The CEO’s Savage Ex-Wife

I’m Not Even Him.

After driving for an hour, the car parked in front of a magnificent mansion. The staff working at the mansion had already filed out to welcome Sydney. It had been five years since she had been home so her mother ensured she felt welcomed on her arrival.

The man who had come to pick her got down from the car and went to open the back door for Sydney. He was her father's personal chauffeur. Seeing that her father had sent his personal chauffeur to pick her up, Sydney felt her father must have missed her too and might have forgiven her for what she had done.

Sydney got down from the car. Although it had been years since she left, the mansion looked the same and felt like home.

The head of the staff stepped forward and bowed in courtesy. “Welcome home Miss Steinfeld.”

After greeting Sydney, she started directing the staff on what to do. Some of the staff came to meet her and helped in removing her jacket and another collected her purse and placed it on a tray. Others went to the boot to take out all her luggage and started carrying it into the mansion.

Sydney walked into the mansion, her stride powerful and commanding respect. The moment she got to the door of the mansion, the doorman opened the door and bowed. Even though the Steinfeld family's youngest heiress hadn’t been home for years, everyone knew how much she loved to be respected. Make eye contact with her while serving her meal and you are fired. Address her with her first name and you are fired. Walk past her without greeting her and you are fired. Sydney was ruthless when it came to addressing those around her, not even her own family were spared when they messed with her so the staff were on their tip toes upon her arrival.

“Thank Goodness you finally decided to return home,” her mother said, walking down the stairs in an elegant manner. Given that she was married to the wealthiest man in the country, she carried herself with pride and confidence. “I can’t believe you didn’t even come to visit us all these years. Didn’t you miss us even a bit?” Her mother asked, hurt that her only daughter had forgotten her for years.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Sydney said. “This time around, I’m back for good.”

“That's good to hear.” She hugged her daughter.

It had been so long her mother had hugged her that she forgot how warm and affection her embrace had always felt. Sydney wrapped her arms around her mother, welcoming her embrace.”I have missed you too, Mum.”

Her mother pulled back and gave Sydney a look. “You should have returned home all these years if you missed me.”

Sydney remained silent. Her mother knew why she hadn’t returned and she knew it was best not to bring it up at a moment like this.

Her mother led her to her bedroom and Sydney was stunned to see her room still looked the same. “You kept everything intact,” Sydney said, walking around her room in awe.

“I know that one day, you will forgive us and return home.”

During dinner, Sydney was the last to arrive at the dining table. The dining room was usually quiet, but with Sydney and her father finally sitting in the same room after their drastic dispute five years ago, everyone could feel the tension in the room.

Sydney said across her father, watching him. He hadn’t said a word to her since she got back. She knew he was still angry at her especially since she had kept to her promise by shutting out her family for five years. She was going to talk to him after dinner and try to make up for their differences, but for now she was going to enjoy having dinner with her family.

Her younger brother and his wife sat beside her. The mansion was very spacious so after her brother got married, he still lived with their parents as the mansion was very spacious enough to contain hundreds of people. The only reason why Sydney hadn’t stayed in the mansion after her marriage was because her family didn’t approve her marriage with Julian. She remembered how disappointed her father had looked at her when they last spoke.

“No child of mine will marry a pauper,” he had said to her face. Then, Julian was still poor. “If you leave this house to settle down with him, then you aren’t a true steinfeld.”

Those were the last words her father had said to her before she left five years ago. And still today, those words still bothered her. She couldn’t believe she had turned her back on her father for a man who didn’t deem her worthy of marrying him. She just hoped she was able to talk things out with her father.

While eating in deafening silence, her nephew started crying. Sydney’s sister in law looked tense as she tried to calm her son down. In the Steinfeld’s house, no noise was to be made while they were eating as they found it irritating.

Stella Steinfeld, Sydney’s mother, looked over at her grandson, already getting irritated with his disturbance. “Where is his nanny?” She asked. “Call her and give the child to her.”

Her sister in law looked around for the nanny, patting her child on his back in a gentle gesture.

