Love After Divorce: His Belated Affection

Click!

The door of the villa was suddenly opened.

Giselle Murphy, slumped on the sofa, turned to the door. Her husband, Lucian Clifford, was finally back.

Half an hour earlier, she had received a call from Lucian. He informed her that his sweetheart, Erin Brooks, needed another blood transfusion and asked her to prepare.

Both women shared the rare HR-negative blood type. Erin was certain that Lucian would once again request Giselle to be her donor.

Seeing that Giselle had dressed appropriately, Lucian expressed his approval, "Let's go."

Giselle glanced at her husband. He was dressed in a sleek black suit, his chiseled face as handsome as ever.

This was the man she had adored for three years, yet he regarded her as little more than a portable blood supply.

She, too, suffered from anemia and he was well aware that she couldn't afford another donation at the moment. But he didn't care.

Giselle's heart seemed bleeding, but she managed to maintain a steady voice. "Normally, blood donations are limited to once a month. Yet, you've been forcing me to donate more frequently. It's only been half a month since the last one. Do you understand the toll this is taking on my body? Lucian, do you wish for me to die?"

Lucian scoffed, his gaze filled with palpable disdain. "What now? Didn't you promise me that as long as we remained married, you'd donate your blood whenever I asked? Are you backing out now?"

Giselle's fists tightened, her slender fingers turning slightly pale.

This was the first time she had refused him, and it was met with his irritation. He was blind to the agony she endured with each blood donation!

She had hoped for at least a shred of sympathy from him, but what did she receive?

Seeing the unwillingness on Giselle's face, Lucian's patience wore thin. He snapped, "Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking. If it weren't for your blood's value to Erin, I would've divorced you a long time ago."

Each word he spoke felt like a sharp blade piercing Giselle's heart.

In his eyes, Giselle was nothing but a petty, jealous woman, reluctant to help someone on death's doorstep. But wasn't her life of equal value?

"If you're unwilling to go, there's no point in preserving this marriage."

These chilling words snapped Giselle back to reality. At last, the inevitable day had arrived. A bitter smile curled on her lips.

Indeed, there was no point. Why should she sacrifice her promising future to play the role of a submissive wife to a man who tormented her physically and emotionally?

She inhaled deeply, pulling out a document from a drawer.

There were two big words on the top.

Divorce agreement.

She had already signed her name on it.

Lucian's eyes widened in shock. Before he could utter a word, Giselle interjected nonchalantly, "As you wish, I renounce all marital assets. My health has been the price I've paid over these years. Lucian, I'm granting you your freedom. From this point forward, we owe nothing to each other."

An hour later, she exited the villa for the last time.

As she was gathering her belongings, Lucian looked on, offering her another chance. If she would only agree to another transfusion for Erin, he would act as if nothing had happened.

Giselle couldn't help sneering. Did he really believe she'd continue to selflessly sacrifice after he'd so heartlessly trampled on her?

After all, it became easier for her to let go of things she had previously considered indispensable after she had been hurt to such an extent.

The sudden buzz of her phone dragged Giselle back to reality. Seeing the caller ID, she hesitated before finally picking up.

"What's going on?"

The caller sighed, sounding helpless. "Miss Murphy, I understand it's not ideal to disturb you, but the situation has spiraled out of control. You have to show up in person."

Giselle puckered her lips and gazed towards the blue sky. Unconsciously, she lifted her hand to shield her brow and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.

"Are those elderly troublemakers causing a ruckus again?"

"Yes, indeed. They claim you've neglected the company matters for three whole years. If this continues, the Murphy Group will be completely overshadowed by the Clifford Group. Hmp! It's all nonsense. Even though you didn't show up at the company, you've been tirelessly handling difficult matters on its behalf all these years," Nellie Knight said furiously.

Giselle chuckled, "They do have a point. It's true that I haven't been as responsible as I should have been. As the CEO of the Murphy Group, I've been absent for quite a while. Besides, since I'm a woman, it's no wonder they're upset."

Nellie quickly fired back, "Miss Murphy, please don't underestimate yourself. It's merely an excuse! They're simply trying to get you out of the company!"

"Spread the word that I'll be heading to the company tomorrow. Summon all the shareholders to gather in the meeting room at nine o'clock sharp. And if those troublemakers refuse to show up, kindly inform them that I'll acquire their shares by then."

Nellie was thrilled. "Miss Murphy, are you truly planning to make a comeback?"

Taking ownership of other people's shares? If anyone else had made such a claim, Nellie would have scoffed immediately. Share transfers must adhere to the terms of the signed contracts. How could shares simply be taken away?

However, considering that it was Giselle who said that, she could definitely manage to do that!

Regardless of how much they despised Giselle, they lacked the courage to defy her.

Giselle sensed Nellie's excitement, even through the phone. She turned around and gazed at the grand estate of the Clifford family, her residence for the past three years. Marrying Lucian was perhaps the most regrettable decision she had ever made in her life.

From now on, her only focus would be her career!

Giselle took a deep breath, composed herself, and spoke in a calm tone. "Get me a car and send it to my former residence."

Nellie said excitedly, "Okay!"

Giselle didn't say anything more and then hung up the phone.

She then hailed a taxi and returned to the villa where she once lived. It had been regularly cleaned by hired workers, allowing Giselle to move in at any given moment. After a brief tidying up, she settled down on the sofa, surveying the living room. Despite its period of emptiness, she still found comfort in the warmth of this place.

