“Please adjust the share transfer allocation yet again,” said James, his face pale. “As for the Bundred Group’s shares, I don’t want any of them.”

He had made up his mind long ago. Since he had decided to leave, he would repay all the kindness the Bundred family had shown him.

The Bundred family had supported him for 20 years, giving him a life-changing opportunity.

He had preserved the Bundred family’s business and would return all the shares as repayment for their kindness.

In the end, he still came out ahead.

Thanks to the education he had received over the years, he had developed many skills.

He had also managed to save some assets to rely on.

As for Wendy…

“All you're doing now is managing the Bundred Group for my child.” Sean’s words echoed in his ears. “Wendy cares about me and would always tip me on my livestream channel. All the money belongs only to me. Me and my child will both have a bright future ahead of us.”

Since she had been heartless toward him, why should he continue degrading himself?

James returned to the company, preparing to sort through his assets.

Unexpectedly, he ran into Wendy in the office.

“Why weren’t you at work during the day? Where did you go?” Wendy frowned. “I’ve been waiting for you all morning.”

James replied calmly, “Do you need something?”

“James, you don’t need to act like this. And don’t blame me for being with Sean. Look at yourself—are you even a man? You can’t have a child with me. All you know is burying yourself in work, and you don’t know how to make me happy. You don’t provide any emotional value.”

Wendy spoke with righteous indignation. “Sean is different from you. He’s liked me for years and has never interfered in my marriage. He’s so handsome, understanding, and even willing to let his child call you ‘Dad’ in the future. What more could you possibly want?”

Seeing James remain silent, she laughed mockingly and shook her head. “James, don’t be so jealous. Sean is foolishly selfless. He doesn’t even hope to get a marriage certificate with me. He’s no threat to you. You will always be the head of the Bundred family, the father of my future child. No one can take your place. You’re a smart man. You’ve always been rational.”

Wendy spoke confidently, her tone softening into a coquettish lilt.

It had been years since she last used that tone with him, and now she did it for another man.

James chuckled bitterly. ‘Wendy, you truly are hopelessly in love with Sean.’

Just as he was about to respond, Wendy’s phone suddenly rang.

It was Sean.

She hesitated for a moment, then silenced the call, intending to continue placating James.

But just a few seconds later, the phone rang again.

Unable to resist, Wendy answered while walking toward the door.

“Sean, it’s me…”

As her figure disappeared through the doorway, James finally bent over, unable to hold himself up anymore.

His expression was calm to the point of indifference, yet it exuded a profound sense of helplessness.

Before Wendy’s father passed away, he had left James numerous properties and estates.

James meticulously organized all of them and handed them to Carl, asking him to assist in transferring ownership.

He returned everything to Wendy.

After completing these tasks, he sat in the empty room, staring at the drizzling rain outside.

Before he knew it, night had fallen.

It was raining.

Suddenly, his phone screen lit up.

Sean had sent a few photos along with two messages.

In the photos, Sean and Wendy’s faces were flushed with happiness, radiating joy.

“James, Wendy accompanied me to Hallea to check out wedding venues. Wendy asked for the Bundred family’s private jet to fly us. You’re not mad, right?”

James forced a wry smile.

In the past, he might have felt angry and hurt.

But now, having decided to divorce Wendy, he was beyond being provoked.

Only 20 days were left.

What was there to care about anymore?

He raised his hand, typed a few words on his phone, and tapped send.

“Choose carefully. Make sure you an expensive venue.”

When Wendy and Sean returned, it was already a week later.

The day they came back, James happened to be at home.

The sound of laughter and playful banter echoed as Sean planted a kiss on Wendy's face.

“Honey, I really like the wedding rings you chose.”

Under the crystal chandelier, the sparkling diamond ring radiated brilliantly.

“Oh, James is home too.”

Standing in the living room, Sean looked surprised.

