Chapter 88
Chapter 88
Marriage was like making a cup of coffee.
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At the beginning, it needed boiling water poured over freshly ground beans, with the fragrant crema rising to the top.
Over time, the coffee cooled, and the grounds settled, revealing what lay beneath.
In the end, the coffee was cold, the grounds sank to the bottom, and the people, too, drifted apart.
Matilda had swirled the coffee pot gently, skimming the foam from the surface. Her voice carried no trace of emotion. “Mr. Grimes, you arrived faster than I expected, so the coffee was not ready yet. I appreciated your patience.”
Brandon felt uncomfortable and suppressed when Matilda called him “Mr. Grimes”.
He said, “If you have any dissatisfaction, just open up and make a scene with me, argue with me.”
Matilda was calm. “Have I argued and made a scene with you less? Is it useful?”
He said, “Matilda, I never thought I would end up where we are today with you.”
She smiled. “Yes, that’s right. You thought of making me notorious, homeless, condemned by everyone, desperate, unable to see my daughter. Then, like a stray dog, I’d crawl back to Rose Villa, beg forgiveness from Shelby, and continue being your wife-the obedient wife who lives and dies by your word. Wasn’t that it?”
She nailed it. Brandon couldn’t say a word.
Matilda opened the lid. The meeting room was filled with the fragrance of coffee, but Brandon was having difficulty breathing.
She had him by the throat. Her strength was crushing him. Only by satisfying her now would the X3 have any hope of survival.
After a long while, Brandon said in a low voice, “I’m sorry. What compensation do you want? I can give it to you.”
His voice was hoarse and muffled from staying up all night, seemingly with a hint of disappointment.
But Matilda didn’t care. Matilda said casually, “Why not post a public apology on social media, explain the false charges of stealing trade secrets?”
Brandon turned pale.
At that moment, he finally understood a saying, “What goes around comes around.”
Matilda was not the type to swallow humiliation. She remembered everything, and when the chance came, she’d reclaim it with interest.
But the charge of stealing trade secrets had not been his alone. If he apologized publicly, others-powerful people—would be dragged down. The consequences would crush him, and Matilda as well.
He lowered his tone. “I’ll compensate. Another way, please?”
Matilda knew well enough that a public apology was unrealistic.
In this world, only money and power mattered. Neither was hers to command.
1/3
6:04 pm
Chapter 88
Marriage was like making a cup of coffee.
At the beginning, it needed boiling water poured over freshly ground beans, with the fragrant crema rising to the top.
Over time, the coffee cooled, and the grounds settled, revealing what lay beneath.
In the end, the coffee was cold, the grounds sank to the bottom, and the people, too, drifted apart.
Matilda had swirled the coffee pot gently, skimming the foam from the surface. Her voice carried no trace of emotion. “Mr. Grimes, you arrived faster than I expected, so the coffee was not ready yet. I appreciated your patience.”
Brandon felt uncomfortable and suppressed when Matilda called him “Mr. Grimes”.
He said, “If you have any dissatisfaction, just open up and make a scene with me, argue with me.”
Matilda was calm. “Have I argued and made a scene with you less? Is it useful?”
He said, “Matilda, I never thought I would end up where we are today with you.”
She smiled. “Yes, that’s right. You thought of making me notorious, homeless, condemned by everyone, desperate, unable to see my daughter. Then, like a stray dog, I’d crawl back to Rose Villa, beg forgiveness from Shelby, and continue being your wife-the obedient wife who lives and dies by your word. Wasn’t that it?”
She nailed it. Brandon couldn’t say a word.
Matilda opened the lid. The meeting room was filled with the fragrance of coffee, but Brandon was having difficulty breathing.
She had him by the throat. Her strength was crushing him. Only by satisfying her now would the X3 have any hope of survival.
After a long while, Brandon said in a low voice, “I’m sorry. What compensation do you want? I can give it to you.”
His voice was hoarse and muffled from staying up all night, seemingly with a hint of disappointment.
