Sign the Papers, Mr. Stewart

"Ms. Turner, your cancer has spread to an advanced stage. You need to start chemotherapy as soon as possible."

In the hospital corridor, the cold white light overhead made Elodie Turner feel dizzy.

She clutched the lab report, standing frozen for a long moment. Then, on autopilot, she pulled out her phone and dialed the number she knew by heart.

Busy signal. Busy signal. Again, busy signal.

On the seventh try, the call finally went through.

"Mrs. Stewart, can I help you?" The secretary's voice dripped with arrogance, as if she were dismissing a beggar.

"Where's Adrian?" Elodie's voice came out so dry and brittle she could barely push the words out.

"Mr. Stewart is very busy." The secretary sounded annoyed. In the background, faintly, a woman's laughter drifted through the line. "If you have something to say, you can tell me."

Elodie's chest tightened. Her hand trembled as she squeezed the lab report. "I'm sick. I need money for treatment. Could you deposit a hundred thousand dollars into my account?"

"A hundred thousand?" The secretary let out a short laugh, as if Elodie had just told the funniest joke she'd heard all week. "Mrs. Stewart, you certainly have expensive taste in illnesses now. But you know the rules. Any expense over five thousand dollars requires a written request in advance. If you want the money, follow the procedure."

"Wait—"

Click. Dial tone.

Elodie stood in the crowded hospital corridor, the lab report in her hand reading like a death sentence. A wave of absurdity washed over her.

Five years married to Adrian, and she, Mrs. Stewart, had lived a life worse than a maid.

A maid at least got paid. She couldn't even spend five thousand dollars without begging for permission. The meager allowance she got — when he was in a good mood, it came; when he wasn't, nothing.

She'd swallowed it all before. But today—

She looked down at the report. The word "advanced" burned into her eyes, stinging until they blurred.

She couldn't swallow this one.

Lowering her eyes, Elodie blocked the secretary's number. As she walked out of the hospital, her phone suddenly lit up with several glaring news alerts:

#Shocking! Adrian spotted with mysterious woman at The Grandview Hotel, suspected affair!

#Adrian's marriage in trouble! Spending big money at auction for love.

#Identity of mysterious woman in white dress revealed!

In every article of gossip, the man who hadn't been home in nearly half a month appeared at various events. What they had in common was that he was always accompanied by a fragile-looking woman in a white dress, and his face wore a tenderness Elodie had never seen before.

No wonder she could never reach him these past few days—he was busy keeping another woman company.

An indescribable bitterness spread through her heart as Elodie took a cab and left.

On her way back, her phone suddenly vibrated, Adrian's name flashing on the screen.

"I heard you want money to see a doctor?" Adrian's tone was distant.

Elodie's eyelashes trembled slightly. Before she could speak, he had already issued his command. "The Grandview Hotel parking lot, get here within half an hour. And bring me a clean set of clothes."

She had no room to refuse. He finished speaking casually and hung up again.

The pain in her stomach seemed to be pulled by this cold dial tone, throbbing with each beat. Elodie swallowed two painkillers, went home to fetch clothes, and headed to The Grandview Hotel.

As soon as she arrived at the parking lot, she spotted the black Maybach. The license plate had five 8s—the only one in Harbor City, owned by Adrian.

Elodie walked over and knocked on the window. The window lowered halfway, revealing the man she hadn't seen in days.

His well-tailored white shirt outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He was casually supporting his forehead with one hand, two buttons undone at the collar, revealing his sexy collarbone.

And on that collar... was a faint lipstick mark.

Even though she was mentally prepared, Elodie's heart felt pierced sharply.

"You're here?" Adrian's voice was cold. "Good timing. There are some annoying reporters outside, go deal with them."

He lit a cigarette and said disdainfully, "They're saying nasty things and Chloe is upset. Make sure you teach those reporters a lesson."

Elodie felt cold all over. She clenched her fists, her voice trembling. "How do you want me to handle it?"

Adrian frowned, his eyes darkening. "You're the Chief Legal Officer of the Stewart Group. Do I need to teach you how to handle something this simple? Sue who needs to be sued, and warn who needs to be warned. I won't allow any negative comments about Chloe to spread."

Elodie felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head.

She looked at this man — the man she had been married to for five years — and asked, one word at a time."You mean... you want me to step forward and protect the reputation of a homewrecker who destroyed my marriage?"

Adrian's expression turned cold. "Elodie, know your place. You know perfectly well how our marriage came about. Stop pretending in front of me."

Elodie's face turned pale, her stomach churning with pain.

"Mr. Stewart is right." She lifted her head, a faint smile on her pale lips. "I really have no right. However, I'm afraid I can't handle this job. Please find someone else."

She handed the clothes through the car window, her eyes calm.

Adrian's eyes grew icy. "Elodie, are you throwing a tantrum with me?"

Elodie found it laughable. How could she have the right to do so?

"You misunderstand." Her eyes reflected the man's stern face. "I just... don't want to do it anymore."

She put down the clothes and was about to turn away when a strong force suddenly grabbed her wrist and forcibly dragged her into the car!

"What are you doing?!"

Before she could resist, Adrian's tall body was already pressing down on her. Mixed with the familiar woody scent was a sickly sweet fragrance that made Elodie's stomach churn.

Adrian easily controlled her, his casual voice carrying malicious teasing: "Jealous?"

The man's chiseled face enlarged before her eyes, the perfunctory attitude and desire for control in his eyes plain to see. "My family has been pushing us to have a child lately. Why don't we make one today."

His calloused fingertips explored beneath her clothes despite her resistance, expertly finding her sensitive spots. After years of marriage, he knew too well how to make her go weak instantly.

Elodie's mind went blank.

How could he... how dare he touch her after being with another woman, still wearing her perfume?!

"Adrian, let me go!"

Elodie struggled desperately, her light blue sweater pulled into disarray, her pale face with eyes reddened from anger, making her resemble a frightened prey.

Her appearance didn't make Adrian stop. Instead, the desire in his eyes grew stronger.

"Stop pretending," he snorted coldly. "You used to chase after me every day wanting a child. Now I'm giving you what you want, and you're refusing? Elodie, playing hard to get doesn't work on me."

No! She didn't want it! She didn't want anything anymore!

Elodie almost lost her mind, pushing him away purely on instinct. But the difference in strength between men and women was too great. Adrian said no more, simply pinning her hand and forcibly taking her.

She cried out in pain, tears falling on the leather seats, her thoughts sinking into a dark void.

This one-sided torment lasted an eternity.

When it ended, Elodie, like a drowning person who had barely survived, frantically pushed open the car door to escape.

"Aren't you afraid of going out dressed like that? What if you're laughed at?" Adrian grabbed her.

Elodie looked down and realized her clothes had been torn half to shreds, the exposed skin covered with suggestive red marks. Anyone could tell what had just happened in the car.

She bit her lip and said nothing, stubbornly trying to leave.

"Stop it!"

Adrian frowned, forcibly draping his suit jacket over her shoulders.

Before Elodie could push it away, a blinding white light suddenly flashed before her eyes.

She instinctively raised her hand to shield herself, only to see countless media reporters emerge from some corner, instantly surrounding her.