Chapter 5 Dignity

• A divorce?
• Eric gaped at Serena in disbelief.
• He wanted to explain and tell her that he did not lie to her and that the figure in his bank account was the real deal.
• Alas, she did not want to speak to him anymore.
• Theresa could no longer keep her fury at bay either. She again smacked Eric across the face, slapping the words on the tip of his tongue away.
• “That's enough! Must you humiliate us thoroughly before you're willing to stop? From now on, if you dare utter a single word further, I'll cut your tongue off! Get out of here!”
• At the sight of the feral look in his mother-in-law's eyes that surpassed that of even a wild beast's, Eric sighed. Ultimately, he chose to zip his mouth.
• There was no way the meeting could continue after Eric had messed things up.
• In truth, it was a mere formality in the first place. The results of the meeting had long since been decided.
• Everyone knew that Serena's fate had been determined ages ago.
• Subsequently, Eric, Serena, and Theresa stepped out of Groff Corporation's office building without saying a word.
• The strange silence made Eric a touch discomfited.
• In the past, whenever the three of them were together, Theresa usually cursed Eric out while Serena tried to mediate at the side.
• Although their way of interaction was rather odd, they still appeared like a family, at the very least.
• The silence at that moment filled Eric with a sense of unease.
• At long last, Serena broke the peculiar silence. “Let's go and get a divorce now, Eric.”
• Her voice was mild. It was as though she was speaking of something that had nothing to do with her.
• When Eric heard that, his heart bled. He was the first Alpha whose spouse proposed a divorce.
• He knew that he owed her too much, as she had been the one making sacrifices and tolerating his incompetence throughout the three years of their marriage.
• Now that I already have money and am also free of my past identity as a lone wolf, can't I give her happiness?
• Trying his best to salvage their marriage, he asked, “Can we not divorce, Serena?”
• At that, Serena stared at him somberly. Then, she gave a self-derisive bark of laughter.
• “Not divorce? Do you not know that I'll be someone else's sex slave soon? Are you willing to have such a wife? Wake up, Eric. I hope you can be a man with dignity. After we've divorced, go to another city and start a new life with the two million compensation.”
• In the end, Oliver agreed to Serena's terms, but he would only fulfill his part of the bargain after the loan of a hundred million had been approved.
• Eric knew that the two million was compensation Serena got for him by trading her body.
• However, he was not happy in the slightest. Instead, it hurt so badly that it was as though he had been stabbed.
• “No! You're my wife! I won't allow anyone else to harm a hair on your head!” Eric swore. “Please believe me one last time, Serena. I—”
• “That's enough! I've had enough of your lies, Eric! What else do you want?” Serena cut him off.
• Her calm façade finally cracked and shattered. She trusted him, yet all she got in return was ridicule each and every time.
• That made it impossible for her to believe in him again.
• Worry about her emotional state flooded Eric, causing him to waver momentarily. Ultimately, he said nothing.
• He decided to play along with her for the time being, trusting that she would understand him when he had helped her resolve all the problems.
• At that precise moment, Theresa hurried over with her phone in hand.
• Without bothering to spare Eric a glance, she said to Serena frantically, “Bad news! Vivian has been detained!”
• “What happened?” Serena exclaimed, no longer in the presence of mind to compose herself after hearing that.
• Eric also swung his gaze to Theresa in curiosity.
• Vivian Groff was Serena's younger sister. She studied at a nearby university and generally stayed at the hostel on campus.
• Like Theresa, she did not like Eric and usually paid him little attention when they met.
• Growing up without a father and pampered by her mother, she was rebellious in nature.
• She often hung out with a group of punk youths. This time, she offended someone and ended up being detained.
• With worry lining her face, Theresa replied, “Earlier, Vivian called me and said she had a fight at Sequoia Bar. She's been detained by the other party, who wants us to go over.”
• A frown marred Serena's exquisite countenance. “Sequoia Bar? Why would she go there?”
• Eric had also heard of Sequoia Bar. It was located in Fairlake's affluent district and specifically provided entertainment for the rich.
• The majority of the patrons of the bar were the younger generation of prominent families and big companies.
• Since Vivian had a fight with someone there, the other person was undoubtedly someone with high status.
• Anxiety gripped Theresa. “What should we do now? The other person threatened to gang-rape her if we can't fork out five million in ransom!”