MoboNovel Lite
Chapter 1
Anna Brown looked at the divorce papers on the table that her husband had already signed.
She looked in the direction of the window with tears in her eyes. Justin Salvador was standing there in the glow of the afternoon sun, looking as perfect and cold as a stone sculpture and emanating an oppressive vibe.
“I’ve signed the papers. You should sign them as soon as possible so that we can finalize the divorce before Rose comes home.”
Justin put his hands behind his back and said, without glancing at her, “Since we had a prenuptial agreement, there won’t be any issues with property division. But as compensation, I will give you an additional $20 million as well as the villa in the western suburbs. After all, I won’t be able to explain it to Grandpa if you leave without taking a cent.”
Anna was dumbstruck. “Does Grandpa know that you want to divorce me?”
“Grandpa’s opinion won’t affect my decision.”
Anna’s slender body shook, so she could only hold onto the edge of the table to stabilize herself. Tears streamed down her face as she asked, “Justin, can we please stay married?”
Finally, Justin turned around and looked at her doubtfully.
He pursed his thin lips and narrowed his dark eyes. His handsome face still made Anna’s heart skip a beat.
“Why?”
“Because I love you.”
Anna’s eyes were red and tearful. “Justin, I love you. I still want to be your wife even if you don’t have feelings for me…”
“I’ve had enough of this, Anna. A marriage without love is torture for me.”
Justin waved her off. He did not even have the patience to listen to her. “Our marriage was a mistake from the start. You knew that I was just fighting with Grandpa back then. You also knew that I liked Rose. I just couldn’t be with her back then for certain reasons. She’s coming back from Meridan soon, and I plan to marry her, so you have to leave now that our three-year contract period is up.”
Anna lowered her head. Large teardrops fell on the table, but she quickly wiped them away.
Justin noticed it, but he did not say a word.
At that moment, his phone rang. He quickly answered the call when he saw the name on the screen.
“Rose, have you boarded the plane yet?”
He had such a gentle tone that Anna wondered if it came from the same man who was so cold to her moments ago.
Rosalind Gold said in a cheery voice over the phone, “Justin, I’m already at the Savrow Airport.”
“What? Weren’t you supposed to get in tonight?”
“I wanted to surprise you!”
“Wait for me, Rose. I’ll pick you up now!”
After that, Justin left in a hurry.
When the door slammed shut, Anna felt heartbroken and abandoned.
She had sacrificed so much for the Salvadors and had devoted herself to Justin during their marriage.
In the end, he only thought of her decade-long crush and three years of marriage as torture.
Justin acted as if he had been released from serving a three-year prison sentence and hurriedly abandoned Anna at the first opportunity. This was so that he could marry his childhood sweetheart, Rosalind Gold, whom he had been longing for.
Anna was crushed and disheartened to find that she could not do anything to win over Justin’s heart.
She took a deep breath, smiled wryly, and shook her head. Her indignant tears smudged Justin’s beautiful signature on the divorce papers.
In the evening, Justin brought Rosalind back to Tideview Manor.
Justin, the second son of the affluent Salvador family, carried a demure woman in bridal style as he walked into the manor, attracting everyone’s attention.
“Justin, you’re not divorced yet, so we shouldn’t be so intimate. Otherwise, Anna will resent me if she sees us.” Rosalind rubbed Justin’s chest as she spoke softly.
“She won’t.”
Justin’s eyes turned cold as he said, “So what if she sees us? I don’t love her. She’s only my wife in name, so she should know her place.”
The Salvadors gathered around Rosalind and greeted her while Anna was setting the table in the dining room.
Justin caught a glimpse of his wife’s lonely figure and smirked, thinking, ‘How could Anna be so servile to my family? Did she think that doing so would make me change my mind about the divorce? How ridiculous!’
“Young Master Justin!” After a while, the butler ran over to Justin. “Young Madam just left!”
“She left? When?”
“Just now! She didn’t take anything with her. She just took off her apron and left through the back door. A black car picked her up.”
Justin hurried back to the bedroom, which was clean and tidy. He saw the signed and tear-stained divorce agreement on the bedside table.
