Chapter 2 Withdrawing The Investment

• The sky was cloudy outside.
• Victor stood on the balcony of his office at the Phoenixhive Group headquarters, gazing into the distance with deeply furrowed brows. Conflicting emotions surged through his heart.
• Although he appeared to be an ordinary man who had married into the Holden family, he was also the sole heir to a family of doctors who had chosen to lie low.
• In the past, things had been incredibly difficult. His father had passed away due to his uncle's scheme. To protect Victor from the ensuing conflicts, one of his father's closest aides had hidden him at Sweodal University, posing as a poor student.
• It was during this period that he had met Rachel, and their relationship had blossomed into years of marriage.
• However, fate had a peculiar way of working.
• His uncle, bedridden with a terminal illness and without any children to inherit his fortune, had no choice but to beg Victor to return and take over the multi-billion dollar family business.
• Victor had agreed to the challenge in order to preserve his father's legacy.
• However, he had not officially announced his ownership of the business because he wanted to stay with Rachel.
• He had always held their marriage in high regard, but in retrospect, it was all a lie.
• No matter how much love he had for her, she had already shattered his heart into a million pieces.
• Victor stared at the darkening sky and took a sip from a glass of red wine.
• Suddenly, he heard the sound of high heels clacking on the wooden floor. It was Margot Dunn, his secretary, bringing in a tray of delicately arranged fruits.
• "Mr. Frost, what do you think of my artistry?" Margot smiled and said, "I specially cut and arranged these fruits for you. Perhaps I've been holding the knife for too long, my hand is a bit sore now..."
• Victor glanced at the fruit tray and noticed the refreshing arrangement. He thanked her, saying, "Thank you!"
• Margot had attended the same university as him. She used to be part of the dance club, and her years of training had given her a voluptuous figure and a unique charisma compared to other girls.
• During their university days, Margot and Rachel had been the most admired and beautiful girls. However, Victor had never gotten to know Margot well due to their different social circles.
• After graduation, Margot had applied for a position at Phoenixhive Group.
• Upon learning that Victor was the sole heir to the company, she had secretly planned to climb the corporate ladder in order to become his secretary. She had finally witnessed the day Victor officially took over the company, which made her heart leap with joy.
• Although it was unfortunate that he was married to Rachel, Margot still wanted to get closer to him. She would be foolish to let go of someone as valuable as him.
• She even secretly fantasized about becoming his mistress one day.
• Margot wore a red one-piece dress that accentuated her alluring cleavage. Seeing that Victor was lost in thought, she decided to feed him some fruits.
• "Try it. I specifically chose this pomelo for you..."
• Victor glanced at the fruit and his eyes darkened. "No thanks, I'm not in the mood..."
• "What's wrong? Mr. Frost, you seem troubled. Did you have a fight with your wife? It's normal for couples to quarrel sometimes. The important thing is to make up with each other at the end of the day..." Margot glanced at him with a hint of envy in her eyes.
• Victor sighed. It seemed she could see through his worries.
• "It's not just a fight. Our marriage is falling apart. Both she and her mother think I'm useless!"
• Victor coughed dryly before taking another sip of wine.
• Margot couldn't believe what she was hearing. She blinked at him, her expression blank.
• Victor, standing at six feet tall with striking features, looked like any other successful man.
• In addition to his looks, his wealth was something to be desired. Furthermore, Phoenixhive Group was a major investor in Sweodal, with heavy investments in four key sectors of the city.
• Margot had always thought Rachel was incredibly lucky to be married to Victor. But according to Victor's words, Rachel looked down on him.
• "Mr. Frost, are you joking? With your background, shouldn't it be the Holdens who should admire you?" Margot spread her palms, unable to believe what she had just heard.
• Victor emptied his glass and asked Margot to refill it.
• "Rachel doesn't know my true identity. I never got around to telling her..."
• Victor was already tipsy, and he began to ramble. "I didn't want my identity to complicate her life, so I kept it hidden from her..."
• "In our three years of marriage, she has changed. She started criticizing me, and her mother was the source of it all. We've had countless fights, and it has ultimately led to the end of our marriage!"
• Margot ventured, "You should try to comfort her. That's how women are, you know..."
• "It's not that simple. Our marriage is over."
• "Mr. Frost, are you saying she's divorcing you?"
• Victor nodded and took the last sip of his wine. The alcohol was numbing the pain in his broken heart.
• Margot could hardly contain her excitement. She looked up at him with fluttering eyes and said, "As the CEO, you can't be seen without beautiful women by your side. Look at me. Do you think I'm qualified to be your woman?"
• Margot gazed at Victor with admiration and subtly leaned her head on his shoulder.
• "I'm tired. Let's call it a day..." Victor abruptly turned around and left.
• Margot stood on the balcony, staring at the untouched fruit tray. Loneliness began to fill her heart.
• ...
