My Ex-wife Is A Mysterious Tycoon?!

It was dark outside.

Laughter erupted from the living room of the Bryant family's villa from time to time. Different voices could be heard chatting heartily.

In the kitchen, the air was so hot. Loraine Torres was cooking alone. Her face was flushed and sweat dripped down her forehead as she stared at the boiling soup in the pot. Soon, her vision became blurry.

She had been down with a fever since morning.

However, she was yet to go to the pharmacy to buy some medicine or have a good rest. She had been doing chores around the house since the crack of dawn.

"Hey, is dinner ready yet? Gosh! You are still not done. I can't believe that my brother married lazybones like you!" Marina Bryant shouted at her, standing at the kitchen door.

Loraine licked her dry lips. She was used to her sister-in-law's mean attitude.

"It will be ready soon."

Marina hissed. "Get it over with. My brother and Keely are waiting for the meal. Keely is different from a bumpkin like you. She had been receiving treatment abroad before coming back this time. Her health needs to be monitored well. We can't starve her. Otherwise, my brother won't let it slide."

Loraine's hand that was holding the cooking spoon tightened. She froze as her heart ached severely.

Since she was married to Marco Bryant three years ago, she had been nothing short of a dutiful wife. But he never appreciated her efforts. She was nothing in his eyes. To him, she couldn't hold a candle to Keely Haywood.

Marina sneered.

"Listen to me, Loraine. You wouldn't have been able to marry my brother if our grandma hadn't been in a hurry to have a great-grandchild. Had Keely been in the country at that time, my brother wouldn't have married you. You are just a useless woman. Three years have passed, but you haven't given birth to a child."

Tears welled up in Loraine's eyes at this moment. She fought them back as she watched Marina leave.

Just then, she heard a faint voice from outside.

"Marco, am I disturbing you and Loraine? Is she angry?" This female voice was so coquettish.

"No. Your welfare is the most important here," a deep and pleasant male voice said with tenderness.

Never had Marco spoken to Loraine with such loving care. It was what she longed for throughout the past years.

Loraine stood alone in the kitchen, and her aching heart sank. Her eyes fell on the candles and gift box in the trash can. The pain in her heart increased.

She had been trying to make this marriage work all these years.

Her so-called husband whom she always showered with love didn't remember that today was their third wedding anniversary.

Despite her sickness, she prepared a big dinner to celebrate. But it soon turned into a welcome dinner for Keely.

Everything seemed like one big unfunny joke. All her efforts, forbearance, and hope were reduced to nothing tonight.

"Miss Torres, I'm sorry to bother you guys. Let me help you." Keely walked into the kitchen with an apologetic smile.

With her face void of any expression, Loraine stared at the beautiful and feeble woman in front of her. "You should address me as Mrs. Bryant, not Miss Torres."

The apologetic smile Keely had disappeared in the blink of an eye. She eyed Loraine and said arrogantly, "Let me get this straight, Loraine. I'm the only woman in Marco's heart. He only married you because of his grandmother. Three years is enough for this sham of a marriage. Now that I'm back, I will take my rightful place in this household. Don't get your hopes up that you will win Marco's heart. How about you save yourself the shame and leave?"

Intense hurt tugged at Loraine's heartstrings. However, she still put up a strong front in the face of her rival.

"For your information, I'm still Marco's wife. I'm Mrs. Bryant. You are the outsider here."

Horror was written all over Keely's face as soon as she heard those words. They pierced her heart like a thousand knives.

"Stop being so complacent. The title of Mrs. Bryant isn't your birthright. It can be revoked. Besides, you will be in trouble if anything happens to me because of you. Just wait and see!"

An ominous premonition rose in Loraine's heart.

"What do you intend to do?" she asked, squinting her eyes.

Before Loraine knew what was happening, Keely grabbed a knife from the chopping board and tried to stab herself in the abdomen.

Loraine tried to stop her. Holding Keely's wrist, she roared, "Are you crazy?"

Keely shook off her hand.

During the struggle, the sharp blade slit Loraine's arm. She groaned in pain.

It was then she saw blood seeping through Keely's clothes.

Keely smiled at her evilly. The next second, she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Marco, help! Loraine wants to kill me!"

Loraine's eyes almost bulged out of the sockets. A second later, Marco came rushing into the kitchen.

She tried to explain what happened, but no words came out. It seemed like her throat was blocked.

Loraine suddenly felt dizzy. Blood was gushing from her arm and her head was banging.

As she grew unconscious, she saw Marco walk past her. He picked up Keely and rushed out, leaving his wife on the ground unconscious.

At the hospital

"The patient hasn't woken up yet. You can't go in!"

"Get out of my way! I know Loraine is in there!"

Loraine's eyes peeled open slowly when she heard the noise.

She painstakingly turned her head and saw Marina push the nurse away and walk to the bedside angrily. Marina was glaring at her as if she was about to pounce on her and tear her into shreds.