He frowned and walked over to the window, just in time to see a black Rolls-Royce driving away from Tideview Manor. Soon, its taillights disappeared into the night.
Justin thought to himself, ‘Wasn’t she reluctant to leave in the afternoon? It looks like she can’t wait to leave right now!’
He felt that Anna had played him like a fool, so he took out his phone and called his secretary indignantly.
“Check whose car this belongs to. License plate number SA9999.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Five minutes later, Justin’s secretary called him back. “Mr. Salvador, I found out that the car with that license plate number belongs to the CEO of KS Group.”
KS Group’s CEO was the eldest son of the Thompson family, Asher.
Anna came from a small town. She was poor and did not have any connections. During the past three years, Justin noticed that Anna did not even have a social circle because all she did was stay at home. How did she manage to get acquainted with Asher Thompson?
Justin thought that Anna had already found herself a rebound guy.
“Mr. Salvador, did you bring up the divorce with the young madam today?” His secretary asked tentatively.
“Of course! Why would I drag it out?” Justin felt frustrated.
“Oh… But it’s the young madam’s birthday today.”
Justin was taken aback when he heard this.
In the back row of the black Rolls-Royce, Asher, the eldest son of the prestigious Thompson family, gently held Anna’s hand.
“Your second brother prepared a fireworks show for you tonight to celebrate your return.”
“I’m really not in the mood to watch fireworks.”
Anna resumed her identity as Bella Thompson, the heiress of the Thompson family. She leaned on her eldest brother’s shoulder and burst into tears.
She glanced at her old phone and read the last message she received, which was from Rosalind.
[You stole Justin from me. I told you that I’d make you give him up sooner or later. Justin is mine, so stop pestering him!]
She smiled tearfully with her eyes closed and came to a realization.
“What’s wrong? Do you still miss him after all he has done to you?” Asher hugged his sister in distress.
“Ash, it’s my birthday today…”
“I know. Justin is a jerk for choosing to divorce you today of all days.”
“That’s why I have no regrets. Justin just killed Anna Brown.”
When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer Anna Brown, the dutiful wife of Justin Salvador. Instead, she was once again Bella Thompson, the proud heiress of KS Group. This time, she would no longer be hung up on that man.
Bella said, “I’m over him. I’ll be damned if I ever go back to him.”
Chapter 2
Rosalind was Mrs. Salvador’s niece, so she stayed and enjoyed a nice family dinner with the Salvadors.
Justin was the only one with a frown. He had no appetite because Anna had left with Asher Thompson.
She did not even take anything with her, nor did she accept his $20 million compensation or the villa.
“Where’s Anna? Why didn’t she come down for dinner?” Gregory Salvador, Justin’s father, asked in surprise.
“We’ve already signed the divorce papers.” Justin lowered his eyes and replied, “I will finalize the divorce as soon as possible.”
Gregory was stunned. “Divorce? Why?!”
“Oh, Greg, I already told you a long time ago that Justin and Anna aren’t suited for each other. Your father was the one who forced them to get married.”
Justin’s stepmother, Shannon Quarry, sighed and continued, “That poor child has been suffering for three years. Now that she’s willing to let go of Justin, they could both live their own lives. This is actually a good thing for them. As you know, Justin has always been in love with Rose.”
“Justin, marriage is not child’s play. Anna is also…”
“Dad, we have signed the divorce papers, and Anna has already left.” Justin frowned in frustration.
“Wow, I didn’t expect that country bumpkin to have the backbone to leave.” Bethany Salvador, Justin’s half-sister, sneered. “Is she just trying to play the pity card? Will she go around saying that our family mistreated her?”
Justin was infuriated when he heard this.
“Justin, you’re too rash. Your grandfather is still ill. How are you going to explain this to him without aggravating him?” Gregory was afraid of angering his father and felt a little anxious.
“I’ll just tell Grandpa the truth. I will also publicly announce my marital news with Rose next month.”
Rosalind stared at the man’s handsome side profile, completely smitten.
