Chapter 1
1 “It Would Be On My Terms, Not Yours.”
“This is Mr. Stone’s divorce agreement, Mrs. Stone,” Alexander Stone’s butler, Charles said as he
handed arge man envelope to Sophia.
“Mrs. Stone, you have a three-day window to sign the agreement and vacate the premises.” Charles
watched Sophia with indifference, his demeanor calm as he spoke.
Although Sophia had been anticipating this moment, her heart sank upon the mention of the divorce
agreement. She nced at Charles, epted the envelope, and extracted the divorce agreement from
within.
“Ten million dors of alimony as long as he neverys eyes on me again?” she scoffed, looking
straight at Charles, whose expression remained inscrutable. “How can he possibly believe he can get
away with such an absurd demand?”
She continued reading, “In ordance with the terms of the divorce agreement, it is acknowledged that
Sophia Stone has failed to fulfill her marital obligations for a period of three years. As a result,
Alexander Stone reserves the right to initiate divorce proceedings.”
“This is ridiculous. How could I fulfill my duties when I couldn’t even see my so-called husband? He’s
never been under the same roof with me in three years.” Sophia tossed the papers aside.
What a mockery this made of her marriage. She felt like Alexander was shrugging her off. Like she was
the water on a dog’s back that he simply got rid of by shaking vigorously. She felt insulted.
Three years ago, Sophia reluctantly entered a marriage arranged by her grandfather, who hadid out
three tasks to her during this marriage: stay out of the public eye, assist Alexander in taking over Stone
Enterprise, and be his unwavering support.
Though the contractual stiption that she remain invisible to the public eye always puzzled her, she
had promised her grandfather to not disappoint him. She resigned from her powerful position at her
ownw firm, and tried to embrace her role as the low-profile wife of a CEO who never appeared in
public.
Alexander took over Stone Enterprise soon after they united, and then, he became the world champion
in hide-and-seek.
In the beginning, she tried to maintain a connection with her husband by preparing lunches and visiting
his workce. Yet, she soon realized that Alexander was either never at the office or too preupied
to meet her.
After six months of futile attempts, she epted the bitter truth that fulfilling her grandfather’s directives
was impossible. She channeled her energy into developing her hobbies, all in her pursuit of self-
improvement, persuading herself to see this period of respite as a relief from her life as a renowned
lawyer and founder of the world-famousw firm.
Yet, she refused to touch a single cent of the money he sent her. She had her own ie, enough to
lead afortable life until the end of her days
She was certain that her marriage would eventuallye to an end, but she was appalled by the way
Alexander Stone twisted the narrative to paint her as the one who had failed in her marital duties.
Sophia took a deep breath, resisting the urge to express her anger, and instead, she said sarcastically,
“Well, where might my charming husband be today? As far as I can remember, a divorce agreement
takes ce between a husband and a wife, not a husband’s butler and a wife. Not to mention the fact
that it’s an agreement and is thus supposed to include my terms as well, not just his.”
Charles stiffened his posture and replied, “Mr. Stone is in town, most likely at his office.”
“Oh? Is he alone, or was he apanied by someone?” Sophia didn’t say it directly, but her message
was clear.
“I cannot say for certain. All I can tell you is that he wishes for you to sign these papers, and he
emphasized that he does not need to be present while you do so. That is precisely the way he prefers
it.”
“As always, it’s what Mr. Stone prefers. He didn’t want to see me even at the end of our marriage, did
he?” used Sophia.
Charles didn’t answer her retort, he simply bowed to her, then turned on his heels and began walking
away.
After the sound of his receding footsteps had vanished, Sophia picked up her phone and called
Alexander’s office number—the only contact information she had for him which she had never even
used in their three years of marriage. She was determined to know what was going on with this
agreement that treated her as if she were a doll to be manipted.
The phone kept ringing, but nobody picked up. She dialed again. Her patience and virtue had limits,
and he was dancing dangerously close to those limits. On her third try, the call was finally answered. It
was a young woman’s voice. “CEO’s office.”
“Hello, I’d like to speak to Alexander.”
“Who’s speaking?” the woman asked abruptly.
Sophia frowned when she heard the rude reply, but she kept her tone calm. “I’m his wife. You’re not his
secretary, are you?”
The woman scoffed and didn’t even bother to answer her question. “Oh, I see. It’s his ex-wife to be
precise. What do you want with Alexander?”
Sophia resisted the urge to get angry and said, “I have questions about the divorce terms he gave me.”
