Chapter 175 Agree to Divorce
"Yes!" Although surprised, the two quickly agreed.
Steven continued to remind them, "And keep it to yourselves that I live here. Don't go blabbing about it at the company."
He knew very well that if the female employees at the company found out where he lived, some of them would definitely show up every few days for "chance encounters." Just thinking about that scene gave him a headache. Already at the company, every time he walked through the hallway or went to the gym, female employees would inexplicably faint, which really frustrated him.
"Yes!" The two quickly responded again.
Soon, Steven brought them to his front door. He pressed his fingerprint, and the door opened.
The aroma of food wafted out, and a gentle female voice came from the kitchen, "Hello."
The kitchen was right by the entrance, and Nora saw them through the glass door.
"Hello!" The two accountants nervously greeted her, their hands trembling as they changed their shoes.
Steven glanced at them and frowned, reminding them, "Calm down."
These two looked even more nervous than when they first joined the company, as if they might bolt at any moment.
Actually, they really didn't want to come to Steven's home. Every step felt like treading on thin ice, terrified that one misstep might offend Steven or displease his wife.
"I made dinner. Why don't you eat something before you get to work?" Nora knew they were coming and had specially prepared a nice dinner, feeling a bit bad about troubling them.
"No need, no need." The two waved their hands repeatedly, eager to finish quickly and leave.
"It's fine, I made it anyway. I just made extra portions for you tonight." Nora smiled as she brought the last soup dish to the table.
The table had five dishes and a soup—the atmosphere was like hosting guests for dinner.
Seeing Nora being so hospitable, Steven didn't want her kindness to go to waste, so he told the two accountants, "Stay for dinner then."
Nora didn't like owing favors and was always very thoughtful.
"Okay... okay." The two accountants had no choice but to sit down reluctantly, holding their utensils, their whole bodies tense.
"Go ahead and eat. It's just home cooking, don't be nervous." Seeing them still trembling, Nora asked with concern, "Are you cold? Should I close the balcony door?"
"No need, no need!" The two quickly waved their hands, becoming even more nervous.
Nora was baffled. Why were these two acting like they'd seen a ghost? Getting this nervous over a simple meal?
"What's wrong with them? Why aren't they eating?" she asked Steven quietly.
A hint of helplessness flashed in Steven's eyes as he said softly, "Eat quickly."
"Yes!" The two immediately lowered their heads and shoveled food into their mouths as if in a race.
"Have some more dishes," Nora continued to urge them.
"No need, Mrs. York. You don't need to worry about us," the two said nervously.
Nora thought they were really strange, getting this nervous over a meal. Last time James came over, he was like this too, but Chris and Alton had been quite natural.
"Where's Olivia? Isn't she coming out to eat?" Steven asked Nora.
"She's asleep." Nora looked back. "I saved some food for Olivia in the kitchen. She can eat when she wakes up."
After dinner, the two accountants started working on the inventory lists.
Steven habitually headed for the study, but Nora quickly stopped him. "What are you doing? You asked friends to come help, and you're going to run off to the study?"
"What's wrong with that?" Steven didn't immediately understand.
"That's so rude!" Nora lowered her voice. "They're here helping you, and you're just going to leave?"
Steven finally realized and nodded. "Then I'll get my laptop."
So Steven sat in the living room with his laptop, quietly working on the side. The two accountants became even more nervous, feeling like students being watched by a teacher during an exam—every second was torture.
Nora brought out a plate of fruit. "Have some fruit, get some vitamins."
"Thank you, thank you!" The two thanked her repeatedly.
Steven said to Nora, "You can go to the bedroom and do your thing. I'll handle things here."
"Okay. If you get thirsty, just say so. Should I order you some coffee?"
"No need!" The two shook their heads vigorously, wishing they could finish and leave as soon as possible.
Seeing they didn't want anything, Nora stopped bothering them and went to the master bedroom to take her online class.
Around ten o'clock, Olivia came to Nora's room. "Who are those two people outside?"
"Steven's friends are accountants. They're here to help calculate the bills for Apex Technologies Corporation." Nora answered while taking her online class.
Olivia felt touched, and her emotions had calmed down considerably. She said sincerely, "Thank you both."
"Actually, Steven's doing all the work. I haven't done much." Nora smiled.
