CHAPTER 1

Louis Kindsor stood silently in the living room of the luxurious villa he shared with his wife, Vivian Howard.

His face was a mask of calm, but his eyes betrayed a storm of emotions. 

In his hand, he held a tablet displaying surveillance footage that would change everything.

As Vivian entered the room, her smile faltered at the sight of Louis's serious expression.

"What's wrong, dear?" she asked, her voice tinged with false sweetness.

Without a word, Louis turned the tablet towards her. 

The footage showed Vivian entering a hotel with another man, their body language leaving little doubt about their intentions.

Vivian's eyes widened, then narrowed. Instead of shame or remorse, her face twisted with anger. 

"You had someone follow me?" she hissed.

Louis shook his head slowly, in disappointment.

"That's all you have to say? No explanation, no apology?"

Vivian laughed dismissively, as if she didn’t care the least that Louis had caught her in an affair. 

"Why should I apologize? This is perfect timing, actually." 

She strode to a nearby drawer and pulled out a document, slapping it down on the coffee table. 

"I want a divorce."

The words hit Louis like a physical blow. 

He stared at the divorce agreement, unable to comprehend how things had come to this. 

"Why?" he asked softly. 

He had hoped Vivian would explain and say it was all fake.

Vivian rolled her eyes. 

"Oh, please. You brought it upon yourself! Since our marriage has already shown signs of cracks, isn’t divorce only natural?"

“So it’s my fault?!” 

Louis widened his eyes in disbelief, unable to accept that Vivian showed no remorse and instead blamed him.

"What happened to the girl who helped me all those years ago?" he whispered.

Louis's mind raced back to that day over a decade ago. 

He had been on the streets of Apple City, penniless and alone. 

A sweet little girl had shared her food with him, dropping a small toy as she left.

That toy had become his most cherished possession, a reminder of kindness in his darkest hour.

How could someone change so dramatically over a mere decade?

“What girl? Oh, forget it! Just sign it, will you?” 

Vivian’s cold and impatient voice interrupted his thought.

"Are you sure a divorce is what you want?" 

Coming back to his senses, Louis said with a look of utter disappointment. 

"I've given you everything. I've supported you, helped you build your career, taken care of your life..."

"You? Supported me?” Vivian scoffed. 

“Please. I'm the most successful female CEO in Apple City because of my own hard work. You've just been living off me, Louis. Face it, you're nothing compared to what I've become."

Each word was a dagger to Louis's heart. 

“You really think your achievements are solely due to your own efforts and abilities?” 

Louis asked, his eyes filled with utter pain and despair.

If it weren’t for him providing Vivian with seed money and arranging for support for her business, her family would never have risen from below-average status, and she certainly wouldn’t have achieved her present success in just a few short years. 

“Then what else?” 

Vivan sneered, her head held up high, like a queen.

“If you think so, then I have nothing to say.” 

Looking at his arrogant and conceited wife, Louis totally lost his appetite to protest.

"Oh, please stop acting like I owe you. You’ve been eating and drinking for free at my place for years—it’s time for that to end. If you still have any dignity left, sign the papers and get out, Louis," Vivian demanded. "It's over."

Without another word, Louis picked up a pen and quickly signed his name. 

As he handed the papers back to Vivian, he looked directly into Vivian's eyes and said coldly. 

"As you wish, it’s over. I hope you don't come to regret this decision, Vivian."

Vivian smirked. 

"The only thing I regret is not doing this sooner."

Louis stood, his tall frame seeming to fill the room. 

For a moment, Vivian caught a glimpse of something in his eyes – a hint of the power and authority he usually kept hidden. 

But it was gone in an instant, replaced by a look of profound disappointment.

"Remember your words, then." 

With that said, Louis turned and walked out of the villa without looking back.

His demeanor cold and completely different from before.

“You ungrateful bastard, watch your attitude!”

Vivian fumed, stamping her feet.

But Louis didn’t look back once.

It was over. 

There was nothing worth holding onto anymore. 

As he stepped outside, Louis was greeted by an unexpected sight. 

A fleet of luxury cars lined the driveway, their sleek bodies gleaming in the afternoon sun. 

Not a single of them was worth less than millions of dollars.

A man in an impeccable suit stepped forward, bowing deeply.

"Mr. Kindsor," the man said respectfully. 

"We've been waiting for you."

Louis nodded, his demeanor shifting subtly. 

Gone was the defeated husband; in his place stood a man accustomed to command. 

As he approached the lead car, his phone rang.

As Louis slid into the back seat of the most luxurious car, he answered the call. 

The voice on the other end would set in motion events that would shake Vivian's world to its core.