Volume One, Chapter Two: Divorce? Over My Dead Body!

The housekeeper was caught off guard, his face alternating between green and purple.

“Fine, when the matriarch returns, everything will be settled then.” With those words, he walked away with a grim expression.

At that moment, Lu Qi’an was escorting Chu Yun’er and her son out of the affluent district.

Chu Yun’er’s eyes were red with worry. “Qi’an, what on earth is happening?”

“Daddy, didn’t you say we’d soon have good days ahead? Why is that wicked woman refusing to give up our home?”

“How should I know?” In his frustration, Lu Qi’an spoke harshly to Yuanbao.

Yuanbao shrank back, his head drooping as he burst into tears. “Daddy lied, daddy lied, that’s someone else’s house! It’s not ours!”

Chu Yun’er gently took his hand, soothing him in a soft voice. “Don’t say that, Yuanbao. Daddy will find a way. He would never let us be cast out.”

Hearing her words only strengthened Lu Qi’an’s resolve.

“That’s right, Yun’er, Yuanbao, I will never let you suffer.” He clenched his jaw, his gaze resolute. “When my grandmother returns and I get the paternity test results, I’ll show that arrogant woman, Qiao Ye, exactly what she deserves.”

…

Night fell, and the sound of an engine echoed in the villa.

Qiao Ye lifted her eyelids. In the next moment, a tall, distinguished figure appeared at the doorway.

The man wore a black tailored suit, his features handsome and his posture impeccable. His aura was calm and restrained, yet as he approached, the force of his presence was almost invasive.

Her breath caught for a moment.

This was the son of the matriarch, Lu Qi’an’s uncle, Lu Tingxiao.

When Qiao Ye had been abandoned by Lu Qi’an, beset by pressure from family, public opinion, and the company, it was Lu Tingxiao who helped her.

Later, they lived under the same roof, so encounters were inevitable.

And eventually… their relationship spiraled beyond control.

Qiao Ye gradually developed feelings for him.

But she knew.

The two of them could never truly be together.

Especially since… deep in Lu Tingxiao’s heart, there was always another woman.

To him, she was merely a stand-in for that woman.

Thinking of this, Qiao Ye let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Lost in thought, Qiao Ye barely noticed when Lu Tingxiao snatched the cigarette from her hand, took a shallow drag, and sat down leisurely.

“Lu Qi’an is back?”

Qiao Ye composed herself, replying with a quiet “Mm.”

Lu Tingxiao released a slow ring of smoke, his eyes shadowed and unreadable through the haze. “What do you plan to do?”

Did she wish to return to her old life, or…

During those few seconds of waiting, even he failed to notice how much softer his breathing became.

Qiao Ye’s gaze grew cold.

“I’ve spent years building my place in the Lu Corporation. Now that I finally have some influence, there’s no reason I should simply hand it over.”

“True enough,” Lu Tingxiao said, his smile ambiguous.

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

He took another drag from the cigarette, his gaze fixed on her.

“I heard he brought a woman and child with him.”

The smoke veiled his emotions.

Qiao Ye didn’t look at him. Staring at the glass in front of her, she unconsciously clenched her fist. “Yes, he wants me to divorce him.”

Lu Tingxiao’s hand paused mid-motion.

“But I refuse. Until I secure the Lu Corporation, I’ll drag this out with him.”

Her voice grew deeper.

Lu Tingxiao chuckled quietly but said nothing, simply staring at her, slightly lost in thought.

From the first moment he saw Qiao Ye, he was drawn to her against his will.

Thinking of the woman he had searched for years yet never found, Lu Tingxiao unconsciously tightened his grip on the cigarette.

She had left cleanly, leaving him to raise her two children alone.

Just then, a commotion sounded at the door.

Both turned simultaneously to see the matriarch frozen in the doorway, still holding the door open.

Lu Tingxiao lazily withdrew his gaze, his brow knitting.

Qiao Ye, startled, realized how close she and Lu Tingxiao were, and quickly put some distance between them.

“Tingxiao, you’re here.”

The matriarch entered, looking at Lu Tingxiao’s face as if suppressing words she wished to say.

Over the years, she had sensed something unusual between Qiao Ye and Lu Tingxiao.

Yet, bound by family ties, she had never pointed it out.

Lu Tingxiao had never gotten along with the family since childhood. After coming of age, he broke away to start his own business, now a titan of commerce in the capital—its undisputed crown prince.

She had believed his cold nature would keep him free from temptation, but three years ago, he returned with a pair of twins.

There was no sign of the children’s mother.

Yet somehow, he became entangled with someone as shameless as Qiao Ye.

After all!

If she hadn’t intervened back then, Qiao Ye would likely have given birth to two illegitimate children!

But given Lu Tingxiao’s status, what could she say?

Any grievances she had, she could only swallow.

Lu Tingxiao glanced at her indifferently, said nothing, and strode away.

As soon as he left, the matriarch’s expression changed.

“Qiao Ye, why did you drive Qi’an out? He finally came back, and so what if he brought a woman and child? He’s been wandering for years—you can’t expect him to become a monk and abstain from all pleasure, can you?”

She paused, her expression awkward. “Or is it because of Tingxiao?”

Qiao Ye’s hand at her side clenched unconsciously.

“When Lu Qi’an fled the marriage all those years ago, I endured so much gossip and you saw it all. Moreover, the Lu Corporation’s stock plummeted because of him, and I was the one who overcame every obstacle to stabilize the situation.”

“Now he returns with a son and a woman, am I supposed to meekly step aside for him?”

Her tone was calm and logical, but to the matriarch, it sounded like sophistry.

“Qiao Ye, let me warn you—even if you’re now acting president of the company and can speak with authority in the Lu family, I can pull you down from that position whenever I wish.”

She turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something and narrowed her eyes, adding, “And don’t think seducing Tingxiao will solve everything. If you dare try anything, I’ll expose what happened years ago and see if he’s still willing to protect you then!”

Qiao Ye dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to endure.

She knew perfectly well what the matriarch meant: that night.

It was the leverage the matriarch always held over her.

If outsiders ever learned, she’d be branded as careless and immoral, and expelled from the Lu family.

In that case, her five years of effort would be for nothing!

So, she could only endure.

Endure until her wings were strong enough, then deliver them a fatal blow!