Chapter 4

"Divorce papers? You want to divorce me?"

Valerie narrowed her dark eyes, glaring at me. "Asher, there's a limit to how jealous you can be."

"I'm serious," I said calmly.

Valerie slammed the divorce papers onto the table, her face dark. "I won't sign them."

My voice remained even. "If you don't sign, I can still get a divorce. It's just a matter of time."

Unable to argue with me, Valerie gritted her teeth, let out a frustrated huff, and stormed out, deliberately stomping her feet as she left. I knew she wanted me to go and console her. In the past, whenever she got angry, I would immediately run to soothe her. But now, who cared about her? Sleep was more important.

The footsteps outside the door gradually faded, and I fell into a deep sleep…

The next day, I woke up naturally. As expected, Valerie hadn't come home all night; she must have been extremely upset yesterday. After breakfast, I hailed a cab to the office and handed in my resignation to HR. After doing so, I pulled out my phone and messaged my collaborators. When we first signed the partnership, their one condition was that I be their direct contact. Now that I was leaving, it was only right to inform them.

After completing everything, I turned to leave. Just as I stepped out, I ran into Valerie and Liam. She had indeed gone to Liam's last night. The two of them were standing close, laughing and chatting.

"Valerie, thank you for looking after Lily yesterday. She's always been a handful, and since her parents passed away when she was little, I just feel so bad for her. I only asked you to pretend to be her mom to make her happy. Asher won't mind, right?"

Valerie snorted coldly. "What's there for him to mind? He's a father himself, he should be more understanding."

I found that laughable. She wanted me to be understanding, but why hadn't she been understanding towards our daughter when she was doting on someone else's child?

Seeing me, Liam and Valerie fell silent, and the air instantly thickened. Soon, our colleagues started to playfully tease them, breaking the awkward silence.

"Liam, you and Valerie really kept that under wraps! A daughter, no less!"

"When are you guys going to have another one? Complete the family with a boy and a girl!"

Liam chuckled softly, shyly glancing at Valerie. Valerie didn't object, letting everyone continue to tease them. Yet, before, when my daughter and I came to the company to see her, she violently slapped Daisy's hands ten times just because Daisy called her "Mommy," demanding Daisy maintain discretion. Later, when rumors about Valerie and me circulated in the company, she fired the gossiping employee on the spot. But now, she remained silent amidst all the teasing, showing no discretion at all.

What a hypocrite!

Lost in thought, Liam had already walked up to me. "Asher, why are you just getting to the office? It's already eleven. You're one of the oldest employees here, you should set an example!"

Valerie's face immediately hardened. "Asher, what kind of work ethic is that?"

"If you don't want to work, just give the position to Liam. In terms of capability, he's far above you."

I felt like I was listening to a joke. Valerie knew perfectly well that the company's entire business relied on me. Liam couldn't even print a document, yet she claimed he was more capable than me? I knew she was just trying to humiliate me, to force me to compromise. But I had a flight to catch. I didn't have time for their corporate games.

Thinking this, I said coldly, "No need for all that trouble. I've already resigned. I can vacate the position right now."

Liam feigned concern. "Asher, this isn't the time to be stubborn. Your age is a factor now. If you quit, where are you going to find another job this good? You might not even get hired as a janitor! Besides, the company's new product line is about to launch. Quitting now? You'd be losing out big time!"

His taunts only angered Valerie further, and she said coldly, "Liam, don't try to persuade him! Let him go. The company will manage just fine without him!"

"But Asher, let me warn you, when the new product line launches, the company is going to soar. You'll regret it then."

Who would regret it was still up in the air. They had no idea that I held all the core technical knowledge in this company. Without me, they wouldn't even be able to produce a single sample. Launch? In their dreams!

I scoffed. "I'm afraid you won't live to see that day!"

Valerie frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Just then, her phone rang. It was from our collaborators. Valerie's lips instantly curved into a triumphant smile, her eyes sparkling with pride. "Our collaborators must be calling to discuss the new product launch. Now you'll really regret it." To provoke me, she even put the call on speaker. But the next second, the collaborator's words poured cold water all over her.

"Why haven't the latest samples been delivered? If you don't send them by today, your company will be liable for three hundred million in breach of contract fees!"