CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: TIMOTHY XAVIER WANTS ME TO LEAVE WITH NOTHING

I stared at the darkened phone screen, filled with confusion.

At this moment, Victoria Monroe’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

"Zoe Ellison, can’t you not resign?"

Her eyes were filled with pleading as she choked up, "I was wrong, I shouldn’t have been so crazy before and listened to Serena Sawyer, treating you like that. I thought she just wanted you to suffer some loss to David Bowman, as a lesson. I really didn’t expect her to be so ruthless."

I asked, "Do you have evidence of her instructing you? A recording or WeChat chat records, do you have any?"

Victoria Monroe said apologetically, "It was her brother who invited me out and conveyed her message to me. At that time, I still trusted Miles Sawyer, so... I didn’t record."

I felt a bit disappointed.

If these words were recorded or there was chat evidence, I could have exposed Serena Sawyer’s true colors!

Victoria Monroe seemed to realize my thoughts and said to me, "From my understanding of Serena Sawyer over the years, this woman is always insidious in her actions. She won’t dirty her own hands. If you want to catch her off guard, you’ll have to put in some effort."

"Forget it, let’s not mention her."

Now, just mentioning her name makes me physically nauseous, it’s so disgusting.

Actually, it doesn’t matter what kind of person she is, anyway, it’s Timothy Xavier who’s dealing with her in the future.

As long as she doesn’t bother me, I really don’t want to get entangled with such a woman.

"Zoe, you really can’t leave! You don’t know the environment in our news department, two or three people are eyeing my position, they each have their own stance and are almost rendering me powerless. Among my subordinates, only you are the most capable one. Don’t resign, will you?"

The competitor, who used to be so domineering, now humbly begged me not to leave.

But I’ve been truly scared by her bite-back way of doing things.

Looking at the poor woman on the bed, she has neither a child nor a man, and even lacks a strong family background.

All she has left is this job.

"Fine, I can stay until you are discharged."

I temporarily agreed and said to her, "But once Xavier Group’s medical equipment goes public, I’ll reconsider this job. Only if I’m happy here will I continue."

Victoria Monroe said self-deprecatingly, "You always had the upper hand back when we were in school. Now it seems, you are ahead again!"

I watched her solemnly and said, "Victoria Monroe, I hope from now on we are work partners, not conniving competitors. If I find out once more that you’re backstabbing me, then I will leave the company without hesitation!"

"It definitely won’t happen anymore."

Victoria Monroe met my gaze and promised, word by word.

I nodded and said, "I’ll return to work in the company tomorrow and help you guard your position. In your current state, it’s best to stay in the hospital for a few days and take care of yourself so you don’t end up with lasting issues. As for the leave excuse, think of something yourself. I won’t betray you."

Victoria Monroe said gratefully, "Thank you, Zoe."

Before leaving, I suggested Victoria Monroe get a caregiver.

After all, starting tomorrow, I’ll not only need to work but also update my novel, so I won’t have much time to take care of her.

...

After a night of deliberation, in order to smoothly divorce Timothy Xavier, I agreed to meet Sophia Kendall tomorrow.

The next day, I went to the company to continue researching matters regarding Miles Sawyer and Xavier Group’s cardiopulmonary support devices.

After the lunch break, I headed to Sophia Kendall’s place.

The butler there was naturally echoing her sentiments; he showed no respect towards me, saying coldly, "Follow me!"

Upon entering the villa, Sophia Kendall and Mrs. Sawyer were both there, chatting away blissfully.

Seeing me, Mrs. Sawyer unabashedly surveyed me, her gaze lingering on me with a touch of mockery.

Sophia Kendall said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, "You’re here? It seems you’re eager to divorce too, in order to be with Ethan Xavier, that illegitimate child."

I said expressionlessly, "No nonsense, aren’t you here for me to sign? Show me the divorce agreement."

Sophia Kendall was obviously surprised by my straightforwardness.

Although she hoped Timothy Xavier would divorce me soon, she had not expected me to leave without tears, feeling her expectations weren’t met.

