😭💔💔“Strip,” he said. Calm. Cold. “Prove you’re clean, or we’ll do it for you.”

Hundreds of eyes pinned me.

Old money sharks. Fake smiles. Phones already recording.

The actress my husband was secretly supporting held a livestream, accusing me indirectly of bullying her, leading the entire internet to cyber-bully me.

In anger, I closed her livestream channel and even banned her from the industry.

When my husband found out, he simply stroked my hair and said gently, “Baby, why bother arguing with such a young girl? The harder you push back now, the more the public will assume you’re guilty. It isn’t worth the trouble.”

He showed no concern and even suggested taking me to the world’s top jewelry auction. He said a pink diamond crown, limited across the world, would be displayed there, and he would buy it for me to make up for his mistake.

But halfway through the auction, my husband’s lover claimed that I had cheated in the marriage, but instead blamed her for tempting my husband, claiming she revealed me here to demand fairness.

“You shameless woman who opens her legs to anyone has no right to be the second authority of the Holmes family. I advise you to hand over your shares at once and return home to be a proper housewife!”

My eyebrows drew together as I looked at Russell Holmes. “In order to seize the shares in my hand, You allowed her to do this?”

——

Several images of me holding flowers while sitting in a car, speaking and laughing with a man, were dropped in front of me.

The pictures were captured very well. At a quick glance, it really seemed as if there was a relationship between the man and me.

I paid it no attention, thinking the method was extremely ridiculous, and turned to look at Russell, waiting for an answer.

“Russell, tell me, did you let her do this?!”

At the auction, insulting gazes from the crowd turned toward me.

Russell stood above me, staring down with anger and sarcasm. “What gives you the right to speak to me like that? You’re the one who secretly slept with an old man behind my back!”

Before I had time to respond, a loud slap landed on my face.

The entire crowd gasped.

A buzzing noise echoed in my ears, my cheek quickly lost feeling, and my heart instantly sank.

Without thinking, I tried to slap back, but Russell firmly held my wrist.

His voice dropped, yet it sounded disappointed. “I worked tirelessly outside discussing projects and securing investments, hoping to take the company public so you could live better. And you? You went outside to find an old man?”

I clutched my cheek, blood pounding in my head. “I never cheated! The man in the photograph is my….”

“You’re going to claim he’s your business partner?”

Camille Hoffman coldly laughed. “What kind of partnership involves talking in a car while holding flowers? And what kind of work makes you smile that brightly?”

I tried to reach for the microphone, but the staff held me back.

Without a microphone, I could only raise my voice to explain. “The ones who cheated are clearly you two…”

Russell silenced me with a cold voice. “Enough.”

He turned toward the entire crowd and spoke in a serious voice. “I can excuse you, as long as you move the company shares into my name, stop getting involved in the company’s work, and quietly remain at home as Mrs. Holmes. I will treat this matter as though it never took place!”

Someone among the crowd quietly spoke with respect. “President Holmes truly has a generous heart.”

“His wife betrayed him, and he is still ready to forgive.”

“Is it not better for a woman to be a good helper at home?”

Someone even shook their head and breathed deeply. “President Holmes built everything by himself and did not dislike her for being a woman who understands nothing, yet she still is not satisfied.”

My whole body shook.

My shares, some I discussed and obtained one after another with my own effort, and some already belonged to me.

From when did they become something Russell had given to me?

I clenched my teeth. “Why must I hand them over? Those shares were all gained by me myself!”

Camille quickly raised her head, her eyes showing coldness. “Earned by yourself? Mrs. Holmes, how did you get them? Do you want to tell everyone?”

She smiled lightly, looking very confident. “Why don’t you tell everyone how many shareholders’ beds you went into to collect those shares?”

The whole crowd erupted in noise.

“So that’s what happened…”

“No wonder Mrs. Holmes usually promotes herself as some intelligent academic wife.”

“So she is simply a decoration who sleeps with men to reach success.”

My fingertips trembled with anger, yet because I had no microphone, although I tried strongly to explain, only a few people heard what I said.

Inside the huge hall, I appeared like a woman who had lost control, “You say I betrayed, say I went into beds. Do you have proof? Only using one picture?”

Camille looked at me, the corner of her lips lifting into a mocking smile.

“If there was no proof, would I reveal you at a moment like this?”

She faced the backstage area, her voice soft but harsh. “Other than pictures, I also keep a video. Do you want to show it for everybody to watch?”

With a light motion from Camille’s hand, the huge screen inside the hall showed a video of me sitting inside a car, chatting and laughing with a man.

I looked at the man in that video, and the anger that had gathered to a certain level suddenly faded away.

Because nobody understood better than me that he was my real father.

The ruler of a major overseas financial company.

Yet they actually thought he was the man I had betrayed with.

Russell and Camille really did not know fear because they knew nothing.

And they truly were not scared of death!

Chapter 2

All these years, my status had been kept hidden on purpose.

Because I was my parents’ only child, before completing the inheritance of the family wealth, showing myself too early in public would’ve been very risky.

