Desmond Harrison was cheating on her.

Guadalupe Melton stood outside the CEO's office, frozen in place, still reeling from the dirty secret she had just uncovered.

Her black high heels seemed to blend into the black-veined marble floor.

After what felt like an eternity, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." A deep male voice rang out.

Clutching the files, Guadalupe opened the door with her other hand and forced a smile.

She strolled over to his side and asked, "Are you busy? I got a few files needing your signature right away."

Though she asked so, she had placed the files in front of him and even flipped to the pages where he needed to sign.

Desmond had just gotten back from a business trip to Thuoria that morning.

Right after he got off the plane, he headed to the office. There was a stack of files on his desk, fatigue etched on his face. So he signed without even looking at the files Guadalupe handed him.

"Thanks," Guadalupe said.

Then she put away the files he had signed and asked as usual, despite knowing his answer, "Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

"I've got something to do. Don't wait up," he answered without looking up.

"Alright. I'll get out of your hair now."

She nodded and turned around, her smile turning into a sneer.

As she walked by the attached lounge in the office, she heard faint sounds from inside, like a kitten or a puppy jumping off the bed.

Her gaze flicked to the coffee table, only to see several packs of snacks and a half-empty cup of hot chocolate. And there was a toppled pink high heel on the floor...

She realized something instantly, her heart sinking to the bottom.

Then she came back to her office.

It felt as if the way back to her office had exhausted her. As she sat down, she let out a sigh.

Then she pulled out a file from those Desmond had just signed—a divorce agreement.

She flipped to the last page, her fingers tracing over his signature as a bitter smile tugged at her lips. Meanwhile, memories flooded her mind...

Back then, when Desmond said he wanted to marry her, he looked so firm and affectionate. Desmond's mom Elyse Garza, however, scoffed and told her not to get carried away, as no man would stick to one woman forever. Guadalupe insisted that Desmond was different.

But she was terribly wrong.

He thought he hid his affair well, enjoying the thrill of it all. In fact, he took his mistress together with him on this business trip.

He even brought her back here.

Guadalupe withdrew her finger, took a photo of Desmond's signature on the divorce agreement, and sent it to Elyse with two words, "He signed."

One week ago, they had struck a deal.

Elyse asked her to initiate the divorce and not to tell the others about her secret marriage with Desmond, and she requested 150 million dollars from Elyse as compensation.

A month later, Desmond would be a total stranger to her.

A knocking snapped Guadalupe back to reality.

She put away the divorce agreement and said, "Come in."

It was Desmond's assistant, Harold Osborne.

"Ms. Melton, Mr. Harrison asked me to give you this." Harold placed a dark green velvet box in front of her.

She opened it and saw a set of expensive diamond jewelry inside. Instantly, a photo flashed across her mind. A short-haired girl in a bathrobe had a diamond necklace in her hand, her eyes hazy. Behind her, the light was dim, and the bed was messy. Her chest was covered with hickeys, indicating wild sex.

Guadalupe felt sick.

"Thanks, Harold."

She looked up at him, her gaze as sharp as a blade.

Harold couldn't help but shiver.

"Mr. Harrison picked them for you. It's unique," he instinctively added.

Too bad Desmond's heart wasn't as exclusive.

And she didn't want a cheater.

She smiled, "Oh, is that so? How touching. He managed to buy me a gift when he's so swamped?"

Harold thought, "Something is off. Could it be that she has already known about Mr. Harrison and Ms. Graham..."

He broke out in a cold sweat and strode out of her office.

Guadalupe looked at the jewelry on her desk with disdain, like it had germs on it. Then she took out her phone, took a photo of them, and sent it to a second-hand luxury dealer.

She texted him, "Sell this set of jewelry for me. And donate the money to FCIDD."

The dealer was puzzled upon seeing her text.

***

At 5 p.m., Guadalupe went to the parking lot.

She was about to open her car door when she caught sight of another vehicle across from hers.

It had already started, and through the car window, she saw Desmond in the back seat as well as that short-haired girl sitting next to him. The woman had a round, cute face, brimming with exuberance.

"Mr. Harrison!"

Harold was so frightened that he slammed on the brakes.

