Chapter 4: What Am I Still Hoping For?
Elara’s POV
I sat in the car, staring for a long time at my conversation with the lawyer. His last message was still there on the screen.
Truthfully, I did not even know when I had begun seriously considering divorce.
I had loved Austin in secret for ten years. It had never occurred to me that I might actually marry him one day. So when our families arranged our marriage, I had felt as though I were dreaming.
But once the dream ended, I realized something.
Marrying someone did not mean you could keep him.
What finally made me decide on divorce was probably what had happened six months ago.
I closed my eyes.
The memory forced its way back into my mind. In an instant, it was as if I had fallen into an icy lake, the sensation of weightlessness dragging me deeper and deeper.
That was the day Austin and I began living apart.
Six months.
For six whole months, I had let him drift from one woman to another.
Until today.
I had thought he could no longer affect me, yet when he told me himself that he had not slept with her, I had still felt relieved.
Looking back now, it was ridiculous.
What was I still hoping for?
Just then, my phone vibrated.
I looked down and saw a message from Austin’s assistant.
Mrs. Thorn, Mr. Thorn would like you to come to Thorn Group at three this afternoon to discuss the Bay Project.
I stared at the words for two seconds.
The Bay Project was the test my father had set for me—and my most important bargaining chip in the fight for succession.
I did not hesitate.
All right.
I put down my phone and stepped on the accelerator.
No matter how this marriage ended, I had to secure control of Richter Group.
At three that afternoon, I arrived at Thorn Group.
The moment I entered the building, someone from reception came forward to greet me.
“Mrs. Thorn, Mr. Thorn is already waiting for you.”
I nodded and took the CEO’s private elevator straight to the top floor.
The office door was open. I pushed it wider and walked in.
Austin stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, holding a cup of coffee. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up to his elbows.
Hearing me enter, he turned around.
“You’re here.”
“Yes.”
I placed the documents on the desk.
“Let’s get straight to the project.”
He did not move. Instead, he gestured toward the seat nearby.
“Coffee first? The Brazilian beans are excellent.”
I glanced over.
A set of manual coffee-brewing equipment sat on the desk, beside a batch of freshly ground beans.
My steps faltered.
Brazilian coffee.
That was Luna’s favorite.
Apparently, Austin brought her here often.
I looked away.
“No, thank you.”
“What’s wrong?” He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like it?”
I sat down and opened the file. “I prefer plain water. It’s clean.”
Silence lingered for two seconds.
Then Austin gave a quiet laugh.
“I think lemonade would suit you better.”
I frowned. “Why?”
The smile at the corner of his mouth paused.
A moment later, he suddenly bent toward me.
“Because every word out of your mouth is sour. Are you jealous?”
The distance between us vanished.
I caught the faint woody scent clinging to him. I had no idea which woman had chosen the cologne for him, but my traitorous heart still skipped a beat.
I leaned back.
“Austin.”
“Yes?”
I met his eyes, my voice grave.
“For the next three months, behave yourself. I have a bad temper, so don’t parade those women in front of me.”
“Once we’re divorced, you can strip naked and have sex with another woman right in front of me, and it still won’t be any of my business.”
A loud crash came from outside the office.
Frowning, I turned toward the door.
An instant later, it flew open with a startled cry.
“What did you just say?”
A young woman stood in the doorway, her eyes wide.
It was Silvia Richter.
Austin’s younger sister.
She stared at me in disbelief, her voice nearly cracking. “Elara! How can you possibly have the nerve to ask for a divorce?”
I froze, unable to understand what she meant.
Silvia stormed into the office and pointed at my face.
“If my brother hadn’t buried all that dirt on you, you would be—”
“Silvia,” Austin cut in.
His voice turned cold. “Get out.”
Silvia was clearly unwilling to let it go.
“But Austin, after everything she’s done, you still—”
“I said get out.”
The office fell completely silent.
Silvia bit her lip and glared at me. There was anger in her eyes, along with a strange sense of grievance I could not understand.
In the end, she turned and left.
The door closed again.
I looked at Austin. “What dirt was she talking about?”
He walked around the desk and sat opposite me, his tone indifferent.
“Nothing.”
“She said you buried something about me.”
“You misheard her.”
“Austin.” I stared at him. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”
He did not answer. He merely pushed the documents across the desk and tapped them lightly with one finger.
“The project.”
I knew he did not intend to tell me, so I stopped asking.
I had more important matters to deal with.
Over the next hour, we dissected virtually every aspect of the project: investment shares, liability for risks, land costs, future operations, board seats, and decision-making authority.
Neither of us gave an inch.
Every time I took something from him, he found a way to claw something else back. When I reduced his share of the funding, he demanded greater operational control. When I fought for leadership of the project, he raised his required share of the profits.
By the end, we still had not reached an agreement.
Austin closed the file and arched an eyebrow at me.
“If you want a share of what’s mine, you’ll have to show me some sincerity.”
My fingers tightened. I drew a deep breath.
“Richter will take only thirty percent of the total profits.”
That was my absolute limit.
Austin studied me in silence for a long time.
Then the corner of his mouth curved into an ambiguous smile, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes.
“You were born to be a lady, yet you insist on doing a hired hand’s work.”
My body went rigid.
He leaned back in his chair, speaking as casually as though the matter had nothing to do with him.
“Just like your mother.”
The words struck me hard in the chest.
My expression slowly turned cold.
I could tolerate him mocking me. I could even tolerate him questioning my abilities.
But I would not tolerate him bringing up my mother.
Not in that dismissive tone.
My fingers curled tightly into my palms.
“Say that again.”
He seemed to realize he had crossed a line. His face stiffened, and his lips parted as if he meant to say something.
But I was already on my feet.
“Austin, you had better remember this.”
“I am sitting here today as a representative of Richter Group, negotiating a project with you.”
“I am not here as your wife.”
“And I am certainly not here to let you use my mother as the punch line to a joke.”
The only sound in the office was the hum of the air conditioner.
He looked at me.
For the first time, there was no laughter in his eyes.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
I had no intention of answering, but the caller kept trying again and again.
Frowning, I finally accepted the call.
“Hello. Are you a relative of Lucas?”
My eyelid twitched.
“Yes, I am.”
“Mr. Lucas was just involved in a car accident. He’s at the hospital now. Please come as soon as possible.”
I barely heard anything after that.
Grabbing my bag, I hurried toward the door.
Austin called after me.
“Elara.”
I did not look back.
Only when the elevator doors closed did I realize that my hands were still trembling.
Lucas.
Please be all right.
My car shot out of the underground garage.
At the third intersection, I glanced into the rearview mirror and saw a familiar black sedan following me.
I knew the license plate far too well.
It was Austin’s car.
My heart suddenly beat faster, and my fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
Why was he following me?
Could it be that...?