"Steven is really great." Olivia sat beside her.
"Olivia, I left food for you in the kitchen, next to the microwave. Heat it up if it's cold."
"I already ate, just finished before coming over." Olivia looked at the computer screen. "Is your online store ready?"
"Pretty much. All the documents are uploaded and under review now. Once approved, I can open for business."
Olivia nodded. "If things go smoothly, I should be able to divorce Willie in the next few days. Then we'll see how much money I can get from the settlement, and we can rent an office space together, okay?"
"Sounds good." Nora nodded.
Olivia continued, "This Sunday I'm planning to go look for a place to rent. It's not good to keep staying at your place."
"It's fine. It's just Steven and me anyway, we have enough rooms."
"I still want to live on my own." Olivia shook her head. Actually, she wanted her own space and didn't want to keep troubling Nora and Steven. Although Steven had helped her a lot, living in someone else's home long-term always felt uncomfortable. After the divorce, when she got the money, she wanted to live on her own.
Since Olivia insisted on moving out, Nora didn't try to persuade her further. After all, they'd be starting a business together, so there would be plenty of chances to see each other.
Around eleven, the two accountants finally finished calculating all the bills.
They handed the final amount to Steven.
Steven, drinking water, glanced at it and nodded. "Over ten million dollars in inventory."
This was the purchase price. They still had to consider stock and what had been sold. Olivia could probably get three to four million dollars. After all, the company had only been established for just over two years, and most of the money earned was tied up in inventory.
Steven let the accountants leave first.
Nora and Olivia walked the two accountants to the door together.
Steven handed the statement to Olivia. "Olivia, there's over ten million dollars in inventory in these accounts."
"Thank you, Steven." Olivia took the statement, feeling very grateful. If they had calculated it themselves, it would have taken two or three days.
After looking over the statement, Olivia immediately added Willie's contact and sent him a message.
Olivia: [Willie, the company's inventory statement has been calculated. It's over ten million dollars total, right?]
At that moment, Willie was lying in his room, mentally and physically exhausted from the day's events, nearly at his breaking point.
The Reed family members all knew what had happened.
In the living room, Eleanor, Terry, and Bianca were discussing how to deal with the situation. Terry's leg had mostly healed, though he still limped a bit when walking.
"I can't believe she's this ruthless!" Eleanor said through gritted teeth, thinking that after being married, Olivia was too heartless.
"Since it's come to this, might as well just get divorced." Bianca covered her swollen face, wishing Willie would divorce her as soon as possible.
Terry was more concerned about the property division. "If they divorce, how should the money be split?"
Eleanor said matter-of-factly, "Just give her five hundred thousand dollars. Don't let her have another penny!"
"Mom, do you think Olivia will agree to that?" Terry looked at Eleanor coldly.
He had known all along that kicking Nora out of the company would cause big trouble. Now it had come to divorce and dividing assets—it was like cutting flesh from the Reed family.
Eleanor got angrier the more she thought about it. "If she dares ask for more, I'll give her a piece of my mind! She's been home for the past six months, contributed nothing to the company, and spent a fortune on hospital stays. Giving her five hundred thousand is already generous. She wants half? In her dreams!"
She kept cursing in the living room.
Willie suddenly opened his door, his eyes red, his voice hoarse. "Can you stop making noise!"
Eleanor quickly said with concern, "Willie, I'm thinking of you."
"Stop going after Olivia!" Willie was completely fed up.
The past six months at home had been chaos. If Eleanor hadn't kept stirring up trouble, how would things have gotten this bad? Olivia had been staying quietly at home, even got pregnant, but then... the baby was gone too.
"Olivia just took the company statements today, and in just one afternoon, she got all the accounts sorted out. She definitely has someone helping her. And you're still here making a fuss—isn't there enough chaos already?" Willie said unkindly, then slammed his door shut.
He wasn't stupid. He knew very well that Olivia's current decisiveness and composure meant someone was definitely helping her. Maybe it was Nora's husband, or maybe that capable lawyer.
Willie didn't want to keep fighting anymore. Having come this far, divorce was the best option. He just wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.
After Willie's outburst, the other Reed family members didn't dare say anything more.
The money was his earnings, so how it would be divided was ultimately his decision.
Although Terry was unwilling, there was nothing he could do to stop it.