After Three Divorce Demands, Her Awakening and New Life

Chapter 3 Be Punished by Him

A few days later, a headline hit the news—Tanner had splurged a fortune on Noelle at an auction.

Noelle was a signed artist under Cooper Group, and rumors about her dating the company's boss, Tanner, had been circulating for ages.

This time, though, it was different from all the rest. Cooper Group openly confirmed that Tanner was courting Noelle.

The statement said Tanner had finalized his divorce from his ex-wife, and Noelle hadn't said yes to his proposal yet—she was still thinking it over.

Under the news, people flooded the comments with well-wishes for the pair, gushing over how lucky Noelle was.

"Mr. Cooper is so devoted and handsome. If I were Noelle, I'd be over the moon."

"Noelle is such a classy lady. She's got plenty of billionaires chasing her. Mr. Cooper's divorced, so he's actually lucky to have her."

Yvonne read the news and let out a laugh.

Tanner and Noelle had done everything together in private, but in public, he played along to maintain her elegant image.

He really thought of everything for her.

Yvonne set the magazine down and headed upstairs to pack her bags.

Just then, her phone rang—it was Tanner. "Noelle's birthday party is tonight. Come."

"I don't want to," she said.

They were already divorced, and Yvonne had no desire to play their game anymore.

But Tanner wasn't asking. "Yvonne, do as I say. No excuses. We're still in the one-month cooling-off period after signing the divorce papers. Don't forget I'm still your husband—you have to do as I tell you."

He hung up before she could reply.

Yvonne stared at the dead line on her phone, a bitter sense of irony rising in her chest.

He called himself her husband one minute, then paraded around with another woman the next.

Yvonne still showed up to Noelle's birthday party.

She just wanted to get through the last month without any more conflict with Tanner.

Noelle's party was lavish, with A-list guests from all walks of life.

Tanner had clearly gone all out planning it.

The two walked in hand in hand, soaking up the compliments and toasts from the crowd.

The cake-cutting came soon after.

Noelle blew out the candles and made a wish. When she opened her eyes, Tanner held a set of house keys up in front of her. "Noelle, this is my gift to you—a 100,000-square-foot mansion on top of Nyrath Mount."

The room erupted in gasps.

"So that three-hundred-million mansion on Nyrath Mount that sold recently? Mr. Cooper bought it for Noelle."

"Mr. Cooper's so generous. Noelle must have done something incredible in her past life to deserve this."

Noelle, on stage, was clearly moved.

Amid the cheers, she blushed and tiptoed forward, leaning in to kiss Tanner's cheek.

But Tanner suddenly reached out, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her deeply.

The room erupted in screams, and the atmosphere hit a fever pitch.

Yvonne slipped away to the garden outside to get some air.

She stood outside for a while, the breeze clearing her head, then turned to head back inside.

The sliding door opened, and Noelle walked over, her posture haughty. "Yvonne, I've been looking all over for you."

Yvonne asked, "What do you want?"

Noelle stopped in front of her and smiled. "I have a reason for finding you. Do you know why I made Tanner call you here tonight?"

It was Noelle's idea to have Yvonne at the party.

Yvonne stared at her silently.

Noelle said, "Because I want you to see how much Tanner dotes on me. And... I want you... to be punished by him."