The moment Ethan Liu saw the contract on the table, he finally understood one thing.
The woman he thought he had abandoned…
had never needed him.
The meeting room of Hengyuan Group was unusually quiet.
Everyone was waiting for the representative from Healthy Taste Institute.
Ethan sat at the head of the table, checking the documents.
For the past two weeks, his life had been almost perfect.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
The divorce was done.
The apartment was ready.
Natalie was beside him.
And Grace…
was finally gone.
A burden removed.
A problem solved.
Until the door opened.
The assistant stood up immediately.
“Mr. Liu, the representative has arrived.”
Ethan didn’t look up.
“Let them in.”
The first person who entered was a woman in a simple black suit.
No luxury jewelry.
No expensive handbag.
No exaggerated makeup.
She carried only a laptop and a folder.
Ethan barely glanced at her.
Until she raised her head.
And their eyes met.
The room became silent.
Because the woman standing there…
was Grace.
For several seconds, Ethan couldn’t speak.
Not because she looked different.
But because she looked like someone he had never known.
Confident.
Calm.
Powerful.
Not the woman who used to lower her head at dinner.
Not the woman who apologized whenever he was unhappy.
Not the woman he called “lazy” and “unmotivated.”
This Grace looked like someone who had never needed his approval.
Natalie, who was sitting beside him, immediately stood.
“Grace?”
Her voice was filled with surprise.
Then suspicion.
“What are you doing here?”
Grace smiled politely.
“Working.”
The answer was simple.
But it made Ethan uncomfortable.
“Working?”
He frowned.
“You left the company.”
“Yes.”
She placed the folder on the table.
“So I started working somewhere else.”
The assistant beside her introduced:
“Mrs. Jiang Nan is the founder and CEO of Jiang Nan Studio.”
The room froze.
Ethan looked up sharply.
“Mrs. Jiang Nan?”
The assistant nodded.
“The food creator whose brands have generated hundreds of millions in sales.”
Silence.
Ethan remembered.
Jiang Nan.
The name that appeared everywhere online.
The creator Natalie often talked about.
The woman whose products everyone wanted.
The woman his company had tried to cooperate with for months.
But he never imagined…
that woman was Grace.
Natalie’s expression changed.
“That’s impossible.”
Everyone looked at her.
She quickly corrected herself.
“I mean…”
She forced a smile.
“Grace never mentioned having a company.”
Grace looked at her calmly.
“Did you ever ask?”
Natalie froze.
Because she hadn’t.
Nobody had.
They had already decided who Grace was.
The abandoned wife.
The ordinary employee.
The woman who got lucky by marrying Ethan Liu.
Ethan stared at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Grace looked at him.
A strange question.
After everything.
That was the question he chose to ask.
“Why would I?”
His face changed.
“What do you mean?”
Grace opened the contract.
“You spent four years telling me I was not good enough.”
“I thought you would be happier not knowing.”
The words were not loud.
But they hurt more than anger.
Because there was no hatred in her voice.
Only indifference.
And that was worse.
The meeting began.
Healthy Taste Institute’s representative explained the collaboration.
The contract value.
The marketing strategy.
The expected profit.
Everyone listened carefully.
Including Ethan.
Because every number on the document represented something he had never known about his ex-wife.
Then came the final page.
The parent company information.
Ethan’s eyes stopped.
Because the partner company was:
Hengyuan Group.
His company.
He looked at Grace.
“You knew?”
She closed the folder.
“Yes.”
“And you still accepted?”
Grace smiled.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because I’m here.”
A pause.
“Because we used to be married.”
She looked directly at him.
“Exactly.”
“Used to be.”
Those two words made Ethan’s chest tighten.
Because for the first time…
he realized the divorce had only ended the marriage.
Not Grace’s life.
After the meeting, Natalie followed Ethan.
“She did this on purpose.”
Ethan stopped.
“What?”
“She wanted to embarrass you.”
He looked at Natalie.
“Why would she?”
“Because she wants revenge.”
Ethan remained silent.
But something inside him rejected that explanation.
Because Grace had many chances to destroy him.
Yet she didn’t.
She simply left.
That night, Ethan returned home.
The mansion felt strangely empty.
For four years, he had complained about Grace’s presence.
Now…
he noticed every corner where she used to stand.
The kitchen.
The sofa.
The small plant near the window.
Things he never cared about.
Suddenly became evidence that someone had once loved him.
His phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
Only one sentence:
“Do you really think Grace only hid her career from you?”
Ethan frowned.
Another message appeared.
A photograph.
An old contract.
His signature.
From three years ago.
And below:
“Ask Natalie why she knew about Jiang Nan before you did.”
Ethan’s expression changed.
Because the date on the document…
was from before Natalie joined the company.
At the same time.
Grace was sitting in her office.
Looking at the same photograph.
Her assistant asked carefully:
“Mrs. Jiang, are you sure you want to continue?”
Grace closed her laptop.
“Yes.”
“Even though it involves Mr. Liu?”
She looked out the window.
For four years, she had hidden herself for someone who didn’t value her.
Now…
she would no longer hide.
“No.”
Her voice was calm.
“This is no longer about Ethan.”
A pause.
“It’s about finding out who helped him destroy my life.”
Because Grace didn’t know yet…
that her divorce wasn’t caused by Natalie alone.
Someone else had been arranging everything from the beginning.
And the person behind it…
was someone she trusted more than anyone.
TO BE CONTINUED…
