The divorce proceedings had been completed, but the humiliation of discovering he had been merely a replacement for six years left Henry burning with rage.
The mere mention of Sophia’s name was enough to trigger his fury.
Even his closest friend Benjamin wasn’t spared from his wrath.
“I’m just saying, you might want to reconsider before making a decision-” Benjamin began over the phone.
“Get lost!” Henry roared, abruptly ending the call.
Even through the phone line, Benjamin could feel Henry’s anger. When he tried calling back, Henry rejected the call.
Benjamin stared at his phone and shook his head. “How pointless. I was hoping to needle him a bit more.”
He tossed his phone onto the couch and sighed. “I can’t say I didn’t try to warn you about Alexander’s return, old friend.”
Alexander was Henry’s equal in every way–young, devastatingly handsome, with a perfect physique and abs that could
make any woman swoon.
A man of such quality pursuing a woman would leave few able to resist.
“Henry, my friend,” Benjamin muttered to himself, “don’t blame me for not giving you intelligence. You’re the one who wouldn’t answer the damn phone!”
The atmosphere on the 68th floor of Harding Investment was extremely tense.
James kept his eyes down when entering the CEO’s office, carefully avoiding anything that might provoke his boss.
All colleagues unanimously agreed: only Mrs. Harding’s return could improve their boss’s volatile mood, but this seemed
increasingly unlikely.
After leaving Henry’s office, James secretly messaged Sophia, attempting to win back his boss’s wife.
He sent more than a dozen messages, but received no response whatsoever. He gave up, knowing continued persistence
would be futile.
What a shame, James thought. Mrs. Harding clearly loved the CEO so much. How could that love suddenly disappear?
News of Henry and Sophia’s divorce spread like wildfire through New York’s high society circles.
Suddenly, wealthy heiresses who had previously been close to Grace flocked back, eager for any information about her now–single brother.
Grace found herself receiving countless expensive gifts from women hoping she might help introduce them to Henry.
At a high–end lunch at the Plaza Hotel, Grace addressed her fawning audience with unexpected frankness:
“Listen, I’d love to help you all meet my brother,” she explained, toying with her champagne flute, “but he’s carrying an enormous burden. He works more than eleven hours daily, sometimes all night. Unless you have extraordinary patience
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and understanding, you won’t last a week with him.”
She leaned forward, lowering her voice: “My brother doesn’t have time to guess what you’re thinking or whether you’re upset. You need to manage your own emotions and comfort yourself.”
As Grace continued, the socialites exchanged uncertain glances.
“I’ll be honest–I used to look down on Sophia. But now I can say with absolute certainty: if you don’t have her level of patience and tolerance, don’t even think about being with my brother.” She leaned back in her chair, surveying the somewhat deflated group.
“That’s just how the world works. You want a man who makes millions? Then he won’t have time for you. You want constant attention from a partner? Then don’t expect him to be wealthy. Everything comes with a price.”
Grace’s bluntness silenced many of the eager socialites. Several exchanged nervous glances, their enthusiasm visibly cooling.
One banker’s daughter tilted her head skeptically and asked, “If Sophia was so perfect, why did they divorce?”
Grace gave her a sidelong glance and smiled thinly. “Because she wanted the divorce, not my brother. Seeing the surprise on their faces, she stood up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”
She instructed the server to return those “friends“” gifts, then left without another word.
Once home, Grace’s composed façade immediately crumbled. She moved silently through the mansion toward the basement where her mother was being held.
A security guard blocked her path. “Miss Harding, I’m sorry, but no one is allowed to visit Mrs. Harding.”
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