"Loraine, you vicious bitch! How dare you try to kill Keely? Now, her kidney is seriously injured. She's in a bad state. You will rot in jail."

"I didn't try to kill her!" Loraine sat up weakly.

Marina roared, "You did! Don't even try to lie. Who stabbed her, if you didn't? It was only the two of you in the kitchen. Are you trying to say Keely stabbed herself? You are jealous of her because my brother loves her. You tried to finish her off, so you would have no rival."

Loraine was just about to argue. But she stopped when she saw Marco come in.

He was a tall man, who had perfectly carved eyebrows and dreamy eyes.

At this time, Loraine looked up at him as if he was her savior.

"Marco, you have to believe me. I didn't hurt her."

Marco shot her a cold glare.

"Spare me your excuses, Loraine. You can't fool me. Since you did such a barbaric thing, you must accept punishment. You have to apologize to Keely."

"An apology is not enough!" Marina shouted. "Keely's kidney is ruptured now. As punishment, Loraine must give Keely her kidney."

Without waiting for her brother's approval, Marina commanded the bodyguards behind Marco, "Take her to the operating theatre immediately!"

The bodyguards did as they were told.

Loraine was too weak to struggle. Looking at her husband, she asked, "Marco, don't you believe me? Are you going to allow this?"

For some reason, she still held out hope that Marco would trust her. But he just stood there and watched her indifferently. It was obvious he acquiesced with his sister's decision.

This made Loraine's heart bleed.

How could he abandon her so ruthlessly? Her love for Marco disappeared at this moment.

She was done loving someone who didn't reciprocate at all. It was clear that she was nothing to him. Worse still, he believed another woman instead of her.

The unprecedented tiredness swept over Loraine.

She no longer wanted to stay in this miserable marriage.

"Marco, let's divorce," she piped up, smiling bitterly.

Marco frowned once he heard those words. He looked at Loraine as if she was out of her mind.

"You won't escape punishment by getting a divorce, idiot," Marina uttered, her voice dripping with disdain.

Loraine's eyes turned cold. "Why must I be punished for what I didn't do? It's ridiculous that you want to harvest my kidney for her. I'd like to see how badly she's hurt!"

Inexplicable strength surged through Loraine's body due to her fury. She broke free from the bodyguards' hold and rushed out.

She soon located Keely's ward.

But before she could do something, Marco rushed to protect Keely.

"Loraine, what are you trying to do again?"

Keely curled up in bed. Holding Marco's shirt, she said fearfully, "Marco, I'm so scared."

Marco's face darkened. Glaring at Loraine, he shouted, "Don't do anything stupid. Just kneel and apologize now!"

A remorseful expression appeared on Loraine's face. She lowered her head and walked to the bed.

Keely's eyes glistened with pride. She folded her arms and looked at Loraine with great expectation.

But to her chagrin, Loraine raised her hand and brought it down on Keely's cheek.

The sound of the slap echoed in the entire ward.

Everyone froze in surprise. In a split second, Loraine ripped off the gauze that was on Keely's abdomen.

A small cut was revealed immediately. It already stopped bleeding.

Marco frowned at the sight of it.

"See! She just has a small cut. The knife didn't even penetrate her belly. But she wants my kidney. Well played, Keely Haywood!"

Loraine smelled something fishy right from the start. Since Keely had stabbed herself, Loraine suspected that the wound wasn't deep.

Her suspicion turned out to be true. A minor cut like that couldn't possibly have affected her kidney.

Keely covered her belly in a hurry.

"Tell me the truth, Keely. What exactly happened?" Marco asked coldly.

Keely's face turned pale. She stammered, "Actually, I... I don't know. How could I possibly know? I went into a coma after Loraine stabbed me. I just woke up. It's possible the doctor made the wrong diagnosis."

"This doesn't seem like a misunderstanding to me. If I hadn't exposed you just now, my kidney would have been harvested ruthlessly!" Loraine laughed ironically. "One more thing. You should have stabbed yourself in the back if you wanted to pretend that your kidney was hurt. But you stabbed your belly."

"Nonsense!" Keely looked at Marco in panic. "Marco, trust me. It was Loraine who did the stabbing."

Marco's eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at Keely. Afterward, his eyes shifted to Loraine.

"Give me some time to look into this. If it turns out that you are innocent, I will compensate you with whatever you want."

Loraine stared at him emotionlessly. The love she had for him was dead now.

In the past few years of their marriage, Marco had never given her anything she wanted. She knew that he was only offering to compensate her now because he wanted to protect Keely.

Loraine rolled her eyes. "Give me a divorce then!"

Marco looked at her in surprise.

This was the first time he had looked at his wife seriously in three years.

But Loraine didn't give a damn. She turned around and left without a backward glance.

The moment she was out of the hospital, she became extremely weak.

She had used all her strength to stand up to her so-called husband and Keely just now.

She took out her phone and dialed a number.

