Just as William pried open the office door, he ran into someone he had been wanting to see—Rachel.

Rachel hadn’t expected to bump into William either. Tyler had already taken her home, but she received a last-minute message that there had been a breakthrough in Jim’s case. She didn’t need to guess who was behind it; no one but Tyler could have pulled it off in such a short time.

And so, she had to come over to thank him and to take care of something else. William had recently begun preparing to contact overseas partners to restart an old project. If he could land the deal, all of his current problems would be resolved. Would Rachel allow that to happen?

From the moment William had done everything in his power to destroy her, they were no longer strangers; they were enemies. William had smeared her reputation and made her carry the blame for his and Samantha’s actions. And yet now, with Jim’s days numbered, William dared still falsely accuse her, only dragging him into disaster.

William watched Rachel walk right past him as if she hadn’t seen him, heading straight toward Tyler. Once upon a time, she would have looked at him with nothing but love. Now, she treated him like he was obsolete.

That utter indifference and complete disregard made the already irritable William even more volatile. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Rachel by the wrist. He wanted this war, a war fueled by anger and resentment.

“Rachel, have you fallen this low? Showing up at the after-party last night just to get close to Jason? What a ploy! Turns out Jason was just a smokescreen. Your real target was Tyler, wasn’t it?”

Rachel didn’t even bother looking at him. Though he gripped her wrist tightly, her expression remained cold and unyielding.

It was because she had cared to act by others’ opinions in the past that she had lived so miserably. The man she once loved had turned around and stabbed her in the back. If she still clung to the past, she might as well have been dead.

Now, when she looked at him, there was neither love nor hatred. What remained was contempt.

“William, are you calling me cheap? What right do you have to question me, since we’ve nothing to do with each other anymore? And who I see is my business, which has nothing to do with you.”

William hadn’t expected Rachel, who was usually so quiet and reserved, to speak with such harsh words. Every sentence stabbed deep, like a knife to his chest. His brows furrowed deeply.

“Rachel, you…”

But Rachel wasn’t finished. If it weren’t for the disgust William had caused her to feel with everything he had done, she would have never believed she could speak so harshly.

“And another thing, William. Even if I had to marry a random man off the street, I would never get back together with you.”

William, born into wealth and status, had never suffered such humiliation in his life. Yet, Rachel made him sound like a pathetic lapdog, throwing himself at someone who didn’t want him. His eyes were bloodshot. His fists clenched, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

“Say that again! I dare you!”

Rachel, however, wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Word by word, she said firmly, “Please show yourself some respect, Mr. Lewis.”

William suddenly grabbed her shoulders with both hands. He had lost his composure entirely. “You’re my wife! What right do you have to say that to me?”

Rachel tried to push him off, but with his current state of mind, completely out of control, she didn’t stand a chance. Even on a normal day, she couldn’t overpower him.

“William, this is not the place for your tantrum!”

A man’s stern voice rang out. The next second, a heavy punch landed squarely on William’s face.