The butler brought out the divorce agreement.

Sophia Kendall directly threw it in front of me and said, "Sign it! Timothy’s view is that, since you’ve been unfaithful, don’t bring embarrassment to the Xavier Family. A peaceful split won’t burden the Ellison Family with your actions."

Of course, I intended to sign, but her words were like swallowing a fly.

Who exactly is the one cheating?

Who’s embarrassing whom?

Suppressing my anger, I opened the divorce agreement and examined it line by line.

The more I looked, the more wrong it felt.

Timothy Xavier is truly ruthless!

The divorce agreement I had the lawyer draft only involved some of Timothy Xavier’s visible assets, which were a mere drop in the ocean for someone like him.

Yet, even so, Timothy Xavier wouldn’t let me go.

In this divorce agreement, he attributed all faults to me, claiming I cheated and demanded I leave with nothing.

I clenched the paper, my hands trembling slightly with anger.

Sophia Kendall urged, "What’s wrong, can’t bear to leave? So you do realize that leaving Timothy and the Xavier Family leaves you as nothing!"

I looked at her expressionlessly and said, "Where’s Timothy Xavier? Let him talk to me."

Could it be that he knows himself too well, so he lets his mother hand me the divorce agreement, not even daring to face me?

Mrs. Sawyer came over and advised, "Miss Ellison, when our Serena married Timothy, it wasn’t for fame or fortune. After all, The Sawyer Family has everything, we don’t need to achieve anything through marriage. As someone who’s experienced, I’ll advise you, girls should rely on themselves and not always think about someone else’s wealth."

"Experienced?"

I chuckled and retorted, "So as someone experienced, you taught your daughter to be someone’s mistress? Pretend and act; now I know who Serena Sawyer learned from!"

Sophia Kendall scolded, "Shut up! Zoe Ellison, you’d better sign it quickly and split amicably, otherwise, I can’t help if Timothy sues you!"

In front of them, I tore apart this unequal treaty, akin to territorial loss and indemnity, piece by piece.

"Sue me?"

I nodded and said, "I’ll wait! Divorce is fine, but not a cent less of what belongs to me!" I threw the scraps directly at their faces and walked away.

From behind came the sound of Sophia Kendall’s cursing, as harsh as it could get.

Walking into the courtyard, I coincidently encountered Timothy Xavier’s car pulling in.

Soon, he and Serena Sawyer got out of the car with their child.

"Daddy, hug me!"

Doris extended her arms, acting coquettishly.

Timothy Xavier smiled gently, lifting his daughter, "Our Doris has gotten heavier recently!"

Serena Sawyer, standing by, smiled sweetly and said, "That’s because you’ve been with us every day lately; Doris is in a good mood, so she eats more!"

The three were chatting and laughing.

When they saw me, their smiles suddenly froze.

It was as if I was the only uninvited guest in this family.

Doris said disdainfully, "Daddy, Grandma said you’ve already fired this maid auntie, why is she here again?"

Serena Sawyer, looking considerate and understanding, said, "Timothy, I’ll take Doris inside, you two can talk."

Timothy Xavier handed his daughter to Serena Sawyer.

Even as they went inside, his gaze followed their backs.

I had just been irritated and disgusted by Sophia Kendall and the others inside the villa.

Tear incontinence was at play; I felt my eyes burning with acid.

I tilted my head up, breathing deeply, determined not to let Timothy Xavier see my tears.

Of course, there was nothing for us to talk about.

As I walked past him, he grabbed my hand.

Timothy Xavier’s deep eyes fell on me, asking, "Why are you here?"

Indeed, I’d been married for four years and rarely set foot here; it was quite strange.

I coldly replied, "Ask your mother yourself."

He still didn’t let go of my hand and said, "Since you’re here, come inside and have a meal together."

This tone, like a reward, disgusted me further.

It felt as though he was giving me the chance to lick his mother’s boots, and I should gratefully accept.

I said word by word, "I used to think you were hypocritical; today I see you’re also despicable and shameless!"

