Chapter 1

Andrew Stone was the richest man in the world, and he was known for being obsessed with his work. Emily Jamison had been married to him for five years now. It was impossible to count how many times he'd neglected her in the name of work.

The first time he did was on her birthday. She'd gone through the trouble of planning a celebration and reserving a restaurant for them. But in the end, he went abroad for a business acquisition, disregarding the fact that she'd waited all day and night for him.

The second time was after her car accident. When she was on the brink of death, she needed a family member to sign her hospital consent form. She used the last bit of her strength to text him, but she only ended up receiving an indifferent reply.

"I'm in the middle of an important meeting. Deal with it yourself."

The third time was when her father was dying. He'd held on to his final breath, wanting to see Andrew one last time, but Andrew never came. He was too busy with a signing ceremony for a multi-billion-dollar contract.

Emily had held her father's gradually cooling hand as she listened to the constant ringing of the call going unanswered, her heart turning completely numb.

After experiencing this time and time again, she finally realized that in Andrew's heart, nothing and no one could ever compare to his business empire.

Emily told herself this was the price of a marriage of convenience, arranged by her family. He'd said from the start that he wouldn't love her. But at least, this meant he wouldn't love anyone else either.

However, after she'd almost fully grown accustomed to the crushing despair of a loveless marriage, a shocking piece of news exploded among their social circle.

Andrew Stone, the man said to be a zealous workaholic and uninterested in women, did in fact keep a young woman by his side, and he doted on her most outrageously!

Rumor had it that he'd abandoned the contract signing of a multi-billion-dollar project just to take her skiing. That he'd canceled every meeting for an entire week just to nurse a sick kitten with her. That he'd even let her doodle all over his valuable contracts.

Once, he'd supposedly halted the meeting with one of the company's longest business partners just because she said it was boring.

When Emily first heard of it, she thought it had to be nonsense.

How could any of it be impossible? This was Andrew they were talking about, the man who valued his time above all else and was rational even to the point of cruelty!

Driven by something she couldn't explain, Emily used every connection and resource at her disposal to look into that young woman rumored to be Andrew's mistress.

Unfortunately, Andrew was extremely protective of her. Even after spending a ton of money and effort, all Emily managed to get was a blurry side profile of the young woman.

She looked young and delicate as Andrew held her closely in his arms. It was a gentle, protective move that Emily had never been on the receiving end of throughout their five-year marriage.

That very afternoon, after receiving the photo, Emily left the house in a daze. As she stepped onto the sidewalk, a black Rolls-Royce seemed to swerve out of control and came barreling at her.

She didn't even get to have a good look at the driver before the impact sent her body flying, and she slammed heavily onto the ground. The pain engulfed her, and all went black.

When she woke again, it was to the harsh sting of hospital disinfectant.

What came into view was the look of pure professionalism on the face of Andrew's chief secretary, Tyler Moore.

"You're awake, Mrs. Stone," Tyler said flatly. "Mr. Stone asked me to deliver a message from him. Do not try looking into people you shouldn't, otherwise, it won't just be an 'accident' next time."

Emily's eyes flew wide open. The pain in her heart nearly made her stop breathing.

It was him? He did this?

Just because she'd found a single photo of that young woman, he'd gone so far as to orchestrate a car crash just to threaten her!

The overwhelming sense of shock and pain drowned her like a tidal wave.

Andrew, the man she'd loved for years—the one she thought only cared for his work—had turned out to be capable of something so cruel and insane, all for another woman.

Though she didn't want to believe it, she was forced to anyway.

…

Emily thought she'd never be able to know what that young woman really looked like. However, a week later, she received the most unexpected call from the police station.

"Is this a family member of Mr. Stone? Someone has filed a police report accusing Mr. Stone of… solicitation. We need to trouble you to come down to the police station."

Emily's mind went blank.

Solicitation? Andrew?

Almost mechanically, she rushed to the police station and immediately saw a young woman, Lucy Evans, all dolled up. She was sitting cross-legged on a chair, her pretty face scrunched up in displeasure.

"Why haven't you guys told him to come down here? Didn't you hear me? I want him charged with solicitation! Are you too scared to arrest him just because he's the richest man in the world?"

