Chapter 11: I Agree to a Clean Break

Ellis’s gaze swept over the shrinking distance between Victoria and Easton. She raised her eyes to Victoria’s smiling face, her own lips curving into a cold smirk. What a fraud! Why even pretend to care? It’s so disgusting!

Then she glanced at the empty space beside Easton. Emotionally, she wanted to sit down, but logically, why would she sit on the same couch with them? Even with plenty of space, it would look awkward, and she would feel as if she were trampling on her own dignity. It would look like Easton was caught between them—and she knew she wasn’t that low. Two of them, two women fighting over one man.

So she chose the couch on the opposite side. She sat in an incredibly straight posture and gave Victoria a once-over. “Thank you for your concern, Miss Victoria! But if there’s nothing else, please leave. I’d like some time alone with my husband.”

“Sorry, Miss Harper,” Victoria said, tilting her head slightly toward Easton. “You barged in and interrupted my conversation with Easton. We were talking first, so could you please step outside for a bit?”

“Haven’t you heard of ‘first come, first served’?” Victoria continued. “Once we’re done, you can come back in.”

At that moment, Ellis finally understood what it’s like to encounter a completely shameless side chick. And the reason Victoria could act so shamelessly? It’s all because Easton backed her up.

“Your conversation…” Ellis began.

“Ellis, leave,” Easton interrupted with a cold voice before she could finish.

Ellis clenched her palms slightly, forcing herself not to feel hurt by his words. Even without Victoria, he wouldn’t necessarily side with her. But with Victoria present, he’d definitely stand against her without hesitation. After all, they’d already had a blowout at the hospital. It’s foolish of her to hope he’d ever take her side. At this moment, his favoritism toward Victoria couldn’t be more obvious. Staring at them, she wished she could wave a magic wand and turn them all into hideous monsters.

“Stop pretending that our relationship is something honorable when it’s nothing but betrayal and disrespect for me,” she declared.

“I’m not leaving,” she said firmly, not budging an inch. “I’m not interfering with your conversation. Or is it about something so shady that you’re afraid others might find out?”

“Leave. Don’t make me repeat it again.” Unlike before, there was a clear tone of impatience.

Ellis knew that Easton’s principle was to never give more than two warnings, but his action still felt like a slap in her face. It humiliated her to no end. Victoria shot her a triumphant look, and under the double pressure, Ellis felt like she was about to crumble. She could barely maintain a facade of calm and stood up angrily, then walked out without another word. Then came the heavy sound of the door slamming shut.

Meanwhile, Jackson had just heard the board meeting had ended and was heading to his boss’s office to get a signature on some documents. As he approached the office door, the loud noise nearly made him think there had been an earthquake. He stared ahead, still in shock, and saw Ellis with her lips tightly pressed together, clearly very angry.

Did she just have a fight with Easton? Jackson guessed as he moved closer.

“Mrs. Hudson, you…” Jackson began.

“Jackson, please relay a message for Easton,” Ellis interrupted.

“Huh?”

“I agree to a clean break. Tell him to find a lawyer to discuss the divorce agreement details with Maya.”

Ellis had wanted to tell Easton this in person, but at that moment, she couldn’t even bring herself to speak to him. After throwing out that statement, she turned on her heel and headed straight for her office; her strides were so quick it was as if she could fly. She wanted to grab her personal belongings and leave immediately, never to step foot in that place again.

Jackson’s eyes were wide open. What did I just hear? Did Ellis just tell me that she agreed to a clean break? Jackson was stunned and tried to process everything. His boss was divorcing Ellis, and someone else would take her place as Mrs. Hudson. It was something he had anticipated before. What was happening now was merely the expected outcome; there was actually no need for him to be surprised.

Jackson lightly knocked on Easton’s office door and received a cold command: “Come in.” Upon entering, he saw Victoria sitting there, the soon-to-be new Mrs. Hudson, so he made the wise decision to close the door and leave.

Thinking about the message Ellis had asked him to relay, Jackson turned to go look for Ellis instead, only to be informed that she had already submitted her resignation. There was nothing to hand over, and if anyone needed anything, they shouldn’t bother her.

“Um, Mrs. Hudson,” Jackson started.

“Don’t call me Mrs. Hudson!” Ellis corrected him. “Call me Miss Harper!”

Used to addressing her as Mrs. Hudson, Jackson struggled to change his habit. He hadn’t expected Ellis to correct him, and she didn’t want to hear another word from him. She simply grabbed her things and left, her actions so decisive that it left him speechless. The divorce was definitely initiated by the boss, but it’s too unexpected for Ellis to agree so readily.

After a few seconds of confusion, Jackson finally returned to his usual work. He planned to try to head to Easton’s office again. By then, Victoria had already left. He picked up the document with the boss’s signature and said, “Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Hudson asked me to relay a message.”

“What’s the message?” Easton asked, looking up with indifference.

“Mrs. Hudson said she agrees to a clean break and wants you to find a lawyer to discuss the divorce agreement details with Maya.” Jackson wasn’t sure who Maya was but guessed she must be Ellis’s lawyer.