Revenge on My Ex-Husband After Three Years

The Hayes Group issued a bankruptcy liquidation announcement at 3 a.m.

By eight o'clock the very day, Wilbur Chapman put the divorce papers in front of me.

There was no room for adjustment, nor any hint of warmth.

It was just like Wilbur himself: precise, ruthless, and self-serving.

"Sign it," Wilbur said, lounging on the leather sofa with his long legs crossed.

He didn't even bother to look at me, and his eyes were fixed on the Patek Philippe around his wrist.

He seemed to be calculating how many minutes he'd waste dealing with me, his burden.

"Wilbur, the Hayes family is just facing temporary difficulties..." I said cautiously, and my voice was hoarse.

After a sleepless night, I was on the brink of collapse.

"Temporary?" Wilbur sneered. He finally raised his head.

His charming eyes now held nothing but undisguised disdain. "Alina Hayes, the Hayes family owes the bank four billion dollars, and it is insolvent. Your father had a stroke and is in the ICU. It's uncertain whether he'll wake up. You're just a huge liability now."

He stood up and advanced towards me.

He looked down at me as if staring at a dying insect. "The Chapman family doesn't do charity. I certainly have no use for a wife, as you only know how to shop for handbags, pamper yourself at spas, and bring absolutely no business value to the table."

The door to the room swung open, and a few of Wilbur's friends walked in.

They held champagne in hand and wore smug smiles.

One of them said, "Oh, hasn't she signed yet? Miss Hayes, you should know your place. Wilbur's put up with you for three years. That's more than enough."

Another chimed in, "Exactly. Look at the Hayes family now. How could your family ever match the Chapman family? Just sign the divorce papers. Don't delay Wilbur's welcome dinner for Nora."

Nora Clarke.

Hearing her name, I felt so much pain in my heart.

She was Wilbur's true love.

Three years ago, the Hayes family was influential, and the Chapman family drove her away and let Wilbur marry me.

Now, with the Hayes family fallen, Nora returned with accolades.

The timing was perfect.

"So that's how it is," I murmured, lowering my gaze to read the divorce papers.

The terms were harsh.

I would leave with nothing but the clothes on me.

Even my dowry was seized by Wilbur as compensation for business losses.

"Stop acting like a martyr, Alina." Wilbur tapped the table impatiently. "Sign the divorce papers. For the sake of the three years of our marriage, I'll give you a flight ticket abroad. Never come back. I don't want to see you again."

I lifted my head to look at him, whom I had loved for three years.

I had learned to do housework and hide my brilliance for him.

I even gave up a chance to study at a top design academy for him.

But in his eyes, I was just a frivolous spender.

"Fine." I picked up the pen.

My hand trembled, but I signed resolutely.

The name "Alina" was crooked, much like the twisted and ridiculous marriage between us.

"I don't need the flight ticket." I put down the pen and pushed the divorce papers back. "Wilbur, I wish you and Miss Clarke a long and happy life together."

Wilbur took the divorce papers, glanced at the signature, and gave a satisfied smile. "Smart choice."

Cheers erupted around us, accompanied by the sound of champagne bottles popping.

"Wilbur, you finally get rid of that burden."

"We celebrate till dawn today."

Amidst the celebratory noise, I turned and walked out of the prison that had held me for three years.

The rain poured down.

It was cold and biting in the late autumn.

I had no umbrella. Nor did I have my car.

I only had a flimsy coat and a few hundred bucks in cash.

Standing in the rain, I looked back at the brightly lit villa.

At the window on the second floor, Wilbur held a wine glass and basked in his friends' praises.

He smiled so happily, which I'd never seen before.

Apparently, shedding me truly made him happy.

I touched my flat belly.

It had once nurtured an unborn baby.

I got the confirmation just yesterday and planned to surprise him.

It was unnecessary now.

Rain mingled with tears trickled into my mouth, leaving me a bitter taste.

I took out my phone and dialed a familiar number.

It was from the hospital.

"Doctor, I agree to the operation. As soon as possible."

After I hung up, I removed the phone card and tossed it into the gutter.

"Wilbur, since you see no value in me, I'll let you know whether you will even be able to match me when I prove my worth."

I underwent the surgery in a remote clinic.

A proper hospital would have required a family member's signature, but I had no one.

My father lay unconscious in the ICU, and my mother had passed away ten years ago.

When the cold instruments entered my body, I was writhing in agonizing pain.

Yet, I clenched my lip tightly and didn't utter a word.

This physical pain was nothing compared to that in my heart.

My baby was gone.

The last bond between Wilbur and me was severed.

After the surgery, I didn't rest.

I dragged my weakened body back to the old Hayes family's mansion, which had been sealed off.

The front gate was pasted with a seal.

Several debt collectors were smoking on the steps.

Seeing me, they immediately surrounded me.

"Miss Hayes, you are back."

"You should pay the debts for your parents now."

"It is said that Mr. Chapman kicked you out. So how do you plan to pay?"

"You're attractive enough to find work at a club. You can be well paid there to pay the debts."

