Chapter 8 They Are Divorced!

• The next morning, Rachel woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She grabbed her head in pain, feeling the effects of a terrible headache.
• "Rachel, the company is in chaos. Where are you? Why aren't you here? Rachel, say something..." It was Naomi Peay, Rachel's co-founder and partner in their company, as well as her best friend.
• Rachel's mouth felt dry, and she didn't know what to say. Despite the bright sun outside, her company was now engulfed in darkness.
• She hung up the phone and buried her head in her pillows.
• ...
• Mabel, holding a basket, was chatting with Alice.
• When Mabel brought up the "blind date" between Jerry and Rachel, Alice suddenly changed the subject. She mentioned that she had to go back home because relatives were coming, using it as an excuse.
• Mabel didn't know what to say. Alice was always talkative, but when it came to their children's plans, she became serious.
• As Mabel was still bothered by this, someone shouted at her.
• "Aunty Mabel!"
• It was a woman. Mabel squinted and saw that it was Naomi, the general manager of Silverdreams Corporation.
• "Hey, look who's here! Come in, but I don't think Rachel is awake yet. I was out buying groceries..."
• Mabel and Naomi entered their home, and Naomi immediately rushed to Rachel's room.
• "Rachel, why didn't you answer my call? What's going on?"
• Rachel propped her head up with her palms, clearly in pain. "I drank too much last night. I feel strange all over..."
• Naomi placed her hands on Rachel's forehead and felt the heat. "You have a fever... It must be because of the dire situation in our company. The higher-ups are leaving one by one, making our situation worse. What should we do next?"
• Naomi sat down next to Rachel, feeling defeated. She took a headache pill from a nearby drawer and gave it to Rachel.
• Mabel overheard their conversation as she passed by Rachel's room. She called out Naomi's name.
• "Naomi, I heard Rachel say that the company is going bankrupt. Is that true?"
• Suddenly, someone banged on the door. Hunter emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes and complaining, "You guys are so noisy! This isn't your office! I can't take it anymore. Get out before I do something!"
• Naomi couldn't stand Hunter's indifference. She snapped at him, "Things are desperate now. You better show some concern, or else it will be bad for you too if the company shuts down."
• Hunter remembered Rachel saying the same thing, so he didn't expect it to be true. He grabbed Mabel and yelled, "Mom, make Rachel do something!"
• Naomi gave Hunter a disdainful look, then turned to Mabel.
• "Aunty Mabel, our situation is even worse than what I just mentioned. Phoenixhive Group decided to withdraw their investment, which is our biggest loss..."
• Mabel was shocked to hear this. It was beyond her expectations.
• "Even if Phoenixhive Group stopped cooperating with us, we are a successful business in Sweodal. We should have other clients who will support us, and our revenue should keep us afloat! We can't be on the verge of bankruptcy!" Mabel grabbed Naomi's shirt and shouted.
• Naomi crossed her arms and sighed. "Don't even talk about other companies. On the surface, it seems like there are many emerging companies in Sweodal, but everyone knows that Phoenixhive controls everything!"
• "Most companies are loyal to Phoenixhive. In one way or another, they have benefited from the industry leader. So when Phoenixhive cut ties with us, the other companies sided with them. We are completely boycotted and isolated..."
• Naomi shook her head helplessly. Silverdreams had never faced such a difficult problem before.
• Mabel stood frozen in the middle of the living room, racking her brain. There must be something about this situation that she was missing.
• Based on Rachel's description, Victor was the one who reminded Rachel to check the email from Phoenixhive about collaboration. Following that train of thought, Victor might be the connection between Silverdream and Phoenixhive.
• The moment Rachel and Victor broke up, Phoenixhive withdrew its investment, causing Silverdream to suffer. It was too much of a coincidence.
• "Aunty Mabel, did something come to mind?" Naomi asked.
• "No, I'm just letting my thoughts wander. I'm not in the business field, so don't ask for my opinion..." Mabel waved her hand dismissively.
• Mabel reaffirmed her belief that Victor was nothing more than a useless person. She couldn't even consider the possibility that he might be more than that.
• "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know!"
