Chapter 4

{Diana POV}

"What wedding? We're done."

Bella went silent on the other end.

I didn't push her. I went back to eating.

Then I heard a loud bang.

Bella had slammed her fist on something.

"Good! Diana, you're a daughter of the York family. What did you turn yourself into for him? You wake up before dawn to cook him oatmeal. His stomach's sensitive, sure—but how hard is it to order food? Why do you have to bend over backward like that?"

"I've been sick of it for ages! Who does Robert think he is? He came from nothing. If you hadn't given up your inheritance to help him start his business—if you hadn't given him seed money—would he be where he is today? Now that he's made it, he doesn't respect you anymore? Break up with him! Cancel the wedding! Let him regret it for the rest of his life!"

Bella's voice climbed higher with every sentence.

"So. Are you going to help me or not?"

"Help? Of course I'll help! Apex Global Enterprises is on the rise. Your shares will sell for a good price. I'll start clearing everything the second I'm back. But here's the thing—you can't just sell your shares whenever you want. Robert's the second-largest shareholder. If you want to transfer your shares, the first right of refusal goes to internal shareholders. That means you need Robert's signed consent."

I went quiet.

With Robert's current net worth, buying out my shares would be nothing.

But why should I make things easy for him?

"I'll be back in two days. Get it done before then."

"Got it."

I hung up. I felt stuck.

Getting Robert to agree to transfer the shares? Impossible.

I had to find another way.

After a moment of thought, I changed clothes, grabbed my keys, and drove straight to Apex Global Enterprises.

On the way, I went over every possible strategy to force him to sign.

When I walked into the marketing department, I saw Cleo scolding one of my team members.

"I don't care how Ms. York arranged things before. I'm in charge of this project now. Everyone drops what they're doing and focuses on helping me move this forward."

Cleo ordered everyone to revise the proposal data.

When someone tried to object, she shut them down without even listening.

The entire team looked miserable.

Once Cleo finished barking orders, she noticed no one had moved. Her face darkened.

"What are you all standing around for? Waiting for me to do it for you?"

No one dared speak.

I laughed.

"Such authority, Ms. Green."

Everyone turned to look at me.

Several department heads rushed over to complain.

"Ms. York, thank God you're here! Ms. Green is forcing us to change the proposal. It won't work if we do!"

"Yeah, she's making our team stop all our projects to help her. It's going to cause chaos!"

Once one person spoke up, others followed. The room erupted into chaos.

Cleo's face turned ugly. She tried to scold them, but no one paid attention.

I raised my hand. The room quieted down.

I looked at Cleo calmly, a cold smile on my lips.

"Ms. Green, you're welcome to run your project however you want. I have no problem with that. But ordering everyone to stop their work to help you? That'll shut down the entire marketing department. Do you understand that?"

Cleo looked flustered.

Robert wasn't around. She didn't bother pretending. She brought out her trump card.

"This was Mr. Hamilton's decision. Are you questioning him?"

I kept smiling. My voice turned icy.

"I don't know what orders Mr. Hamilton gave. I don't care how you run your project. But don't come into my department and boss people around. Get out."

My sudden outburst startled everyone.

I'd been running the marketing department for five years. I almost never lost my temper. I was known for being easygoing.

Cleo was even more shocked. She hadn't expected this calm, composed woman to publicly humiliate her.

She ran out crying, throwing one last line over her shoulder.

"You'll regret this."

I sneered. I didn't care.

The team looked uncertain. No one dared speak.

I immediately softened my tone. "Get back to work."

Everyone scattered.

I returned to my office. My assistant, Megan Wilson, followed me in, looking worried.

"Ms. York, are you okay?"

I smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Megan hesitated.

Rumors had been circulating around the company recently. Mr. Hamilton was giving Cleo's project special attention. He was treating her exceptionally well.

Some even said Cleo was Robert's new lover.

Apex Global Enterprises was built by Robert and me. We'd been together for years. Our wedding was a month away. And now he had someone else.

Some people called Robert a scumbag behind his back. Others called Cleo a homewrecker. And some were just waiting to watch me fall apart.

Megan felt sorry for me. She said softly, "Cleo is out of line. She's incompetent and loves bossing people around. Don't let her get to you. Don't get upset."

I smiled faintly. The smile tasted bitter.

"You mean Robert's protecting her. If I push back, I'll be the one who loses. Right?"

Megan said nothing.

That was the reality. Robert was infatuated with his new lover. Fighting head-on would get me nowhere.

I poured myself a glass of water and sipped it slowly.

"Cleo's probably running to Robert to complain right now. What do you think he'll do?"

"I don't know what Mr. Hamilton will do. But he'll definitely comfort Cleo… I just don't know if he'll scold you for her sake."

I didn't respond.

Scold me? That would be the least of it.

When a man has a new lover, he doesn't care about old feelings.