System: From Trash Son-in-Law to Billionaire

Chapter 5

Ten o’clock in the morning. The Manhattan Civil Registry Office had been crowded for over an hour. In a corner of the exclusive VIP waiting lounge, Seraphina Monroe sat with her long legs crossed. From time to time, her slender fingers tapped lightly against the surface of her Hermès handbag while her eyes anxiously glanced at her diamond-studded Rolex watch.

Seraphina looked slightly worn out. The shadow of Ashford Global’s unilateral contract cancellation the previous night had completely ruined her sleep. However, after discussing it with Evan and her mother, Seraphina convinced herself that Daniel could not possibly be that ruthless or that capable. “There must have been a system error, or Daniel simply took advantage of a stock market opportunity by pure coincidence,” she reassured herself inwardly.

Beside her, Evan Vanguard leaned against a marble wall, casually spinning the keys to his Rolls-Royce with a sour expression.

“Damn it, that poor pig actually made us wait for an hour!” Evan cursed, metaphorically spitting on the floor. “Seraphina, you should’ve just sent your lawyer to handle this. Why are we wasting valuable time dealing with a homeless loser like him?”

Keith Monroe—Seraphina’s younger brother, who had accompanied her—stood not far away with his arms folded across his chest, his face flushed red.

“That’s right, Sera! That brat is deliberately dragging this out because he’s scared. The moment he walks out of these doors, he knows he won’t even have a roof over his head anymore!”

Just as Keith finished speaking, the glass doors at the front of the VIP waiting lounge swung open.

Daniel Leonard walked in.

This morning, he was no longer wearing the luxurious suit from the previous night. Instead, he had returned to his old denim jacket and signature black cargo pants. Daniel had intentionally chosen this outfit to conceal his fangs before the asset hearings began next week. Yet despite his worn clothing, his posture remained perfectly straight, and every step radiated absolute calm.

“Daniel! Do you even own a watch?!” Keith immediately lunged forward, blocking Daniel’s path with eyes that looked as if they wanted to devour him alive. “One hour! You made a CEO and the heir of Vanguard Group wait for an entire hour! You ungrateful piece of trash!”

Evan stepped forward and patted Keith on the shoulder while throwing Daniel a deeply mocking smirk.

“Relax, Keith. People like him probably don’t even understand the concept of time. Maybe he walked all the way here from Brooklyn because he couldn’t afford the taxi fare.”

Daniel did not even spare Keith or Evan a glance.

He walked right past them as if the two men in expensive suits were nothing more than utility poles standing on the side of the road. His icy gaze went straight to Seraphina, who had already risen to her feet.

“Where are the final documents?” Daniel asked, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

“The nerve of you, Daniel! How dare you ignore us!” Evan barked, his face twitching with fury as he felt his pride being trampled by Daniel’s indifference.

Seraphina stared at Daniel, searching for even the slightest trace of regret or fear on her ex-husband’s face.

But all she found was emptiness.

The ego of a distinguished woman once again rose to suppress the anxiety she had felt the night before.

“Daniel, your lack of manners and your inability to be on time only prove one thing,” Seraphina said in a cold, superior tone. “Divorcing you was the best and most correct decision I have ever made in my life. Sign this, and then get out of my life.”

A civil registry officer placed the final divorce documents and their old marriage certificate on the table.

Daniel stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.

He picked up the pen and, with a firm stroke, signed his name.

Screech!

The officer stamped the document forcefully before handing one official white Divorce Certificate to Daniel and another to Seraphina.

Thunk!

“Your marriage has officially ended in the eyes of the law,” the officer announced.

Daniel neatly folded his Divorce Certificate and slipped it into the pocket of his worn denim jacket.

“It’s done,” he said shortly, preparing to turn around and leave.

Watching Daniel let her go so easily without a single farewell or tear, Seraphina suddenly felt an unfamiliar sense of discomfort.

Her pride felt insulted because Daniel had not begged for assets or additional compensation.

“Daniel, stop.”

Seraphina called out to him, her voice trembling with forced arrogance.

“I know you’re pretending to be strong and calm in front of us just to preserve whatever remains of your shattered dignity. But let’s be honest with reality.”

Daniel stopped right at the threshold of the glass doors, but he did not turn around.

Seraphina took several steps closer, staring at his straight back with a look of contempt.

“Once you walk out of those doors, you’ll become a homeless drifter on the streets of Manhattan. You have no job, no home, and no future. If tonight you can’t even afford a piece of bread to survive, you can contact my secretary. I’ll give you a little charity... consider it a gesture of respect for Grandfather’s memory.”

Evan Vanguard laughed mockingly behind her.

“That’s right, Daniel! If you’re willing to kneel down and bark in front of my car in the parking lot later, I might give you a job cleaning the tires of my Rolls-Royce! Hahaha!”

Hearing the curses and humiliations pouring from his ex-wife’s mouth, Daniel slowly turned around.

He was not angry.

He did not curse back.

Daniel merely looked at Seraphina and Evan in turn, and then a faint smile—a smile that was incredibly cold, full of mystery, and laden with deep mockery—appeared at the corner of his handsome lips.

His eyes looked as though he were watching a group of foolish circus clowns dancing above an abyss of destruction.

Without saying a single word in response, Daniel turned around and strode through the glass doors, allowing his figure to disappear into the bustling corridor of the civil registry office.

“Damn it! That bastard is unbelievably arrogant!”

Evan Vanguard slammed his fist onto a waiting-room table, causing the flower vase on top of it to tremble.

His face flushed crimson, and the veins on his neck bulged with rage.

“He’s nothing but a piece of street trash, yet he dares smile at us like that! He really doesn’t know his place!”

Seraphina remained frozen where she stood, her fingers gripping the Divorce Certificate suddenly feeling cold.

Daniel’s smile had not looked like the smile of a frustrated loser.

It had been the smile of a victor preparing to watch the downfall of the Monroe family.

“Forget it, Evan, Sera,” Keith said, trying to calm the situation despite his own irritation. “Let that homeless bum smile today. Let’s get back to the office. We still have to deal with the mess caused by Ashford Global’s new major shareholder last night.”

Seraphina took a deep breath, trying to push the image of Daniel’s cold smile out of her mind.

“You’re right. Let’s go. Daniel Leonard has officially become a poor chapter of history in my life.”

The three of them walked out of the building with what remained of their arrogance, completely unaware that outside, the invisible noose of Daniel’s financial power had already tightened around the neck of their business empire, ready to be pulled at any moment until they all suffocated.