The dismissive voice on the other end of the line replied, “He won’t answer you. His attitude is already
clear in the divorce agreement. As a useless wife, he feels that he has already given you enough. What
more do you want?”
Sophia was especially caught by a couple of very specific words. “Useless wife? Is that what he said?”
The woman continued to y on her nerves. “You shouldn’t expect any more than what you’ve got.
Just leave him. You didn’t deserve him anyway.”
As Sophia’s frustration threatened to boil over, she suddenly heard the approach of a man’s voice from
the other end of the phone. Her heart raced in anticipation. “Emily, why are you answering my phone
without permission? Stop being ridiculous!”
The voice identified as Emily responded with an unsettlingly yful giggle. “Alex, your wife is calling
you. She has some questions about the divorce agreement,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Sophia couldn’t help but let out a bitterugh. So, this was the sordid truth behind the disintegration of
their marriage – all for his mistress.
Alexander hesitated, the silence stretching out agonizingly before he finally picked up the phone. His
voice oozed with disdain and indifference as he coldly dered, “I no longer have the need to sustain
this marriage. I have given you enough money, and there’s no need for further discussion.”
Then, without a second thought, he hung up the phone.
Sophia stayed with her phone attached to her ear for a few seconds after they had finished the
conversation.
Restless and agitated, Sophia paced around her living room, her frustration bubbling over. “Useless
wife?” she muttered angrily. “What right does he have to call me that? He was never around as a
husband, so what does he know about marriage?”
The feeling of disgust and humiliation consumed her. “Is this really how he sees me? Tossed aside like
an old, worn-out rag once I no longer serve his purpose?”
Sophia had clung to hope in the early days of their marriage, telling herself that arranged marriages
seeded all the time.
“If I shower him with love, patience, and unwavering support, hoping like an idiot he’ll eventually see
the powerful, intelligent, and remarkable woman I am,” she murmured to herself the entire time.
“And now this divorce papers,” she grumbled, “With which he mocks me by throwing the me on me,
when he and only he is to me.”
But she refused to be silenced, dismissed, or swayed by the lure of mere money. “If this is the callous
attitude he wants to take,” she vowed, “then he has another thinging. I won’t let him escape the
consequences of this ill-fated marriage without a battle.”
After a few moments, she picked up the papers strewn across the floor. She read through them once
again, her eyes narrowing with determination.
“Dear, dear ex-husband,” she muttered, a triumphant smile ying on her lips, “it’s truly a shame you
never bothered to get to know the real me. That’s going to be the biggest mistake of your life.”
With a flourish, she tore the divorce agreement in half and tossed it into the trash can. “Ten million
dors?” she scoffed, addressing herself. “It’s peanutspared to the three years’ worth of sacrifices
I’ve put into this rtionship.”
“Ten million dors as a tuition fee for the lesson I’m about to teach Alexander? Laughably inadequate,”
she proimed. “I can get this kind of money just from one case of myw firm.”
If we’re going to get a divorce, it’ll be on MY terms, not his.
She picked up herptop from the side table and began to draft a new agreement.
Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.
Swiftly, sheposed her version of the divorce decree, skillfully incorporating her modifications within
minutes. With satisfaction, Sophia printed the revised document, retrieving it from the printer’s tray.
Her fingers traced over the carefully crafted words as the smile on her face grew. Sophia reached for
her Montnc fountain pen and signed her name with resolute strokes, the ink flowing smoothly. “That
is thest time I will ever sign as Sophia Stone,” she dered firmly.
Without hesitation, Sophia made her way to Alexander’s study. She knew there would be a Stone
Enterprise seal there. cing her mark at the bottom of the document, she returned it to its original
envelope, sealing her fate.
On her own terms.
After finishing all of these, she rang the bell from her room. The servant came hurrying in after a few
moments.
“Ma’am, you called?”
“Yes, Peter. I need you to mail this document to Stone Enterprise and start packing my belongings. We
are leaving.”
“Okay, Ma’am.”
At that very moment, Sophia knew she was free. She had put her life on hold for three long years, but
no more. Finally, she could reim her autonomy and embrace the future she had nned for herself.
“It’s been three years. I don’t know if anyone remembers me.” She muttered. She felt empty after she
had ended a marriage farce.
Her gaze wandered to the garden just outside the window, bathed in the soft glow of twilight. Sophia
took onest lingering look at the carefully nurtured oasis she had tended with love and care for
someone who mocked her.
Sophia reached for her phone with renewed purpose, dialing a familiar number. It rang just once before
a voice answered on the other end.
“I’m divorced! Bring on the confetti.” she dered.