Chapter 2

2.

Even before she married him, Claire had heard Grayson's name.

The media praised his handsome looks, his capabilities―he was the perfect heir, leading Sterling Industries to the top of the Forbes list within a year of taking over.

His only flaw, perhaps, was his utter disinterest in women, as if he were a machine built solely for work.

But at a charity gala in the Hamptons, his cool, ascetic aura had made her fall for him instantly, leaving no room in her heart for anyone else.

So when their families proposed the marriage alliance, she agreed without hesitation.

At the time, her best friend had tried to warn her, "Grayson is a great catch, but he's an emotionless work machine. You won't be happy if you marry him."

But she had naively believed that if she were good enough, if she loved him enough, she could one day melt his icy heart.

And the result?

On their wedding night, he performed his duties coolly, then emotionlessly told her, "I'm not interested in romance. I married you because our families needed this alliance. As long as you don't cause trouble, I will fulfill my responsibilities as a husband and ensure you have access to all the Sterling family's resources. Beyond that, don't expect anything more."

So after they were married, no matter how many times he neglected her or abandoned her for work, she endured it.

She told herself that he didn't love her, but he didn't love anyone else either. And that was enough.

But today, after witnessing with her own eyes how he cradled Amber in his hands, how he lowered his proud head for her, how he spoke those gentle words she had craved for five years and never received...

She could no longer deceive herself.

It wasn't that he was immune to women, not that he was naturally cold. It was simply that the person he loved wasn't her.

All her perseverance and tolerance had become a complete and utter joke.

Claire wiped her tears, hailed a taxi on the street, and took out her phone to make a call.

"Howard, I need you to draft a divorce agreement for me."

The next day, with the freshly printed divorce agreement in hand, Claire went directly to the Sterling Industries headquarters in Manhattan.

But the receptionist told her, "Mrs. Sterling, Mr. Sterling hasn't been to the office in a long time."

Another dagger pierced Claire's heart.

Hasn't been to the office in a long time?

The workaholic who once slept in his office for a month straight for a project?

She swallowed the bitterness and asked, "Where did he go?"

The receptionist looked uneasy and whispered, "He's with Miss Nolan at the Sotheby's auction."

An auction...

She took a deep breath and drove to the auction house.

The venue was crowded.

But she still spotted Grayson immediately, sitting in the front row with the vibrant Amber by his side.

The auctioneer was presenting the final, show-stopping piece―a blue diamond necklace said to have once belonged to a member of the British royal family, with a starting bid of fifty million dollars.

The bidding was fierce, but every time someone made an offer, Grayson would raise his paddle without hesitation, effortlessly topping it, his posture relaxed yet utterly determined.

In the end, he won the necklace for Amber with a staggering, astronomical sum.

The entire room erupted in whispers, every envious or jealous gaze fixed on Amber.

Amber happily wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Claire stood not far away, watching the scene, her chest aching with a sharp pain.

In all their years of marriage, he had never even given her a single decent gift.

She had always thought it was because he was naturally cold and didn't understand romance.

It turned out he just wasn't willing to be romantic with her.

She clenched the divorce agreement in her hand, took a deep breath, and walked toward the dazzling, yet piercingly painful, couple.

Grayson saw her first. The lazy smile on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a cold hardness. Almost instinctively, he pulled Amber slightly behind him. "What are you doing here?"

That subconscious protective gesture was like a sharp knife plunging into Claire's heart.

She struggled to remain calm and held out the file in her hand. "There's a document that needs your signature."

Just then, a staff member approached to ask Grayson to go backstage and handle the transaction for the necklace.

Grayson's tone was frigid. "I'm busy right now. We'll talk later."

Later? She didn't want to wait for later.

She didn't want to wait another second.

"It's a very important document. It will only take a few minutes," Claire insisted, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly. "Grayson, I want a divorce. As soon as you sign, and the court finalizes the process, we'll be completely done. You have someone you truly love, so I'll step aside―we can go our separate ways."

She said it all in one breath, bracing herself for his response. But Grayson just frowned, and after a long moment, he barely turned his head, as if he hadn't heard a word she'd said. "What did you just say? I told you I'm busy. We'll talk later."

With that, he followed the staff member backstage.

Claire took a deep breath. He was always like this―for five years, he had treated her and her words as if they were nothing but air.

She was about to follow him when Amber suddenly stepped forward and snatched the file from her hands.

"You must be Grayson's arrangement, right?" Amber looked Claire up and down, her eyes filled with a hint of contempt. "Whatever document you have, just give it to me. Grayson gave me a notarized power of attorney. I can sign his routine administrative papers for him."

Everyone knew Grayson was obsessively cautious, insisting on personally reviewing and signing every important document himself.

But now...

As if to prove her point, Amber pulled a document bearing the official seal of a notary public from her handbag and waved it at Claire. The power of attorney specified its scope as "daily consumer and administrative documents," but Amber didn't even glance at the contents of the file in Claire's hand. She flipped directly to the last page, signed her own name on Grayson's signature line, and added the note "Signed under authorization" next to it.