They said dirty words and shoved me.

I was knocked to the muddy ground.

A tearing pain surged from my abdomen, freshly operated on.

Blood ran down my thighs and stained my pale jeans red.

"Damn, why's she bleeding?"

"Let's hope she's okay. We don't want any trouble."

"Let's get out of here before it turns into a murder case."

The debt collectors scattered.

I curled up on the muddy ground and trembled with pain that made even breathing difficult.

The rain continued to pour.

I felt the warmth draining from my body.

My consciousness began to fade.

In my daze, a black Maybach pulled up by the roadside.

The car door opened, and polished leather shoes stepped through the mud towards me.

A black umbrella shielded me from the rain.

"Is she Wilbur's ex-wife, Alina Hayes?" The man's voice was deep, cold, and meaningful.

"Mr. Norris, she seems barely holding on," his assistant said in a low voice.

"Is she the key designer of the Hayes family's Northern Lights Initiative?"

"Yes, Mr. Norris. Although it was credited to Mr. Jeremy Hayes, Alina's father, our investigation shows that she was the actual designer."

The man, Theo Norris, crouched down, and his slender fingers lifted my chin.

His fingers were cool, with a faint scent of tobacco.

I struggled to open my eyes and met his inscrutable gaze.

There was no sympathy in his eyes, only assessment.

He seemed to be evaluating the worth of something.

"Alina." He called my name. "Do you want to survive?"

I looked at him and clutched his pant leg with the last of my strength. "Help me... I want... revenge."

He smiled faintly.

He gave a subtle yet commanding expression. "Good. As long as you have value, I'll give you the weapon for your revenge."

He took off his coat, wrapped my mud-stained body, and then lifted me into his arms.

"Let's head to the airport. We're going back to the Norris family."

Before losing consciousness completely, I heard him say to his assistant, "Wilbur foolishly discarded a treasure as if it were trash."

I spent three months in an overseas convalescent hospital.

Theo arranged for the best doctors and used the best medicine for me.

The physical wounds slowly healed, but the void inside could never be filled.

Every night, nightmares haunted me.

I dreamt of Wilbur's cold gaze, the divorce papers, and the baby who left me before even taking shape.

When I woke, my pillow was always damp.

Theo seldom visited me.

He kept busy.

As the head of the Norris Group, every second counted for him.

In the fourth month, I walked into his study with a thick stack of design blueprints in my hand.

"Mr. Norris," I said, placing the blueprints on his desk. "This is the upgraded version of the Northern Lights Initiative. I've named it the Nirvana Project."

Theo lifted his gaze from his documents.

He was expressionless, and his gold-rimmed glasses reflected a cold light.

He picked up the blueprints and flipped through a few pages.

His initially casual gaze gradually turned serious and then eventually transformed into one of admiration. "Did you make this?"

"I did."

"Did Wilbur know you had this talent?"

A self-deprecating smile tugged at my lips. "In his eyes, I was just a spendthrift who loved shopping. When I was drawing, he thought I was doodling. When I stayed up late working on plans, he assumed I was binge-watching dramas."

Theo closed the blueprints, and his gaze towards me changed.

He didn't evaluate a commodity when he looked at me. Instead, he seemed to be appreciating a rare treasure.

"Alina, you've truly surprised me."

He stood up and walked to the large window, where the bustling nightscape of the city unfolded outside.

"The Norris Group is currently expanding into the domestic market, is just in need of a good project. So I'll take the Nirvana Project." He turned back and extended his hand to me. "Welcome to join the Norris Group as the director."

I shook hands with him. "Thank you, Mr. Norris. But I have a condition."

"Go ahead."

"Three years from now, I want to return to my native country as the Norris Group's representative to oversee this project."

Theo raised his eyebrows. "You want to go back and humiliate Wilbur?"

"You are right."

"Wilbur is now a rising star in the domestic business field. After swallowing the Hayes Group, the market value of the Chapman Group doubled."

"So what?" I look up, my eyes blazing with the fire of hatred. "I will make him regurgitate what he swallowed with interest."

Theo smiled.

It carried a hint of indulgence this time.

"Alright. I'll give you three years. During this time, I'll teach you how to be a true hunter. Three years later, I'll go back with you. I'm curious to see Wilbur's expression when faced with his own oversight."

From that moment, I was no longer the weak woman who was easily bullied.

In my place was the decisive Director Hayes of the Norris Group.

I cut my long hair and exchanged my gentle dresses for sharp business attire and donned four-inch heels.

Like a sponge, I absorbed everything Theo taught me.

I learned business negotiations, capital operations, and mental chess games.

I worked day and night.

Only in utter exhaustion would I not think of the past.

Theo was a strict mentor and a devil. He never praised me.

If I did well, it was okay. If I did poorly, he would give me a sharp critique. "Alina, tears won't help you win in business. Don't let me see you be weak. If you want to win, you must be tougher than your opponent."

I gritted my teeth and fell and rose time and again.

The scars on me became my strongest armor.