Free Web NovelChapter 24: Chapter 24
That very afternoon, Oliver Grant arrived at the company carrying two share transfer agreements.
"Madam," he said respectfully as he handed them over with both hands, "these are the shares held by Mr. Bennett and Miss Foster. They’ve all been transferred into your name."
Inside the office, Elise sat behind her desk and glanced indifferently at the documents before her.
Then she lifted her eyes to Oliver, her gaze cool and sharp.
"Tell Dylan this—if he thinks these shares alone are enough to make me let Quinn off the hook, he’s dreaming."
Oliver immediately looked troubled. "Madam... I’m just following orders."
A faintly mocking smile tugged at Elise’s lips.
"In the past five years, he must’ve had you step forward plenty of times to support Quinn, didn’t he?"
Oliver nearly choked.
Looking utterly helpless, he pleaded, "Madam... I’m just an employee trying to make a living. Please don’t make things difficult for me."
"I’m not making things difficult for you," Elise replied coldly. "Dylan is the one who’s gone too far."
Despite the calmness on her face, bitterness still spread uncontrollably through her chest.
Even though she had expected all of this long ago, facing it head-on still hurt more than she wanted to admit.
The resentment of being betrayed burned through her like a raging fire, scorching the heart that had already long since gone cold.
She would not back down. She could not back down.
"Tell Dylan this," she said slowly. "If he wants me to drop the charges against Quinn, then he can bring the signed divorce agreement and come negotiate with me personally."
Seeing how resolute she was, Oliver had no choice but to call Dylan.
***
Half an hour later, Dylan arrived.
The office door opened, and Sandra Winston stepped aside, nodding respectfully. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"Mr. Bennett, please come in."
Dressed in a black tailored suit, Dylan strode inside. His tall figure carried an overwhelming pressure that instantly chilled the room.
His handsome face was cold and severe, his long dark eyes unreadable as they swept briefly toward Oliver.
The man understood immediately. Without a second thought, he slipped out of the office at once.
The door closed behind him.
An eerie silence immediately settled over the spacious office.
Elise remained seated behind her desk, looking at Dylan with detached indifference.
"Mr. Bennett," she said coolly, "did you bring the divorce agreement?"
Their eyes met. Her face was calm, but there wasn’t a trace of warmth left in her gaze.
Dylan stared at those familiar eyes and suddenly realized... At some point, the love and devotion that had once filled them had disappeared completely.
Did Elise truly not love him anymore?
Impossible.
Back then, Elise had chosen him without hesitation, even when the Harper family threatened to sever all ties with her.
No one understood better than Dylan how much she had sacrificed just to love him and stay by his side.
A woman who once loved him so desperately... How could she possibly stop loving him?
She was just angry. Or perhaps this was merely another attempt to play hard to get.
"Elise," he said coldly, "if you want assets, I can have everything notarized. But using divorce to threaten me is pointless. This little game of yours won’t work on me."
Elise genuinely didn’t know how he still had the audacity to say such things.
"There’s nothing left for me to say to you anymore."
She stood abruptly and looked straight into his eyes.
"You think I’m playing games?" she said icily. "Then sign the papers right now and see whether I’m serious about this divorce."
Dylan’s expression darkened. His brows drew together.
"Do you really have to make things this ugly?"
"Ugly?" Elise laughed from sheer disbelief. "The shameless one here is you!"
Her voice sharpened with fury.
"You adopted Robin behind my back using the name of our marriage, then moved him and Quinn into Orchard Residence while I—the lawful Mrs. Bennett—was deceived for five entire years!"
She stared at him coldly. "Dylan, listen to yourself. Does that sound reasonable to you?"
His thin lips pressed into a hard line. After a long moment, he finally let out a faint sigh, almost as though he were the exhausted one.
"So if I sign," he asked quietly, "you’ll stop pursuing Quinn?"
Elise met his gaze without hesitation. "Yes."
"Fine." A cold laugh escaped Dylan’s lips. "Elise, you’d better not regret this."
Elise scoffed. "Listen carefully, Dylan. I won’t regret it. The day I get my divorce certificate, I’ll celebrate with the most spectacular fireworks display this city has ever seen."
Her eyes were icy.
"And it’ll be grander than the fireworks from our wedding. When that day comes, I wouldn’t mind if you and your new lover stood together and watched."
Dylan’s jaw tightened sharply. His dark eyes locked onto her face.
"Elise," he said coldly, "there should be limits to throwing a tantrum. Being unreasonable solves nothing."
"First of all, this isn’t a tantrum. These are my genuine feelings."
She drew in a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes, speaking each word clearly.
"Dylan... ever since we lost the twins, I have never been more awake or more clearheaded than I am right now."
He froze. His lips parted slightly, yet no words came out.
"I’ve already made myself perfectly clear," Elise continued coldly. "So have some dignity and sign. Clinging endlessly to someone has never been your style."
Her gaze sharpened. "And frankly... it’s embarrassing."
The final words struck like a slap. Dylan’s face darkened instantly.
"Embarrassing." That word completely ignited his temper. "Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’re irreplaceable to me," he said coldly. "I already signed the divorce agreement a long time ago. It’s been sitting with the company lawyers—"
Before he could finish, Elise suddenly opened the desk drawer. She pulled out two freshly prepared agreements.
Smack.
She threw them directly onto the desk in front of him.
Dylan paused, startled, and lowered his gaze. Two identical copies of the divorce agreement.
"I prepared two originals," Elise said calmly. "I don’t mind if Mr. Bennett signs them on the spot."
The hand hanging at Dylan’s side slowly clenched into a fist.
Several seconds passed before he finally looked up at her again, his brows tightly furrowed, his dark eyes heavy with anger. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Elise showed no sign of retreat.
"Dylan," she said evenly, "sign it. Don’t make me look down on you."
His jaw tightened visibly, fury surging beneath his cold expression.
Elise was stubborn. Dylan was equally stubborn. After five years of marriage, they knew each other’s personalities all too well. And now that things had reached this point, neither of them was willing to lower their head first.
But when Elise truly watched Dylan sign his name onto the divorce agreement for Quinn’s sake...
Her heart still twisted violently with pain.
Ten years of loving him in silence. A marriage bought with heartbreak. The agony of losing their twins. And in the end, this was what remained.
Only then did she fully understand... Loving the wrong person truly came with a devastating price.
Elise drew in a shaky breath and forced back the tears threatening to rise.
...
The moment Dylan set down the pen, Elise immediately pulled the agreements away.
"I’m afraid Mr. Bennett might conveniently forget things," she said coolly. "So the original copies will stay with me. I’ll have Sandra make you a photocopy later."
Dylan stared at her, complicated emotions churning in his eyes.
Elise placed the agreements back into the drawer before lifting her gaze to him again. This time, there was nothing left in her eyes at all.
"I’ve accepted both the shares and the agreement." Her voice was calm. "Dylan, from this moment onward, whatever existed between us is over."
His dark gaze reflected her face.
She was far too calm. As though they weren’t discussing a divorce at all, but merely negotiating an ordinary business transaction.
Dylan’s throat bobbed slightly. A strange heaviness spread through his chest, and the unfamiliar sensation only made him more irritated.
He let out a cold laugh.
"Elise, if you regret this and beg me now, I can pretend this agreement never existed."
Elise answered him with a look full of contempt.
"Tomorrow, my lawyer will submit the divorce registration forms to the Civil Affairs Bureau."
She held his gaze steadily.
"Mr. Bennett, once the thirty-day cooling-off period ends... I’ll see you there."
