007 if I told you the divorce was just to appease Vivian

The simple words felt like a sharp dagger, twisting in Damian's chest, making his heart feel like it might give out.

Damn adulterer!

Damian couldn’t bring himself to pay attention to the rest of the auction items. His mind was stuck on the look Axel had thrown at him earlier.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Vivian nudged his arm.

“My painting, The Face of the Future, is up for auction now,” she said.

Damian pulled himself together with difficulty. “Alright.”

The girl in the painting bore such a striking resemblance to the two women present that whispers began to ripple through the room. Some people’s gazes shifted back and forth between Vivian and Amelia.

“My God, they really do look alike,” someone murmured. “And now this painting resembles both of them. If you ask me, there’s no way this isn’t hiding some sort of secret.”

“Look, the seller of this painting is Miss Vivian.”

“But I think the girl in the painting looks more like Axel’s companion.”

Vivian caught wind of the remarks, her expression darkening. She turned her head sharply and said coldly, “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m not as good-looking as Amelia?”

The socialite stammered, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. Mrs. Hansen, you’re very beautiful too.”

“Axel, if I decide to buy this painting, Damian won’t start bidding maliciously again like before, will he?”

Axel nodded and spoke briefly with a gentleman standing nearby. The gentleman nodded repeatedly and said, “Alright, no problem. Leave it to me.”

This time, Damian didn’t cause any trouble. After several rounds of bidding, the gentleman beside Axel successfully won the item for $20,000.

After the auction concluded, everyone went to collect their purchases. Axel exchanged a few words with the kind gentleman before leading me to the main hall.

Vivian approached me, holding a glass of red wine, a smug, taunting smile playing on her lips. “Amelia, how lovely to see you again. I thought after our little... unpleasant encounter last time, it’d be at least a month before we crossed paths. After all, our lives seem to be quite different.”

I smiled faintly. “They certainly are. You rely on men. I rely on myself.”

As the daughter of the Farley family, I have every right to be here.

But Vivian seemed visibly irritated by my words. “You really are... oh, astonishingly shameless. No wonder Damian doesn’t like you.”

Emily suddenly emerged from behind Vivian. “Amelia, you’re nothing but a con artist from an orphanage! Not only did you trick my brother, but now you’re trying to fool this gentleman too!”

Her gaze was fixed on Axel, as though she was ready to have his baby any moment now.

Axel leaned down and asked me, “Who is she? Why does she keep clinging to you?”

I smiled and quietly explained, “She’s Damian’s sister, Emily—a foolish and arrogant idiot.”

Across from me, Emily’s face turned bright red as she struggled to contain her anger. She forced a tone of false kindness, but a hint of malice still twisted her expression. “Sir, don’t let her fool you. She tricked my brother into marrying her, but she cheated on him multiple times. Now, even before the divorce is finalized, she’s already out here trying to deceive someone else. You’d better watch out.”

Slap! Slap!

Two crisp slaps echoed through the room. Emily clutched her cheeks, staring at me in disbelief.

I flicked my hand nonchalantly and sneered, “Emily, did you forget? You still owe me for that slap you gave my friend last time.”

“And also, whether I divorce your brother or not is none of your business. You seem to want to control every aspect of my life—what I do with him, even down to our bedroom. I honestly find it hard to believe the quality of family education in the Hansen family.”

Emily’s chest heaved with anger, her face twisted in fury. The audacity of that woman to suggest she and her brother had a secret affair was beyond belief! She reached out, claws extended, ready to scratch Amelia’s face.

Axel stepped in front of me, shielding me in his embrace.

Suddenly, Damian appeared, firmly gripping Emily’s arm.

“What are you doing, Emily? This isn’t befitting of a lady. Please apologize to Amelia immediately.”

“Damian, this woman has been cheating on your brother! Why would you still defend her?”

The words struck a nerve with Damian, and his expression darkened significantly. His tone was firm and unwavering. “This is between her and me. You don’t need to get involved. Apologize.”

Emily looked deeply hurt, her eyes welling up with tears. She was doing this for her brother—why wasn’t he understanding? Her tears threatened to spill over as they swirled in her eyes.

Vivian stepped in, gently placing a hand on Emily’s shoulder and whispering soothing words. “Darling, Amelia’s new ‘pet’ has her full trust now. No matter how much you say, he won’t believe you. It’s better to apologize and leave a good impression. We’ll find other opportunities later.”

Emily seemed comforted by Vivian’s kind words and, with a soft voice, whispered, “I’m sorry.” After saying that, she quickly turned and ran off, with Vivian following close behind.

Damian turned back to me, his expression stern once again. “Amelia, now that Emily’s matter is settled, I hope we can have a talk.”

Looking at Damian’s self-assured demeanor, I found it amusing. Smiling, I said, “What do you want to talk about?”

Damian sat down without hesitation and turned to Axel. “Sir, I’m speaking with my wife. Would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”

Axel glanced at me questioningly. I gave a small nod, and he said, “Alright. I’ll come find you after.”

Damian’s expression darkened as he saw Axel and me speaking. His face was filled with frost. “Amelia, do I need to remind you? You’re still Mrs. Hansen.”

The way he pronounced “Mrs. Hansen” was deliberate, each syllable harsh and biting.

I pulled a divorce agreement out of my bag. “Here, I’ve got it ready. I was planning to come to you tomorrow to sign it, but since you’re here now, why don’t we get it done? Let’s part ways peacefully—what do you say?”

“Peacefully? Then what about Axel?”

“That’s my private matter. I can assure you, I haven’t cheated. However, I did catch you and Vivian in bed together. I don’t think you have the right to question me.”

Damian suddenly shifted the topic. “Grandma misses you. She called me, asking why you haven’t been to the hospital these past few days.”

Without hesitation, I replied, “Sure. You sign the agreement now, and I’ll talk to Grandma tomorrow. I believe she’ll understand.”

Damian took a deep breath. “I’m saying, we don’t have to get a divorce.”

I rolled my eyes. “What are you saying? I distinctly heard you say that I’m a high-end toy—Vivian’s replacement. Are you changing your story now?”

Damian paused for a moment, struggling to find the right words. “I was just trying to calm Vivian…”

I interrupted coldly. “To calm her, so you had to hurt me?”

Damian sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how bad Emily’s attitude towards you was. I owe you an apology.”

“Just Emily?” I scoffed.

Damian looked confused. “Who else?”

I held up the divorce agreement. “Are you going to sign this or not?”