Chapter 5<\/p>\n
With his head lowered, Clayton had been reviewing documents when he heard the word \u201cdivorce\u201d. The tip of his pen faltered, leaving a dark blot of ink spreading across the paper.<\/p>\n
He slowly lifted his gaze to Sienna, as if checking whether he\u2019d imagined it. \u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready hard of hearing at such a young age?\u201d Sienna asked, her voice rising several notches as she enunciated each word clearly. \u201cLet\u2019s get a divorce. Sign this agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clayton leaned back in his chair casually, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips. \u201cPlaying hard to get with me now? Where\u2019d you learn that? Watched too many soap operas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to play mind games, you can play by yourself,\u201d Sienna retorted.<\/p>\n
She stepped forward, flipped to the last page of the divorce papers, and jabbed her finger at her own signature. \u201cIt just needs your signature now. Then we\u2019ll find a time to file it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clayton\u2019s gaze swept over her bold signature before settling on the amount listed under asset division.<\/p>\n
\u201c50 million dollars?\u201d He let out a low, mocking laugh. \u201cGrabbing everything you can? I\u2019ve never seen anyone this greedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, congratulations\u2014now you have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sienna slapped a second set of papers onto his desk. \u201cHere, a discount. 30 million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clayton stared at her coldly, not saying a word.<\/p>\n
She tossed out another one and asked tentatively, \u201c20 million dollars?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust how many copies did you prepare?\u201d Clayton asked, a dark edge creeping between his brows.<\/p>\n
Before the words had even fully landed, yet another agreement was chucked onto his desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen million dollars,\u201d Sienna said, her lips curving into a small smile. \u201cSurely you\u2019re not that stingy, right, Mr. Hale? If word got out that you refused to give your ex-wife even ten million dollars, it would really hurt your reputation. Once we\u2019re divorced, I can\u2019t guarantee what kind of stories I might tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfazed, Clayton asked, \u201cWhat about me is worth spreading stories about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, trust me, there\u2019s plenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
She thought it over seriously for a moment, then started counting on her fingers. \u201cYou have a bad temper, love throwing your weight around, have a permanently grumpy expression, as if everyone owes you, your words are sharp and cutting, you\u2019re emotionally unavailable, you lead women on all the time\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, and your skills in a certain department aren\u2019t great either.\u201d<\/p>\n
After summing it up like this, Sienna felt impressed with herself for enduring him for the past three years. She might as well have been a saint.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now we can add one more,\u201d she finished. \u201cYou\u2019re a tightwad.\u201d<\/p>\n
After hearing her opinion of him, Clayton couldn\u2019t take it anymore. He shot to his feet, his tall frame looming over her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWeren\u2019t you the one who forced Grandpa to make me marry you? Now you\u2019re the one regretting it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I regret it,\u201d Sienna admitted openly and frankly.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d been greedy back then. But this mistake would be corrected sooner or later, so there was no point in charging straight down a dead-end road. Now that she\u2019d hit a wall, it was time to turn around.<\/p>\n
She pulled out the final copy of the agreement from her bag, her expression calm. \u201cI\u2019ll leave empty-handed.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this marriage alliance of theirs, she\u2019d always been the one who\u2019d benefited more, so she didn\u2019t have the confidence to argue for an even split of the assets. The previous four copies had just been a gamble to see whether Clayton would be merciful enough to give her something.<\/p>\n
The result was obvious\u2014he really was a cheapskate.<\/p>\n
Clayton froze for a second, staring at the divorce agreement that demanded nothing. He then asked in a flat voice, \u201cAnd the reason for wanting a divorce?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of you. I\u2019d like a new model.\u201d<\/p>\n
No longer bothered, Sienna stopped holding back. \u201cI want someone with a good temper, no ego, gentle and kind, emotionally supportive, faithful, and skilled in a certain department. You? You\u2019re last year\u2019s news.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something she said clearly poked at his manly pride, because the next second, Clayton grabbed all five copies of the divorce agreements from his desk and hurled them at her. Paper scattered in a flurry, several sheets grazing her cheek, leaving a sharp sting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat right do you have to ask me for a divorce? Get out!\u201d<\/p>\n
His roar left Sienna\u2019s ears ringing. She\u2019d wanted to say more, but seeing the stormy look on his face, she wisely chose to leave.<\/p>\n
