The Regretful CEO's Comeback

Chapter 4

Damian chuckled. "I hear your grandmother needs major surgery. It costs 200,000 dollars. What if I gave you 500,000?"

Elodie raised her eyes to him.

For a moment, she was genuinely taken aback. Not because she was moved, but because his confidence was almost amusing: he was certain she'd crawl to him and accept.

"What's the condition?" she asked.

His next words swiftly extinguished any warmth. "You divorce me."

He was cold and merciless, and the words from his lips sent her plummeting into hell. "Two hundred thousand dollars for the operation, 200,000 for the divorce, and another 100,000 as a gift."

She'd considered borrowing from him before, but when it came to her, he'd always been petty and unwilling to spare a cent.

Her lips curved. She wanted to laugh at herself for being foolish enough to expect anything from him. "How generous, Mr. Waverly. An extra 100,000 dollars as a gift..."

He narrowed his eyes, catching the complete absence of warmth in hers.

"But what surprises me most is that your freedom is worth only 500,000 dollars to you. Wouldn't she be terribly hurt if she knew?"

"How much do you want?"

If she was willing to divorce him, he could consider paying more.

Elodie settled back onto the sofa and slowly held up five fingers.

"Five million?" He looked at her coldly. "Ten times the original amount. You're ambitious, Elodie. I'll give you that."

"No." She wagged her index finger. "I want 50 million dollars."

Silence fell over the living room. The atmosphere hardened.

Who would have thought she'd dare name such an outrageous figure when she had no bargaining power?

That wasn't merely ambition. It was greed taken too far.

His expression turned severe, his entire presence changing. His voice was indifferent and contemptuous. "What makes you think you're in a position to ask for that?"

"You do, Mr. Waverly." Calm and composed, she spoke lightly. "You have an enormous fortune. Fifty million dollars to buy a divorce and your freedom is quite a bargain, isn't it?"

He crushed the cigarette between his fingers into the ashtray on the coffee table.

Then he stood.

He approached slowly, his presence oppressive. Gripping her cheeks, he forced her to lift her face toward him.

At such close range, his scorn was impossible to miss. "Trying to extort me?"

Elodie shook her head with an air of helpless resignation. "You should accept the settlement, Mr. Waverly. Otherwise, if you insist on divorcing me, we'll have to follow the agreement we signed before the wedding."

She paused, then slowly smiled. "If I remember correctly, it says that if we divorce before 5 years are up, the person who initiates it must give the other half of all assets in their name. That includes cars, houses, stocks, and all other movable property and real estate. You know better than I do what half your assets would mean. You'd lose considerably more than 50 million dollars."

She owned nothing, so the agreement hardly constrained her. There was no denying that its unfair terms had been designed specifically to bind Damian.

His anger was plain. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have the nerve to ask for half my assets? Have you no shame?"

"Why would I be ashamed? Am I supposed to have too much money already?" Her smile was every bit as calculating as his, her words unhurried. "I'm not stealing or robbing anyone. You forced me to marry you, and you chose to sign the agreement. When you used every means at your disposal to force me into this marriage, why didn't you worry about how shameless you were?"

His long, well-defined fingers gripped her cheeks.

The face in his palm was soft and sweet. Looking at that little face he found so infuriating, he couldn't help wanting to tighten his hold, to squeeze it almost instinctively.

After a moment, his expression hardened. "One million. That's my limit."

So he'd raised it to a million already.

"Am I a ball for you to kick around? You force me to marry you when you want a wife, then expect to get rid of me with a little charity when you want a divorce?"

"Elodie, you'd better know when to stop. Otherwise, you'll end up losing more than you gain."

She smiled faintly, but the smile quickly faded. Serious now, she spoke each word distinctly. "Until I get 50 million dollars, I will not divorce you."

If she couldn't make him suffer a major loss, she'd at least make it hurt.

Otherwise, he'd think she was far too easy to bully.

Under the warm orange glow of the crystal chandelier, neither of them yielded.

Looking into her clear eyes and taking in her exhausted, disheveled appearance, even Damian felt he might be pushing too hard.

Elodie couldn't tell how much time passed. It felt like a century. His grip was hurting her, and she was almost ready to surrender when he finally let go.

"Since even a million isn't good enough for you, let's see how long you can hold out."

He grabbed his jacket and left. The slam of the door hurt her ears.

Elodie sat alone on the sofa for a long time before slowly letting out a breath.

She raised a hand to her burning cheek and smiled.

Once, a word or a glance from him could keep her awake all night. Now she realized his strongest weapon had only ever been whether he cared about her. And she no longer cared.

Outside, the night was dark and still. She thought of his parting challenge: how long could she hold out?

'How long?'

Looking out of the window, she said softly, "Long enough to make him give in first."