Chapter 5
Lewis’s net worth was easily in the billions.
By walking away with nothing, I was undoubtedly giving up a fortune.
Even Victoria and LewisAfter moving out of the villa, I decided to wait for Lewis to reach out to me before confronting
him.
But unfortunately, a whole week went by, and he still hadn’t noticed I was gone.
The only message he ever sent was the same one he always did,
[Working late today. Don’t wait up.]
In reality, though, I saw him with Victoria every day—coming and going like a proper couple.
After that day Molly called Victoria a “side piece,” she had been singled out by our department
manager.
She was buried in work.
I couldn’t bear to watch her struggle alone, so I stayed behind and worked overtime with her.
Late at night, we often heard inappropriate sounds echoing from the CEO’s office.
Molly couldn’t help but mutter, “Mr. Lewis is so stingy—he won’t even spend money on a hotel
room.
I gave a helpless smile. “Maybe doing it in the office just feels more… atmospheric to him.”
Sometimes, when I passed by, I couldn’t help but record short clips of their indecent scenes on my phone.
Something told me that they might come in handy one day.
And so, with Molly at my side, working hard through long nights, our internship finally came to
an end.
Molly said she hoped to stay.
“Jobs are hard to find these days,” she said. “I mean, yeah, I think Mr. Lewis is a scumbag, but
people still need to eat.”
I wished her the best.
Then she asked if I wanted to stay too.
I told her the only thing I wanted was to get my internship certificate and leave this toxic place
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behind as fast as possible.
What I didn’t expect, was to be betrayed by the one person I considered a friend.
I ended up being the only intern in the entire team who didn’t meet the requirements.
I refused to accept it and went straight to the department supervisor to ask why.
He simply said, “It was Victoria’s decision.”
At first, I thought Victoria had found out about my identity and was targeting me on purpose.
But then, Molly came clean.
“That day when I called Victoria a ‘side piece‘… I don’t know who overheard me, but word got out.
All that overtime we’ve been doing? It wasn’t Thompson’s idea. It was Victoria punishing us. I was
basically done for. But because you stuck with me and helped me every night…”
She broke down in tears.
“I really needed this job. I’m not as pretty as you, I’m not as smart, so I went to Victoria and blamed the ‘side piece‘ comment on you.
I thought… I thought maybe she just wouldn’t let you stay, but I didn’t expect her to refuse you
the internship certificate too. I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to ruin things for you…”
I laughed, but it was pure anger.
Anger at her betrayal, but more than that, anger at Victoria’s arrogance—how she held power
over everything and everyone.
“It’s fine. I forgive you. Stop crying. Thank you for being a good friend while it lasted. I wish you all the best going forward.”
I picked up the folder I’d prepared and got ready to leave.
Molly grabbed my arm, her expression full of guilt and hope. “What about the whole Victoria thing…”
I said quietly, “Don’t worry. I’ll take the blame for it.”
Then I looked up, and raised my voice loud and clear across the entire office.
“She is his side piece. What, are we not allowed to say that now?”
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The entire office froze.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at me.
Every face was full of shock.
And 1, with that failed internship report in hand, marched straight into the conference room.
At that moment, all of the company’s senior executives and department heads were in the middle
of a moming meeting.
My sudden arrival was obviously out of place.
The executives frowned, their faces filled with annoyance and disapproval.
After all, I was just “that intern girl.”
Even Victoria didn’t recognize me.
No one at Lewis’s company knew what Mrs. Carter actually looked like.
Not even Victoria.
Only Lewis looked surprised when he saw me.
But he didn’t say a word.
The first to speak was the meeting’s host—Victoria.
Head held high, her elegant, mature face showed nothing but disdain and impatience.
“What is it that’s so important you had to barge in right now?”
I didn’t hold back. “Victoria, are you refusing to give me an internship certificate just because I
called you Mr. Lewis’s side piece?”
There was a ripple of surprise in the room as everyone looked toward Victoria.
Her expression froze.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected a no–name intern to confront her like this.
She narrowed her eyes and replied coldly, “Since you already know the answer, why bother
asking?”
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She didn’t deny it.
There was no point.
Rumors had already spread throughout the company.
To silence the gossip, someone had to be made an example of.
And to her, that someone was me.
I met her eyes and raised my voice.
“Victoria, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you a side piece.”
Her expression wavered slightly, but she still crossed her arms and stood tall.
“It’s too late for apologies now.”
I turned to Lewis.
His face had darkened. He looked clearly annoyed.
But really, what right did he have to be upset?
He was the one who brought this shame on himself.
I sneered. “Too late? No, it’s not. I can fix it right now.”
11
I reached for the door behind me and flung it wide open.
Then I raised my voice even higher.
“Victoria is his side piece. Because in this family, even someone he’s casually involved with knows to defer to my role as Mrs. Carter. She’s just a woman he’s had a fling with, nothing more!”