The surrounding officers exchanged awkward looks as they sweated profusely and tried to explain, "Miss, could there be some kind of misunderstanding? Mr. Stone—"

"What misunderstanding?" Lucy snapped as she stomped her feet in anger. "If you won't arrest him, I'll just go to another police station and file my report there!"

The moment she finished speaking, the sharp screech of skidding tires could be heard outside.

A black sedan had come to a hurried stop, and moments later, Andrew strode in wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. His handsome face and commanding presence instantly silenced everyone in the station lobby.

As soon as he came in, he spotted Emily and frowned.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned icily.

Throat constricted, Emily responded hoarsely, "The police… called me."

Andrew's expression turned even colder as he instructed imposingly, "You're not needed here anymore. Go back."

And without sparing her another glance, he walked straight toward Lucy.

What happened next made Emily feel her blood stop flowing. Andrew, that proud, untouchable man, actually crouched down in front of Lucy and looked up at her.

There was a tenderness in his voice that Emily had never heard before as he said to Lucy in a placating tone, "Who upset you this time, babe? Hm?"

Lucy's eyes reddened. Pouting, she adamantly declared, "You did! You didn't reply to my message within three seconds, so I got mad and called the police to report you for solicitation!"

Everyone around them gasped at her outrageous reasoning, but Andrew didn't even get mad. Instead, he chuckled softly and stroked Lucy's face.

His tone was unbelievably tolerant and indulgent as he said, "Yes, of course. It's all my fault. Since you reported me for solicitation so that the police will arrest me, I'll spend a few days in jail to make it up to you, okay?"

He even stretched out his hands toward the nearest officer, gesturing for them to cuff him. The poor officer blanched in fear.

Ian Hall, Andrew's assistant, hurriedly tried to explain, "You've misunderstood Mr. Stone, Ms. Evans! Mr. Stone got into an accident this morning. He injured his arm and was in the hospital the whole time. His phone died, so he couldn't reply to your message in time. Please don't be angry with him!"

Upon hearing that, Lucy grew anxious. She grabbed Andrew's arm, and sure enough, she saw the white bandage peeking out from under his sleeve.

She burst into tears as she cried, "You're injured? Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

Andrew gently wiped her tears away and said, "I promised to reply to your messages at once, no matter what happens. Since I failed to do it, it means I'd failed to keep my promise and deserve to be punished."

Lucy wailed even harder as she threw herself into his arms. "Why are you always so good to me…"

He held her close, his voice so gentle it could melt the coldest of hearts. "Because I love you, of course. Now tell me, babe. How do you want to punish me?"

She laughed, and her eyes flickered briefly before she pointed at the floor and declared, "I want to ride you like a pony, right here, right now!"

Ian's expression stiffened. He was just about to try and convince Lucy otherwise, but Andrew held his hand up to stop him.

Looking at Lucy affectionately, Andrew asked, "Must it be here?"

"That's right! I want to do it right here!"

"Okay," he readily replied.

Right there, in front of everyone, Andrew got on all fours and said gently, "Get on, then."

Lucy giggled and climbed onto his back with ease, like a spoiled princess.

Andrew Stone, the king of the business world who dominated the global financial headlines and held the world's economy in his hands, was willingly crawling around the police station while carrying his princess on his back. There wasn't the slightest shred of impatience on his face, only his abundant adoration for her.

The entire police station had gone quiet. No one dared to make a sound.

Only Emily stood there with her hands clamped around her mouth as her tears poured down her face.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed for a second that Andrew, the heartless workaholic, was capable of such an act!

Chapter 2

Memories of Andrew flooded Emily's mind, filling her with a suffocating sense of bitterness. Even before she married him, she'd heard a lot about him.

The media praised Andrew with every superlative they could come up with, expounding his looks, his brilliance, and his business acumen. He was the perfect heir who, within a single year of taking over the family conglomerate, had driven Stone Group straight to the top of every company ranking.

His only flaw was that he showed no interest in women. It was as if he were a robot who existed solely to work.

