"You—" Ethan suddenly raised his hand, only to freeze it mid-swing.
He breathed hard, forcing himself to calm down, his tongue pressing against his cheek.
In a cold, low voice, he said, "Irene, you'll regret this."
Irene didn't spare him a glance. Rubbing her wrist, she turned and walked away.
It didn't take long for her to understand what Ethan meant by regret.
When Elaine informed her about the shareholders' meeting, she hesitated, as if holding something back.
"Irene, Ethan has lost his memory, he doesn't even know what he's doing himself. Don't take it to heart."
In the past, Irene would have teared up at those words of comfort.
But ever since she realized how closely aligned mother and son were, she knew exactly what Ethan was plotting and how Elaine was trying to keep her in place.
There was nothing left for her to cling to.
From the moment she stepped into the meeting room, almost every shareholder looked at her with curious, probing eyes.
Back when Ethan held absolute power, he had coaxed and pestered her into coming to the office with him, claiming he couldn't be away from her for even a second.
"You can sketch or work on your designs next to me. I just don't want you out of my sight."
He had been willful then, reckless in the way only someone intoxicated by love could be.
But after he lost his memory, Irene had never set foot in the company again.
The shareholders whispered among themselves, making no effort to lower their voices despite her presence.
"Why is she still here? Didn't we hear that Mr. Hart already filed for divorce?"
"The Shaw family landed plenty of projects through Mr. Hart over the years. As Gordon Shaw's daughter, how could she possibly give up her position?"
Irene sat there calmly, twirling a pen between her fingers, until Ethan finally arrived, Sophie's arm looped through his.
He pulled out a chair for Sophie, seated her beside him, and naturally took her hand.
Then he cast a scrutinizing glance toward Irene.
"Ms. Shaw, please leave now. I've already signed the equity transfer agreement. You're no longer qualified to sit here."
She laughed softly, the kind of smile that came only when words were pointless.
Irene stood up calmly. She didn't look at Ethan, fixing her gaze instead on Elaine, whose face betrayed a guilty unease.
"I suppose, for now, I still count as your daughter-in-law. Is this really what you wanted?"
Before Elaine could respond, Sophie spoke first, her face ashen. "Irene, this was Ethan's decision. Please don't make things difficult for Elaine."
It was obvious she and Ethan had rehearsed this line of reasoning long ago.
"My parents entrusted all their assets to Ethan back then. Now that they're gone, he wants me to carry on their wishes. That's why he's returning the shares that should have been mine."
Utter nonsense poured from her lips with righteous conviction, bold enough to twist black into white in public.
"Besides, your marriage to Ethan was a mistake to begin with. Your father has caused him plenty of trouble over the years. How much more do you want to take before you're satisfied?"
Seeing the chill deepen in Irene's eyes, Elaine had no choice but to step in.
"Irene, let's talk about this when we get home. Why don't you… head back first?"
Before she could finish, Ethan pressed a call button, his expression icy.
"Security, come escort Ms. Shaw out."
That public display of cutting ties only drew sharper, more mocking looks from the already curious shareholders.
Someone couldn't hold back. "Mrs. Hart… ahem, Ms. Shaw, why not leave on your own? What are you waiting for?"
"If security has to drag you out, it won't look good. What would that do to Gordon's reputation?"
Blood rushed to Irene's head, until her phone began to buzz.
She glanced down quickly. Caleb had sent his congratulations, her application approved.
She let out a quiet breath, pushed back her chair, and walked out without looking back.
If she stayed even one second longer, she feared she might slap that hypocritical face of Ethan's.
