Chapter 16

Nathan Sterling sat in the plush first-class seat of the private jet, staring at the pair of wedding rings in his palm—the ones he had ordered his housekeeper to discard.

After a long moment, he slid the larger ring onto his finger.

He had never worn it before. Yet it fit perfectly, as if it had been crafted just for him.

For three years, he had refused to wear it, claiming it was unprofessional for work.

Any other woman would have protested.

But Evelyn Carter hadn’t. She had been patient, understanding, always yielding to his whims.

He never imagined she would leave him so abruptly—so decisively. She hadn’t even taken her own ring with her.

Nathan twisted the band around his finger, his expression darkening.

Was she truly the docile, obedient wife he thought she was? Or was there a fiercer, more determined woman beneath the surface?

When the jet landed in Darai, Nathan went straight to the headquarters of Prescott Enterprises. Without hesitation, he strode into the CEO’s office.

Adrian Prescott squinted at his computer screen before picking up the proposal and scanning it again.

Then, he set the file down and sighed. "Nathan, I’ve double-checked. Sterling Enterprises meets all the requirements for the expo."

Nathan’s jaw tightened. So he had been right—Dominic Kingsley was the one blocking them.

"Did you piss off the president of Kingsley Industries?" Adrian asked, tapping his pen against the desk.

"The records show he used his veto power to exclude Sterling Enterprises from the event."

Nathan’s gaze turned icy.

"I’ve never even met him. My secretary handled everything. The negotiations were smooth until now. We were just waiting to sign the contract."

"Then where is she? Let her fix this," Adrian said with a smirk.

Nathan’s fingers curled into fists. "She resigned."

Adrian raised a brow. "Ah. So she’s the one sabotaging you."

"She quit and took valuable connections with her, costing you this deal. You had her sign a non-compete clause, right? Sue her."

Every word only stoked Nathan’s simmering fury.

Simon, sensing his boss’s mood, cleared his throat awkwardly. "Mr. Prescott, that secretary was Mr. Sterling’s wife."

Adrian’s eyes widened.

"Hell. Nathan, who did you marry? Some kind of superhuman? How did she juggle being your wife and your secretary?"

Nathan didn’t answer.

Adrian had never been one for tact, so Nathan was used to his bluntness.

And in this case, Adrian wasn’t wrong.

Evelyn had been exceptional—so efficient, so flawless, it was almost inhuman.

The realization weighed heavily on him.

All this time, he had only seen her as the perfect secretary, forgetting she had also been his wife.

Adrian stood and clapped Nathan on the shoulder with a teasing grin.

"When did you even get married? Why wasn’t I invited? You should’ve introduced me to your wife."

Though they were close friends, they rarely met, their family businesses based in different countries.

Nathan and Evelyn had married quietly, without any grand celebration.

Only a few of Nathan’s inner circle in Pamore, including Gregory Hammond, had known.

Most of them had looked down on Evelyn for her background, believing Nathan had settled for less.

So they never spoke of his marriage to others. To them, he was still the untouchable bachelor.

"They’re divorced now," Simon blurted out.

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

Simon ducked his head, bracing for Nathan’s glare. Why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut?

Adrian’s teasing expression faded. "Well… marriage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, anyway. You’re better off."

Then he sighed, his own troubles surfacing.

"What’s wrong?" Nathan asked.

Adrian rubbed his temples. "My father is forcing me to marry Dominic Kingsley’s sister. She’s hideous. I’ve avoided her for years because she was overseas."

He groaned. "But now she’s back, and my old man won’t let it go. He’s already scheduled the damn wedding!"

"I refuse to go through with it."