But when Emily saw him at a banquet, one look was all it took. His poised, detached manner and elegant composure instantly swept her off her feet. From that moment on, her heart had no room for anyone else.

So, when her family proposed the marriage of convenience between her and Andrew, she joyously agreed to it.

Her friend had tried to advise her, saying, "Andrew might be great in every way, but he's an emotionless workaholic. You won't be happy if you marry him."

Alas, Emily had naively believed that as long as she played her role well and loved him enough, she could one day melt his heart.

But that was not what happened.

On their wedding night, he'd completed his marital obligation as if it were a business transaction before coldly informing her, "I have no interest in romance. Marrying you was a business decision.

"As long as you know your place, I'll fulfill my duties as a husband and ensure you enjoy the lifelong privileges of being Mrs. Stone, but don't expect anything more than that."

Thus, after marriage, no matter how many times Andrew neglected Emily for work, she had endured it all in silence. She told herself that even though he didn't love her, he didn't love anyone else either. That was enough.

But now, Emily could no longer lie to herself, not after she'd witnessed the way Andrew cherished Lucy and cast aside all of his pride for her. He even said the words "I love you" to Lucy, which she'd yearned for years to hear coming from his mouth.

She realized that Andrew wasn't cold and uninterested in women. She simply wasn't the woman he loved. All of her patience and steadfast endurance had been nothing but a joke.

Wiping away her tears, she turned and left the police station. Then, she got her phone out and called a lawyer, Kyle Ziegler.

"Mr. Ziegler, please help me draw up a divorce agreement."

…

The next day, Emily arrived at Stone Group with the freshly printed divorce papers in hand. However, the receptionist told her, "Mr. Stone hasn't been coming to the office for quite some time now, Mrs. Stone."

Emily felt like she'd been stabbed right in her heart.

Andrew, the workaholic who'd lived in his office for an entire month just to complete a business project, hadn't been coming to the office for some time?

Pushing through the ache in her chest, she asked, "Where is he now?"

With a hesitant expression, the receptionist whispered, "He's attending the auction at Sullivan's with Ms. Evans."

An auction…

Emily recalled some of the gossip about him spending a fortune just to make a young woman smile.

After taking a deep breath, she drove straight to the auction.

Filled with scions and socialites, the auction hall smelled of perfume and champagne.

Emily instantly spotted Andrew in the front row with the lively and cheerful Lucy by his side.

The auctioneer was introducing the final piece of the auction, a blue diamond necklace said to have once belonged to an Enderion queen. Its starting price alone was already staggering, and the bids kept soaring as well.

However, each time someone placed a bid on it, Andrew would raise his paddle without hesitation to one-up the bid. His movements were languid, but it was clear he was determined to get the necklace.

In the end, with the most astronomical price, he managed to get the necklace for Lucy. She happily threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Emily, who stood nearby, felt her heart sting with a numbing pain at the sight. In all their years of marriage, Andrew had never once given her a single noteworthy gift.

She'd always thought he just wasn't the romantic type, but it turned out that he simply didn't want to be romantic with her.

Her fingers tightened around the divorce papers. She drew in a steadying breath and walked toward the two eye-catching figures that made her eyes sting.

Andrew noticed her first. The faint smile on his lips vanished. Almost instinctively, he shifted to shield Lucy behind him as he asked, "What are you doing here?"

His reflexive attempt to protect Lucy stabbed Emily right in the chest. Mustering all her strength to keep her composure, she handed him the papers. "I need your signature for this document."

At that moment, a staff member of the auction approached, reminding Andrew to proceed with the payment for the auctioned item.

"I'm busy. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it later," Andrew said curtly.

Later? Emily didn't want there to be a later. She didn't want to wait for even a second longer.

"It's a very important document. It'll only need a few minutes of your time," she insisted, her voice just barely shaking. "Let's get a divorce, Andrew. As long as you sign the divorce papers, we can file them. Once the court issues the divorce decree, we will no longer have anything to do with each other.

"Since you have someone else you truly love, I'll step aside, and you can set me free. Let's both find the people we're meant to be with without holding each other back."

Emily said it all in one breath before steeling herself as she stood there and waited for Andrew's answer.