After a brief hesitation, he pulled a box out of his bag. “James, I got you a gift as well. Look, I picked this out myself. Do you like it?”

James suddenly felt disgusted.

He and Wendy weren’t even officially divorced yet, but the shameless homewrecker dared to stride into his home with such audacity.

And now, he had the gall to act as though he were a master handing down rewards to a servant.

“No need, keep it for yourself,” James replied curtly, rejecting the gift as he turned and headed upstairs.

“Honey, is James mad at me?”

Wendy quickly coaxed him in a soft voice. “He’s just got that strange temper. Don’t mind him…”

Holding his vibrating phone, James quickened his pace, closing the door and taking a deep breath.

It was Carl calling.

“James, I’ve prepared the documents for the property and share transfers. All you need to do is sign them when the time comes…”

“Alright.”

James exhaled deeply and hung up.

“You should’ve returned those shares to Wendy a long time ago.”

Sean’s voice suddenly came from outside the door. At some point, he had been eavesdropping on the conversation.

“You’re incapable of giving Wendy a child. When you’re old, you’ll have to rely on my son. So, hand over the shares now and make a good impression. Maybe I’ll let my child give you a little more pocket money in the future.” He chuckled softly, leaning closer to James’s ear. “James, those who adapt to the times are wise.”

James sneered. “Save your provocations. Don’t waste your schemes on me. Stay calm and go be the groom.”

As James turned to leave, Sean’s gentle expression twisted into something strange.

The next moment, the sound of shattering glass rang out.

A powerful force shoved James suddenly.

“Ah—” A sharp scream sounded.

James tumbled down the stairs.

“Watch out!”

Hearing the commotion, Wendy rushed over from the side. Out of instinct, she pulled Sean to safety, holding him tightly.

Bang!

With a loud crash, James landed hard at the bottom of the staircase.

Blood gushed from his leg and arm, quickly soaking his clothes.

Lying on his back, James felt his vision go dark, the pain made it difficult to breathe.

“James!” Seeing James’s pitiful state, Wendy instinctively let go of Sean and called out to him. “Are you okay?”

Her face flashed with panic. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

The pain in James’s leg was excruciating, and every movement was a struggle.

“Wendy, my leg hurts. Help me…”

He tried to speak but was interrupted by a choked sob.

“Wendy… I just wanted to give James a gift, but he tried to hit me with a vase… My face hurts so much. Do you think it’ll affect the wedding?”

Wendy’s eyes widened in shock, glaring at James with fury.

“James, are you insane? Sean is a livestreamer, and you tried to smash his face with a vase? I always thought you were just cold-blooded. I didn’t realize you were this vicious!”

Seeing Sean holding his head, pale-faced, Wendy’s anger boiled over. She stormed down the stairs and kicked James hard several times.

“You bastard! You can’t give me a child, and you won’t let anyone else give me one either! If something happens to Sean, you’re done for!”

One of her kicks landed squarely on James’s front, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Wendy, however, turned a blind eye, gently helping Sean to his feet.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take you to the hospital right now.”

Before leaving, she paused at the door. “You’d better pray his head is okay.”

Even after the two disappeared out the door, James lay motionless at the bottom of the staircase.

He stared blankly at the dazzling crystal chandelier above, his eyes trembling slightly.

He wasn’t sure how long he remained there before tears began streaming freely from the corners of his eyes.

“Sir…”

Several servants cautiously approached him, their voices trembling as they softly inquired, “Are you alright?”

James struggled to control his shaking. He took a deep breath and forced a smile that was more heartbreaking than tears.

“Call an ambulance for me, please. I can’t move anymore.”

Under their pitiful gazes, James was carried into the ambulance.

His injuries were worse than he had expected, with bruises and abrasions covering his entire body.

“These injuries are severe. Don’t you have any family to stay with you?”

The doctor couldn’t help but comment as he treated James’s wounds. “You’ll need help since you won’t be able to move around.”