My words hit like thunder.
Victoria’s face turned pale, then flushed red, then pale again.
The others in the room began to realize who I was.
Victoria did too.
All eyes turned to Lewis.
He was livid. Beyond livid.
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We had dated for a year and married for three.
And this—this was the first time I had ever seen him truly furious.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
As if I had.
I wanted to be dignified.
But they were the ones who made that impossible.
“I only have one request,” I said. “Give me my internship certificate.”
Lewis’s chest heaved as he struggled to hold back his
He gritted his teeth and tried to defend Victoria.
anger.
“Intern performance is evaluated by department supervisors. If you have an issue, you should
take it up with your direct manager, not Victoria.”
Victoria swayed slightly, but hearing Lewis back her up gave her some strength.
“Exactly,” she said. “I’m just Mr. Lewis’s secretary. I don’t make decisions about interns.”
What a fake. Both of them were full of it.
This entire company belonged to Lewis.
Whether or not an intern got a certificate was up to him.
He just didn’t care about me—about my pride, my side of things.
All he wanted was to protect Victoria’s image in front of everyone.
In that moment, I understood.
Lewis had never once planned to stand by my
Fine.
side.
I looked Lewis straight in the eye and said firmly, “What if I trade you the divorce agreement?”
I pulled out the divorce papers and placed them on the table.
“I’ll walk away in divorce with nothing.
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All I want in return is that certificate.
It’s a fair deal for you, isn’t it?”
looked visibly shaken.
And around the conference table, several board members suddenly perked up as well.
I wasn’t sure who left the room first, but one by one, the others followed suit and quietly exited.
These people were closely tied to Lewis and Victoria.
They weren’t going to take sides with an outsider like me.
In fact, they were probably thrilled that I was willingly to give up my right to the assets.
Without me around to claim part of Lewis’s wealth, his position in the company would be that
much more secure.
And Victoria could finally focus all her energy on Lewis—and on the business.
One of them paused near the door and said, “I’ll step out and leave you two to talk.”
But Lewis reached for Victoria’s hand and said, “No need. Stay. We’ve got nothing to hide.”
Nothing to hide?
It was disgusting.
I had prepared myself for this moment.
But watching the two of them hold hands so openly—so shamelessly—still cut into me like a
knife.
I took a deep breath, doing everything I could to keep my emotions from spilling over.
Then I pushed the signed divorce agreement across the table.
Lewis didn’t even bother to look at it. He handed it straight to Victoria.
“Take a look. Is it good to go?”
She accepted the document with barely concealed satisfaction.
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Her lips curled into a subtle, triumphant smile.
After a few minutes of reading, she nodded and said to Lewis, “It’s a clean break. She’s giving up everything. This version is good.”
She handed him a pen, but Lewis didn’t take it. Instead, he looked at me.
“Are you really sure you want a divorce?”
I met his eyes. “What do you think? I’m not a garbage dump—I don’t take in trash.”
“You should think it over,” he said. “Remarried women rarely get high–quality partners. Victoria… she was never out to push you aside.”
I almost laughed. Was he serious? It was absurd.
I turned to Victoria, whose expression had stiffened.
“Someone who ‘never meant to push me aside‘ couldn’t even give me a damn internship
certificate.”
Victoria forced a smile, clearly trying to come up with a response.
But I didn’t give her the chance.
“I get it. I know what you’re both thinking. Just make me the villain, fine. Call me the third wheel
in your relationship. -I don’t care. All I want is what I earned. That certificate represents three
months of hard work. That’s it.”
As for the two of them?
I hoped they disappeared from my life forever.
Victoria’s eyes shimmered, as if she were about to cry, but Lewis finally picked up
signed.
the
pen and
We made an agreement to officially file the divorce after a three–month cooling–off period.
Two copies of the divorce papers were signed.
He also handed me the internship certificate I’d fought so hard for, stamped with the company
seal himself.
With that, I turned to leave.
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But Lewis called out after me, “Emily, you were acting on impulse today. I’ll transfer twenty million to you. Think of it as compensation.”
I replied calmly, “Thanks. But let’s call it a wedding gift for you two. Don’t say I’m stingy.”
Victoria, seeing that the divorce was really happening, grew bolder with her words.
“Emily, twenty million is enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Don’t be so
petty.”
I smiled and said, “If all I wanted was a comfortable life, I wouldn’t be getting divorced… but based on what you just said, maybe I shouldn’t go through with it after all?”
Victoria froze, clearly panicked by the possibility.
She shut her mouth immediately.
Lewis took a deep breath, his voice heavy, “Emily, you’re too young… I’ve spoiled you for too
long.”
I looked at him without a trace of emotion.
“Exactly. I’m young, so I can afford to take risks.”
A divorce? It wasn’t the end of the world.
After all of this—I was still only 21.
The journey ahead was long.
And from here on out, I’d walk it any way I pleased.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.