But he simply frowned. After a while, he finally turned his head slightly toward her, and it became clear he hadn't caught what she said.

"What did you say? I already told you I'm busy. Save it for later."

And with that, he walked away with the staff member.

Emily breathed in deeply. Andrew was always like this. Throughout their five years of marriage, he constantly ignored everything she said.

She was just about to chase after him when Lucy abruptly came over and snatched the papers out of her hands.

"You're that wife from Andrew's arranged marriage, right?" Lucy said as she looked Emily from head to toe with a scornful expression. "Andrew gave me his full trust by teaching me to replicate his signature, allowing me to sign any document for him."

Emily's heart twisted so tightly it hurt to breathe.

He'd taught Lucy his signature and allowed her to sign any document on his behalf?

Everyone in the industry knew how meticulous Andrew was. He insisted on personally reviewing and signing every important document! But now…

As if to prove her point, Lucy grabbed a pen from her handbag and, without even reading the document, she flipped to the last page and signed it with a flourish.

Chapter 3

"All done. I've signed it," Lucy said, shoving the papers back into Emily's hands. Her tone carried both a hint of charity and a dash of warning as she continued, "I heard from Andrew that you two only got married as a business arrangement.

"Since that's the case, you should know your place. In the future, if you need to get anything signed to buy some property or expensive jewelry, just bring it to me. I'll sign it. You shouldn't bother Andrew anymore. He doesn't want to see you either."

Emily stared at the signature that was an exact replica of Andrew's and felt nothing but mockery.

She opened her mouth, wanting to inform Lucy that this wasn't a real estate contract but a divorce agreement, but all of a sudden, the shrill wail of a fire alarm split the air.

"Fire! Everyone get out!" someone screamed.

The crowd instantly erupted into chaos. Panic surged through the hall as people shoved and stumbled over one another toward the exit.

Emily and Lucy were both standing further inside the hall. As they were both slight in build, they were soon knocked to the floor by the panicked crowd.

"Ouch!"

"Don't step on me!"

Countless feet kept trampling over them.

Agonizing pain shot through Emily's body. She felt as if her bones had been crushed beneath everyone's soles. She tried desperately to push herself up, to no avail.

"Andrew! Save me, Andrew!" Lucy cried in terror.

"Lulu!" Andrew's agitated voice rang out.

Emily saw him forcing his way back through the crowd, and for a fleeting moment, a foolish hope flickered weakly in her chest.

But when he reached them, his eyes locked straight onto Lucy. Without hesitation, he bent down and scooped her into his arms, holding her protectively as he turned and ran for the exit.

Through it all, he didn't so much as glance at Emily.

"Andrew! Andrew!" Emily screamed with the last of her strength, but her voice was drowned out by the piercing shrieks and cries from all around her.

Had he heard her?

Perhaps he did, but he didn't even turn his head around.

Just when Emily thought she would be trampled to death, that familiar figure reappeared.

A fragile spark of hope ignited in her chest. He came back. He really came back for her…

However, even though Andrew shot over to Emily, he didn't even spare her a glance. He simply rushed to pick up a bracelet that had dropped beside her at some point. Clutching it tightly, he turned to leave again.

"Thank goodness you found it for me!" Lucy's tearful but happy voice rang out from afar. "That's my favorite bracelet. I would've cried my heart out if it got destroyed under somedespireone's feet!"

Andrew hurried back to her, his tone filled with relief and affection. "Well, I couldn't let my baby cry, could I? I had to find it for you."

"You're the best!" Lucy said before giving him a peck.

So he'd only turned back to pick up a bracelet.

In his heart, the wife he'd been married to for five years mattered even less than one of Lucy's bracelets.

The crushing despair and heartbreak fell like a massive boulder, burying Emily completely. Her vision went dark, and she fainted.

…

When Emily regained consciousness, she found herself lying on a chilly operating table.

The harsh lights of the operating room burned her eyes. The doctor, who was busy setting up for surgery, exclaimed, "You're awake, Mrs. Stone? You have multiple contusions and a fractured rib, but the worst is the internal bleeding from abdominal trauma. We need to operate on you immediately."