Sydney looked at her nephew as he cried loudly, tears streaming down his puffy cheeks. Something about his tears made her heart ache. She had never thought about having a child. She had never even wanted to carry a child in her womb. Before she met Julian, she had concluded she would hired a surrogate to carry her child and have Nannies attending to all her child’s needs as she saw kids as nuisance and recipe to headaches, but after hearing that she would nce had one growing in her and had lost it even before it had a chance at life, she started to look at things from a new perspective. If she hadn’t lost her baby, he or she would had grown to look as adorable as her nephew. Thinking about that, she wished she had had the time to cradle her baby in her arms, watch her baby grow up and be there for her baby in every step of the way. But that was too late, her baby was long gone.

She blinked back the tears pricking the back of her eyes and stretched her hands towards her nephew. “Bring him to me.”

Everyone in the dining room froze when they heard Sydney, including her sister in law, her hands coming to a halt on her son’s back. Thinking that Sydney was about to scold her son for crying, her sister in law started apologizing. “I’m sorry. He doesn’t usually cry this much,” she stood up from the dining table, hugging her son closely. “I’m going to go and look for his nanny.”

Stella Steinfeld, her mother in law, raised her hand, looking fed up with her grandson's relentless cries. “Also, don’t bring him to the dining room with you next time, his cries give me such a headache.”

Maya, Sydney’s sister in law, looked a little hurt, but nodded. “Alright, Mrs Steinfeld. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.”

Stella nodded, not looking like she was ready to accept her apology. She waved her hand, dismissing Maya. “Go and find his nanny.”

Sydney watched with sadness as Maya rushed out of the dining room with her crying son. If only her own child had survived, she would have made sure she was always there to comfort him without needing a nanny.

Her younger brother, not paying attention to his son who was crying, turned to Sydney, still shocked that she had offered to carry his son. He knew how much Sydney hated having kids around. “Wow, sis. Being a poor man’s wife has really changed you a lot,” he said and covered his mouth, trying to stop himself from laughing. “Don’t tell me that your good for nothing husband made you take care of other’s kids.”

Her brother had alway be insensitive so she didn’t pay attention to his taunt and said. “Ex husband. We are divorced.”

Hearing that her father looked up, but still didn’t say anything to her.

Her mother was pleased that her daughter had finally come back to her right senses and divorce that loser she had regarded as her husband. “It is good you finally divorced him. People like him never match our standard to begin with.”

“He divorced me,” Sydney clarified.

Except her father, everyone sitting in the dining room froze, their mouths wide open.

“What did you just say?” Her mother asked, refusing to believe a lowlife like her wretched husband could dare to divorce her beautiful wealthy daughter.

“You must be joking,” Sudney’s Aunty who was sitting at the far end of the dining table said with all seriousness. “He dare not do that.”

Her mother tightened her hands around her cutlery. She was sick to the bone hearing that her daughter got dumped by a loser instead of it being the other way around. “I’m going to deal with him. He must be thinking he is now important because of that little money he is making,” Julian might be a billionaire, but compared to the Steinfeld family whose total wealth was over a trillion dollars, he was nothing. “Don’t worry, he will come begging you on his knees when I’m done with him!” Her mother said, clearly annoyed.

The Steinfeld family carried themselves with pride and even selected the people they associate with. To be given a chance to be in the room with them was considered a privilege, but yet, their daughter had stooped so low by marrying a useless man and she had even established him. Still, the bastard dared to reject their daughter? He was going to learn the hard way that nobody messes with the Steinfeld family. Even if there wasn’t really harmony in the Steinfeld family, they were always ready to uphold their image and make sure nobody got away with messing with any of them.

Not waiting to hear what could have caused the divorce, her family started planning on how to deal with Julian.

“I heard he runs a construction company, I will pay the media to post bad reviews about it,” her uncle said, already bringing out his phone.

“Also, cut off every contract he has with other companies. Pay them any amount if needed as long as those companies cut him off,” her Aunt added.

“Don’t worry,” Sydney said, her gaze cold and distant.

Everyone feared Sydney whenever she was like this because nobody could tell what was going through her mind. They stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

“Sydney, you can’t let him get away with this,” her Aunt protested.

Her mother nodded. “Exactly.”

“You don't need you to do anything. I will handle him myself,” Sydney said coldly.

Even though her family weren’t the one who had messed with Sydney, her words sent chills down their bones. Sydney was ruthless whenever she wanted to be. Seeing how calm and relaxed she was despite the divorce, they were scared of the thing she would do to her ex husband.

Rafael Steinfeld, Sydney’s brother shivered, rubbing his arms. “Jeez, I’m not even him yet I’m scared.”