CEOs Journey to Finding Love Again

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Modern Revenge Divorce Revenge Female-centered Divorce

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"Baby, keep it down. My husband's home."

In a luxurious villa, Declan Harrison paused by the bedroom door and caught hushed voices from inside the room.

The voice was unmistakable to him. It was Khloe Harrison, his wife.

"And what's a man in his condition going to do even if he hears? Don't worry about him, sweetheart," an unfamiliar voice replied.

As Declan stood there, supported by his crutch, a wave of emotion washed over him.

Fury clouded his judgment.

A resounding crash echoed in the villa. Declan had used his crutch to force the door open.

Inside the room, a man and Khloe were making out.

"Khloe, how could you?!" Declan asked in anguish, his hands balled into fists.

Khloe raised an eyebrow and coldly said, "Remember, you're just an orphan my grandfather took pity on, and you're living off my family's fortune. You can't even find a job. Had Grandpa not insisted, why would I have married a worthless person like you, considering you're a cripple?"

"I crippled my leg saving you!" Declan shouted at Khloe, his eyes brimming with tears.

"You, trash, consider yourself lucky. That leg was a small price for my life!" Khloe spat out with pure disdain.

Standing aside, Austin Watson smirked and chimed in, "How dare you use a favor like that to demand something from Khloe? If you talk back again, you'll be hopping on no legs."

"Always the big-hearted billionaire, Austin. Only asking for a leg from this nobody," Khloe quipped, playing to his ego.

Austin chuckled heartily. "Of course."

Khloe turned her attention back to Declan and demanded with utter derision, "Get out of my room, you loser."

Her expression was that of undisguised superiority. To her, Declan was like nothing more than a pest.

"While Austin is sealing deals with powerhouses like the Davis family from Lorphis, you're just clinging to the coattails of my family's name."

"Why bother telling him that? He probably doesn't even know how important the Davis family in Lorphis is," Austin remarked contemptuously.

Although Declan was not deeply entrenched in business affairs, the wealth and influence of the Davis family were common knowledge. They were worth trillions.

"Stay away from my wife!" Declan demanded, fury blazing in his eyes.

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