He didn't look at his son with pride; he looked at him with pure, unadulterated rage. 

"Father! Tell him!" Bradley smirked, pointing a shaking finger at me. "Tell this delivery boy he can’t push us around!"

“Slap.”

The sound of the elder Thorne’s hand hitting Bradley’s face echoed through the silent ballroom. Bradley stumbled back, clutching his cheek, his eyes wide with shock.

"My business is ruined because of your arrogance!" Mr. Thorne screamed. "I just received word that Knight International cancelled all our shipping contracts. We are bankrupt by morning! And you... you had the audacity to insult the man who owns the very ground we are standing on?"

"Father, what are you saying?" Bradley stammered.

"I’m saying you’re fired!" Mr. Thorne turned to me and bowed so low his forehead nearly touched his knees. "Chairman Knight, please... My son is a fool. Don't punish the entire company for his idiocy. I’ll disown him! I’ll kick him out tonight!"

I looked at the broken man on the floor and the weeping woman on the stage. My phone vibrated in my pocket—the private investigator I’d hired had just sent a file labeled 'The Miller Family Secret.' 

"It’s too late for apologies," I said, looking at the notification on my screen. I felt a dark, cold thrill run through my veins. "And Bradley? Your father is right about one thing. You are fired. But Sarah... you might want to check your father’s office. I think you’ll find that the 'divorce' was the least of your family’s crimes. Guards, clear the room. I have a merger to celebrate."

As Sarah was dragged away, her screams of "Xavier, I’m sorry!" fading into the distance, I opened the file. My eyes widened. The Millers hadn't just been greedy; they had been stealing from my late father’s estate for a decade. The revenge wasn't over. It was just getting started.