• "If the company really goes bankrupt, the shareholders can leave the board, although they will suffer losses. But, Aunty Mabel, you will lose your car, house, and everything valuable. The bank will seize them and sell them at auction to pay off the debt. It's not as simple as it seems!"
• When Hunter heard Naomi's warning, he shook Mabel vigorously and shouted, "Mom, just tell us if you know anything! I still want that BMW 7 Series!"
• Naomi's words jolted Mabel awake. She had just started to enjoy her life and have a better relationship with her son. She never wanted to go back to the dark days of renting a rundown place in the slums.
• Rachel overheard their conversation from her room. She coughed a few times and said, "I know who helped our company back then!"
• "Who?" Naomi rushed to Rachel's room anxiously.
• "It's Victor..."
• Hunter burst into laughter, unable to contain himself.
• "What? How is that possible? He's just a useless guy who only knows how to do household chores! And you're saying that he knows someone in Phoenixhive? You must be dreaming!"
• "That clueless guy only knows how to do small tasks like repairing toilet bowls and such. He knows nothing about business!"
• Naomi turned her gaze back to Rachel, and she saw Rachel nodding solemnly. Rachel would never joke at a time like this. Naomi was starting to trust her words.
• It was their only way out of this situation.
• Naomi grabbed Rachel's arm. "If it really is Victor, things would be easier. If Victor has the ability to influence important people in Phoenixhive and secure large projects for us, then that person must be powerful. If Victor can reconnect with that person, they could completely turn this bad situation around!"
• Naomi flipped her short hair. Suddenly, she felt hopeful.
• Mabel and Rachel both stared at the floor. They couldn't say a word for a long time.
• Hunter thought these women were crazy. He would never believe that Victor could do something so amazing, even if he were the last man on Earth.
• Mabel remained skeptical. If Victor truly knew a high-ranking employee at Phoenixhive and had extensive connections, he could easily secure a good job through those connections. So why would he need to worm his way into the Holden family?
• In fact, Naomi had the same concern.
• If Victor was indeed the one who connected them to Phoenixhive, he must be hiding some real secrets. However, she didn't have time to entertain such thoughts. She needed to resolve the crisis at hand.
• Rachel suddenly remembered what Gabrielle had said when they were at the Mini Pearl Cafe. She had mentioned that Victor was willing to lower himself and become part of the Holden family because he loved Rachel so much.
• "Wait a minute, where's Victor? Why didn't I see your obedient husband around?" Naomi scanned the living room but saw no sign of him.
• Normally, when Naomi visited, Victor would serve her tea and fruit. He would do the housework without complaining. Naomi used to tease that Victor was the perfect house-husband.
• "They're divorced!" Hunter exclaimed.
• "What?" Naomi was completely shocked.
• "He only married into the Holden family because he had nothing to his name, not even a place to live. How did he have the courage to file for divorce?" Naomi's eyes widened as she gasped.
• Rachel didn't want to discuss this. The divorce was final. It couldn't be undone.
• "What do we do now? If you're divorced from him, I wonder if he would still help us." Naomi felt her hope fading.
• She glanced at Mabel. Mabel was in her sixties and always wore heavy makeup to hide her true age. Despite trying to present herself well, she was a petty woman.
• Mabel never held back when insulting Victor.
• And it happened everywhere. Victor must have had it even worse.
• On the other hand, Hunter only knew how to enjoy himself without a care in the world. If Mabel was the main instigator in driving a wedge into Rachel's marriage, Hunter was definitely an accomplice!
• They needed to take responsibility for their past actions!
• "Aunty Mabel, you're an elder. If you go see Victor now, he will show you some respect!" Naomi forced a smile.
• "What? I won't see that idiot!" Mabel wore a disdainful expression as she waved her hand dismissively.
• "No one is better suited to convince Victor to put in a good word with someone in Phoenixhive than Aunty Mabel!" Naomi insisted.
• "I... I don't know about this. You should handle it yourself..." Mabel replied and tried to leave, but Naomi pulled her back.
• Rachel began to cough uncontrollably. Naomi tried to pat her back to ease the coughing.
• "If things get worse, we'll have to shut down the company. The house and cars will be used as collateral, and everything will be auctioned off. There's no other way."
• Mabel started to feel nervous upon hearing the threat. "Fine, I'll go. I'll go..."