Just as the anesthesiologist approached to inject her with anesthesia, the door to the operating room flew open with a loud bang.

Several bodyguards in black rushed in. Without saying a word, they yanked the IV line off Emily's hand and roughly hauled her off the operating table.

"What are you doing? The patient needs emergency surgery!" the doctor exclaimed in fear and anger as he tried to stop them.

However, the bodyguards ignored him as they forcefully dragged the weak and bleeding Emily out of the operating room.

"Let go… Where are you taking me…"

Emily made a feeble attempt to fight back, her wounds hurting even more due to the exertion.

No one answered her. She was dragged right to the VIP ward and roughly tossed onto the cold, hard floor.

Chapter 4

When Emily raised her head, she saw Andrew sitting by the hospital bed, carefully feeding Lucy some water.

Lucy only seemed to be a little shaken. She'd gotten a scratch or two, but her injuries were nothing serious.

Meanwhile, even as Andrew looked at the bloodied and disheveled Emily, there wasn't the faintest flicker of emotion in his eyes, only cold indifference.

"Lulu wants to have some gingerbread cookies. I remember that the ones you make taste the best. Go to the hospital kitchen and make some for her," he said icily.

Emily could hardly believe her ears.

He didn't care that she was covered in blood right now. Instead, he'd had his bodyguards yank her right off the operating table just because Lucy wanted to eat gingerbread cookies.

All the years of bottled-up humiliation, hurt, and despair finally exploded out of her.

She forced herself up to a sitting position and questioned him, her voice raw as it tore from her throat, "Andrew! You've gone too far! Where were you when I was almost trampled to death at the auction?

"You only had eyes for her! And now, you dragged me out of surgery, even though I'm seriously injured, all because of a single request from her!

"Just what have I been to you all these years? I'm your lawfully wedded wife! How can you treat me like this?"

Tears streaked down Emily's blood-stained face, her voice cracking as she cried out in fury and heartbreak. She looked utterly pitiful and pathetic.

Even so, Andrew's expression didn't even budge, not even a twitch.

It was Lucy, nestled in his arms, who covered her ears in disdain and complained with a pout, "It's so noisy, Andrew. Her screaming is giving me a headache…"

At once, Andrew hugged Lucy even more tightly and covered her ears as he gently assured her, "It's okay. Don't be scared."

Then, he turned his gaze to Emily. The warmth vanished, replaced by hardened ice.

"So, you said all that just to tell me that you're refusing to do it?"

Emily stared back at him, her heart turning to ice.

Losing the last of his patience, Andrew said darkly, "In that case, toss her into the cold storage. Let her out only when she agrees to make the cookies."

His bodyguards immediately seized her. Ignoring her wails and attempts to break free, they hauled her to the hospital's medical cold storage and slammed the door shut behind her, locking her in.

The freezing air wrapped around Emily instantly. She felt as though her wounds were being stabbed by a thousand icy needles. She could feel her blood slowing. The internal bleeding was getting worse, and she could feel her life slipping away.

Both the coldness and despair gnawed at her.

As her consciousness slowly faded away, making her feel she would die there, her sheer will to live won over her pathetic pride.

Using the last of her strength, she crawled over to the metal door and pounded it, screaming weakly, "I… I'll do it… Let me out…"

The metal door opened.

She was hauled out like a broken doll and thrown onto the floor of the hospital kitchen.

Dragging her cold and pain-racked body around, she used the final scraps of her willpower to prepare a tray of gingerbread cookies.

When she delivered it to the hospital room, Andrew simply glanced at her before gesturing at his bodyguards, saying, "Take her back to the operating room."

Emily was brought right back onto the operating table. When the anesthetic hit her veins, she started losing consciousness.

A single tear trickled down the corner of her eye as she thought to herself, "From now on, Andrew, you and I will be nothing more than strangers. I will never love you again."

Chapter 5

The days after the surgery were long and agonizing.

Emily lay alone on the hospital bed, watching the IV drip slowly into her veins, feeling the unrelenting ache that radiated from her wounds. Every wound redressing felt like torture to her.

The nurse tried to be as gentle as possible, but the pity in her eyes cut deeper than any scalpel.