What if he decided to start hitting her?<\/p>\n
Sienna started for the door, still mumbling under her breath, \u201cWhy are his anger issues suddenly flaring up? Or did I hurt his pride by asking for a divorce?\u201d<\/p>\n
Either way, it couldn\u2019t possibly be because he was reluctant to part with her.<\/p>\n
Rowan sidled over, having heard the commotion. Carefully, he asked, \u201cMrs. Hale, what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked him for a divorce,\u201d Sienna replied, sliding her sunglasses back on and heading toward the elevator.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you feed him explosives for lunch or something? He\u2019s in such a bad temper, and he even yelled for me to get out\u2014so I very smoothly went right out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rowan blinked at her. He silently drew a cross over his chest, thinking that today was probably going to be a very difficult day.<\/p>\n
The elevator chimed open. Sienna strode out in her high heels, only to run straight into a familiar figure.<\/p>\n
Seven years had passed, and the once plainly dressed girl now wore an exquisitely tailored camel-colored cashmere dress, her long hair cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders.<\/p>\n
Her face was still innocent and lovely, but her eyes and brows now carried a touch more allure.<\/p>\n
The same receptionist who\u2019d been respectful to Sienna earlier was now eagerly showing Melody the way. \u201cMs. Foster, Mr. Hale is waiting for you upstairs. Please take the elevator this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind her sunglasses, Sienna\u2019s brow arched slightly. She walked straight past them without even sparing the woman a glance.<\/p>\n
\u201cSienna?\u201d Melody suddenly called out, her voice soft and gentle. \u201cIt really is you. I almost didn\u2019t recognize you with the sunglasses on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sienna stopped and glanced back at her coolly. \u201cI don\u2019t think we know each other well enough to exchange pleasantries. Or are you just an extreme extrovert, greeting everyone you see, Ms. Foster?\u201d<\/p>\n
But Melody acted like she hadn\u2019t understood the sarcasm at all and put on a show of concern. \u201cCan you just casually come here like this? Isn\u2019t it a little inappropriate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sienna took off her sunglasses and flashed a bright smile. \u201cWhat? The actual wife can\u2019t come, but the mistress can?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sensing trouble, the receptionist quickly slipped away.<\/p>\n
Melody\u2019s eyes reddened, her expression wounded. \u201cHow am I the mistress? I was clearly the one who was with Clay first back then. If it weren\u2019t because\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what?\u201d Sienna interrupted impatiently. \u201cAre you planning to keep telling that story until you\u2019re on your deathbed? Or are you going to have it engraved on your tombstone, too? Just because you weren\u2019t the mistress back then doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t be one now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melody bit her lip, suddenly stepping closer and lowering her voice. \u201cSienna Winger, the one who isn\u2019t loved is the real mistress.\u201d<\/p>\n
A glint of triumph flashed through her eyes. \u201cClay doesn\u2019t love you at all. Forced things never turn out sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s sweet or not, how is one supposed to know without giving it a try?\u201d Sienna asked, before pausing and deliberately dragging out her words. \u201cOh\u2026 And Clayton really isn\u2019t that sweet at all. I\u2019ve already decided to throw him away. If you want him, feel free to dig him out of the trash can.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned to leave, but Melody grabbed her hand and shoved two theater tickets into her palm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just signed with the Brightford Theater Company. There\u2019ll be a play, and you\u2019re specifically invited to come watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her red lips curved slightly as she added, \u201cClay will be there too. After all, it will be my debut here in Eldavia, and he cares a lot about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, without even caring whether Sienna would take the tickets or not, Melody turned and stepped into the elevator.<\/p>\n
Sienna looked down at the gold-embossed title on the tickets\u2014\u201dThe White Swan\u201d\u2014and let out a laugh. She casually crumpled them into a ball and, just before the elevator doors slid shut, lobbed them with perfect aim straight at Melody\u2019s head.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh!\u201d Melody cried out, clutching her forehead in shock, clearly not expecting it.<\/p>\n
Sienna brushed her hands off in disgust. \u201cPeople these days really have no manners. Going around throwing trash everywhere? No concern for the environment at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just before the elevator doors fully closed, she finally saw a tiny crack appear in Melody\u2019s perfectly composed mask.<\/p>\n
She got the divorce and bolted 5 Chapter 5 With his head lowered, Clayton had been reviewing documents when he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-she-got-the-divorce-and-bolted-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20079\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}