“That’s absurd! Your reputation will be ruined if word gets out that you abandoned your wife of three years!”
“I never cared about my reputation, and I never loved Anna.” Justin was resolute. He showed no trace of regret.
“Uncle Greg, please don’t blame Justin. It’s all my fault.”
Rosalind leaned her head on Justin’s broad shoulders and added, “I shouldn’t have come back to Justin… I’ll go back to Meridan first thing tomorrow. Justin, you should get back together with Anna. I don’t want to be the one who breaks you up…”
“Rose, none of this is your fault.”
Justin’s eyes darkened as he held her slender hand and said, “Anna and I are over. You’ve been patient enough to wait for me for three years, so I won’t let you suffer for another day.”
The evening breeze was cool and rejuvenating.
Asher took Bella on a yacht on the Moon River to enjoy the city’s magnificent night view.
“Ash, are you trying to rub it in my face?!”
Bella looked at the couples around her, feeling dejected. “This is a popular dating spot! I don’t even dare to come here because of all the PDA.”
“Oh? Well, you can blame your second brother for that. He said that he would set off fireworks here at 8:00 p.m. sharp.”
Asher elegantly raised his wrist and looked at his watch. “Five, four, three, two, one…”
“Boom!”
A huge display of purple and red fireworks bloomed in the sky.
All the young couples on the deck gradually gathered on the riverbank.
“This is so lame.” Bella clicked her tongue and shook her head, but she was touched.
“Think about all the weird gifts you’ve received from him over the years. This is quite an improvement.”
Asher put an arm around his sister’s shoulder and gently pulled her closer. “You have more gifts piled up in your room. Bella, there are a lot of people who love and care about you, so you should focus on that instead.”
Bella suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her nose. She was touched by her brothers’ support.
At this moment, a black Maybach stopped on the roadside.
Justin took Rosalind’s hand and stepped out of the car. It was chilly at night, so Rosalind stuck to Justin’s chest.
“Wow, those fireworks are beautiful! Justin, look!”
Rosalind was always so cute and innocent in front of Justin, which was what he liked most about her.
On the other hand, Anna was plain boring. Justin did not like her at all.
In their past three years of marriage, the only advantage was her obedience and subservience.
But to Justin, that was not worth anything because he was in love with Rosalind.
Justin and Rosalind walked to the railing and saw that the fireworks formed the words “Happy Birthday!”.
“Oh, it’s someone’s birthday! I wonder who’s so lucky to get such a gift.” Rosalind sighed enviously.
Justin narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line. He felt a little frustrated.
It was Anna’s birthday. Did Asher prepare this fireworks show for her?
Suddenly, a familiar and pleasant voice reached Justin’s ears.
A yacht passed by in front of them, and Justin saw the outstanding couple that was standing on the deck. It was none other than Anna and Asher.
“Huh? Isn’t that Anna? Who is the man next to her? He looks really familiar. They also look very close,” Rosalind said innocently.
Justin’s face turned glum. The veins on the back of his hand were bulging from holding onto the railing too hard.
He thought, ‘I knew it! We haven’t finalized the divorce, but that woman couldn’t wait to run into another man’s arms! Why did she have to cry so pitifully this afternoon then?’
The yacht circled the bay twice and then docked at the shore.
After the crowd dispersed, Asher put an arm around Bella’s waist and led her down the steps.
“Anna Brown!”
Upon hearing that name, Bella’s body tensed up.
She looked back slowly and saw Justin striding toward her under the dim street lights. His handsome face still stunned her every time.
But even so, her 13 years of infatuation with him were over. Justin had completely broken her heart.
“Who is he?” Justin’s expression was cold and oppressive.
“Mr. Salvador, it seems like you have a poor memory.”
Asher hugged his sister tightly and smiled handsomely. “We’ve met more than once, being rivals in the industry.”
“Anna, answer my question.” Justin ignored Asher and pressed forward.
“We are divorced, Mr. Salvador. Who this gentleman is has nothing to do with you,” Bella retorted in a cold voice.
Justin looked shocked. He could not believe that the submissive Anna would talk to him in such an indifferent tone.
