Chapter 7 Divorce Agreement

A gasp rose from the onlookers.

"Strip her! Let me see if her nipples are any different from everyone else's!"

"So pink and tender, she really is a natural-born slut."

"Disgusting!"

Matilda desperately curled up, clutching her collar with both hands, biting her lip hard.

She had to fight back quickly, or her reputation would be completely ruined.

Across the street.

Brent gripped the steering wheel, watching the scene unfold, and said hesitantly, "Mr. Stuart, if this goes on much longer, something bad's going to happen."

Thomas stared at the woman protecting her chest without shedding a single tear, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

A few seconds later, Thomas opened the car door.

Thomas strode across the street.

Jared's wife, Calla Chambers, was about to rip off Matilda's skirt when her wrist was suddenly clamped by tremendous force.

"Who's sticking their nose in?"

Calla turned around and met an extremely cold face.

Thomas wore a perfectly tailored custom suit, looking down at her from above, his entire presence radiating a terrifying sense of oppression.

She froze, swallowing back the curse words that had been on the tip of her tongue.

Thomas released her hand, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his fingers, his tone completely flat.

"Starting a fight in public—are you planning on spending time at the police station?"

Calla's companion spotted the limited-edition Maybach parked by the roadside, her expression changed, and she quickly grabbed Calla's arm.

"This guy looks like trouble. Let's just drop it."

Calla glanced at Thomas warily, then glared viciously at Matilda on the ground.

"You're lucky this time! If I catch you seducing my husband again, I'll kill you!"

The three women cursed as they got in their car, and the Porsche quickly drove off.

Only two people remained by the roadside.

Matilda sat slumped on the ground, her hair a mess, her cheek swollen and red, her white shirt torn and disheveled.

She kept her head down, arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, trembling uncontrollably.

A suit jacket carrying a faint tobacco scent was draped over her head, enveloping her completely.

"Get in the car."

Thomas's cold voice came from above.

Matilda froze for a moment, clutched the jacket around her, and looked up to see Thomas's face clearly.

She bit her lip and pushed herself up from the ground.

Her right knee had a large patch of scraped skin, and as soon as she stood up straight, the pain made her tremble.

Thomas didn't help her, just turned and walked toward the Maybach.

Matilda limped after him, opened the back door, and got in.

The car's heater was running.

Matilda wrapped the jacket tightly around herself and tidied her disheveled hair.

"Thank you, Mr. Stuart."

Thomas leaned back against the leather seat, turning his head to look her over.

Half of Matilda's face was now swollen, the corner of her mouth split, looking utterly wretched.

He curled his lip in a cold laugh.

"Your professional skills really leave a lot to be desired."

Matilda paused: "What do you mean?"

"You didn't even bother to check out your sugar daddy's wife before hugging him in public." Thomas's tone was utterly contemptuous. "You deserved that beating."

Matilda clenched her fingers, nails digging into her palms.

"I didn't. That was my department manager. He was drunk, and I was just helping him out to call a driver."

"Really?" Thomas clearly didn't believe her. "Last night you were playing innocent with a knife, today you're throwing yourself at someone else. You're quite the performer."

"Thomas!"

Matilda whipped her head around, staring hard at him.

"Don't be so full of yourself! Not everyone is as dirty-minded as you think!"

"Dirty-minded?"

Thomas's face darkened as he leaned in closer.

"To land that deal, you tried to seduce me in a private room first. Now you've moved on to some old man. How many more people are you planning to strip for?"

A sharp slap echoed through the car.

Brent's foot jerked on the gas pedal, and the car lurched in the middle of the road.

Thomas turned his head to the side, red finger marks appearing on his cheek.

A terrifying violence surged in his eyes.

Matilda withdrew her stinging hand, her chest heaving violently.

"Mr. Stuart, if you find me so disgusting, you shouldn't have let me in your car."

She shoved the door open, threw off the jacket that carried his scent, and got out of the car.

The door slammed shut hard.

Thomas watched in the rearview mirror as that limping figure walked away, touching his aching cheek.

"Drive." His voice was ice-cold.

The next morning.

Ascend Global Holdings, first-floor lobby.

Matilda had applied thick foundation to her face, barely covering the swelling and bruises.

She walked to the reception desk in her heels.

"Hello, I'm here to see Mr. Stuart."

The receptionist checked the system and looked up with a professional smile.

"I'm sorry, you don't have an appointment. Mr. Stuart doesn't see walk-ins."

If the company hadn't refused to let him hand off this deal, she would never have come looking for Thomas again.

But she needed the money. She had to make this partnership work.

"Please tell Mr. Stuart that I'm from Elevate Advertising. It's about yesterday's proposal. I only need five minutes."

"Miss." The receptionist cut her off. "Mr. Stuart specifically instructed us that he will not see anyone from Elevate Advertising. Security, please escort this lady out."

Two security guards approached, blocking Matilda's path.

Matilda glanced toward the elevators, bit her lip, and had no choice but to turn and leave.

Evening, the Beaufort Family villa.

Matilda had just pushed open the door when a manila envelope came flying at her face with force.

The edge of the envelope scraped across her injured cheek, making her gasp in pain.

The documents inside scattered across the floor.

On the top sheet of paper, the words "Divorce Agreement" were clearly printed.

Sawyer sat on the sofa, so angry he slammed his cup down hard on the coffee table.

"Useless! I raised you all these years, and you can't even hold onto a man!"

Matilda crouched down and picked up the agreement.

In the husband's signature line, "Thomas" was written with forceful strokes that showed through the paper.

He'd returned to the country, and the first thing he did was ask her for a divorce.

But he didn't even know that the woman who had slapped him in the car last night was his wife of three years.

"We never had feelings for each other anyway." Matilda stood up and placed the agreement on the table. "Divorce was bound to happen sooner or later."

Sawyer shot to his feet, pointing at her nose and cursing.

"Do you know what the Stuart Family's status is? What Ascend Global Holdings' status is? Do you have any idea how much effort I put in to marry you into the Stuart Family?"

Matilda looked at him coldly: "What does that have to do with me? I never wanted to marry him."

Sawyer raised his hand to hit her, but seemed to think of something and stopped himself.

He gave a cold laugh and changed his tune.

"Fine, if you don't care about the divorce, then don't expect to get your mother's belongings either."