Chapter 5

A romantic dinner of steak and red wine, under a romantic atmosphere, Brody and I sat upright discussing something important.

The documents he laid out detailed the profits from his years of entrepreneurship and family trust dividends.

The steak was halfway done when a lawyer hurriedly delivered them.

Now, all these things were laid out in front of me, and Brody looked even more nervous than he had during the wedding.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "This is my entire net worth at the moment. Of course, how the Ward family's assets are managed in the future is a matter for later."

I blinked, not quite understanding his meaning.

He sighed and pushed all the documents closer to me. "Sign them, Clara, and from now on, this will be our joint property."

The word "our" rolled off his tongue so smoothly that it sent a slight tremor through my heart.

He was serious.

I looked at him with some hesitation, stammering to explain that I hadn't officially broken up with Kody yet.

Brody was silent for a moment. "Then... when will we get our marriage certificate?"

I was stunned, caught off-guard by the hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Next week?" I blurted out almost instinctively, my mind racing with all the things that needed to be sorted out, even if next week seemed rushed.

Brody's smile deepened, and he slowly pushed his phone closer. "Alright, but this way, there won't be much time left for you, my dear wife."

Even though it was a casual term of endearment, I blushed instantly.

Previously, when things were intense with Kody, he would also call me "dear". Yet none made my heart flutter like Brody's did.

I knew Brody liked me.

Ever since he used to bring me little trinkets to please me as a kid, I knew.

But we never spoke about it openly.

Later, under Kody's intense pursuit, I fell in love with him.

Brody never overstepped again.

He gently persuaded me with a teasing tone into signing those documents, jokingly saying, "We were childhood sweethearts and fell in love after marriage. Clara, I can wait."

But I couldn't sleep a wink that night.

When I woke up, he had already rushed to the office, leaving a note. "I put aside business commitments to be at the wedding. They're still waiting... Breakfast is on the table."

I covered my face, unable to regain my senses for quite a while.

When I hurried to the company, the elevator doors opened, and there stood Kody and Tonya.

Tonya's hand was linked through his arm, smiling up at him.

Kody returned her smile with a face full of gentleness.

He was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, clearly not having gone home, and completely unaware that I had already moved out.

"Clara, what a coincidence." Tonya smiled, her hand still hooked through his arm.

Kody glanced at me, and for once, there was a hint of tenderness in his eyes. "Tonya wanted to visit the company, so I agreed to let her be my assistant. Clara, since you need to focus on preparing for next week's wedding, you might as well hand over your work to Tonya for now."

I said nothing, remaining unfazed.

He didn't know I was there to resign.