Chapter 3
Eliza was the vicious female supporting character of this novel. Having harbored a one-sided crush on the male lead, Luke, for years, she was obsessed with claiming him for herself.
Later on, she even tried to team up with Tyrell to break up Victoria and Luke. Her ending in the book? Predictably miserable.
I wasn't looking for trouble, so I pretended I didn't see her.
"Tyrell," Eliza called out to me.
I blinked. "Yeah?"
She asked, "Are you and Victoria really getting divorced? I thought you loved her."
Loved her? Victoria cheated so boldly, and I wasn't the same pathetic cuckold the original Tyrell was.
"Of course, I love her," I replied.
But I loved money more.
Two billion dollars for a divorce? That kind of deal didn't fall into your lap twice. Only an idiot would stay chained to Victoria.
I pressed a hand to my chest, putting on a pained expression. "But she doesn't love me. I have no choice. I'll let her go."
Eliza shot me a long look.
After all, everyone knew that Victoria had treated me like trash, yet I still acted like she was the love of my life.
Feeling like I might slip up, I quickly made an excuse and left.
Back at the villa, I happily went into the kitchen and prepared a spread for Victoria.
The dishes were all biological warfare. One bite could probably shorten her life by a few years.
When Victoria came back, I wiped nonexistent sweat from my forehead and said softly, "Dinner's ready. I made your favorite scrambled eggs."
Since the divorce wasn't final yet, my "devoted husband" act still had to hold.
Victoria didn't even look at me and went straight upstairs.
The butler, Tobias Bradford, tried to comfort me. "Mr. Griffin, don't be upset. Ms. Gibson probably already ate outside."
Like I cared.
"Clear the table. Have the kitchen prepare butter-baked lobster, king crab, truffle and potato gratin, foie gras and caviar pizza…"
I rattled off 12 dishes without blinking. After some thought, I added, "Oh, and a bottle of '82 Lafite."
Tobias froze.
After all, I had become a completely different person the moment Victoria left.
After eating like royalty, I went upstairs and happened to see Victoria stepping out of the bathroom.
She must have just stepped out of the shower. Wrapped in a bath towel, her skin was supple and radiant. Her figure softly curved in all the right places.
It was no wonder the original Tyrell was so hopelessly devoted to her. She was a true femme fatale.
Victoria tightened the towel and looked at me in annoyance. "Tyrell Griffin!"
I shrugged. Even if she looked good, it didn't matter. Beauty was just another kind of trap.
The following days were simple. I spent money every single day, shopping until my hands hurt. If I didn't burn through her money now, I might never get the chance again.
When the mandatory waiting period ended, I immediately dragged Victoria to finalize the divorce.
Once the divorce certificate was in my hand and I confirmed the two billion dollars had arrived, I turned to Victoria with a grin. "Thanks for the money, ex-wife. Hope you two have a happy life and a house full of kids."
Victoria froze.
Watching me hum happily like I'd won the lottery, she gritted her teeth. "Tyrell, drop the act. Even if you beg me to remarry you one day, I won't give you the time of day."
Oh, please. Even if I had to die, I wasn't giving that money back.
I waved her off and left.
I was rich now. Time to head back to the club and enjoy myself surrounded by beautiful slippers.
But before I even reached the club, something slammed into the back of my head, and darkness swallowed me.
When I woke up, I was in an abandoned factory. Next to me was another man tied up like me. He was well-dressed and handsome.
I recognized him instantly. That was Luke.
The male lead and I had been abducted together!
I didn't need to think to know that this was definitely the doing of one of Victoria's enemies.
But I didn't remember this scene from the book at all. This system was seriously trying to kill me.
I turned to the tattooed man nearby. "Hey, you got the wrong guy. I'm innocent."
What was the point of abducting me to threaten Victoria? She didn't love me. Besides, we just got divorced. She couldn't care less about me.
The tattooed man slapped me hard. "Shut up!"
Annoyed by my noise, he yanked a sock off his foot and shoved it into my mouth.
I gagged at once.
Suddenly, noise came from outside.
The door burst open, and Victoria walked in alone. "How much do you want?"
The tattooed man held up a finger and said, "You can only save one of them. The choice is yours."
Of course, she'd pick Luke. Damn it. Was this the end of me? I'd barely enjoyed my two billion dollars.
What a scam!
Victoria glanced at me, a flicker of hesitation crossing her eyes.
"I choose Luke. Let him go."
I wasn't the least bit surprised. The last shred of hope I'd been holding onto finally withered away.
The kidnappers didn't argue. They took the money and released Luke immediately.
Victoria helped Luke up. Before leaving, she glanced back at me. "I'll come back for you."
I really didn't get her. If she actually wanted to save me, why didn't she just bring enough cash to ransom us both? Of all the times to be a cheapskate, she picked this one.
After they left, the tattooed man stared at me. "This one's in good shape. Probably worth a lot if we sell his organs."
I went cold.
Great. By the sounds of it, they were planning to strip me for parts and sell me off piece by piece.
That was a fate far worse than death!
As I panicked, someone suddenly shouted outside, "Fire! Get out!"
The next second, a deafening explosion ripped through the air. The blast sent me flying.
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