Chapter 4

Lucky in love, unlucky in business.

Ever since Derek officially married Vivian, his firm had become deeply intertwined with Hayes Corporation.

Derek had planned to gradually siphon off the Hayes family's assets. He never expected Richard Hayes to use Vivian's pregnancy as an excuse to systematically strip him of his executive power. Lately, Derek wasn't even permitted to attend the board meetings.

Furious at being sidelined, Derek's temper grew increasingly vile by the day.

Tonight in his study, he had already smashed his third porcelain mug. Shards and spilled tea covered the floor as Derek screamed into his phone at his assistant:

"What do you mean, 'Mr. Hayes's orders'?! You're people I brought over from my own company! Do you work for me or for Richard Hayes?! Vivian is carrying my child—Hayes Corporation will belong to me sooner or later!"

"If this happens again, you're all fired!"

The moment I pushed the door open, Derek hurled his phone against the hardwood floor in blind rage.

A flying shard skimmed past my calf, narrowly missing my bare skin.

Pretending not to notice the carnage, I gently set a warm bowl of soup on his desk. Watching Derek's chest heave with fury, I stepped behind his chair and gently massaged his temples.

"Don't be so angry. You skipped dinner again—have some soup."

"You can't rush corporate moves. Mr. Hayes is getting old; the company will fall into your hands eventually."

Surrounded by my gentle touch, Derek's tense muscles gradually relaxed.

A venomous glint flickered in his eyes as he muttered:

"Chloe, it's so good to have you."

"That Vivian had the nerve to order me around in front of the entire office today. I don't feel like her husband—I feel like her damn slave. Once I take over Hayes Corp, I'm divorcing her immediately!"

With that, he pulled me into a desperate embrace, seeking comfort:

"Then I'll marry you."

"The only one I truly love is you."

I comforted him patiently, spoon-feeding him every last drop of soup.

Seeing him grow drowsy, he reached for my hand:

"Let's just get some rest."

"You're right. We can't rush this."

Late into the night, once Derek's breathing turned deep and rhythmic, I slowly opened my eyes.

Derek was entirely convinced I was just a harmless, useless bird in a gilded cage.

He never bothered hiding his computer passwords or confidential files from me.

I logged into his laptop with practiced ease, copying several critical ledgers, unauthorized wire transfers, and illicit equity transfer agreements onto a flash drive. Once everything was secure, I sent Vivian a text:

[I have the files. Meet at the usual spot.]

Her reply came instantly.

[Perfect. The shareholder meeting is in a month. You won't have to endure him much longer.]

Time flew by.

On the day of the shareholder summit, Derek was visibly ecstatic. He couldn't help bragging to me:

"Babe, you want to know a secret?"

"I've secretly bought off two major shareholders, and the company's entire cash flow is currently under my control. At today's meeting, I'm going to pull the rug right out from under that old fox Richard Hayes. Once that's done, I'll never have to take shit from that family again!"

I straightened his silk tie, smiling sweetly:

"Really? That's amazing."

Derek kissed my cheek, making a grand promise:

"Once Vivian delivers the baby, I'll seize full custody. Then I'll divorce her and marry you!"

"Chloe, I love you."

I smiled, tossing out an effortless reply:

"I love you too."

Yet the second I lowered my gaze, my eyes were colder than ice.

The executive boardroom was packed.

Derek strode in brimming with arrogance. Ignoring the strange glances from the board members, he took the head seat at the table. Just as he reached out to rap the gavel and start the meeting, Vivian entered, backed by a team of white-collar crime investigators who cordoned off the entire room.

The lead detective walked directly up to Derek. A flash of silver gleamed.

Handcuffs snapped tightly around his wrists.

"Derek Vance, you are under arrest for corporate embezzlement, fraud, and financial crimes. We are with the Financial Crimes Division. You're coming with us."

Derek stared at the detectives in disbelief, then whirled on Vivian, yelling hysterically:

"This is bullshit! Where is your proof?!"

"You're in cahoots with Vivian! Arresting me without evidence carries serious legal consequences!"

Watching Derek's pathetic, frantic meltdown, Vivian shook her head with an amused smirk.

"Proof? Of course we have proof."

"Recognize these? Two sets of books—one clean ledger for me, and one dirty ledger for your private slush fund. You really thought you were clever, didn't you, Derek?"

With a flick of her wrist, Vivian tossed a thick stack of audited documents onto the table. Papers scattered everywhere.

Derek glanced down, his face instantly draining of color as his eyes widened in horror.

"H-How did you get these? Did you send people to break into my private study?"

Panicking, he shouted at the detectives:

"Officers, I'm innocent! She broke into my home! She violated my privacy! These files were locked in my personal study! There's no way she could have gotten them legally! You have to investigate her! This is a setup—"

Before Derek could finish his desperate excuse, the heavy doors of the boardroom swung open.

I walked in, looking down at Derek pinned against the table, and said softly:

"No need to investigate. I was the one who gave Vivian the files."

"And Detective, I would like to file an additional criminal complaint. Derek deliberately swapped my daily vitamins with high-dose contraceptives for five years, causing permanent chemical infertility. That constitutes aggravated assault and battery. I request that he be booked immediately!"