• At ten in the morning, the Civil Affairs Bureau certified two copies of the divorce certificates and handed them to both Victor and Rachel.
• Victor snatched his copy of the divorce certificate and turned to leave.
• As he reached the door, he turned around and met Rachel's gaze.
• They had once been deeply in love. But now, this was their ending. It was infused with sorrow and disappointment.
• "Victor, what are your plans moving forward?" Rachel struggled to initiate the conversation.
• Up until this moment, she couldn't help but resent Victor.
• She resented him for lacking ambition. She resented him for not supporting her career.
• She resented him for constantly angering her mother.
• She felt overwhelmed with helplessness whenever she saw her friends with capable husbands.
• She couldn't wait to break free from her shackles.
• However, in this particular moment when their separation would become final, she felt a strange throbbing in her heart.
• She finally realized that Victor no longer provided her with comfort like before. A sour feeling rushed to her head. It felt like she had lost something precious.
• "From now on, I want nothing to do with you. We are parting ways here!" Victor responded coldly.
• Rachel wanted to ask more, but she noticed a tall woman approaching him. She was heavily made up and exuded a wild and sexy aura.
• "Victor, I've been waiting for you for so long! Come here!" the woman, Margot, called out.
• Rachel squinted and recognized Margot, who was once the talk of the town during their university days. It had been ages since she last saw Margot.
• "Hey, Rachel, long time no see!" Margot greeted, linking her arms with Victor's.
• It was summer. Margot took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off Victor's forehead.
• Rachel forced an awkward smile and asked, "Why are you two together?"
• As she witnessed Margot's intimate behavior with Victor, a clear suspicion formed in her mind. However, she wasn't ready to admit it just yet.
• Victor decided to take advantage of the situation and didn't push Margot away.
• "Rachel, I want to announce that from this moment on, Margot is my girlfriend!"
• Margot smirked, "In your eyes, he is useless, but in mine, he is the most capable and successful man in the world."
• "Rachel, I thank you for passing him on to me. At the same time, I feel sorry for you. You will never know how great of a man he is!"
• Margot openly declared her close relationship with Victor as she leaned against his chest. They looked like a happy couple, and she wore a satisfied expression.
• "Victor, let's go!"
• They turned around and left. Rachel couldn't help but feel a deep sense of loneliness filling her heart.
• After her father passed away, she had to take care of her mother. Victor had helped her through that difficult time, which led Rachel to take advantage of his kindness for her own benefit. That's what led to their marriage.
• Since then, she had been eager to find an excuse to leave Victor whenever they had a big fight.
• Now, holding her divorce certificate, she should have felt the utmost happiness. However, she somehow wanted Victor to turn around and have a look at her one last time.
• That would mean that all hope wasn't lost. That would mean that their situation was salvageable. But Victor disappeared like the wind around the corner of the building.
• Her divorce certificate slipped from her hands, and the wind rustled the pages. The portrait with her smiling face couldn't hide the loneliness apparent on her face.
• ...
• It was now two in the afternoon, and the medical department of Phoenixhive Group was hosting an investment conference.
• The host of the ceremony was none other than Victor's cousin, Eileen Frost.
• She was also the general manager of the company.
• "Ms. Frost, our contract with Silverdream Corporation ended at the end of the first quarter. We have cleared the outstanding amount, and they are requesting a pre-payment of ten million dollars for the upcoming second quarter..."
• "Silverdream..." Eileen glanced at Victor, who was seated at the CEO's table.
• Silverdream Corporation was actually Rachel's company.
• For the past two years, Victor had been instructed to assign the most profitable projects to Silverdream Corporation.
• That's what made Rachel's company grow. It could even rival some family businesses in the city.
• "What do you think, Mr. Frost?" Eileen asked.
• Victor's fingers intertwined, and his elbows rested heavily on the table.
• "Wire them the pre-payment along with the outstanding amount. This is the last time we will help them!"
• Then Victor stormed out of the room, leaving the meeting in Eileen's hands.
• Eileen wanted to stop Victor from leaving, but she also received news of Victor's divorce. She couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness.
• Eileen was Victor's closest family member. When internal conflicts arose in the past, she risked her life to protect Victor. At that time, Victor was only seventeen, while she was twenty.
• Eileen knew the truth about Victor's marriage to Rachel. Victor had essentially abandoned his background and suffered greatly while living with the Holdens.
• Victor's love for Rachel blinded him. He even fought with Eileen multiple times over company matters.
• He even hid his true identity as the powerful CEO of a large corporation just to be with the Holdens. It was truly humiliating.
• Eileen wished for her cousin's eternal happiness, but instead, he was rejected by that despicable family!
• Eileen flipped her hair and slammed the table. "Listen up, finance department. We will withdraw all investments from Silverdream Corporation. We won't invest a single penny in them!"
• "But you heard the CEO earlier..."
• "Just do as I say. That's all for today! Meeting adjourned."