When Reece didn’t respond, Julissa pressed again, voice steady but sharp. “Then give me a timeline. How long before you let me go?”
“Ten days,” Reece replied instantly.
Something felt off.
Julissa narrowed her eyes, silent for a beat. Ten days—paired with the draft on the table–was more than enough time for a company like the Diaz Group to launch a new product.
Meanwhile, the new collection she had been designing at the Fowler’s villa still wasn’t finalized. And now, locked away here, there was no way to complete it.
Her head snapped up, eyes widening. “Reece. You’re buying Cristina time.”
First came clearing her name, pushing all blame off Cristina. Now they were delaying the Fowler’s product launch. By the time customers lost patience, the Diaz Group would swoop in with a new release–right when the market was starving.
The Fowler’s pre–launch buzz had been explosive. Other brands had backed out of the same window, unwilling to compete with the heat.
That left a gap, a perfect opening for the Diaz Group.
If this new release hit its mark, Cristina would be restored to her pedestal–if not rise even higher.
A chill crept down Julissa’s spine.
“Reece, how could you be this despicable?” Julissa shouted.
Reece’s eyes suddenly sharpened, his tall figure leaning forward over the desk.
“I warned you,” he said, voice low. “I told you to stay away from the Fowler family.”
Julissa felt a stab of pain in her chest. She fought the lump in her throat, trying to keep her voice steady. “So that’s your excuse? For using me? For lying to me?”
That look in her eyes nearly broke his composure, but just for a second. He quickly regained his icy calm.
“Leave the Fowler family,” he said. “The Diaz Group will give you a position. Fame, fortune–whatever you want, we’ll give it to you.”
Fame? Fortune? If she’d wanted those things, would she have wasted three years of her life playing housewife for him?
0.0 %
10:22
Chapter 18 The Divorce Agreement
“Reece, you make me sick.” Julissa spat the words, turned, and stormed off.
But the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, a wall of men in black blocked her path.
“You think you can leave?” came a voice from above.
Reece stood on the landing, gazing down at her like a king watching his pet misbehave.
And at that moment, Julissa saw him clearly–for what he truly was.
He was not just cruel but calculating and dangerous.
“Reece,” she said coldly, “I am a human being. Not your pet. Not the Diaz family’s disposable toy.”
288 Vouchers
The room was dead silent. Her trembling voice was the only sound. Not even the cicadas outside dared break the still-
ness.
She’d never imagined words like manipulation and betrayal would apply to someone she once loved.
But here they were. She felt strangely calm.
Reece frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”
Reece thought, “Doesn’t she want money? I can give her that. Why has she gone crawling to Zayne?”
“Then why is it,” she asked, voice cutting, “you can play house with Cristina, but the second I befriend a man like Za- yne, you lose your mind?”
“I told you,” he snapped. “The divorce isn’t finalized. The future Mrs. Diaz doesn’t get to cozy up to the Fowlers.”
Julissa gave a cold, hollow laugh. “Funny. When it’s for Cristina, I’m a bargaining chip. A tool. Trash to be used and tossed aside. Divorce, huh?”
She glanced down at her phone. Zayne had sent a message. “I’m here.”
She lifted her head, eyes cool as glass. “Mr. Diaz,” she said mockingly, “my friend’s here.”
Right on cue, footsteps echoed from outside.
“Mr. Diaz,” one of Reece’s men reported. “Zayne’s here. With company.”
“How many?” Reece’s voice dropped into a dangerous register. “Ready for a fight? How arrogant could he be?”
. “Uh… sir, he brought… reporters.”
Reece thought, “Reporters? What idiot of a reporter dared step foot into Harmony Villa?”
“They’re with Queller Media,” the man clarified, meaning they were backed by the Fowler family.
Reece’s expression turned glacial. He stalked past Julissa, eyes so cold it was suffocating. Anyone in his path would be flattened.
30.0 %
10:22 1
Chapter 18 The Divorce Agreement
288 Vouchers
“Well, well,” Zayne called from the gate. “Fancy seeing you, Mr. Diaz. Our families go way back, you know. Block- ing me at the door? Not very neighborly of you.”
“Go upstairs,” Reece told Julissa, his tone absolute.
But this time, she didn’t obey.
“If you don’t let Mr. Fowler in,” she said slowly, “tomorrow’s front page might just read, “Diaz Group and Fowler Family Clash–What’s Next for the West District Mines?”
Between them, the Fowler Group and Diaz Group owned nearly every mine in Archdale. One whiff of discord, and the sharks would come circling.
Reece clenched his jaw. He knew she wasn’t bluffing.
“Mr. Diaz,” Zayne said casually, stepping inside and placing a thick folder on the table. “I brought you something. Al- so, meet the two officials from the Archdale Notary Office.”
Reece picked up the papers. Divorce forms. Real ones.
3
“Since Ms. Rivera and Mr. Diaz have no financial entanglements, all that’s needed is a signature. Once signed, the waiting period begins. After that, a final signature, and your divorce is official,” one of the notaries explained, offer- ing him a pen.
Julissa didn’t hesitate. She signed immediately.
Reece’s face darkened at how eager she looked.
“Mr. Diaz,” Zayne drawled, “what’s the hold–up? I mean, sure, hiding your marriage was shady, but now that your beloved Cristina’s back, shouldn’t you let Julissa go?”
The comment wasn’t just for Reece. It was for the cameras he knew were lurking outside.
They couldn’t come in, but Zayne had spoken just loud enough for their recorders to pick everything up.
A secret marriage? And Cristina wasn’t even the wife?
Yeah, this was going to explode.
“And,” Zayne continued, voice still polite, “once the waiting period begins, both parties have the legal right to live separately, which means, Mr. Diaz, you no longer have the authority to detain Ms. Rivera.”
He smiled, but the chill behind it could freeze bone.
“If you try to keep her here, that’s unlawful detainment. And if those reporters catch wind of that… well, I wonder how your board of directors would react?” Zayne said.
Reece shot up from the sofa, fury burning in his eyes.
“What the hell are you spewing?” Reece shouted.
Julissa tilted her head, her expression practically screaming, “Try me. Keep pushing and I’ll say worse.”
62.3 %
10:22 0
Chapter 18 The Divorce Agreement
And Reece hated being threatened.
He never responded well to force.
“Fine,” he hissed, voice low and venomous. “Then I’ll let you go, once you’re pregnant.”
3
1 288
