Kelsey Lopez leaned against the leather sofa in Zack Davis's office.
Her finger traced circles on his chest.
"I just really want to live in a villa," she said, her voice soft and seductive.
"Besides, your son deserves to be born in a better environment."
Zack felt a familiar itch under her touch.
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Fine. I'll talk to her about it again when I go home."
Kelsey blinked her innocent, wide eyes.
"You should discuss it properly with your wife."
"After all, the villa is under her name."
She knew exactly how to hit his sore spot.
Zack's face instantly darkened.
"What do you mean, her villa? I'm the one who calls the shots in this family!"
"Who makes all the decisions at the company? Me!"
"You're coming home with me tonight. You'll rest and focus on the pregnancy at the villa."
Kelsey pretended to worry.
"But your wife threw me out last time. What if she—"
"She wouldn't dare!"
Zack slammed his hand on the desk.
The office door suddenly opened.
His secretary hurried in.
She placed a document on the desk.
"Mr. Davis, this is a lawsuit from Sherwood Group."
"They claim we failed to deliver the Hydrogen Fuel Project research proposal on time."
"They're demanding a two million USD penalty for breach of contract."
"What?"
Kelsey jumped to her feet in shock.
Zack remained unbothered.
"There must be some mistake."
"Mina Sherwood and Grace Nan are so close. Why would she sue us?"
He turned to his secretary.
"What happened in the R&D department?"
The secretary spoke quietly.
"The lead technician was poached last month."
"He asked for a raise, but you refused…"
Zack vaguely recalled the incident.
The technician had indeed come to him.
He mentioned an offer from Dr. Nan's company.
Zack, already in a bad mood, had told him to get lost.
His secretary had warned him it might affect the deal with Sherwood Group.
But he hadn't cared.
With Mina involved, what could possibly go wrong?
Zack picked up his phone.
"I'm calling Mina."
The call connected quickly.
Zack explained the situation casually.
"It's just a small misunderstanding."
"Ask the group to give us another month."
"We've hired new people. We'll finish the proposal right away."
He expected Mina to smooth things over as she always did.
Instead, her furious voice shouted through the speaker.
"Zack Davis! How dare you call me?!"
"Because of you, I've been suspended!"
"My uncle was just looking for an excuse to kick me out of the group!"
"Now it's all over! Clean up your own mess!"
The call ended abruptly.
Zack stood frozen.
He yelled at his secretary.
"Go to Sherwood Group and find out what's happening!"
The secretary rushed out.
Kelsey grabbed his arm anxiously.
"What do we do now?"
"Two million USD… We can't pay that even if we sell the company!"
Zack paced irritably.
He suddenly grabbed his jacket.
"I'm going home to talk to Grace."
A glint flashed in Kelsey's eyes.
She immediately followed.
"I'm coming with you."
They hurried back to the Nan Family Villa.
Evelyn Ross was in the kitchen, simmering soup.
She wore an apron, playing the role of the dutiful wife.
Seeing Zack return, she feigned surprise.
"You're back?"
Zack issued a direct command.
"Call Mina right now. Tell her to drop the lawsuit!"
Evelyn pretended not to understand.
"What lawsuit?"
"Just make the call! Stop asking questions!"
Zack was seething.
Evelyn lowered her head.
She took out her phone and dialed.
A cold automated voice came through the speaker.
"The number you have dialed is currently switched off…"
She looked at Zack helplessly.
"Try WhatsApp!"
Evelyn attempted a voice call.
The call was declined.
A message from Mina appeared.
[Don't contact me again.]
When she tried to send another message, a red exclamation mark appeared.
She had been blocked.
Evelyn stared blankly at her phone.
Zack raised his hand to strike her.
"This is all your fault!"
Evelyn quickly crouched down, dodging the blow.
She hugged her knees, sobbing.
"Why would Mina do this to me?"
Zack's slap hit empty air.
As he was about to erupt, Evelyn suddenly stood and grabbed his arm.
Tears streamed down her face like pear blossoms in the rain.
"Zack, you have to help me!"
"I'm your wife. I can't possibly come up with two million USD."
"Property prices have crashed. The villa won't even sell at half price…"
"Will I go to jail? We're married. You have to think of something…"
Her words sparked an idea in Zack's mind.
The company's legal representative was Grace Nan.
The villa was also under her name.
If they divorced, he could pin all the responsibility on her.
He could walk away free.
His eyes lit up with sudden realization.