Timothy Xavier frowned deeply, responded coldly, "Zoe Ellison, do you want to use Ethan Xavier to get jealous? I didn’t pay attention to you, and now you’re angry like this? Isn’t coming here today just to make me coax you back?"

I was so angry that I laughed speechlessly.

Immediately, I pulled out my phone to show the message log, "Look closely, it was your mom who called me here! The Xavier Family shouldn’t bully others too much! Otherwise, I don’t mind exposing our marriage certificate online, let you and Serena Sawyer be utterly disgraced!"

"You wouldn’t dare!"

Timothy Xavier’s eyes burst with a sinister warning, "Serena and Doris are my bottom line. If you insist on stepping on it to test me, then I can take back the title of Mrs. Xavier anytime."

I wanted to cry and laugh, "Timothy Xavier, how many times do I need to explain for you to believe I’ve long stopped caring for the empty title of Mrs. Xavier? Want a divorce, right? Bring out your assets, lay them on the table, and let’s calculate properly."

Just then, Sophia Kendall came out from the villa, hearing my words.

She said hatefully, "What did I say? She married you for the Xavier Family’s fortunes! Now, showing her true colors!"

I straightened my back, stared directly at Timothy Xavier’s gloomy face, and said, "Leaving empty-handed, I won’t agree to it. You are too much!"

As I said this, Timothy Xavier revealed a trace of surprise, asking, "What leaving empty-handed?"

I didn’t want to act along with their mother-son duo, dropping a sentence, "If you want to know anything, ask your mom yourself!"

Then I left the place.

Back at the company, I didn’t have lunch and started drafting a news article.

Right now, many patients and families needing cardiopulmonary support devices are focused on the equipment’s release date.

And The Xavier Group, to protect Miles Sawyer, has been stalling, pestering the review team, unwilling to admit their lead designer has issues.

I included Miles Sawyer’s educational background and paper information in the article.

Because during my background check on Miles Sawyer this morning, I discovered not only was his educational background fabricated, but even his papers published in various scientific journals might not have been written by him.

I sent the finished article to Victoria Monroe for review, and soon, it got approved.

When this news was released in the afternoon, it quickly dominated the trending lists.

After all, everyone only paid attention to the delay of the Xavier equipment release, but nobody ever dug deep into the designer’s background.

This news undoubtedly thrust Miles Sawyer into the limelight.

Many public accounts started exposing Miles Sawyer, easily revealing his identity as the elder brother of the well-known star Serena Sawyer.

The chain effect didn’t stop there.

Miles Sawyer and Serena Sawyer’s father were found to be a professor at a certain university, an expert in the field of biomedical engineering.

Therefore, Miles Sawyer’s experimental data and papers were most likely arranged by his father.

The anger from ordinary people in the comment section was almost breaking through the screen:

"Damn it, I’ve studied biomedical engineering for ten years, hair turning gray, to get my Ph.D. The sibling of a star accomplished it in four years!"

"The point is, this person studied arts as an undergraduate at some obscure foreign university. After returning home, suddenly becoming a Ph.D. from a prestigious school, are they treating us like fools? If we hadn’t seen this article, we would never know that the academic world could operate like this!"

"So hateful! Can someone oversee this? The University of Veridia’s ’2+2’ specialized program is set up for backgrounds like these, using every extreme to permit social elite children shortcuts!"

"..."

Some others focused their anger specifically on Serena Sawyer:

"Have you seen that popular variety show? Serena Sawyer is always creating the image of coming from a genius family, claiming her dad and brother are scientists. Now it seems, not a single word from an actress is true!"

"Exactly! She always said her most admired person was her brother, getting his Ph.D. at such a young age. What a lie!"

"Truly shameless, an entire family of liars, maybe her brother and dad are fake scientists too, they should be thoroughly investigated!"

"..."

The data from my news article surged unstoppably.

At this time, the hospital called, "Miss Ellison? Your blood test report from yesterday’s pregnancy test is out now; you can come to the hospital to collect it."