Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Ariel had been busy posting on Instagram for the past few days. There were photos of Callum having breakfast with her, working overtime until late at night, and gazing down at the scenery from the city's highest skyscraper. She recorded her first skydiving experience, discovering the wonders of the deep sea, and witnessing the breathtaking beauty of the aurora. This business trip gave her experience and thrills she had never experienced in her entire lifetime. Thus, her social media was overflowing with her excitement. I was the only one in the past who did these things with Callum. Now, my subordinates were looking at me with cautious sympathy in their gaze. It was cruel for Callum to allow Ariel to use such a way to disgust me. For the past few days, Nina had been by my side for the entire time while helping the legal team with the financial split. That day, Nina stormed into the office, holding a document. "Nancy, Callum went too far this time!" I looked up from the document I was signing. Seeing Nina's furious expression, I asked, "What happened? Is he back already?" Nina slammed the document onto my desk. It contained a USB drive and a few photos of Callum and Ariel lying in a hotel suite. The hickey was obvious on his shirtless chest. Nina sneered. "He hasn't returned yet, but his scandalous photos made it back first!" My shoulders slumped, and my heart ached as if something was clamping hard on it. With trembling fingers, I picked up the USB drive and inserted it into my backup laptop. It was evening on the hotel's rooftop terrace. Callum was holding Ariel's face and gazing at her affectionately. The sky behind them was tinted orange from the setting sun. The image of the couple embracing during sunset was picture-perfect. Just as they were about to kiss, I slammed my laptop shut. My voice was shaking as I spoke. "Who brought it here?" "Someone couriered it to the company. The receptionist signed it," Nina answered. I inhaled deeply before exhaling. I slid the photos back into the document, stored it in my drawer, and tried to calm myself down. "Don’t spread this. Just find out who sent it." "Who else could it be? It must be that shameless Ariel! She's gone nuts to try and become Callum's wife!" The video seemed like it was taken in secret, yet it wasn't important to me anymore. What mattered to me was that Callum was tainted. Tomorrow was the day of the dinner with his parents, and it was time for this filth to come to an end. When Callum returned to the company the next day, he fired the three employees who criticized Ariel the most. Two of them were my subordinates. I knew he was trying to warn the other employees by doing so. I wasn't surprised that Callum was protecting Ariel so fiercely. After all, they had already slept with each other. What surprised me was that he brought Ariel to the family dinner that night. During the business trip, Ariel bought Callum's mother, Judith Patterson, various health supplements that she needed. This pleased Judith very much. After seeing I had arrived, Judith ordered someone to go and fetch Callum and his father, James Lawson, from the study for dinner. After that, she took my hand warmly and began gossiping. When Callum arrived at the dining room, he glanced at me before averting his gaze. Ariel was following behind him and took a seat beside him, which was where I usually sat. Callum paused for a moment, but he didn't choose to intervene. All in all, we were still legally married. Yet, Callum was bringing his female secretary everywhere and even back home. He was practically allowing her to take my place.