Zia wiped away her tears. If Brian had betrayed their marriage and killed her father, she swore she would make him pay.
Zia drove back to the city and went straight home. Upon arriving, she immediately opened her safe, searching for the prenuptial agreement Brian had drawn up ten years ago.
She still remembered that before their marriage ten years ago, the Ridge family was nearly bankrupt. The previous CEO, William Ridge, had embezzled company funds for gambling.
Her father, George, had sold his rice fields and acres of orange groves to a buyer for a staggering sum: $500 million.
From that amount, he lent $200 million to the Ridge family to pay off debts, cover losses, and mitigate the consequences of William Ridge’s actions. He gave the remaining 300 million to Zia to keep.
Zia was very careful with the money her father gave her. It was the result of her father’s lifelong hard work. She had set up an anonymous account in her name, Zia Storm, to buy shares in the Ridge Group, eventually becoming a 50% shareholder without the Ridge family’s knowledge.
That investment had saved the Ridge company. However, the Ridge family never expressed their gratitude; in fact, they still looked down on the Storm family as “farmers from the countryside.”
Not only had the loan not been repaid, but her mother-in-law actually considered it a condition for Zia’s acceptance into the Ridge family.
Her father accepted it with grace, hoping Zia would be valued within the Ridge family.
Thinking about all that made Zia want to cry; her heart was filled with guilt.
Brian reassured her father by agreeing to give Zia his personal assets and the signed deed of transfer for his company shares, as well as to end the marriage if he ever cheated on her.
Zia would use that prenuptial agreement to make Brian lose everything.
Zia gathered all the documents, files, and evidence, then contacted the best lawyer in the country.
“Mr. Finch, I need your help. I want to file for divorce and transfer my husband’s personal assets and shares to my name using the prenuptial agreement he’s already signed. I want this done discreetly without my husband’s knowledge. I’ll send the files to you; please process them as quickly as possible.”
“Alright, Miss Storm, leave it all to me. I’ll process it as quickly as possible and contact you right away.”
“Yes, thank you, Mr. Finch,” Zia whispered weakly, slumping to the floor of her room, feeling all her energy drained away.
She clutched her father’s urn tightly. Her tears had stopped flowing. She swore she would never shed another tear for Brian.
“Dad, forgive me… I swear I’ll make Brian pay for what he did to you.”
Zia would reclaim every penny her father had given to the Ridge family.
When she woke up the next morning, Zia found herself lying in bed with Brian’s warm breath on the back of her neck.
When did he come home?
Zia glanced at the clock, which read eight in the morning. She rubbed her forehead, resisting the urge to push Brian away.
She slipped out of Brian’s embrace around her waist and sat up. Zia blinked for a moment, realizing her father’s urn wasn’t in her hands. She remembered falling asleep on the floor while hugging her father’s urn.
Zia frantically looked around. Her movements woke the man beside her.
Brian blinked sleepily. “Honey, what are you looking for?”
“My father’s urn!”
“Your father’s urn? I put it in the cabinet because you fell asleep on the floor hugging that urn.”
Zia ignored him and got out of bed to look for her father’s urn. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her father’s urn neatly stored in the cabinet.
Brian appeared in front of her with an annoyed expression, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s with your attitude? Do you think I did something bad to your father’s urn?”
Zia looked down at the floor beneath her. How could she trust someone who had killed her father?
However, she kept her emotions to herself and forced a smile for Brian.
“Sorry, I was rude. I didn’t sleep well and I’m feeling irritable this morning. When did you get back?”
“Last night.”
“Oh, that was fast. Was your business trip so unpleasant that you came back early?” Zia asked with a meaningful tone.
Brian furrowed his brow, sensing something off about Zia’s demeanor. For some reason, a sense of unease suddenly gripped his chest.
He rubbed the back of his head, avoiding Zia’s gaze. “I finished work early because of an important meeting today and so I could get home quickly to see you and the kids.”
To calm his wife, who seemed sensitive, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist. “You look terrible—you fell asleep on the floor and didn’t sleep well. Were the kids especially naughty yesterday?”
He was about to kiss her lips, but Zia turned away and broke free from his embrace.
“Yeah, I’m really tired. The kids are being their usual selves.”
“I told you to hand that task over to their nanny. You just need to take care of yourself.”
“Okay.” She walked away from Brian.
Brian watched her back, truly feeling the change in his wife—she had become cold and indifferent toward him.
He shook his head and walked into the bathroom.
Zia took a deep breath and patted her cheek. She had to maintain the harmony of her household until the divorce proceedings and the transfer of Brian’s shares were finalized.
“Good morning.”
Rachel appeared at her house, dressed in a white doctor’s coat. She wore a low-cut blouse and a very short skirt.
“Why are you here?”
“It’s routine check-up day. I’ve finished examining the kids,” she said as if it were obvious, then glanced behind Zia. A faint smile curved her lips.
“I haven’t done Brian’s physical yet. Are we going to do it here today or at my office?” Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
Brian coughed, avoiding her gaze and looking at his wife as if Zia were more interesting, to give the impression of a husband who loved only his wife.
“I don’t need an exam today. I’m almost late for work.”
He then left without giving Rachel a second glance.
Zia gave Rachel a cold stare and scolded her.
“Miss Vane, this is my house. Be polite; ask for permission when visiting someone else’s home. Don’t act like a thief breaking in.”
Rachel glanced at her and smiled mockingly. “Your house? That won’t last long. I’m leaving, bye!”