"Please bear with it. It'll be over soon," the nurse said softly.

After the nurse left, Emily heard the hushed voices of the nurse talking to her colleague out in the hallway.

"I really feel bad for her. Even though she's so badly injured, not a single family member came to see her. She even had to sign the surgery consent form herself."

"I feel the same way. Meanwhile, look at Ms. Evans in the VIP ward. All she got was a little scratch, but Mr. Stone hasn't left her side at all. I heard he even brushed aside several multi-billion-dollar projects just to accompany her."

"Some people have all the luck in the world!"

Their words stabbed Emily in the heart, but she'd grown numb to the feeling. She simply turned her head toward the window, shut her eyes, and pretended she heard nothing at all.

…

On the day Emily was finally discharged, the sky was overcast. After finishing the paperwork, she'd only just stepped out of the hospital entrance when a few of her childhood friends popped their heads out of the car parked outside. They'd been waiting for her.

One of them, Justin Farrow, called out, "Over here, Emmy!"

Upon seeing the familiar faces smiling at her, Emily finally felt a sense of warmth spreading through her long-freezing heart.

That night, they took her to a bar they frequented, insisting on celebrating her release from hell and her regained freedom.

"Getting a divorce is the best thing to happen to you! That jerk Andrew doesn't deserve you!"

"That's right! You're a stunning woman who comes from a distinguished background, Emmy. Even without Andrew, you'll have men forming a line long enough to circle the globe, all fighting for a chance to be with you!"

"Exactly. Tomorrow, I'll introduce a few handsome young men to you. I can guarantee that every last one of them will be much better than that cold and emotionless Andrew!"

Emily's friends joked around, doing their best to lift her spirits. As she sipped her cocktail, a long-absent smile finally returned to her face.

They were right, of course. Why should she degrade herself for a man who didn't love her?

Halfway through, she excused herself to the restroom, but when she came back, the booth was empty. Her friends were nowhere to be found.

"Excuse me. Where did my friends go?" she asked a passing server.

With an uneasy expression, the server pointed at a VIP lounge down the hallway and said, "Just a few moments ago, a drunk young woman insisted on getting a few male escorts to accompany her.

"She wasn't happy with all the ones she saw, and when she saw your friends… she got her bodyguards to drag them inside. She had too many bodyguards with her, so we dared not stop her…"

Emily tensed up. Her friends were relatively well-known among the upper society. No ordinary person would dare to offend them, unless…

Gripped with a bad feeling, she rushed forward and barged right into the VIP lounge.

Sure enough, inside the room, the drunk Lucy was clutching Justin's arm, insisting on pressing herself against him.

Justin was pale with fury, but since it was a woman who was manhandling him, he tried his best to keep his temper in check.

"Lucy! Let go of my friend!" Emily shouted as she rushed forward to yank Lucy off Justin.

Just then, the door was kicked open, and Andrew stormed in, his expression dark and furious. He grabbed Lucy by the wrist, his voice low and simmering with barely contained rage.

"Lulu! What the hell are you doing in a place like this!"

Lucy jerked her hand away, her eyes glassy. She jabbed a finger toward Emily's friends and declared haughtily, "Can't you tell? I'm choosing a male escort to keep me company! These ones are cute. I want all of them!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I forbid you from doing this!" Andrew snarled, his expression turning even darker as he reached out to grab her.

However, Lucy gave him a hard shove before wailing in discontent. "Why do you get to fool around when I don't, huh? You're free to smile at other women and spend hours in your office with that female client of yours, so why can't I spend time with a few male escorts, huh?"

Ian hurriedly stepped in to explain, "You got the wrong idea, Ms. Evans! Mr. Stone was just discussing a very important business collaboration. He certainly doesn't have any—"

"I don't care!" Lucy interrupted, refusing to listen to reason. In her drunken state, she tried to put her hands on Justin again. "Since you get to be intimate with other women, I can do it with other men too!"

Emily couldn't take it any longer. Standing defensively in front of her friends, she shouted, "That's enough! If you two are having a lovers' spat, that's your business! Don't harass my friends and drag them into this!"