Chapter 2
The Sterling Residence.
Gwen brought Charlie back, put him to sleep, and then received a news link from her best friend, Susan Andrews.
The title alone made her eyes sting.
#Former Design Prodigy Lynn Serena Makes a Powerful Comeback, officially Joins The Sterling Group!#
The article explained that The Sterling Group had created an entirely new design division just for Lynn, it was also an investment of one hundred million dollars, and even handed her full creative control of one of their luxury jewelry brands.
The attached photo showed Justin and Lynn standing side by side at the signing ceremony, their polished smiles giving them the appearance of a flawless, well-matched couple.
A voice message from Susan came right after.
[Gwen, did you see the news? Has Justin completely lost his mind? Did he forget Lynn almost tanked the company back then?]
[I saw it,] Gwen replied.
[That's it? That's your reaction?]
[One hundred million, Gwen! He gave her one hundred million! Remember when your studio needed, what? ten million? What did he say? Something like, 'The design industry's too risky, not worth investing in'? And now he just throws a hundred million at his ex like it's pocket allowance?]
Gwen didn't answer.
Two years ago, her studio had secured an international contract, and she only needed ten million to buy the necessary equipment. She had turned to Justin, asking if he would invest his own money.
He had been in a meeting and made her wait outside his office for two hours.
When he finally came out, he tossed her a cold sentence: "Stop chasing unrealistic dreams."
Not long after, the deal fell through and the studio eventually closed. She had once thought Justin simply had no faith in the design industry, but now she understood the truth, he had never had faith in her.
Online, the comment section under the news was already exploding, full of awe and admiration.
[Mr. Sterling spoils Ms. Serena so much! Dropping a hundred mil just like that, now that's real elite romance energy!]
[Ms. Serena is a true design genius. She returns to the U.S. and instantly conquers The Sterling Group. Golden couple vibes!]
[She's the only one who deserves to stand next to Mr. Sterling!]
Gwen's fingers slid across her phone, almost against her own will, typing a single line: [Funny how generous Mr. Sterling is to outsiders. One hundred million without blinking. I wonder if he's ever been that generous to his own wife.]
Within seconds, trolls flooded in.
[Who's this jealous nobody? Does she really think she can compare to Ms. Serena?]
[Mrs. Sterling is basically irrelevant at this point. Hiding at home and whining won't make her less pathetic.]
[Get lost, don't contaminate Mr. Sterling and Ms. Serena's comment section!]
Gwen stared at the flood of vicious comments, so sharp and cruel they might have been laughable if they didn’t cut so deeply. She shut the page and flung her phone aside.
The dull ache in her chest refused to ease. She inhaled slowly, forced the burn behind her eyes down, and returned to her desk.
Spread open was the sketch she had spent half a year perfecting: Celestial Eye.
She'd poured everything she had into this piece, determined to help The Sterling Group secure a hundred‑billion‑dollar overseas partnership. The design hadn't even launched yet, and private collectors were already offering three billion for a reservation.
She had originally intended to close the deal and then surprise Justin, to show him she wasn’t the useless housewife everyone believed her to be. Now, that idea felt bitterly ironic.
The front door suddenly clicked open.
Justin walked in, carrying the unmistakable essence of alcohol with him. His suit jacket hung over his arm, his collar loosened and the faint scent of women's perfume lingered on him. The exact brand Lynn used.
He lifted his gaze, saw Gwen still working at the desk, and instantly frowned, his tone thick with irritation.
"Why are you wasting time on this pointless stuff every night?"
Her hand paused mid-stroke around the pen. Slowly, she lifted her gaze, her eyes turning cold and unreadable.
Justin, oblivious to her shift, walked straight to her and spoke in a flat, commanding tone.
"The Sterling Group's design department will be taken over by Lynn starting today. Go to HR tomorrow and get transferred to the administrative team."
Gwen shot to her feet, her chair screeching harshly across the floor.
She stared at him, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. "Excuse me? You want me to hand the design department to Lynn and demote me to admin?”
“Lynn just returned. She isn’t familiar with the environment yet.” You should accommodate her."
Justin spoke as if it were a trivial matter. "And she's still upset about what happened back then. She doesn't want to see you in the design department. It'll just make things awkward for everyone."
"What happened back then?" Gwen let out a disbelieving laugh. “Which part are you referring to when she says I ‘forced her out,’ or when she stole core company secrets and nearly drove you into bankruptcy?”
Justin’s expression darkened instantly. “Gwen, mind your words."
"Did I say anything that's untrue?"
She met his stare directly for the first time. "If I hadn't used my own designs to salvage that deal, The Sterling Group would've crashed! And now you're telling me she's 'upset'? What right does she have to be upset?"
"Those designs were Lynn's ideas to begin with!"
Justin raised his voice suddenly. "You stole her drafts!"
The room froze.
Gwen looked at him, as though seeing him clearly for the first time.
Three years had passed. She had once believed time would uncover the truth that her sincerity would eventually earn trust.
What a joke.
To him, she was forever a thief. A schemer who clawed her way up. A mother who couldn't even take care of her own son properly.
A hollow laugh almost escaped her. Tears surged up, but she forced them back, refusing to let them fall.
Back then, Lynn had stolen The Sterling Group's most confidential designs, taken the company's biggest proposal, and disappeared overseas. The group was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Gwen had spent three sleepless days in a foreign headquarters, pitching her own original designs, negotiating until she nearly collapsed, she was burning with fever, coughing so hard her ribs hurt, just to repair the damage and save the company.
Justin hadn't offered her even a single word of concern. Now, for the sake of his first love, he was discarding her as if she meant nothing at all, coldly and without hesitation.
"Justin, do you even have a heart?" Her voice trembled with suppressed fury and unbearable disappointment.
He glared. "Gwen, stop being unreasonable. My decision stands. Lynn is more suited for the design department. You stay in admin and take care of Charlie."
His words stabbed deep, slicing apart the last bit of hope she held.
She looked at him, the man she once believed she understood and something inside her finally snapped. Taking a steadying breath, she forced herself to speak.
Before she could say "divorce," his phone rang sharply.
Lynn's name flashed across the screen like a blow to her eyes.
Justin answered at once, voice softening dramatically. "Lynn? What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? I'll be right there."
He hung the call and didn’t even look at Gwen again. Snatching up his jacket, he hurried out, his steps unsteady in his urgency. The front door closed behind him with a sharp slam.
Silence flooded the mansion once more.
Gwen stood alone in the vast living room, her entire body cold.
She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was only clarity, clean, final, resolute.
She walked into the study and drafted the divorce papers. No fight for assets. No alimony. Only one condition, remained custody of Charlie Sterling belonged to Gwen Winston.
She signed her name. Pressed her fingerprint.
Folded the papers neatly.
Then handed them to Kerr.
"Kerr, please deliver these divorce papers to Justin.”
Her voice remained calm as she added softly, “From today onward, I, Gwen, am finished with Justin. Completely."
