Challenge

I had made up my mind to bow out and let Yves have his fun. He could elope with Joyce for all I cared. Once I was done changing the details, I went to the salon to get my hair done, then a whole skincare routine. No point being frugal for a man if he would only spend the money on another woman.

That necklace cost about 450 grand. If I were a betting woman, I'd say this key holder was a little souvenir for Joyce as well, but he decided to show some generosity to me. I'd respond in kind. He wanted freedom? He could have it.

Once I had my hair done and my skin tended to, I picked up the papers and went to Yves' company. The receptionist noticed me, and her eyes lit up. "Hi, Mrs. Gordon!"

"Hi. Is your boss in today?"

"Yes. Mr. Gordon had a meeting this morning."

I nodded and took the elevator. Back when Yves and I got married, I Venmoed all his employees a handsome amount of money. So, I knew for a fact that they recognized me.

I got out on the sixteenth floor, my heels clacking. Yves' assistant greeted me. "Hey, Joyce."

"Where's Yves?"

"In his office, but Ms. Cherny's there too." He huddled closer. "Might not be the best time to see him."

I smiled. "It's the other way around. In fact, it's the best time to see him. I brought him lunch."

Yves' assistant looked at the bento box in my hand, stunned. I ignored him and made a beeline for Yves' office.

I opened the door and was greeted by a cloying voice, "Had a fight with Tiffany again? She has too much time on her hands. Independence is important for women. Housewives always let their thoughts get the better of them because they don't have anything better to do."

"She's not as capable as you are, Joyce. Thanks for getting us that Westmore deal. When the money comes through, you're getting a raise."

"Really? I don't need a raise. Money means nothing to me. I just want to be by your side."

I chuckled, and the couple inside noticed. I dropped the act and went inside. Joyce was on Yves' lap, her arms around his neck. If I hadn't heard the conversation, I'd think they were going to screw right there and then.

Yves panicked and pushed Joyce aside. Joyce dusted herself off and smirked at me. "Hey, knock before you come in. Where's security? We've got a trespasser here!"

She acted like she owned the place. Yves patted her shoulder. "That's my wife. Tiffany."

Joyce feigned surprise. "Oh, that's your wife? She's so different from the other women."

The sarcasm, unfortunately, did not go over my head. Yves looked at me, stunned. Of course, I looked beautiful. I had my hair done and styled myself meticulously. My accessories made me stand out even more.

"What brings you here?" Yves snapped out of his trance.

"Are you here to check on him, Tiffany? We were talking about the Westmore deal. I don't think you'd understand that."

I smiled, unfazed. "Go on, you guys. I made some soup, and I thought Yves would like it. I'll be going soon." I placed the thermos on the table and was about to leave, but Yves called out to me.

"Wait. Why don't we have lunch together?"

I looked at Joyce. There was disdain and challenge in her gaze, as if she thought I was nothing but a leech who fed off my husband. Still, I wanted to see what she was up to. Therefore, I agreed to the proposal.

"Fine. Where are we going?"

Declaration

Joyce answered, "Let's go to the restaurant right across the street. Good food there. It's Mr. Gordon's and my usual haunt."

She blatantly told me how close she was to my husband. If she wanted to invite trouble, who was I to interfere, right? I nodded. Yves looked a little unnerved seeing me so calm. In the end, he even offered to take my bag.

I wrapped my arm around his arm and walked out together. Before we left, I said, "Close the door on the way out, Ms. Cherny."

Although Joyce was disgruntled, she closed the door anyway. She looked like a little minion on our payroll. I laughed. Yves had been incessantly humiliating me, even out in public, but I'd been acting too strangely lately. It seemed that my behavior had finally spooked him.

He had no idea what to do or how to react. So, he could only feign ignorance as he allowed me to hold his arm.

The assistant stared at us with wide eyes. Every time I came, it was either to catch Yves in his affair or start a fight. I'd never acted calmly before. Joyce came out smiling, and we went into the elevator. I heard smatterings of whispers behind us.

I didn't know the specifics, but I could guess the gist of it. They were probably wondering why I had a sudden change. Perhaps I was planning to reclaim Yves. Nah. This bastard had a change of heart. He could never be won back.

I'd rather take everything that was rightfully mine and leave him behind. Joyce came up to us. "My treat, Yves. It's my first time seeing Tiffany, after all." She looked at me, and I smiled.

"Thanks."

Yves looked like he'd seen a ghost. He couldn't believe I was the same woman he married. We went to the restaurant and took our seats. Yves made his order, and when we were served, he pushed the chili crab over to me. "Their chili crab's nice."

I smiled at him silently. Yves was stunned, and then, a while later, he remembered that I was allergic to seafood. Chili crab was far from my favorite food. He got it wrong. Joyce looked smug.

"I love chili crab, Yves. Don't mind if I do, Tiffany."

"Go ahead." I summoned the waiter and ordered myself some greens. Only then did I dig in.

Yves realized he'd gone too far this time. Thus, he tried to salvage the situation. "I've been busy lately, but I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Really?" I extended my phone to him. "You can make it up to me right now." I showed him my E-bank app, and Yves was stunned. After a beat, he curled his lips to an awkward smile.

Before he could say anything, Joyce chuckled. "You're so lucky you married Yves. You can just ask him for cash, and he'll give you anything. On the other hand, I have to work hard. Women have to be independent, you know."

I nodded. "When I married Yves, he told me I was overworking myself, so he wanted me to take a break while he made the money for me. He kept his promise for years. Yes, independence is nice, but a good brain is better. It's great if you can make a man willingly work himself to the bone for you."

Yves' past lies were exposed, and he looked embarrassed and had nothing to say to that. So, he could only smile awkwardly.

Joyce had a look of disdain on her face. "Yves has worked hard. He deserves some good food."

She kept piling up food on Yves' plate. I ignored him. We were here for lunch, so eating was the most important affair here. Only then could I have the strength to deal with our divorce. Frankly, I was already immune to Joyce's sarcasm.

After I was done with my meal, I said, "Soup aside, there's something else I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

I wiped my hands clean and calmly declared, "I want a divorce, Yves."