Through the air and the glass, Guadalupe and Desmond locked eyes.

Desmond's eyes were deep.

And Guadalupe's eyes were devoid of any emotion.

The atmosphere in the parking lot was oppressive to the extreme.

Looking at Guadalupe, Belinda Graham didn't distance herself from Desmond at all. Instead, she became even more presumptuous; she even wrapped her arm around his neck and leaned to his ear, whispering something.

Guadalupe's eyes were stung by the scene.

She averted her gaze, got into her car, and drove away, not glancing in their direction again.

No longer after she arrived home, the sound of a car came from downstairs.

As she stood in front of the glass cabinet in the cloakroom, taking off her necklace, Desmond stood behind her. His body was tall and beefy, and she felt his powerful aura at once.

He propped his hands against the cabinet, leaned closer to her, and looked at her face. "Are you upset?"

She put away the necklace unhurriedly and said flatly, not looking at him even once, "I'm so upset that I wanna murder someone. You better watch out."

Remaining silent for a while, he said, "The Graham family wants to develop the Project 'Polaris' together with us. I've been in contact with Caleb lately. He's the family's eldest son. Ms. Graham is his sister."

She said sarcastically, "Oh, so he won't work with you unless you're together with her?"

He was rendered speechless for a few seconds before he said, sounding angry, "Guadalupe, I'm explaining to you. Stop throwing shade at me."

"You don't need to explain." Finally, she tilted her head to look at him, her gaze so icy and pure that he felt as if she could see through him. "Desmond, if you're fed up with being with me and want a new hostess for this family, I can step down."

Desmond pulled a long face at once. "What did you say?"

She sighed, "I mean, we can get a divorce."

Then she pushed him away.

As she was about to walk away, he forcibly pulled her back, pinched her chin, and warned her, "Don't even think about it."

She remained silent.

She thought about it and even did it.

She no longer wanted him.

Desmond stayed until late at night. After receiving a call, he left. Guadalupe clearly heard a delicate female voice on the other end of the line, and it seemed the woman was crying.

The next morning, Guadalupe's divorce lawyer and friend sent her a screenshot of Belinda's latest update. In the photo were two hands, one big and one small, making a heart shape on the mountaintop in the early hours of the morning. The caption read, "We feel each other's heartbeat in the tender sunrise."

Guadalupe recognized right away that the big hand was Desmond's.

She sat in situ, holding the glass of water for a long, long time.

As she put it down, a crisp sound rang out. She felt as if a piece of her heart had been stripped away.

For the next several days, Desmond never came home.

They only met at the company's meetings. He sat in the main seat, and she sat on one side of the table together with other higher-ups. They barely had any eye contact.

And she never came upstairs to see him.

When she had some free time, she'd browse and view houses as well as get rid of the gifts Desmond had given her, including the first-anniversary gift, birthday gifts, Valentine's Day gifts, and wedding gifts... She even sold her wedding ring.

Since she no longer wanted to be with him, anything related to their relationship meant nothing to her.

At night, the owner of Rhodax Group, Ciara Orozco, invited her to hang out at a club.

It was almost 11 p.m., and she wanted to say no at first. Yet, after she divorced Desmond and left Zenith Group, she'd need connections to start up her own business, so she eventually agreed.

She saw Ciara the moment she entered the club.

"Ciara, I could have gone up myself. You don't have to wait for me here at all," she said.

Ciara linked arms with her enthusiastically and entered the elevator together with her. "I was worried you'd get lost. You've never been here before, right?"

Indeed, it was the first time she had been here.

After they went upstairs, Ciara led her into a big private room with a big screen in the middle, dividing the private room into two halves.

Upon entering, Guadalupe noticed quite a lot of people on the other side of the screen. But instead of taking her to them, Ciara led her to the side where there was only one woman.

Guadalupe felt that the woman looked somehow familiar; it seemed she was the girlfriend of one of Desmond's buddies. The woman recognized Guadalupe, too. Though noticing the uneasy look on Guadalupe's face, she still smiled at Guadalupe.

After Guadalupe took off her coat and sat down, Ciara walked out of the room.

