Chapter 3

"When did we meet before, Ms. Wayne? I can't seem to remember," Zachary said, looking more confused. Anya chuckled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Mr. Lloyd, you can drop the 'Ms. Wayne'. I work for you now, so just call me Anya. I can't really recall how many times we've met, but I do remember that Mrs. Lloyd was there every time I saw you. "The one time that really sticks in my mind was at that cocktail party when she got drunk. Someone tried to take advantage of her, and you jumped in and took down that real estate mogul!" Her words took Zachary back to last summer. Wendy had gone to a cocktail party to make connections, and with her gorgeous looks and figure, she quickly drew the attention of a group of executives who kept pushing drinks on her. Wendy wasn't a big drinker, so after just a few glasses of red wine, she was already tipsy. Noticing things were starting to spiral, her secretary, Vivian Smith, called Zachary immediately. At that time, Zachary was battling a high fever. It all started when Wendy suddenly craved barbecue from a food stall by the river. He dashed out without thinking twice to get it for her, but a sudden downpour hit him on the way back. By the time he got home, he was completely soaked. The next day, he ended up with a nasty fever. Still, when Vivian called, he pushed through his sickness and headed to the party. When Zachary arrived, he found Wendy passed out on the couch in the lounge. A sleazy executive was sneaking up on her, ready to take advantage of the situation, but Zachary stepped in and punched him. The man called in his bodyguards, who quickly surrounded Zachary and gave him a brutal beating, leaving him bruised and bleeding. Despite the pain and the judgmental glares from everyone around, Zachary carried Wendy out of the party. When Wendy finally sobered up and realized what had happened, she didn't thank him. Instead, she lashed out, accusing Zachary of embarrassing her in their social circle. As Zachary thought back on it, he realized that Yel Corporation must have thrown the party. Anya paused before adding, "Back then, I had no idea who you were, but I got curious and asked someone to look you up. Honestly, I really envy Mrs. Lloyd! "If only there were a guy out there who could treat me the way you treat her—I'd feel so lucky!" She gave a bittersweet smile. She had always thought perfect men were just a fairy tale, but her view changed after learning more about Zachary. Still, it made her feel sad that such a great guy was with someone else instead of her. After collecting herself, Anya smiled and continued, "At first, I thought they sent me to help Jennings Corporation because Mrs. Lloyd had some special connection with them. I never guessed that the real reason was you." She left it at that. After digging a little deeper, her curiosity about Zachary only grew. She learned all about what went down during his relationship with Wendy and their five years of marriage. Even though Zachary wasn't from around here, he had three million dollars saved up. Coincidentally, when he was dating Wendy, the Jennings family was struggling financially and needed exactly that amount to keep their heads above water. They welcomed Zachary with open arms, all because of the three million dollars in his bank account. Soon after, Zachary invested all that money as a wedding gift for Wendy. But the Jennings family kept that news under wraps. Back then, Jennings Corporation was hardly worth more than ten million. It was just a small, unnoticed business in Anya's eyes. But thanks to Zachary's generous gift, they turned things around and began to thrive. After their wedding, Anya got a directive from headquarters to support Jennings Corporation discreetly, and she had been doing that ever since. With Yel Corporation quietly supporting them, Jennings Corporation's value soared a hundredfold, now hitting one billion dollars. "My wife?" Zachary let out a dry laugh, his voice low. "That won't last much longer." A hint of surprise flashed across Anya's face. She cautiously asked, "Mr. Lloyd, are things not going well between you and Mrs. Lloyd?" "It's not really about that. I've been trying so hard to keep up with her, and I'm exhausted. I can't keep this up anymore." Zachary smiled, but the bitterness behind it was evident. Anya let out a soft sigh, her tone earnest. "You're a good guy. She's too stubborn to see it and someday she'll regret it, I swear!" "You don't have to worry about comforting me. I'm good. Anyway, can you draft a divorce agreement for me?" "Of course. I just need to know what you want in it." As they neared the intersection, Anya eased off the gas as she approached the red light. Zachary thought for a moment. "I just want