Murphy Group, she was back!

The following day, an air of tension permeated throughout the Murphy Group, leaving no room to slack off. Everyone worked diligently early in the morning.

It was because of the notification they had received-Giselle's imminent return to the company on that very day!

To be precise, she would make a regular appearance at the company from now on.

Only during their visit to the bathroom did they dare to exchange gossip about the matter.

"Why is Miss Murphy making a sudden return to the company after being absent for so long?" As an employee stood by the wash basin, she grumbled while washing her hands.

"She's probably just here to pass the time. Oh well, she can do as she pleases. We're merely working for her, and we have no right to complain," remarked another employee with a touch of resignation.

"I heard she's extremely strict. It's making me quite nervous."

While drying her hands, the employee added mysteriously, "I've heard that Miss Murphy's absence from the company was due to a crucial task she had to do. It seems to be directly linked to the company's development."

"What? Is that so? In the past, when Miss Murphy was with us, our group held the top position in the country alongside the Clifford Group. However, since her departure, the Clifford Group has slowly surpassed us, snatching numerous projects away from our company!"

"Miss Murphy is quite enigmatic. None of us have actually seen her in person. All we know is that she is a woman. She's even more mysterious than Mr. Clifford from the Clifford Group!"

"I don't know. We can't understand the world of big shots. Let's just go back to work."

At that moment, they weren't the only ones who were nervous.

The shareholders too were experiencing a touch of panic. Early this morning, they had all gathered at the company in response to Giselle's directive for a general shareholders' meeting scheduled at nine o'clock.

Despite her absence from the company, her command held more weight and efficacy than that of an ancient king.

Inside the meeting room, all the shareholders had taken their seats.

As they waited in anticipation, the door to the meeting room opened suddenly, revealing a slender figure stepping inside. Everyone subconsciously turned their heads to look at it.

The one who entered the room was Giselle.

She was in a black tailored suit skirt, with her hair in a bun. Her beauty and allure made her the subject of countless men's fantasies.

Yet, her captivating face bore no expression, her usually warm eyes shrouded in frost.

Her high heels clicked against the floor, echoing through the room. Like a menacing demon from the depths of hell, she exuded an overwhelming aura of dominance. The shareholders felt the weight of her presence, finding it hard to catch their breath, rendering them speechless. As her piercing gaze swept across them, they instinctively averted their eyes, bowing their heads in submission.

Following closely behind Giselle was a tall, stylish woman clad in a suit dress, carrying a stack of documents in her hands.

She was Nellie, Giselle's secretary, who was competent, dutiful, and had a clear understanding of her place in the hierarchy, never desiring what wasn't hers.

A series of sharp clicks rang out across the room.

Step by step, Giselle advanced to the head of the table and settled down. She cast a sharp look around the room before breaking into a thin smile. "I've heard rumors about someone attempting to take my spot."

Sweat began to break out on the faces of those shareholders who had been arrogant before. One of them, nervously wiping his brow, managed a forced smile. "That's preposterous! We've all been eagerly awaiting your return! In the past few years, we've kept the company running in your absence. Rest assured!"

With a faint smile on her pretty face, Giselle responded, "I appreciate your efforts, Harry."

Harry Walsh's eyelids twitched upon hearing this. He quickly replied, "The pleasure is all ours. Please don't be so courteous..."

The rest of the shareholders held their tongues.

They had only dared to stir up trouble under the presumption that Giselle had vanished for good.

But with Giselle's unexpected return, things were completely different now. They had speculated that perhaps Giselle had met an untimely end, and the Murphy family had kept the news under wraps due to a lack of heirs.

That was why the shareholders had the audacity to cause a commotion. However, with her return, everyone fell silent.

Because anyone who had experienced Giselle's strategic prowess would never dare to go against her!

Her tactics were as ruthless and unyielding as Lucian, the CEO of the renowned Clifford Group.

"Good!" Her hand casually resting on the table, Giselle said indifferently, "Over the last few years, my commitments elsewhere took me away for a while. However, from now on, I'll always be around at the company. If any of you have any concerns or propositions, feel free to approach me. We'll discuss it face to face."

A visible wave of apprehension washed over the shareholders as they were petrified that she might hold grudges and retaliate privately.

The meeting room fell into such a deep silence that even the faintest sound would have been discernible.

Not a single person dared to break the stillness.

Nellie, standing behind Giselle, held a high-ranking position and had served as Giselle's secretary for many years. She had honed the skill to hide her emotions from others. However, she couldn't mask the thrill in her eyes at this moment!

Miss Murphy! She had finally returned!

The meeting drew to a close shortly, despite a lot of matters that needed attention. Giselle didn't rush through them. Observing the disoriented shareholders, she decided to give them a day to collect their thoughts before continuing with the meeting on the following day.

As the meeting ended and Giselle exited the room, a collective sigh of relief echoed among the shareholders.

On the contrary, Nellie was still in an excited state. As a big fan of Giselle, she followed her closely and looked at her slender back with admiration from time to time.

It wasn't until they reached Giselle's office that Nellie snapped back to her senses. She promptly reported, slightly apologetic, "Oh, I almost forgot, Miss Murphy, one of our projects was snatched away by Clifford Group."