Claim by the cold ceo

“I want a divorce.'' As soon as these words were out of Madelyn's mouth, the air stilled around them a chill ran down Madelyn's spine. Arthur paused all movement for a second before slowly lifting his eyes from his tablet. The coldness in his eyes was something Madelyn had never seen before. ''Divorce.'' He scoffed and put the tablet down, giving his full attention to the vixen standing in front of him. ''Did you forget you are a part of the business deal. Since when do you have the right to demand a divorce?'' He leaned back and lounged leisurely in his seat. He unhurriedly ran his eyes all over the woman standing in front of him. This woman is supposed to be his wife, but they hadn't even held hands more than three times, and all of it was due to public appearances none of it was of their own accord. After the accident, Arthur never wanted to get married, but under his grandfather's continuous nagging and threats, his stubbornness had to surrender. He agreed to marry the girl his grandfather chose, and his grandfather didn't disappoint. At first glance, he thought Madelyn was one of those snobbish, entitled brats whom he hated the most. He gave her his bank card, hoping she would not pester him if she had money to play around with. But he couldn't be farther from the truth. She didn't pester him, alright, but she waited for him to get back from work. She always wanted to have dinner with him. Sometimes going as far as preparing the food herself. She wanted to move forward, but Arthur does not trust anyone easily. He watched her every step skeptically, expecting her to demand something in exchange for all the care she had shown, and he wasn't wrong. Now, here she is standing in front of him and asking for a divorce. Seeing her not replying to his words, Arthur further added ''If you want a divorce, prepare twenty billion dollars, then I can think about it.'' Seeing Arthur's calm demeanour while talking about their divorce, a wave of hurt passed through Madelyn's heart. She knew he didn't care for her or their marriage, but she didn't expect him to humiliate her with such cutting words. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop the tears from falling. She would not cry in front of him, just as she turned to move upstairs. ''Hello, big brother.'' A deep voice that Madelyn had never heard before echoed in the living room. Madelyn turned around to look at the intruder. There, standing at the threshold of the living room, was a man in his late twenties wearing casual denim jeans and a black hoodie. His handsome face was stretched into a friendly smile, revealing the dimple in his left cheek. His forest green eyes were sparkling like emeralds. Even in this simple attire, he looked like a model ready for a photoshoot. Noticing Madelyn staring at the new guy, Arthur felt uncomfortable. ''What are you doing here?'' Arthur's cold voice, tinged with something dark she could not name, reverberated through the room. ''What's with the hospitality? Is this how you welcome your guests now that you are married.'' the boy continued to grin as he replied to his grumpy old brother. ''I am here to meet my sister-in-law.'' Sister-in-law? Madelyn didn't know Arthur had a brother. No one in the family talks about him. And she hasn't seen him not once in the year she has been married to Arthur. But when he turned to face her, all the boyish charm vanished from his face. Replaced by longing and concern. ''Madelyn.'' he murmured. Wait a minute, how does he know her? She didn't even know who he was? How come he knows her name? Madelyn didn't get to ponder it any longer as a strong pair of arms wrapped around her slender waist and her face was buried in a hard, fragrant chest. ''Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere,'' a frantic voice whispered in her ears before she was abruptly wrenched away from the embrace and pulled into a stronger embrace. The arm around her waist was like a band made of steel. Madelyn felt dizzy from the push and pull and held on to her captor to steady herself. Seeing Madelyn clutching onto Arthur like that, the boy felt like his heart had been stabbed repeatedly by a sharp knife. ''What the hell is wrong with you?'' Arthur's menacing voice resonated from above her head. ''How dare you touch my wife.'' Hearing Arthur call her his wife, Madelyn's heart started racing. Arthur has seldom introduced her as his wife, but every time he does, she feels an inexplicable giddiness wash over her. This time him calling her his wife is a little different from all the other times. She can feel the anger surging in him. Was he jealous? No. Stop being a fool, Madelyn. How can he be jealous? Didn't he humiliate you an hour ago, and now you think he is jealous? Stop being so naive. ''I was just meeting an old friend. The boy had his hand up in surrender. Friend? Madelyn didn't know him. She looked up to take a look at the boy once again, but couldn't recall meeting him. ''Pardon, but I don't know you,'' Madelyn spoke for the first time since the ordeal had taken place. Just as the words left her mouth, the boy took an eager step forward, trying to make her remember. ''Madelyn. I am Oliver. We used to play in your courtyard behind the apple tree. You used to share your pineapple candies whenever we played stone paper scissors, and I lost, you felt bad and shared your candies with me. We used to--'' ''That's enough.'' Arthur cut him off in the middle. ''My wife said she doesn't know you, so why are you so desperate to cling to someone else's wife.'' his hold tightened around Madelyn's waist. ''Maddy you really don't remember me.'' Ignoring his brother, Oliver continued to probe further. The nickname uttered by Oliver was like acid dripping into Arthur's ears. As Madelyn was about to answer him, Arthur swiftly cut in ''You were here to meet your sister-in-law.'' He emphasized on sister-in-law. ''Now that you have met her, enjoy some breakfast before leaving. Your sister-in-law and I have something to discuss, so excuse us.'' Arthur held Madelyn's hand tightly in his and dragged her upstairs to their marital bedroom, in which both of them hadn't stepped foot except for their wedding night. He threw her on the bed. Shocked to her core, Madelyn stared at her husband, who had shown nothing but indifference, displaying such strong emotions. Arthur's menacing gaze pierced her skin ''Is this why you were asking for a divorce. To meet your childhood sweetheart without any baggage.'' Madelyn shook her head vehemently, denying such sickening accusations. She has been loyal to him throughout their marriage. The accusations felt like a slap to her face.'' As I have said before, I don't know him. I am meeting him for the first time.'' Regaining her composure, Madelyn faced her aggrieved husband. ''It better be that way. With that, he turned around to leave, then stopped before opening the door and, without facing her, he said ''I want you to be ready tonight and wait for me in the bedroom.'' Arthur's voice was flat, and his face remained stoic, his usual mask of indifference back in place. Meanwhile, in the living room, Oliver remained rooted to his place, his gaze fixed on Madelyn's struggling form, his fists clenched by his side. ''Breakfast is ready, Mr. Miller.'' A maid said politely, but Oliver was not in the mood to eat the damn breakfast. In fast strides, he left Oakwood Manor. His mind racing a mile a minute. He never imagined he would meet Madelyn here in his brother's home as his wife. He often tortured himself thinking she might have been married, but reality is a totally different thing. Seeing his imagination as reality hurt like hell. The pain of heartbreak is so severe that he can feel it in his chest. He sat in his car, clutching at his chest, with a determined glint in his eyes. Madelyn can't forget him. He will not let it happen. Casting a last glance at her bedroom window, he drove away.