“I don’t have any family,” replied James, his voice distant and hollow. “There’s no one in this world who’s tied to me anymore.”

His parents were gone and Wendy… she was gone too.

Or maybe, she was never truly there to begin with.

As the nurse wheeled him out, he overheard two other nurses gossiping nearby.

“Did you hear? That livestreamer, Sean, is hospitalized here.”

“I did! His wife treats him so well. She booked an entire floor for him.”

“Wow… she’s the daughter of an affluent family and is still so attentive. I’m so jealous.”

“Although I heard his wife had a lot of scandals before…”

“So what? Can’t someone become loyal again for the person they love?”

‘Become loyal again for the person they love...’

James lowered his gaze and gave a bitter smile.

Yes, Wendy would do anything for Sean.

That was true love.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, James had his driver take him to his seaside villa.

For the next few days, he stayed there to recuperate.

This villa was bought with the first pot of gold he earned back in university through investments made with his part-time income.

It was truly his own.

The ocean roared yet remained serene. Every time James sat by the shore, he felt a rare sense of tranquility.

Watching the waves chase and play with each other before disappearing on the sand brought him a semblance of peace.

It was as though the suffocating weight he had carried for so long was finally beginning to lift.

In this seaside villa, James allowed himself a break from everything.

But when his “holiday” ended, he turned his phone back on, only to be met with a barrage of missed calls.

The majority of them were from Wendy.

“James, haven’t you caused enough trouble? Where have you gone off to, leaving the company’s mess for me to clean up? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! You’re just trying to use work to keep me from taking care of Sean, aren’t you? You’re so petty and disgusting!”

As James stepped into his office, Wendy was still flooding his phone with messages.

“Where the hell have you been?”

When James finally walked through the door, Wendy threw a stack of documents at his feet.

“The wedding is in a week! I don’t care what excuse you have, but you better drop the attitude! They’re only minor injuries, stop being so dramatic!”

James remained silent. He headed straight for the sofa and sat down.

When Wendy caught a glimpse of his exposed skin—bruised and marred with wounds—a flicker of guilt crossed her face.

But it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“You should feel lucky that Sean’s fine, that his head wasn’t injured. Otherwise, I’d divorce you without a second thought. Sean is kind-hearted and isn’t holding you accountable. But he does have one request that you need to fulfill. For our wedding, you’re going to be the officiant.”

James raised his head, his voice trembling. “Wendy, you want your husband to officiate the wedding between you and your lover?”

He stared at her, his gaze filled with despair and disbelief.

Wendy looked puzzled.

She didn’t understand why James was reacting so strangely.

“It’s just a few words of blessing. Sean respects you. He holds you in high regard. Why can’t you just agree?”

Hearing her words, James couldn’t hold it in any longer. He shoved her aside and ran to the bathroom, retching violently.

How had he never noticed before just how disgusting Wendy truly was?

Clenching his fists tightly, he slammed one into the cold mirror.

Blood seeped from his knuckles as the glass cracked under the force.

James stumbled back and turned around to face Wendy’s astonished gaze.

“Wendy, we once shared something—call it feelings, or whatever it was. Maybe it’s all gone now, but for the sake of what we once had… please, spare me.” James let out a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse. “I won’t officiate your wedding. Consider it my plea to you.”

Wendy’s expression turned unreadable.

In all these years, this was the first time James had ever begged her.

So humbly. So vulnerably.

“Fine, forget it then.” Wendy raised her brows slightly. “James, if you had begged me like this earlier, maybe I would’ve come home more often. You owe everything you have to me. You should be worshiping me. Too bad you figured that out too late.”

Listening to her smug, self-righteous words, James’s fists clenched tighter.

Yes, he had figured it out too late.

The shattered glass cut deeper into his hand, blood dripping steadily onto the floor.

With trembling fingers, he traced a single number in his own blood on the broken mirror, “7”.

Only seven days left.