a divorce. I don't need anything else." He never cared about what Wendy owned. When they married, her parents moved all her assets into their names, saying it was for Wendy's peace of mind. They claimed if Zachary ever changed his mind and wanted a divorce, Wendy would be protected and have a safety net for the rest of her life. Zachary had gone along without a second thought, never imagining he'd actually feel differently about Wendy and think about divorce. While dreams could be lovely, reality often hit hard. He was tired and wanted a divorce to end this unhappy marriage. "That's easy. I can have it ready by today," Anya said with a nod. Zachary stayed quiet, and Anya didn't say anything else. When the light turned green, Anya stepped on the gas and said softly, "Mr. Lloyd, you might not realize this, but Jennings Corporation hasn't really been a great partner for us. "We only started working with them because we were told to by higher-ups. Do you think we could end the partnership if you're actually going through with the divorce? Honestly, it's costing us more than it's worth. "Plus, their lead pharmaceutical R&D engineer makes five and a half million a year, but Jennings Corporation only pays her half a million, and we cover the difference. "I'd love to have her back on our team if possible. The work she does is super valuable to us." Zachary didn't say anything. He simply stared out the window. He couldn't tell if it was the relief of finally deciding to end this painful marriage or just the exhaustion from not sleeping all night, but he drifted off without even realizing it. Zachary fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. For the past month, his nights had been consumed by heavy, suffocating dreams about Wendy, each one more painful than the last. But today, after deciding to leave her, those nightmares seemed to disappear. When he finally stirred awake, it was already past 4:00 p.m. Zachary opened his eyes and realized that he was still in the passenger seat of the Ferrari. The seat was reclined, and a black blazer was draped over him. The temperature in the car was perfect too. He turned to see Anya focused on her laptop, typing away. He shifted his seat back, and the sound made her glance his way. Anya's eyes lit up, and she quickly turned her laptop to face him. "Mr. Lloyd, you're awake. I've drafted the divorce agreement. Take a look and let me know if you want to change anything." Zachary gave it a quick glance and was about to reply when he noticed a phone lighting up on the armrest to his left. It looked like his phone, but he clearly remembered not putting it on silent. The screen lit up with an incoming call from "Darling". Anya noticed it as well and quietly slipped out of the car to give him some privacy. Zachary grabbed his phone and pressed the answer button. "Zachary, you totally crossed the line this morning. If you want me to forgive you, you need to come to the office right now and apologize to Ethan—like, really apologize!" Wendy's voice crackled through the phone, dripping with accusation. Zachary had been feeling pretty good just moments ago, but Wendy's words cut through him again. The emotions he'd been holding back came rushing out, and he let out a bitter laugh. "Apologize? Is that really what you want?" "Absolutely! You were way off for accusing Ethan. Don't you think you should apologize?" Wendy sounded like she was totally justified. Noticing a shift in Zachary's tone, she softened her voice, sounding sweet and playful like she was trying to persuade a child. "Come on, honey. Just do the right thing, alright? If you apologize, I'll go along with whatever you want." Whenever Wendy made a mistake and upset Zachary, she'd try to charm him with her sweet side. And every single time, he'd end up forgiving her. Even when she went too far, he'd eventually let it slide. "You'll say yes to anything?" Zachary teased. "Yes! Anything!" Wendy replied without hesitation. Clinging to a flicker of hope, Zachary asked, "What if I asked you to fire Ethan and never see him again?" "That's not happening. Choose something else—anything but that," Wendy replied firmly. Her unwavering response snuffed out the last flicker of hope for Zachary. "Fine. Just remember what you said then. You'll agree to anything else but that!" Zachary ended the call, not wanting to listen to Wendy for another second. Anya opened the car door and slid back into her seat. She hadn't caught their conversation, but one glance at Zachary's expression told her all she needed to know—he was in a terrible mood. While she thought about how to cheer up a guy on the brink of divorce, Zachary suddenly said, "First, get the divorce agreement printed. Then, drive me to Jennings Corporation."