A few minutes later, a black Lincoln stopped in front of Loraine. A handsome man in a well-ironed suit got out of the car.

Loraine's legs turned to jelly at this time and she collapsed.

The man caught her in time.

Loraine looked up at him with teary eyes and muttered, "Uncle Rowan..." A second later, she passed out in his arms.

The atmosphere in Keely's ward was tense. It seemed like the air was frozen.

Marco's anger was shooting through the roof due to the latest discovery.

Keely's attending doctor was shaking like a leaf.

Marco looked at him and asked seriously, "Didn't you say that her kidney was ruptured? And that she would need a new kidney? How do you explain this?"

Cold beads of sweat broke out on the doctor's forehead. He was too afraid to speak.

Marco added, "What kind of doctor are you? You should be relieved of your duty. I'll personally see to that!"

The doctor cupped his hands. He knew that Marco wasn't fibbing. If he was reported to the doctors' guild, he wouldn't be able to practice medicine ever again.

He came clean fearfully.

"Please don't do that, Mr. Bryant. Miss Haywood ordered me to give that diagnosis. I promise not to do such a thing again."

"Get out!"

When the doctor didn't move an inch, Marco looked at his bodyguard, who immediately threw the pleading man out.

Marco turned to look at Keely, whose face was crimson at this time. There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Is what he said true?"

Keely broke down in tears. "Marco, I didn't mean to do that. I only did it because Loraine didn't want you to show me care. I was very angry so I decided to teach her a lesson."

"Enough!" Marco was sick of her explanation already. "You wanted to teach her a lesson by taking away her kidney? How could you be so cruel? You know what? I blame myself for this. I shouldn't have spoiled you so much!"

Seeing that he was angry with her, Keely cried her eyes out as she begged him.

"Marco, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that. It's just that I was too scared. Ever since Jorge died, I have no one else to rely on. My body hasn't recovered fully. I'm afraid you would give up on me and leave me alone. Can you forgive me this time? Please!"

Jorge Riley was Marco's friend, who had died for him. Before he passed away, he entrusted his fiancee, Keely, to Marco and asked him to protect her always.

Marco's heart softened at the thought of his late friend.

"I promised Jorge that I would take care of you, and I intend to keep my promise."

Just when Keely breathed a sigh of relief, Marco said something unpleasant to her ears.

"However, Loraine is my legitimate wife. Don't play tricks on her anymore. Let this one be the first and last. Got that?"

Shock clouded Keely's face immediately.

"How can you say that, Marco? Loraine is just a girl from a humble background. She's not worthy of being your wife. She has brought nothing but shame to your family in the past three years. Do you really intend to live with her for the rest of your life? Besides, she has asked you for a divorce. How about you grant her request immediately?"

"Stay out of this, Keely. My marriage isn't your business."

Marco gave her a cold look, which scared her into silence.

He then stormed out of the ward. At this time, he couldn't help but think about how serious Loraine had been when she asked for a divorce today.

It came as a rude shock to him that she could do such.

Divorcing her had never crossed his mind.

Although he didn't love her, he was contented with having her as the hostess of his home. It was the exact reason why he married her in the first place.

Loraine was an orphan who grew up in the countryside. She had no one to rely on, so it was very easy to control her.

In the past, Loraine had served him well. She was obedient to him no matter how he treated her.

This was why he felt that being married to her wasn't a bad idea, after all.

He didn't want to let her go. Since Loraine asked for a divorce because of the altercation with Keely, Marco decided to talk things through and compensate her.

He waved to his subordinate and ordered, "Find Loraine immediately. Also, transfer five million dollars to her account."

The subordinate didn't swing into action immediately. He looked at his boss with a troubled look.

Marco frowned. "Why are you still standing here? If you have something to say, just spill."

"After Mrs. Bryant left the hospital, she was picked up by a man who drove a luxury car."

"What?"

Marco's frown deepened as he clenched his fists.

Something didn't feel right. It appeared things were about to go out of his control.

"Investigate who that man is and bring my wife back immediately!" Marco commanded angrily.

Meanwhile, Loraine regained consciousness again.

This time, she was no longer waking up alone in the ward. She found herself in a warm and luxurious bedroom.

"So, you have finally remembered home? I still don't understand why you put up with all that bullshit because of a man. Are you still a descendant of the Torres family? You don't act like one!"

When Loraine heard this familiar voice, she turned to look in the direction it came. A grey-haired old man with an imposing aura was seated on the edge of the bed.

She couldn't help but burst into tears at the sight of her grandfather.

"Grandpa, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left some. I regret breaking your heart for that unworthy scum."

Aldo Torres, who was the head of Universe Group and an influential figure in the city, grew soft when he saw his favorite granddaughter crying. He held her hand and comforted her.

"There, there, my princess. Don't cry anymore. That bastard doesn't deserve you. As the heiress of this family, you should keep your head up. Universe Group is yours. No one can bully you now!"