THE UPSTANDING DAVID MALCOLM

Chapter 2

The words were ice, sharp and cutting. Her expression matched her tone.

David sat back slightly, taking his time to let the weight of her declaration settle in. The silence stretched, heavy, as his eyes locked onto hers. Then, his voice broke through calm, but carrying a depth that silenced the air around them.

“By the company,” he asked slowly, “do you mean… you no longer need me?”

David’s words were as sharp and unyielding as Elizabeth’s, his face just as unreadable, a mask stripped of emotion.

“Yes, I no longer need you.”

Elizabeth’s reply landed without hesitation, cold and exact, as if she had been waiting to deliver it. The sound of it struck David’s chest like a hammer. For a brief moment, his heart twisted. He couldn’t believe Elizabeth could speak with such detachment, no pause, no falter, no sign of the love they once proclaimed to each other.

He wondered then had she ever truly loved him? Was it his soul she once cherished, or was it only his remarkable talent in business that drew her in? Looking at her now, it seemed clear. She had loved what he could build, what he could bring, not who he was. In her mind, she had likely convinced herself she had already taken what she needed: his brilliance, his vision, his drive. To her, he was no longer a partner, only a tool that had run its course.

At that moment David opened his mouth, a thought burning at his tongue, but Elizabeth moved first. From her sleek bag, she drew out a document its weight was heavier than the paper it was printed on. She placed it neatly before him, sliding a pen across the polished table with it.

A divorce document.

Immediately David’s brows lowered, his eyes narrowing as the weight of the paper met his sight. His expression was carved in stone, but inside, his chest tightened. Around them, the directors watched like hungry spectators. Faces lit with cruel delight. Their silence wasn’t respect it was restraint, as if they fought to hold back the smirks tugging at their lips.

‘Now the bastard will remember where he belongs.’

That thought shimmered in their eyes, though none dared to speak it aloud. They waited, ready for the moment when David would break. In their minds, he would fall to his knees, desperate, begging to be spared.

But the moment never came for them.

Elizabeth straightened, her presence commanding. She turned her gaze from David to the directors. “The meeting is over,” she said, her voice final. “You may leave.”

At once, chairs slid back. Every director rose. They bowed slightly toward her, acknowledging her authority, then filed out of the room without another word. Their footsteps faded, leaving only the silence of the vast room and the tension between husband and wife.

When the doors closed, Elizabeth leaned back, her voice shifting, softer but no warmer. “It’s no secret that you and I once had a thing for each other,” she said, her eyes lingering on him. “The whole board knows about it. And I must say, I must have hit my head on a rock all those times for having such a thing with you. But since it has been done, the feeling shouldn’t be discarded. Although I wasn’t in my right state of mind when we had the court marriage, I wouldn’t just discard the feeling.”

At that moment, Elizabeth reached into her bag once more. This time, she pulled out her chequebook, flipping it open with the grace of someone who had rehearsed this gesture. The pen moved quickly across the page, the strokes bold and deliberate. A slip of paper was torn free and slid across the table toward David.

“One million dollars,” she said coldly. “Here. Take this as compensation for our divorce. This will give you a new life, so you won’t have to suffer the way you did when you first started working in this company.”

The words landed like ash, tasteless and hollow. David stared at the check for a moment, then lifted his gaze to her face. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his tone firm but calm. “Are you sure about divorcing me?”

Elizabeth didn’t blink. “I’m sure,” she replied flatly. “You are no longer useful. You have to go for the company to move forward, and I must move forward as well. As CEO, my husband cannot be a commoner. I have to uphold the values of the company.”

David’s jaw tightened. He couldn’t believe the string of nonsense spilling so easily from her lips. His voice lowered, his words edged with hurt. “Is this really how you see us? Is this what our relationship means to you that you think of me as nothing more than a commoner?”

Elizabeth tilted her chin slightly, her tone almost dismissive. “I recognize you did a few things for the company,” she said, as if granting a reluctant favor. “That’s why I’m giving you a million dollars as a gift for the divorce. Otherwise, you would leave here with nothing. You should be on your knees thanking me already.”

The room was still, the silence almost unbearable. David’s hand moved slowly, not toward the check, but toward the divorce papers that still sat between them. Without hesitation, he picked up the pen. His name etched across the line, swift and final.

He didn’t look at her when he signed. His eyes stayed sharp, focused, as if the act itself had burned away the last illusion. At that moment, he saw Elizabeth clearly for who she was nothing but an ungrateful bitch. He should have known better. He should have remembered the family she came from, a family of gold diggers who measured everything in wealth and status. He had thought Elizabeth was different, that perhaps she was better. But now, it was clear. She was the worst of them all.

Seeing David signing the divorce papers Elizabeth’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes glinting with satisfaction. “Very good.”