Chương 1: CHAPTER 1
"No wonder Moran wanted me out by tonight. So he has another woman he'd like to play house with! Hah, to think that I let that man affect my emotions! How I wish I could slap my past self!"
Alice approached Joanna with a cocky smirk.
"So you're Joanna Pierce, huh? What are you still doing here? Didn't Ace kick you out? Get a move on! Have you no shame?!"
Despite the provocation, Joanna continued packing her belongings at her own pace.
"Hey, are you deaf? I'm talking to you here!"
"Sorry, I didn't quite hear you." Joanna met her gaze calmly.
"All I heard was some crazy b*tch barking!"
"How dare you call me a b*tch?!"
"I didn't. Looks like you went ahead and got offended in the first place." Joanna replied as she got up with her luggage. She tilted her head at Alice, who was blocking her path.
"Now if you'll excuse me. Nice little doggies should know how to stay out of the way."
"How dare you!" Alice's face went bright red as she stomped her feet.
'Wasn't she known to be a living punchbag? When did she learn to talk back like that?'
The housekeeper quickly tried to win Alice over.
"Please calm down, Miss Alice. You shouldn't upset yourself over a woman like that!"
"You'll be the lady of the house soon, that insolent witch is insignificant compared to you…"
"We've also arranged a room for you as per Master Moran's orders. Let me lead the way!"
Alice looked visibly pleased by the flattery. She quickly lost the mood to argue with Joanna and proceeded to follow the housekeeper into the villa.
Joanna was once again left alone outside. Mixed emotions welled up in her chest as she gazed upon the tall building. It felt ironic that she would return to the streets after three years of living here.
"Goodbye, Moran." Joanna took a deep breath and left.
Later on, she moved into a small one-bedroom apartment downtown.
She felt liberated as soon as she lost her title as the 'Second Young Mistress of the Moran household'. She was free to do anything she wanted, and she was no longer the caged bird she used to be.
Joanna took her phone out and dialed a number she blocked for three years.
"Boss, you've finally remembered that I exist! It's been three years, you know!" A delighted voice exclaimed on the other end of the line.
This person was none other than Liam Blackwood, also known as one of the three Princes of Beach City. Despite his rebellious and unpredictable nature, he made himself sound like an underling when speaking to Joanna.
"I heard about your divorce, by the way. Congratulations! You should've ditched that *sshole a long time ago!"
"I'm not sure if you know this, but while you were being Mrs. Punchbag, rumors about you started spreading everywhere! If those old geezers knew that you're actually the ultimate boss they were looking for all this while, they'd flip their sh*t!"
"So? Are we doing something big this time? I can…"
"Hold that thought!" Joanna was so annoyed by his constant blabbering that she considered blocking him again.
"I promised Grandpa that I won't go back to that life anymore. If you really do see me as your boss, you better keep this a secret."
It appears that her past was rather 'interesting', to say the least. However, she wasn't in the mood to talk about it.
"I called because I want you to help investigate something…"
After talking some more with Liam, Joanna hung up the phone, only to receive a text message from Ace.
Her heart started racing as she tapped her phone screen ever so lightly.
[Beach City Courthouse, 9 am tomorrow.]
Short and simple, as if she didn't deserve any more than that. The butterflies in her stomach dropped dead in an instant. She realized how foolish she had been for expecting more from this man.
[Ok.]
Joanna replied, matching his energy.
The next day, Joanna showed up at the courthouse at 8:30 am, even though they agreed to meet at nine.
Not only did she arrive early, but she also made sure to put on heavy makeup and her favorite outfit, a rose-red halter dress. With her long hair tied up into a ponytail, the skin on her neck and back glowed under the bright sunlight.
When paired with her elegant, yet cold demeanor, she looked angelic from afar.
Unfortunately, she had caught a cold the night before. Her body was burning up, which made her feel quite weak.
At 9 am sharp, a silver Bugatti Veyron cruised into the parking lot in front of the courthouse. Soon after, she was greeted by Ace's ice-cold expression as he exited the vehicle.
His eyes sparkled for a split second when he saw Joanna standing there, but this was quickly replaced with a contemptuous expression for some reason.
"Well, aren't you excited?" Ace scoffed as he walked past Joanna, heading straight towards the department that handled divorce cases.
'…What's his deal?!' Joanna thought to herself as she stared up at the tall figure. 'Aren't you the one who's excited? You're practically running to the counter!'
The procedure went very smoothly. All they had to do was sign a few papers, which took less than ten minutes.
"According to the law, there is a one-month grace period for all divorces. Should any of you wish to call off the divorce, you can bring along the required documents before the thirty days are up," explained the staff as he handed them their application forms.
Having worked at the courthouse for years, he had witnessed countless tears and fights during divorce proceedings. This was the first time he had come across such calm individuals at the courthouse.
He simply couldn't fathom why this couple was divorcing each other. They appeared to be made for each other, especially given their good looks.
Joanna immediately took the papers and read through the clauses. She mumbled to herself sarcastically, "There's a grace period for divorce, but not marriage? If this law applied to marriages as well, I-"
Ace's expression darkened. With a cold smirk, he snapped, "Oh? Are you saying you wouldn't have married me if there was a grace period for marriage?"
"Nope!" Joanna lifted an eyebrow. "I got 100 million out of you. 100million! The average woman wouldn't even dream of making this much money in their lifetime. I guess you could say I struck gold!"
Ace was visibly upset by her reaction. He tugged on his tie out of frustration.
The Joanna from before was always very lenient as if she didn't even have her own opinions. The closer they got to the divorce, the more sharp and spiteful her words became.
Just as they were about to part ways, a soft voice came from behind. "Fan, are you done yet?"
Joanna turned around, only to realize it was Alice!
Alice was wearing a white sundress, her gaze filled with a tinge of sadness. She looked like a dandelion that would crumple apart at the slightest breeze. There wasn't a single shred of arrogance left on her face, unlike the other night when they initially met.
Besides that, Joanna had also noticed a slight bump on her belly.
"Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the car? What are you doing out here?"
"It's cold out here. This child is important to our family, we can't afford to have you fall ill while pregnant."
Ace's voice sounded cold and distant as usual.
Seeing the two, Joanna couldn't help but feel betrayed. Deep down in her heart, she felt extremely aggrieved.
"Don't you think you owe me an explanation, Master Moran?"
Ace stared back at Joanna expressionlessly.
"I don't owe you anything."
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