But Matilda didn’t care. Matilda said casually, “Why not post a public apology on social media, explain the false charges of stealing trade secrets?”
Brandon turned pale.
At that moment, he finally understood a saying, “What goes around comes around.”
Matilda was not the type to swallow humiliation. She remembered everything, and when the chance came, she’d reclaim it with interest.
But the charge of stealing trade secrets had not been his alone. If he apologized publicly, others-powerful people-would be dragged down. The consequences would crush him, and Matilda as well.
He lowered his tone. “I’ll compensate. Another way, please?”
Matilda knew well enough that a public apology was unrealistic.
In this world, only money and power mattered. Neither was hers to command.
1/3
6:04 pm
Chapter 88
So she said. “I want House of Heart and the packaging factory. And 150 million dollars in compensation.”
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Brandon was caught off guard. “House of Heart requires huge subsidies every year. How would you manage it? And the factory…
Matilda interrupted. “You’re about to say the factory runs at a loss every year, aren’t you?”
That sneer made Brandon understand something.
He asked, “You, you knew all along? Then why did you sign the divorce agreement so readily?”
She replied, “Because I wanted to leave you. Even if it meant hell, even if it meant no return, as long as you’d sign that paper, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
She added, “As long as I still have breath, I can fight to reclaim my justice. Isn’t that why you came here today, to return what’s mine?”
The coffee was ready, and it was poured into a cup. Only the last step remained, to drink.
Matilda paused, slightly raising her eyes to look at Brandon. “Mr. Grimes, will you give it to me or not?”
Brandon stared blankly at Matilda.
So she had known all along. Back then, it wasn’t a fit of temper. She was determined to leave him.
But he would do that, just wanted her to accept Shelby and stay with him. From beginning to end, he never thought of divorcing Matilda.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken off his wedding ring until now.
Brandon’s right thumb and index finger were placed on the ring on his left ring finger and never left.
But when he met Matilda’s icy gaze, he understood. Today’s reckoning was his own doing. He had been too blindly confident, forgetting her nature. Like a spring, the deeper one pressed, the stronger the recoil.
Matilda really hated him.
Brandon felt a pang of pain and suppressed it for a long time before saying, “The House of Heart and the packaging factory cannot be given to you, but I can give you 300 million dollars in compensation…”
Matilda said, “Mr. Grimes, you once said something, and now I want to give it to you.”
Matilda stared intently at Brandon. “You! Are! Not! Qualified! To! Negotiate!”
For the first time, Brandon was hit with his own words. This feeling was even more bitter than gall and hard to swallow,
Brandon realized that this was how Matilda had felt, back when he forced her to sign the divorce.
He nodded heavily and sighed. “I’ll give it to you, I’ll give it all to you…”
Matilda brewed the coffee, then handed Brandon a cup.
Brandon looked at Matilda, speechless for a long time.
Matilda didn’t say anything either.
2/3
6:04 pm
Chapter SS
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They were both proud people, and neither of them had imagined that the end of their marriage would be so ugly….
After an unknown amount of time, the warmth of the coffee gradually dissipated.
Only the shadow in the cup remained, along with the lingering coolness in their hearts.
Brandon’s throat rasped. “The papers and ID… they’re in the car. The city hall hasn’t closed yet.”
Matilda said, “Mine are in my bag too.”
They walked out one after another, their shadows cast on the wall, no longer overlapping.
They exited the city hall.
Brandon said, “The formalities for the House of Heart and the packaging factory won’t be completed so quickly…”
“It’s fine. We’ll sign the contracts first and let the workers return to the factory. Oh, and the 150 million dollars. Send it to my account soon. Same number as before.” She finished briskly and then turned with elegance and resolve.
Brandon watched her leave, suddenly realizing that this woman would no longer be his from now on.
His heart suddenly felt empty, like standing on ruins, desolate all around.
This feeling made him panic and fear. He stepped forward and blocked Matilda’s path.
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