The Tycoon's Obsession With His Contracted Wife

KENDRA'S POV “Now that your Grandfather is dead and gone, we should get a divorce.” His words were cold and sharp, hitting me like an unexpected avalanche. It was worse than the wind blowing through the cemetery that morning. I turned to face him. Was this the man I had married? This was the man who had once promised me devotion and partnership. This was the same man whose eyes now held only impatience in them. The soil hadn’t even settled properly over my grandfather’s coffin yet. And here he was, rushing to discard me like I was an unwanted worn out coat. For a moment, my chest felt hollow. Then something that was colder than my grief settled heavily in me, maybe there was a part of me that was waiting for this to happen. We had drifted apart because of work and grandpa's health but I wasn't expecting him to drop this bomb on a day like this. “Fine,” I told him in a flat voice that was without a tremor. “Let’s get a divorce.” He blinked in absolute surprise, his jaw falling slack at my agreement. Well, mayhap he had been expecting me to cry, to beg for yet another chance. Perhaps he had been waiting for me to scream and shriek for him to not leave me fall but he was wrong. I wouldn't do that because I had nothing left inside of me to give him. My grandfather’s sudden death had already ripped the ground from under me. What more could his betrayal add? Perhaps just ashes on ashes? I slowly walked away from him, leaving him behind in the silence of the graveyard. The next week I stood confidently before the members of the boardroom. I held my head high because it was my first time presiding over a meeting. It was the first time I stepped into the role my grandfather had prepared me for. His absence weighed on me and left me feeling hollow and empty. But I forced my back to be straight. This was his legacy, his company. My inheritance. The board members watched me with a vivid mix of curiosity and skepticism. Some of them whispered while the others folded their arms and watched me with cynical eyes. But altogether most of them avoided my gaze out of contempt as they belittled me. I didn't need anyone to tell me what they were thinking, it was glaring… I shouldn't be the one in charge. Mr. Lewis, the CFO sat at the far end while shuffling the papers in his hands. He looked considerably nervous and his face was pale and drained of blood. His eyes were darting around in what was fear and he was nearly trembling. I stared at him for a second or two, wondering why he looked like that. I shrugged. “Let’s begin,” I said. I tried to keep my voice steady. “Mr. Lewis, please shall you give us the report on last quarter’s financials.” He shifted on one foot as he slowly stepped forward with what I saw was a false smile. He cleared his throat and then launched into numbers with a shaky breath. His words were smooth on the surface. But I noticed the way his hand twitched, the way his eyes flicked too often. It went to the man sitting beside him—my husband and soon to be ex. I glanced down at the report packet sitting in front of me as he spoke. The numbers written down looked neat, but something about them bothered me. The line of the cash flow didn’t match what I recalled from last quarter’s summaries. Grandpa had always drilled it into me to never ignore any kind of details. “Wait,” I said, raising a hand. Lewis halted. “These figures do not seem match as the liquid assets are kind of too low.” Mr. Lewis shifted on his foot. “The market has been difficult, Mrs Kendra and there's been quite a few expenses—” “Expenses?” I cut him off, glaring. “Where are the original vouchers?” The room instantly went silent. I could hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall sitting above the wall. Mr. Lewis’s eyes darted to my husband yet again and an uneasy feeling claimed me. What was he staring at him? “Bring them here,” I said firmly. "Yes ma'am," Lewis nodded as he rushed out to do as I had just said. And a stack of documents was placed before me minutes later. I quietly flipped through them, page after page as my eyes widened in disbelief. What was this? My heart sank deeper and deeper into my stomach with every line I read. I saw transfers. Large sums had delibrately and quietly been funneled out of the company. These assets had steadily been redirected into accounts that didn’t belong to us. Imagine my horror when I found out that those accounts were tied to him. My soon to be ex husband. “You have been bleeding the company dry,” I snapped in a low, cold voice. I looked up at my husband as his mouth curled into a triumphant smirk. “This is what you have been doing qll this time behind my grandfather's back?” “Don’t look so shocked Kendra.” He leaned back in his chair and gently folded his arms across his chest. "Did you really think that your precious grandfather left you a thriving empire?” I didn't think. I was a hundred percent sure if it. "Surprise surprise, your company is now an empty shell. That’s all you inherited.” "That's a lie!" I yelled in his face and he flinched back as if I stank. My fists tightened against the table. “You destroyed what he built! Decades of his life is gone because of your greed.” He laughed. The sound was short but sharp. “Your grandfather was a fool. And you? You are even more foolish for thinking that you would be able to run this place.” Something twisted in my chest. “Look at those books. There is nothing left here. The company is finished.” I pushed the papers back toward him. The sound of them slapping the table still continued to ring in my ears. Fury—whute, hot and blinding burst through me like molten magma. “No you fool. I will not allow you to bury his legacy under your arrogance.” He quirked a brow at me. "This company is mine now. I will save it and rebuild it. And I will never—never—let his life’s work be destroyed by you.” When I leaned back I noticed that the boardroom had gone utterly still. The directors were exchanging uneasy glances, caught between us. What they saw was him, the ashes of the past and me, the uncertain future. My husband only sneered. It vexed me that he dared to be slightly amused by my display of defiance. “You? Save it?” he began. “You can’t even save yourself Kendra.” His voice was mocking. “You will lose your marriage and also your inheritance. You will lose this company too," he said as he stood to his feet. His dark and piercing eyes dug into me but I didn't even flich one bit. I met his gaze head-on with a tight jaw. “You had better walk away while you still can Kendra. It is what suits you.” I was tempted to slap his down and put face but that would make me look vicious. I just stood my ground. “I won’t walk away." He raised a brow at me. "I will fight for this company and Grandpa’s dream with everything I have left.” He made a tsk sound. “You have taken enough!” For a moment, the smirk that was on his faltered and then it returned. It was cruel and cutting. But I had seen it—the crack. "Back down Kendra, you will never be able to win," he snapped furiously. "Watch me," I scoffed. He cackled with evil laughter. I turned to the members of the board. “This meeting will be adjourned indefinitely.” Then, I turned and walked out of the boardroom, raging internally. My heart was hammering hard against my chest, but it was not with fear. It was with fire and brimstone. He thought he had already won. But he had underestimated me, just as he had underestimated Grandpa. And he was going to regret it.