“We haven’t officially divorced yet, and you can’t wait to be with another man?”
Asher thought, ‘How could this jerk sound so righteous when he was the one who had an affair first?!’
Asher’s eyes darkened. Just as he was about to step forward, Bella stopped him.
Seeing this, Justin became more upset because she defended another man.
“Mr. Salvador, we’re not officially divorced yet, but you couldn’t wait to bring your sweetheart back home. I didn’t even say a word about that, so what right do you have to stop me from being with someone else?”
Bella’s black hair swayed in the wind. Her red lips curled up into a sneer, but she was so stunningly beautiful. Justin had never seen her so untamable and bold.
Bella continued, “Don’t you think that’s a double standard?”
Justin was rendered speechless.
Rosalind, who had lost track of Justin earlier, finally caught up. She was angry when she saw Justin with Anna, so she stomped on her high heels and accidentally sprained her ankle.
She fell to the ground and screamed. “Ah! Justin! My feet hurt so much!”
Justin returned to his senses and hurriedly turned around to help Rosalind get up from the ground.
When he turned back, Bella and Asher had already disappeared.
Chapter 3
The Rolls-Royce drove to Yara Park, which was the Thompson family’s residence in Hatchbay. The car stopped in the middle of the red carpet that was laid out at the front entrance. In the center stood Axel Thompson, Bella’s second brother. He opened the car door for Bella and greeted her.
“Welcome home, Princess!”
Bella looked stunning under the bright lights in the mansion. She had taken off her sneakers and changed into stilettos earlier in the car. When she got out of the car, she looked like a proud queen.
“Ax, how have you been?”
“I’m fine, but I’m feeling much better now that you’re back! Are the fireworks nice? My birthday gift for you has gone viral online!” Axel’s handsome face was filled with excitement.
“Yeah, I saw it. People are saying that you’re a filthy rich bastard trying to win over someone’s heart. That’s quite an achievement, huh?” Bella clapped her hands and smiled brightly at Axel.
Axel ignored her mockery and hugged her tightly.
“Bella, you won’t leave again, right?”
“Where else will I go now that I’m divorced?”
Bella patted her second brother’s back and sighed in relief. “Well, I’ve let everyone down. I thought I could win him over if I put all my effort into this marriage. But in the end, I failed miserably.”
Only God knew how devastated she was at the moment. She wanted to cry, but she held back.
Bella swore that she would never shed another tear for Justin after she left Tideview Manor because he was not worth it.
“That asshole! How dare he cheat on my sister?! I’ll start a thorough investigation on Salvador Corporation tomorrow and get your fourth brother to assassinate Justin when he’s free!”
When Asher heard this, he lowered his eyelids and said, “Amen.”
“Ax, don’t create trouble! You’re a public prosecutor!” Bella laughed bitterly. “Can you be a little more ‘peace and love’ like Ash?”
“What the fuck! Your eldest brother only became a saint after he stopped being a mobster!” Axel tugged on his tie angrily. “Anyway, I won’t let this go! I won’t stand by and watch Justin bully my sister. The Salvadors are on my radar now.”
Bella held Asher and Axel’s hands as she walked into the home she had not returned to in a long time.
When Wyatt Thompson, the chairman of KS Group, heard that his daughter was back, he could not hide his joy and paced around the study excitedly.
“Wyatt, I’m back!”
Bella walked into the study with her two brothers. She no longer had to act demure, like she did when she was living with the Salvadors. Now, she simply lay on the sofa, lifted her legs, and kicked off her high heels.
Asher sat down next to her and started to give his sister a foot rub.
“Can you sit properly? Did you join Doctors Without Borders or the militants?”
Wyatt deliberately kept a straight face. He was always at odds with Bella. He would miss her when she was not around, but when she was at home, he would always get agitated.
“Are you showing signs of Alzheimer’s? I used to sit like this all the time!”
Bella raised her eyelids and looked up at the wall. Her heart trembled when she saw the “poem” she had written more than ten years ago hanging there.
Unexpectedly, her father actually framed it.
