Chapter 3

3

The next morning, as soon as I arrived at the company, HR notified me to report to the CEO suite.

When I pushed the door open, I saw Roxanne sitting behind the executive desk.

Gavin was standing right beside her, supporting her by the shoulders.

"Oh, Alina is here!"

The moment she saw me walk in, Roxanne leaped up in feigned panic.

"My blood sugar dropped suddenly just now."

"Gavin was sweet enough to carry me to the chair. Alina, you are not upset, are you?"

If this had happened in the past, I would have flown into a rage.

I probably would have gotten into a screaming match with Gavin on the spot.

Now, none of it moved me.

"It is fine. If your blood sugar is low, eat more snacks."

"Why did you call me up here?"

Gavin had clearly expected a fiery confrontation, and my calm demeanor left him unsettled.

He hesitated, swallowing the words he had originally prepared.

"Nothing major. There is a corporate dinner tonight. You should... get ready."

Watching me turn to leave, Gavin suddenly called out from behind me.

"I have plans tonight. I will pass."

I waved my hand dismissively and walked straight out of the office before he could reply.

Whenever the company hosted banquets in the past, I had always begged to accompany him.

In the beginning, he complained that I was too quiet and ruined everyone's mood.

Later, when I tried to mingle, he criticized me for being ignorant and talking out of turn.

Eventually, no matter how much I pleaded, he refused to take me to any business events.

Yet today, he had actually invited me on his own accord.

When my shift ended, I grabbed my bag, ready to head home.

To my surprise, Gavin ambushed me right at the building exit.

"Let us go. It is just an intimate dinner. It will not take up much of your time."

He practically dragged me down to the underground garage.

When I instinctively reached for the front passenger door, I discovered Roxanne was already sitting inside.

She was casually reapplying her lipstick in the vanity mirror.

"Alina, I am so sorry. I get terrible motion sickness in the back, which is why I sat here."

"I can switch seats with you right now if you want..."

Despite her polite words, she did not move an inch.

Before she could finish her little act, I simply opened the rear door and slipped inside.

In the past, I would have made an issue out of it.

Now, whoever wanted the passenger seat could take it.

Even if a barnyard animal sat up front, I would not have cared.

The dinner was indeed an intimate gathering, attended mostly by Gavin's close business partners.

I followed behind Gavin, watching him exchange toasts and greetings with various guests.

Trailing behind him had become an old habit.

Roxanne, on the other hand, naturally took her place right beside him the moment we stepped out of the car.

To anyone watching, they looked far more like a couple than we did.

"Mr. Cole, your business is expanding so fast you even bring your secretary to private dinners now!" a guest joked while raising a glass toward Gavin.

Among the crowd, a few long-term associates knew our situation.

One of them whispered a quiet correction from the side.

"The woman following behind is his wife. The one standing next to him is just the secretary."

Though spoken quietly, the clarification was heard by nearly everyone in the room.

The entire dining hall instantly fell dead silent.

"Wait, the one in the back is his wife?"

"I have attended so many events with Mr. Cole, and I always assumed Miss Miller was his spouse."

"Is she really not his wife? They show up together everywhere."

Whether embarrassed by the murmurs or worried that I might make a scene, Gavin suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand.

"Roxanne is my executive assistant."

"These corporate events require her assistance. Please do not misunderstand."

"I did not misunderstand," I replied evenly.

"I know you are prone to overthinking..."

"I said, I did not misunderstand!"

I ripped my hand out of his grip, having zero interest in listening to his hollow excuses.

"I am feeling unwell. Excuse me while I use the restroom."

By the time I returned from the restroom, the banquet was winding down.

Perhaps because of the awkward comments earlier, Roxanne had already left.

Gavin was still standing near the entrance, waiting for me.

"Come on. Let us head home together."

On the drive back, he stopped to buy me a bouquet of fresh flowers.

He seemed to have completely forgotten that I had a severe pollen allergy.

"Listen to me regarding tonight. It really was not what you think."

The moment we walked through the front door, Gavin set the flowers on the entryway console.

He turned around, staring at me with deep earnestness.

"I have something to tell you as well," I said.

"Go ahead."

"Let us get a divorce."

He had probably braced himself for tears, screams, or even a physical fight.

When the word divorce left my lips, Gavin stood entirely frozen.

It was not until I picked up the pre-signed divorce agreement from the coffee table that he finally snapped back to reality.

Smack!

In the next second, he swiped the papers off the table, scattering them across the hardwood floor.

"Alina, I never thought you would sink this low! Is this your newest trick, threatening me with divorce?"

In the past, I had indeed made childish threats to win his attention.

This time, my eyes remained perfectly calm.

"It is not a threat. I am completely serious."

I bent down, gathered the scattered pages one by one, and handed them back to him.

"Fine!"

Gavin hurled the papers onto the floor once more and stormed out the door, slamming it violently behind him.