Chapter 16
Michael's POV
I was stuffed into the car like discarded trash by those two burly men in black.
I slumped over the steering wheel, my shoulders shaking violently with humiliation and rage.
Ophelia, how dare she!
How dare she treat me like this!
That man called Chase—the look he gave me through the car window before leaving was cold and contemptuous, like he was looking at some pathetic clown who didn't know his place.
I stared hard at that tightly closed door, as if I could see through it to Ophelia's cold, smug face.
She really did hook up with another man!
Fury rampaged through my chest. I slammed my fist on the steering wheel, and the horn let out a piercing shriek.
I didn't go home. That house without Ophelia would only make me more irritated.
I drove to the Johnson Group.
Pushing open the office door, I was greeted by complete chaos.
Files piled up like mountains. When my assistant saw me, panic flashed across his face. Clutching a stack of reports, he stammered, "Mr. Johnson, these quarterly calculations for these projects... Ms. White used to handle all of this..."
I swatted away the documents he handed me. Papers scattered across the floor as I roared, "She's not part of the Johnson Group anymore! If you can't even handle such simple things, what the hell am I paying you for!"
My assistant was terrified. He scrambled to pick up the files and scurried away.
I collapsed exhausted into my office chair, surveying this room that I'd once been so proud of.
Everything here, from the décor to the pen on my desk, had been chosen by Ophelia.
I used to take it all for granted. Only now did I realize that without her, the entire Johnson Group was like a rusted machine, malfunctioning at every turn.
She didn't just take my money—she took her damn ability to keep everything under control.
My phone vibrated on the desk. Bank collection calls, messages from Winter complaining about her credit card limit being lowered, and urgent messages from several business partners.
Each one was like a needle, stabbing hard at my frayed nerves.
Just as I was on the edge of a breakdown, an email popped up.
The sender was an unfamiliar investment company called Regal Investment Group.
"Dear Mr. Johnson, our company deeply admires your exceptional business acumen. We have a new energy storage project with broad prospects and promising profits. We wonder if you might be interested..."
New energy!
It was like a lightning bolt, cutting through the gloom before my eyes.
Wasn't that exactly what Ophelia had used as an excuse to brush me off? Did she think only she could access this kind of top-tier project?
I was like a drowning man grabbing onto a final lifeline, my heart pounding with excitement.
I immediately opened the attachment. Inside was an exceptionally polished project brief. Though the core technology section was vague, the market prospects and estimated returns it painted were enough to drive any businessman crazy.
This was literally money falling from the sky!
I immediately called the contact number in the email. The voice on the other end sounded steady and professional, praising me to the skies, as if I were the perfect partner for this project.
We hit it off immediately and agreed to sign a letter of intent tomorrow.
After hanging up, I let out a long breath. All the frustration and dejection of recent days vanished.
Ophelia, do you see this? Without you, I can still find major deals and even reach heights higher than before! When that happens, I'll make you crawl back and beg me!
I returned home carrying this enormous joy.
In the living room, Winter and Freya were sitting on the sofa, looking worried.
"Michael, you're finally back! Even the household emergency fund has been frozen. We can barely pay this month's utilities! It's all that bitch Ophelia's fault..." Winter started complaining the moment she saw me.
"Stop crying!" I interrupted her triumphantly, tossing my coat onto the sofa. "It's just a little money! Before long, we'll not only get back what we lost, we'll have even more!"
Winter froze. Freya also looked up at me, confused.
I laid out the Regal Investment Group project in full detail—though of course I left out the part where their flattery had gone to my head, only emphasizing that this was an excellent opportunity I'd secured through my own abilities and connections.
"A brand new energy project, ten times bigger than whatever Ophelia found! Once the project launches, forget a few houses—I could buy the entire White Group!" I leaned back on the sofa, smugly crossing my legs, enjoying their gazes shifting from shock to wild joy.
"Really? You're amazing!" Freya was the first to react. Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she sat beside me, affectionately linking her arm through mine. "I knew it—you're better than anyone! Ophelia must be blind to leave such an excellent man!"
Her words massively satisfied my vanity.
Winter's worries also disappeared, her face blooming with joy. "I always said my son was the best! That Ophelia is just bad luck. The moment she left, your good fortune arrived, Michael! When we get rich, let's see if she regrets it!"
We seemed to already see the enormous wealth in our future. The living room was filled with cheerful energy, all previous gloom evaporating.
"To celebrate your success, let's open some wine!" Freya pulled out a bottle of red wine I'd been saving for ages from the cabinet, her face bright with smiles.
I really did need a celebration. Alcohol was the best thing—it could numb humiliation and amplify triumph.
Deep red wine swirled in the glasses. Freya praised me again and again, her eyes moist, full of dependence and adoration. This restored the long-lost feeling of being looked up to, of being in control.
"Michael, drink slower..." she coaxed softly, yet kept refilling my glass.
I drank too much. Everything before my eyes started to blur.
I only saw Freya's delicate face growing larger before me. Her soft body pressed against mine, carrying the sweet scent of a young woman mixed with the haze of alcohol.
"You're the best... I've always believed in you..." Her voice was light and soft, teasing at my heartstrings like a feather.
My mind was in chaos. Ophelia's cold face and Freya's current adoring face alternated before my eyes.
The rage of betrayal and the pleasure of being worshipped intertwined, destroying my last line of defense.
I lowered my head and kissed her soft lips.
"Freya..." I mumbled her name, pressing her down onto the soft sofa.
Freya's clothes were stripped away by me. Beneath me, she let out a suppressed moan that seemed both painful and satisfied. Driven by alcohol and desire, I completely surrendered.
Tomorrow, everything would be better tomorrow. I would sign the contract, I would make big money, I would make Ophelia regret this.
Thinking this, my consciousness disappeared completely into a dark vortex.