The first line of the poem was: Were you trying to emulate Henry VIII with all your wives?
The second line was: Here’s hoping that your heart doesn’t go into overdrive!
The final line was: One day, you’ll pay your penance.
This was the wedding “gift” that Bella gave to her father when he got married for the third time.
Wyatt Thompson had four wives, which had become the talk of the town.
Bella was dissatisfied with her father’s polygyny, so she went abroad and joined Doctors Without Borders, helping the world in her own way.
“The first thing you do after three years of being out in the wild is curse me to get Alzheimer’s. How considerate of you!” Wyatt shouted angrily.
“Thanks for the compliment, Daddy!” Bella pretended not to understand Wyatt’s sarcasm and smiled sweetly at him.
“Dad, now that Bella is back, some things should be expedited.” Asher put on his sister’s shoes and said seriously, “I decided to give up my position as CEO of KS Group to Bella.”
Bella narrowed her eyes and stared at her eldest brother’s handsome side profile.
“You!” Wyatt was so angry that he did not know what to say for a moment.
“I only promised to run KS Group for 3 years. Now that the three-year period is up, I’m going back to the church. As you know, being a CEO isn’t my ambition. My lifelong dream is to become a pastor.” At this moment, Asher radiated such holiness and determination that his decision seemed unquestionable.
“Fine, if you don’t want to be CEO, then Ax can take over!” Wyatt was forced to choose his second son.
“No, no, no, no, no! I’m a public servant, so I can’t hold such positions in a conglomerate. Otherwise, I’ll get suspended!” Axel quickly deflected this responsibility. His face turned pale with fright.
Wyatt was vexed. What was the point of having so many sons if none of them were willing to take over the family business?
His health was deteriorating by the year, and he had long planned to retire. But none of his children were capable enough to inherit his business empire.
Wyatt had an old-fashioned belief that his heir should be one of his sons.
“Who says women are inferior to men? I will become the CEO!” Bella curled her red lips and raised her chin proudly.
“Do you think you can just be a CEO if you want to? Do you think this is child’s play? Will you be able to lead the company to success? Do you even know how to do business?”
Wyatt was a wise old man. He could barely hide his anger and disappointment. “Also, you’re temperamental! You disappear for years whenever you disagree with me! Do you know how worried your stepmother and I were? We thought you were blown to pieces at the border!”
Bella’s heart ached, and her eyes turned slightly red.
Even though she held a grudge against her father for being unfaithful to her mother, she still felt guilty for keeping her marriage to Justin a secret from him.
“Dad, Bella is just as capable as I am.”
Asher gracefully picked up a teacup and took a sip. “Do you still remember the financial turmoil our company faced four years ago? Bella was the one who proposed various effective control measures. Bella also pulled several all-nighters working on the Walter Group acquisition plan two years ago.”
Wyatt was surprised to hear this.
“Dad, in fact, Bella is the calmest and most resourceful person in our family. You’ve always had a reputation for hiring the right people, making good use of them, and recruiting talent. Why won’t you use a talent that is right in front of you now?” Axel also tried his best to persuade Wyatt.
Wyatt pondered for a while. Then he said in a resounding voice, “Fine. Bella, if you want to run the company, then you’ll have to pass my test. Consider this your birthday gift from me!”
Bella sat up straight, and her charming eyes lit up.
“You can take a few days off before you report to work at the KS World Hotel in Savrow next week. If you can revamp the hotel within six months and make it profitable, I will consider making you the CEO of KS Group!”
When the Thompson siblings came out of the study, Asher and Axel immediately placed their hands on Bella’s shoulders.
Asher said, “God only gives big responsibilities to great people.”
“Well, I guess you’ll have to clean up that mess of a hotel first.” Axel sighed.
“I know. That old geezer is just trying every possible way to make me back down, but it’s a pity that his tricks won’t work on me. I’m like a diamond that forms beautifully under pressure!” Bella clenched her fists. Her ambition, which had been hibernating for the past three years, was finally awakened.
Her brothers looked at each other and smiled.
“Great! We’re counting on you to grant us our freedom!”