She turned away haughtily, leaving the living room quickly as if chasing after Brian.
Zia watched her back coldly.
Shortly after, she received a message from Rachel’s number.
Rachel flaunted an intimate photo of herself with Brian inside the car parked in their garage.
[Zia, your husband is already head over heels for me. You’re just waiting to be kicked out.]
Zia clenched her fists so tightly her fingernails dug into her palms. Brian said he was almost late for the office, yet he made time to be with another woman.
She wouldn’t let Rachel’s provocation get to her.
She simply saved the video and photos to send back to Mr. Finch along with the documents she had prepared.
A few days later, the brokerage firm sent her a notice that Brian’s shares had been transferred to her.
Zia used a stockbroker to sell the shares anonymously.
They met at a café. A waiter walked in front of her, leading her to a private room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Rachel and a man coming out of the VIP area.
Zia quickly hid behind one of the rooms, watching as Rachel and the man stopped to argue.
“Stop this lie, Rachel. You can’t pretend to be pregnant. You’re hurting that man’s wife with your fake pregnancy!”
“What business is it of yours? Please, just go!” Rachel shoved the man roughly and turned to leave, but he held her back.
“This time I won’t give up. I saw those children—Hendry dan Alec Ridge. They’re my children, aren’t they? They’re old enough now. It’s time for me to take those children.”
Zia covered her mouth in shock.
“Stop talking nonsense! They’re Brian’s children!” Rachel snapped, her patience finally worn thin.
“That’s not nonsense. Eight years ago, you borrowed my sperm to replace Brian Ridge’s, who suffered from non-obstructive azoospermia. You tried ten times, and all of them failed. You eventually used mine. Thanks to me, your children were born and raised in the prestigious Ridge family!“
”How much do you want? I’ll give it to you as long as you keep your mouth shut! Five million dollars—is that enough?“
”How am I supposed to believe you have that much money?"
Rachel lifted her chin haughtily. “My lover is Brian Ridge; he’s the CEO of the Ridge Group. Once I’ve made him divorce his wife, I’ll be Mrs. Ridge! Five million dollars is no problem. I’ll give you twenty million dollars if you get out of this country.”
“Hahaha, fine, if that’s what you say. Send me ten million dollars to keep my mouth shut, ‘Mrs. Ridge’.” The man replied mockingly.
“You greedy bastard!” Rachel growled, but she transferred the money to him anyway.
Zia took a breath, the corners of her lips curving upward.
Rachel, you’re wrong, because my husband won’t have anything left to give you, she muttered to herself.
After Rachel and the man left, Zia calmly contacted her friend.
“Hi, Rina. I need your help—please perform a DNA test on my twins and Brian. I’ll send their samples to you.”
[“Okay.”]
Zia then met with a broker to sell Brian’s shares, which were now hers. The broker promised to contact the clients and secure the best price for Zia. He would get back to her in a few days.
In a week, Zia would leave and walk away from it all. Before that, she would bankrupt the Ridghe Group so that Brian would have nothing left, and his mistress would panic without any money from Brian.
Zia felt utterly exhausted when she returned home. Her face darkened the moment she found Brian and Rachel in the living room, seemingly kissing.
They quickly pulled apart. Brian stood up, wiping his lips as if to erase the traces of another woman’s lips from his own. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes.
“You’re home. Why didn’t you call?”
Zia put on a fake smile and blinked innocently, as if she hadn’t seen her husband kissing another woman. “I didn’t have my phone with me all day.”
“Why didn't you get home until eleven at night? Could it be that you were seeing another man?” Rachel said mockingly.
Brian frowned sharply. “Zia… that’s not true, is it?”
Zia gave a fake smile. “You know that’s not true, right? Brian, we’ve been together for ten years. What are you doubting about me? I’ve only ever known you as the one and only man in my life.”
Back then, saying those words felt so sweet; now it felt like swallowing disgusting filth.
It still managed to calm Brian down. “Next time, let me know whenever you go out, okay?”
“Yes. But….” Zia pointed toward Rachel. “Why is Miss Vane at our house at this hour?”
“Ah, she… the kids wanted her to stay, and Rachel is our family’s personal doctor, so she’s staying for a bit for the kids’ routine check-up.”
“Wasn’t that done a few days ago?”
“That…” Brian furrowed his brow, and his eyes darted around, searching for an excuse.
“Brian, it’s already midnight. Take Miss Vane out of our house,” Zia tried to stay calm.
Rachel interrupted with a feigned soft voice, “Brian, it’s pouring rain outside… I’m scared….”
She pointed out the window, her expression worried. The sound of rain and thunder could be heard outside.
Brian’s expression changed instantly.
“Zia, Rachel is always afraid of the rain. Her parents died in an accident while it was raining. Rachel is traumatized. Let her stay at our house.” He decided firmly.
“Brian, you know I don't like having other people stay at our house….” Zia said, her voice breaking.
“Zia, don’t be selfish! It’s just one night!” Brian’s voice suddenly turned cold. “Rachel is deeply traumatized after her parents’ accident, and my family raised her. She’s practically family.”
Zia wanted to argue, but her voice caught in her throat. Suddenly, two boys ran past her and hugged Rachel.
“Aunt Rachel, just stay with us. Mom, let Aunt Rachel stay the night. I beg you….” Alec looked at her with pleading eyes. Hendry nodded, giving her the same look.
