18 For a solid week , I practically lived at the office . During this time , Alex called me many times , but I hung up every single one . He sent messages , which I didn't even look at , instead replying with a cool , simple text : " You already saw the divorce agreement . I had my lawyer send you the final version . Sign it if you have no issues . " The five - nation trade collaboration contract I had just secured was originally one of Thorne Enterprises ' pillar projects . I leveraged Alex's partnership with the Hardings , gradually extracting information and core technologies . Then , I bypassed Thorne Enterprises and preemptively contacted the other parties involved . I was still busy in my office when Maya suddenly burst in , knocking frantically : " Ms. Cross , your father and Mr. Thorne from Thorne Enterprises are here , causing a scene and demanding to see you ! " I paused , then looked up . " Show them to the conference room ." I said , getting up and walking towards the door . Before opening it , I added a quick instruction , " Also , call the police . Tell them someone's causing a disturbance in the company ." Stepping into the conference room , I was met with a full - force slap from my father . < It whipped my head to the side , my ears ringing , my mouth bursting with the taste of blood . " Ridiculous ! " He pointed a finger at my nose , cursing . " Have you forgotten who you really are , Eve ? Who gave you the guts to acquire Harding Corp's shares and embezzle funds- " " Dad , I think you've got something wrong . " I cut him off , raising an eyebrow slightly . " Three share transfers . Harding Corp no longer exists . " " If I want , I can change its name anytime . Even merging it directly into my company isn't out of the question . " Harding Corp's transformation had failed , its market value repeatedly shrunk , and clients were lost . After my father's first wife passed away , he took over the company . But he was used to being a kept man and couldn't manage it himself . After I married Alex , for convenience of collaboration , my father put me into Harding Corp. A very minor position , with a lot to do . But no real power . However , it didn't matter . What I wanted was never just Harding Corp , a company that had long been in decline . " Eve . " 21:41 Tue , 26 Aug < Alex asked in a deep voice from the side . " When did you start planning all of this ? " 2 % I pretended to think seriously for a moment : " Probably … from the night I went to see you four years ago . " " Acquiring Harding Corp shares , hijacking projects from under my nose , and making other investments … where did you get all this capital ? " " You studied finance , don't you know what leverage trading is ? " He suddenly stood up , staring at me with an ugly expression : " Such high risk , and you dared to gamble ? " " Why not ? My life has always been a high - stakes gamble . " I curved my lips , slowly smiling . " And the fact that you're standing here now proves that I won the bet ."