"He's got no interest in you. Even if he does, he won't marry you either. No one in Capeton would dare marry a woman I divorced," Lucian said.Calista was livid. She turned and glared at him. "If you think this excuse would ruin your reputation, you can come up with something else! Something like your wife is disgusted every time she sees you and cannot get turned on, so your married life is unfulfilled!""Calista Everhart …" Lucian looked murderous as he gritted out her name.Worried that he might lose control of his temper and do something rash, Calista softened. "Whatever it is, we have to get divorced eventually. No other married couples are like us."The thought of the past three years of marriage made her upset. All of her smiles were returned with coldness. All of her home-cooked meals ended up in the trash without a second glance. All these grievances overwhelmed her.Lucian looked at Calista. Her eyes were red, but she had a look of stubborn determination on her.He swal
Calista was unbothered by Lucian's threat.She only knew that she would never share the same car as him, even if she had to return to Everglade Manor right now.She went there by cab. The two of them arrived at the same time.Calista ignored him. She snorted and entered the manor first.Sally was elated upon her return. "Madam, you're finally back! Mr. Northwood was upset these days because you weren't around. I didn't dare to make a noise when I was cleaning the house."On top of Calista's approachable demeanor, Sally was personally hired by Calista. She was comfortable with Calista around as she began grumbling, "It is common for couples to have disagreements. Mr. Northwood cares for you—"Calista didn't want to hear any good words about Lucian, so she questioned, "Sally, does your husband eat whatever you order?"Sally couldn't understand why Calista asked that. Sally answered honestly, "Yeah. He's not a picky eater. He eats whatever I buy and make."Calista changed her sh
The next day, Calista received a call from Lucian's lawyer early in the morning. They agreed to meet up at a café. She contacted Harvey just in case the situation put her at a disadvantage.Judging from how Lucian readily agreed to the divorce, she assumed things wouldn't go smoothly.When Calista arrived at the destination, Lucian's lawyer was already there. She recognized the person. It was Timothy Howard, the general counsel of Northwood Corporation. The cases he took involved a huge sum of claims. She had never heard that he would accept family law cases like divorce. However, she soon realized that it was not a small lawsuit case. The asset distribution alone was worth billions."Mr. Howard, what do you mean by this?"Timothy demonstrated his professionalism by being deliberate in his choice of words. "The debt Mr. Northwood cleared in your stead is considered your personal debts before marriage. According to the law, he has the right to claim his money back after divo
Calista was at a loss for words. She got angry upon hearing that. She terminated the call right away. To begin with, he was never one to speak nicely.Still, three million was a huge amount of money. How was she supposed to gather that much money within a short period?Vexed, she went to Yara's antique shop. The staff recognized her. "Ms. Everhart, Ms. Quinn is on the second floor.""Thanks."She found her way to the second floor when Yara led a client to the stairs. Yara was surprised to see Calista. "Why are you here at this hour?"Calista flopped onto the couch lifelessly, recounting the whole story.Yara was utterly dumbfounded. "How could he stoop this low? Is Northwood Corporation going bankrupt? Why is he setting you up for money?"Calista couldn't comprehend the reason for him to do that.Not only was Northwood Corporation doing fine, but its future was also promising.Yara asked, "So what's your plan?""What else can I do? I have to return the money."It was clear
After verifying that the painting was authentic, Calista carefully placed it in a box. Next, she gave Lily a contract to sign her name."Back then, that best art student could sell a painting for 30 thousand. Yet, she's working as someone's assistant, running errands right now. I wonder what it feels like." Lily wasn't over with the mockery.This matter was supposed to be a blot on Calista's life forever.However, Lily didn't notice any hint of anger on Calista's face other than indifference.The latter didn't utter a word as she hugged the box and left.She made sure her back was straight until she hopped into a cab. Only then could she relax like a deflated balloon.The painting was seriously damaged, so it was considered a huge project. Due to the tight timeline, she didn't have time to waste.She headed straight home as soon as she grabbed the painting.Her house was a two-bedroom apartment. One of the rooms was used as her workshop.She spread a masking paper across the w
Lucian was mentioning Paul again."This is between us. Could you not drag an unrelated person into the matter?" Calista retorted.Lucian countered, "You're the one to talk. You didn't have that self-consciousness when you mentioned Lily."Calista smiled mockingly. "Is she unrelated to this?"Lucian kept silent. But his gaze was clearly saying, "You're throwing a tantrum over nothing.""If so, why is she using your credit card and even flexing it in public? She spends so much of your money in one go."Lucian's credit card didn't have an upper limit. She wondered if being a mere friend could benefit from such perks.His brows creased as he said, "Who told you that?" "Your sweetheart, of course."The way she addressed Lily deepened the crease between his eyebrows.He pinched her chin and watched her as though she was an object. "How could an idiot like you survive this long?""Lucian Northwood, you—"Before Calista could argue further, the waiters began serving the food. She
Calista was slow to react because she'd had alcohol. It was not until Paul called Lucian's name that she recognized the mocking voice.She didn't know why Lucian would come back so suddenly.But there was one thing she knew—she didn't want Paul to know what Lucian was going to say next.Calista rose from her seat in reflex and came up to Lucian. Due to her hasty steps and grogginess, she accidentally fell into his arms.He didn't move, allowing her to bump into him. He wore a cold expression on his face. Calista's legs were wobbly, so she had to grab his arms to balance herself. She was a little regretful about drinking so much.She looked at him and said, "D-Don't say it." Grievance and cuteness unintentionally colored her tone.His jaw was tense. "Why? Are you afraid he will find out how you tried to drug him? You didn't want to ruin your innocent and perfect image in front of him, right?"Calista's brows furrowed, expressing displeasure. Yet, he took the expression as an
Lucian pursed his lips. The veins on his forehead pulsated visibly. He called out to her sternly. "Calista!"Calista froze. Her heart trembled when she saw Lucian's terrifying gaze. "Are you serious? Why the anger? I'm only joking."He clenched his teeth and said, "You're asking for trouble."No one spoke for the rest of the journey. The atmosphere in the car became heavy and tense. Jonathan was so intimidated. He slowed down the vehicle and navigated the road more cautiously.Calista leaned against the car window again. She stared blankly at the scenery at night.The car finally stopped at Everglade Manor. Calista looked at the familiar villa in an off-white color before her. She lethargically pushed open the car door. She had lived alongside Lucian within these walls for three years after marriage. It was also the very prison that had held her captive for three long years. She had hoped to be a loving couple with him in the past. But her heart was cold now. She only want