Guadalupe picked up a beverage and took a sip. The chatter of those people on the other side of the screen reached her ears; to her surprise, she heard her name.

"Hey, has anyone realized Desmond no longer takes Guadalupe when hanging out with us?"

"Is that surprising? Ms. Graham is so young and cute. He never goes anywhere without her; he dotes on her so much."

"Finally. After all these years, Desmond has changed his taste."

"Guadalupe is pretty indeed, but they've been together for eight years already. I bet he's sick of her."

"She's such a fool. It turns out those years being with him are just a waste of her time. What do you say I make a pass at her? Gee, I've been coveting her slender waist for years."

Their voices were filled with ridicule.

Guadalupe's gaze turned icy.

She recognized two people's voices; they were Desmond's friends who were always friendly towards her.

The woman sitting next to Guadalupe was so awkward that she didn't dare to look at Guadalupe. Seeing that Guadalupe stood up, she figured Guadalupe was going to leave.

However, Guadalupe cleared her throat, picked up the glass, and walked toward the other side of the screen. She then leaned against the screen and said leisurely, joining their conversation, "Guys, that's not fair, is it? Desmond was a virgin before he was with me. Don't you think I've used him to satisfy my physical needs without paying him a penny for eight years?"

The room immediately fell deadly silent.

Everyone on the couch gawked at her.

As she said this, two slender men happened to walk into the room.

They looked at her and then shifted their gazes to those men behind her, totally dumbfounded.

Desmond stood behind Guadalupe, his expression icy.

Noticing those people's gazes, Guadalupe turned around.

Then she saw Desmond.

She glanced at him and turned around to look at Belinda sitting on the couch. When she first showed up, Belinda crossed her legs, twirling her hair around her finger, looking smug.

But the grin on Belinda's face was gone. Now, she looked so sullen as if she wanted to strangle Guadalupe on the spot.

Guadalupe realized Belinda and Desmond were hanging out with their friends here. Judging from their conversation, it had happened more than once. It turned out the two had already made their appearances in public as a couple; they didn't bother to hide their affair at all.

Desmond walked over to her.

At the same time, those people came back to their senses.

"Guadalupe, sorry. We were just blabbering. None of that was true."

"Guadalupe, there's nothing going on between Desmond and Ms. Graham."

"Guadalupe, don't take our words seriously."

Desmond grabbed Guadalupe's wrist and was about to drag her out.

In the next second, she splashed the beverage on his face.

Immediately, the room fell deadly silent again.

Everyone felt a chill running down their spine; they had no idea Guadalupe was this bold.

She broke the silence, saying softly with a smile, "Continue to have fun with your darling, Desmond. I'll get out of your hair."

Then she lowered her head, trying to break free from his grip.

Desmond's expression darkened to the utmost; he picked her up, carried her onto his shoulder, and walked outside.

The people in the room were all slack-jawed.

Then went to the hallway, and Guadalupe was struggling hard on Desmond's back.

The elevator happened to arrive at this floor.

As he walked into the elevator and turned around, she saw a pair of black leather shoes of fine quality. As she looked up, a pair of long legs wrapped in black suit trousers as well as a pair of fair hands came into view. Each finger was slender, with distinct knuckles.

The quiet atmosphere was tinged with embarrassment.

As Desmond stepped out of the elevator, she couldn't help but look up, only to meet a pair of sharp, deep, and charming eyes.

Feeling awkward, she lowered her head while covering her face.

Desmond dragged Guadalupe out of the club.

He tossed her into the back seat of the car and sat next to her.

Feeling dizzy, Guadalupe climbed up. She had been hung upside down for so long; coupled with being tossed into the car by him, she felt she was getting a concussion.

Desmond took some wet tissues from the glove box to wipe his face.

Guadalupe keenly noticed something that looked like a condom behind the tissue box when he questioned her, "Why are you here? To catch me in the act?"

She opened the car door to get out.

Being in here sickened her.

"Guadalupe!" Irritated, Desmond grabbed her back. "Where are you going? Cut it out! My patience is wearing thin."

Her breathing was a bit rapid as she pinched her palm. "I wanna go home."

Desmond asked Harold, who was standing at the club entrance, to drive.

