Inside the CEO's office of the Todd Group, Jonny Todd slid a set of papers across the desk toward Eleanor Todd. "Here's the divorce agreement. Go through it, and if everything looks fine, sign your name."
Eleanor's eyes lingered on the papers, shadowed with emotions she kept hidden. "Do we truly have to end our marriage?"
At her words, Jonny arched his brows, amusement flickering in his tone. "What else were you hoping for? Our marriage only existed to make my grandmother happy."
While speaking, he reached for the hand of the woman at his side, his voice softening. "And now that Lainey has returned, I need to restore her place and give her the respect she deserves."
Eleanor slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on the woman who had always lived in her husband's heart-Lainey Gilbert. Lainey was Jonny's childhood friend and ex-girlfriend.
Three years earlier, the Todd family and the Gilbert family had planned an engagement for Jonny and Lainey.
But before the engagement ceremony could happen, Jonny was in a car crash that left his legs broken, with doctors warning he might never walk again.
Once the news reached the Gilberts, they abruptly canceled the arrangement and sent Lainey overseas.
Yet even with their callous rejection, Jonny never erased Lainey from his heart.
With her sudden return, he was impatient to dissolve his marriage with Eleanor and welcome Lainey as his wife.
Lainey stood in a light white dress, dimples flashing as she smiled, looking every bit like a fragile bloom in full beauty.
She carried a beauty that was hard to deny.
It made perfect sense that Jonny had clung to her image all these years.
When Eleanor said nothing, Lainey faced her with apparent sincerity. "Mrs. Todd, Jonny and I share real love. I hope you'll give us your blessing."
Yet how could love be genuine when she had abandoned him the moment he was crippled, only to return once he recovered?
A dry laugh slipped from Eleanor as her eyes shifted toward Jonny. "A divorce is fine. But after what I've done for your family all those three years, I won't leave empty-handed. I expect fair compensation."
Because Sallie Todd had once helped her in the orphanage, Eleanor had agreed without hesitation when the old woman asked her to marry her grandson, Jonny.
Since then, she had poured herself into the role of a loyal wife.
She had even grown a faint affection for him while watching his efforts to stand on his own again.
But despite her devotion, three years had done nothing to soften his heart.
Letting go now was the only path left.
Still, her part in pushing the Todd Group to its successful listing was no small matter.
She would not allow her hard work to vanish without acknowledgment.
Jonny laughed under his breath as he lit a cigarette, his features sharpening in the haze of smoke. "Don't worry. Sign the papers, and you'll have $70 million along with a riverside villa."
Although Eleanor meant little to him, he couldn't ignore the fact that she had stayed by his side while his legs were useless. That was enough to settle the debt between them.
"I'll give you two days to think. If you want anything more..." he began.
"There's no need." Eleanor lifted the pen with steady grace and signed her name. "By tomorrow morning, I'll move out and leave the place open for you and Miss Gilbert."
Jonny felt a spark of satisfaction at her decisiveness.
Even he could not deny that Eleanor had been the model wife. She was beautiful, compliant, and skilled at keeping the household in order.
Yet to him, her nature was unbearably bland. She lived like a machine, going through tasks without spirit or surprise. Dull, unchanging, and without spark. She could never stir his desire.
What he longed for was a partner who understood him, someone who could stand at his side through every storm. In his mind, only Lainey fit that role.
Jonny gathered up the contract and had it delivered to the court, ready to offer Eleanor a few courteous words, but Lainey leaned close and gave his sleeve a small tug.
"Jonny, I was thinking... I really like that villa too," Lainey said.