Chapter 4 Give Several Hundred Million

• Kathryn's POV:
• When I uttered the word “divorce”, I felt as though the shackles of our three-year marriage had somewhat loosened around me.
• This relationship had truly been so exhausting for me... I didn't want to continue anymore.
• Yet, no sooner had I spoken than Lucian's phone began to ring.
• He pulled out his phone, glancing at the caller ID. His eyebrows furrowed as he answered the call. “What's up?”
• Whatever was said on the other end of the phone, he promptly responded in a deep voice, “I'll be there immediately.”
• He glanced at me, put away his phone, and dashed out the door.
• It was probably that b*tch calling, wasn't it? How disgusting!
• I stared at the bedroom I shared with Lucian. The mere thought of him touching me right after being intimate with Juliette made me feel sick!
• The bed still held traces of Lucian's scent, so I didn't want to stay here any longer!
• I began packing my belongings and drafting the divorce agreement. After printing it out and signing my name, I placed it on the living room coffee table, alongside the unlimited supplementary card that Lucian had given me. Then, I got ready to leave.
• Downstairs, my good friend Esther was standing by her car, waiting for me.
• She reached out, offering to help with my luggage. “How many suitcases do you have left? Do you need me to go up and help you bring them down?”
• “I only have just this one.”
• “Huh?” Esther immediately straightened up, her eyes wide with surprise, almost popping out of her sockets. “Are you serious? This is all you have? Lucian is a billionaire, so hasn't he bought you any jewelry?”
• I skillfully stowed the luggage into her trunk, climbed into the passenger seat, and feigned nonchalance as I answered, “All those are just material possessions! At least now, I am free.”
• Esther settled into the driver's seat but didn't start the car yet. “Did you really get divorced?”
• “Yes, yes, now drive! I really don't want to stay in this awful place any longer!” I shrugged nonchalantly.
• Esther started the car, and for a dozen or so seconds, silence filled the vehicle. Suddenly, she burst out in frustration, “D*mn it! Lucian is so rich; couldn't he have left you a few hundred million of his wealth?”
• I scoffed dismissively, “His wealth is all pre-marital assets. I wouldn't dare to covet it.”
• When it came to money, Lucian was actually quite generous.
• If we were to strictly divide assets according to the law, what I could potentially acquire would be far more than just a few hundred million.
• However, what I wanted from the very beginning was never his money.
• Seeing that I remained silent, Esther quickly changed the subject. “It's actually a good thing that you're divorced. The studio has a pile of backlogged orders waiting to be done, so this is perfect timing. Otherwise, I'm always the only one running around. People might really think this studio is mine alone.”
• After I graduated from university, I partnered with Esther to establish a fashion design studio named “Lush Moon.”
• I was in charge of the design work, while Esther handled the business side of things. Our studio's business was booming.
• It was only later, at the height of Lush Moon's success, that I chose to marry Lucian and embraced the life of a housewife.
• Lush Moon had always been managed solely by Esther, while I was only responsible for producing the designs behind the scenes.
• Esther was wholly devoted to her career. Coupled with her exceptional skills, she managed to transform Lush Moon into a haute couture private fashion design studio in just a few years.
• As the sole designer and part-owner of Lush Moon, I was molded by Esther into the ace designer known as “Serenity.” Nowadays, I was quite renowned within high society.
• I was leaving the marriage with nothing to my name, so I had to consider the matter of making a living.
• Hence, my original plan was to return to the studio, even if Esther hadn't mentioned anything. Upon hearing from Esther that there were outstanding orders, I couldn't help but become serious. “Didn't I give you lots of sketches before? Why are there still pending orders?”
• The mere thought of this gave Esther a headache. “You have no idea how demanding those high-society ladies and celebrities can be. They're even harder to please than God. They insist on exclusivity - no identical designs, no identical colors - so each design sketch can only be used to create one piece. The designs you gave me last time were just enough for the previous orders.”
• “I was a bit greedy, so I took on a few more orders...” she confessed, pinching her fingers together as she spoke. “Just a tiny bit more.”
• “How many is 'a tiny bit'?” I asked, unable to hide my concern.
• Esther gave a sheepish chuckle. “Well... about sixty-six orders.”
• After a brief pause, she added, “Evening gowns.” Her voice was noticeably softer than before.
• Good heavens! How could Esther have dared to take that many orders at once?
• With sixty-six orders, even if I tackled one a day, it would take me more than two months, and that was not even considering the time I'd need to cross-check the details and materials. It was likely I wouldn't be able to take a break until the end of the year!
• Well, it seems I don't need to worry about where to live after the divorce; I'll just stay at the studio.
• Esther flashed me a charming smile. “From now on, I'm afraid things will be quite hard for you.”
• “What's so hard about earning money from one's dream job?” I waved my hand dismissively.
• Excitedly, Esther said, “Now that you're back, our business is bound to grow and strengthen. Then, we'll become female billionaires and that jerk Lucian will be begging for you to come back!”
• Go back? Impossible.
• I wouldn't make the same mistake again, nor would I ever love Lucian again.