On the way, neither Desmond nor Guadalupe said anything. She sat far away from him, her face pale, seemingly as if she might throw up at any second.

Once they arrived, she got out of the car right away.

It wasn't until she gulped down a whole glass of ice water in the kitchen that she finally felt better.

As she walked out, she saw Desmond sitting in the living room. She walked over and sat down, too.

After a long time of suffocating silence, Desmond spoke first, "I was there to discuss a project. You rushed there and made a scene, which embarrasses me a lot. You've made a tit of yourself and are no different from a shrew. Haven't you realized that?"

"Is that all you wanna say to me?" she asked calmly.

He continued, "If you want things between us to work, stop being paranoid. I don't have time for your ridiculous suspicions."

She nodded. "Noted. Anything else?"

He frowned. After a few seconds, he said, "Guadalupe, do you know how annoying you are right now?"

She stood up, smiling while thinking, "You won't feel annoyed soon."

She went upstairs.

Her smile irritated Desmond even more. He sat in the living room for a while and went upstairs back to the bedroom, only to find she had already slept.

He took a shower and lay down beside her.

In the darkness, she had her back facing him. She moved further to the side of the bed, making sure her body wouldn't touch his no matter what.

He hugged her from behind and forcibly pulled her into his arms, his movements tinged with fury.

He was tall and beefy, and since he had exerted a bit of force, she couldn't move at all.

She spent the night stiffly.

In the morning, she made breakfast only for herself.

Desmond came downstairs and saw her sitting in the dining room eating alone. He was about to head to the door, but then he turned around, walked to her, leaned to her ear, and coaxed her, his tone soft, "Let's go out on the boat this weekend. Just the two of us."

While drinking milk, Guadalupe nodded nonchalantly.

On Friday, he stood her up again, saying he had to fly to Crowham.

She wasn't surprised; in fact, she didn't feel a thing.

Maybe it hadn't occurred to him. The truth was, it had been ages since they last ate together or even spent some time together. He said divorce was out of the question, but he had already treated her as someone not important at all. If she disappeared one day, she seriously doubted if he'd care.

On the weekend, she took her books from the bookshelf, put them in the suitcase, and took them to her new home.

Just as she was placing her books, Elyse called her, which was a rare thing.

She picked up and said politely, "Hello, Madam Harrison."

Elyse snorted haughtily and then said, "Come back. We should put what we discussed before in writing."

She asked, "Is that really necessary?"

Elyse said, "If I say so."

"Fine. I'll go back this afternoon," she answered.

Yet, Elyse wasn't satisfied. "Come back at noon."

"Fine," she agreed, figuring that she didn't have anything else to do anyway.

On the other end of the line, Elyse was standing on the second floor, looking at Desmond taking a walk with Belinda in the garden happily.

Elyse was determined to let Guadalupe know Belinda was the one for Desmond; they were a perfect match.

Guadalupe arrived at the Harrison's manor at around 11:40 a.m.

The housekeeper was very surprised to see her.

He knew they were expecting another guest, but little did he know it was Guadalupe. Thinking that Desmond and Belinda were in the living room right now, he felt his back covered in a cold sweat.

Other than Desmond and Guadalupe's parents, only trusted subordinates such as Harold and the housekeeper knew Guadalupe and Desmond were married.

"This way, Mrs. Harrison," the housekeeper said.

He had no choice but to follow Elyse's instructions and lead the way for Guadalupe.

Before they entered the living room, a sweet, coquettish voice rang out. "I won again. Des, you deliberately let me win, didn't you?"

Guadalupe stopped in her tracks.

Her mind went blank for a second, but she soon figured out what was going on.

Letting out a sneer, she walked inside.

As she had planned on moving her books, she didn't wear any makeup today, and she dressed casually. She was wearing a loose white T-shirt and jeans, her long hair tied up loosely with a hairband.

Yet, she still was strikingly beautiful with her fair skin and rosy lips, and the few wisps of hair that fell by her ears added a touch of allure to her beauty.

Desmond was in the living room. Upon seeing her, he was stunned. "Why are you..."

"Elyse asked me to come here." She looked calm, her eyes tinged with sarcasm. "Weren't you supposed to be in Crowham? Even magicians couldn't pull this off."

Desmond said nothing, a trace of guilt flashing across his eyes.

Belinda, who was sitting on the couch, walked over to Guadalupe and extended her hand provocatively. "Hello there. I'm Belinda."

Guadalupe didn't even glance at her as if she hadn't existed at all.

Just then, Elyse walked in.

She glanced at Guadalupe and then held Belinda's hand, smiling kindly while saying, "Are you happy today, Linda? Feel free to think of this place as your own home."

Then she introduced Guadalupe to Belinda, "This is Ms. Melton, the manager of Zenith Group. I asked her to be here for business."

Everyone knew Guadalupe was with Desmond, but Elyse introduced her merely as the company's employee. Her implication was clear; she didn't want Guadalupe to be part of the family at all. Meanwhile, she was hinting to Belinda that Guadalupe didn't stand in the way at all. The Graham family and the Harrison family could perfectly be united by marriage.

Belinda raised her face proudly. "She's just a company's employee? I see."

Ignoring Elyse and Belinda, Guadalupe started at Desmond quietly.

She wanted to know what his reaction would be.

He remained looking indifferent all this time, showing no intention of speaking up for her at all.

Didn't he know Elyse and Belinda were giving Guadalupe a hard time? He knew, of course. He simply didn't care how embarrassed she was.

"Madam Harrison, you wanted to discuss business with me, didn't you? How about we discuss it here?" She turned to look at Elyse.

Elyse said, "That can wait. We'll talk about it some other day. Since you're here, why don't you eat with us?"

"I'll pass. I've got something to do." Guadalupe turned to leave.

Elyse snapped, "I'm your elder, and I said, stay and eat with us. What's that attitude? You've got no manners at all."

Guadalupe turned back and stared at Elyse for a while, her gaze cold. "OK. I'll stay and eat with you. Don't regret this."

She then walked over and chose a single seat.

Belinda sat next to Desmond matter-of-factly and wrapped her arms around his arm. "Des, let's continue to play chess."

Yet, Desmond pulled out his arm and looked at Guadalupe.

"Ms. Melton, do you know how to play chess?" Belinda looked at Guadalupe.

Guadalupe glanced at the chess made of excellent material on the coffee table. At first glance, she could tell they were playing Five in a Row, which was practically child's play, but Desmond actually lost to Belinda.

It turned out Desmond still knew exactly how to please a woman; it was just she wasn't the woman he wanted to please anymore.

She looked up at Desmond, sneering coldly, "Yeah. Ms. Graham, do you wanna play?"

Desmond seemed a bit annoyed. He looked at Guadalupe, warning her with his eyes.

Meanwhile, Belinda reset the board confidently. "Ms. Melton, take your pick. Do you want black or white?"

Guadalupe took the white pieces. "You may have a head start with the black pieces."

Feeling being looked down upon, Belinda gritted her teeth and made the first move.

As they played, Elyse noticed that Belinda had been playing methodically, while Guadalupe's moves made no sense at all. She favored Belinda to begin with, so she didn't bother to observe the board. Instead, she turned to Desmond, saying to him with her eyes, "See? Belinda is the true well-bred daughter of a prestigious family."

Desmond, however, had no reaction at all.

Soon, both Belinda and Guadalupe had made several moves. Every time Belinda felt that she was about to win, Guadalupe always managed to stop her, and she couldn't help but feel a bit irritated. She told herself it was OK; after all, Guadalupe hadn't won either. At worst, it would be a draw.

She snorted deep down, finding it humiliating to reach a draw with Guadalupe.

"Your turn," Guadalupe said.

Belinda had already placed three pieces in an unnoticed corner. One more piece, and she'd win.

She pretended to be calm and placed a piece. Then she looked at Guadalupe, worried that Guadalupe would stop her again. To her relief, Guadalupe placed her piece somewhere else. Seeing this, she got carried away and shouted, "I won!"

Elyse immediately applauded, happy for her.

Yet, in the next second, Guadalupe started to pick up the pieces one by one slowly.

Only then did Elyse and Belinda see Guadalupe's pieces had formed a row of five.

Their faces turned pale at once.