A few days earlier, my father had come to visit me.

He was old now, and his body had started getting weaker. This time, he’d come only to speak with me about the family inheritance.

That day, he bought flowers and gave them to me. It was just a clumsy way for a father to comfort his daughter.

But unexpectedly, someone with bad intent secretly took photos of that moment, edited it, and showed it as ‘cheating during marriage!’

I slowly lowered the hand that had covered my face, my fingertips still a little numb.

“Russell,” I lifted the corner of my lips, my voice rough but clear, “was this your decision?”

Russell looked down at me from above, his eyes cold like he was looking at a stranger.

“What kind of tricks are you still trying to play now?”

His voice dropped very low, but every word sounded sarcastic.

“You, a loose and filthy woman, what reason do you still have to stand beside me? What reason do you have to sit at the same level as me in the company?”

“To the people in the company who work honestly, this is unfair.”

He spoke as if he were standing up for justice for the company.

But I understood clearly.

Russell did not want me to keep my shares, did not want me to keep joining company decisions, and did not want me to threaten his power as the President.

I stared up at him and suddenly felt it was laughable.

In the past, it had clearly been him who chased after me again and again.

It had been him who dropped to his knees in front of me on a rainy evening and promised that all the money he made would belong to me, that he would follow my words his whole life, that he was ready to marry into my family, only asking me to give him one chance.

He said he would live as my dog for his whole life.

I trusted him. During those three years, whatever support he wanted, I gave it to him. I personally helped him reach that position.

But now only three years had gone by, and he could not even keep the most basic faithfulness of a dog.

I breathed in deeply and did not want to keep arguing with them anymore.

“The man in the picture is my father.”

Russell frowned slightly. Before he could say anything, Camille had already stepped forward in her high heels.

She came close to us, the edge of her mouth showing a mocking smile, yet her voice spread through the microphone across the whole hall.

“Father?” She laughed loudly. “Wouldn’t it be a sugar daddy?”

Soft laughter spread among the crowd.

“Miss Gardner, how many sugar daddies do you keep outside?”

She tilted her head toward me, sounding sweet yet cruel. “Back then, when you forced President Holmes to marry into your family and hand you company shares, did you also use your sugar daddy’s money to pressure him?”

“No wonder you always acted like a rich heiress but never mentioned your parents. So it was all just an act.”

I saw Russell’s expression freeze for a moment.

Once Camille finished speaking, suspicion showed in his eyes.

“Artemis, is it because you have several sugar daddies that you never introduced me to your parents?”

His words sounded unbelievable to me.

I had hidden my true background to avoid putting pressure on him, and also because my parents had not fully accepted him.

I did not want him to think he had married someone above him, did not want him to feel small and believe he was lower than me.

I carefully protected his pride, and now everything I did had turned into proof of my guilty mind!

Russell seized my arm and dropped his voice in a cold tone, “At first, we could have handled it as if nothing happened.”

“You go into old men’s beds, I keep a lover, we do not disturb each other.”

“But you insisted on blocking Camille and made her upset.”

“Artemis, bringing things to this stage is your own decision.”

My nails pressed hard into my palm, nearly breaking the skin.

Not disturb each other?

He actually believed that keeping Camille was normal and reasonable?

And my so-called cheating could really become a condition for negotiation?

I stared at the man in front of me with disbelief, as though I was looking at him for the first time.

Camille raised the microphone and interrupted our conflict.

“Actually, proving that Miss Gardner never went into beds is very easy.”

She smiled sweetly, yet her eyes looked dark.

“I heard that a few days earlier, Miss Gardner did not go back home the entire night. Since you say you are innocent, then prove it right here.”

“Take off your clothes and let everyone see whether other men left marks on your body, and then everything will be clear.”

Chapter 3

“Miss Gardner, hurry and remove it!”

No one knew which person began the mocking first.

The auction had first gathered many old schemers who enjoyed using dirty methods, and now they looked more thrilled than anyone else.

“Since you say you are innocent, what are you scared of?”

“President Holmes does not mind, so why can’t we look for him?”

My face became pale and hard, my fingertips cold.

Russell remained before me, his eyes holding proud kindness.

“Artemis, as long as you show that you are innocent, I can act like this situation never happened.”

I almost could not trust what I heard.

“You expect me to remove my clothes here and show them to them?”

He frowned. “If you never did it, why are you afraid?”

Camille laughed until her shoulders shook, her voice moving through the microphone across the whole hall.

“Miss Gardner would not be scared to prove herself, right?”

“Or… are there really kiss marks on your body?”

My thoughts turned empty because of anger.

I slapped Camille on her cheek.

Camille shouted, and the microphone slipped onto the floor, making a rough sound.

Russell’s expression changed instantly. He hurried forward several steps and wrapped his arms around her to protect her.

“Camille!”

He held her face, his voice full of worry. “Are you fine? Does your face hurt? Are you injured?”

He turned and yelled at me. “Artemis, are you mad? Do you know she is an actress! You dare hit her face?!”

Russell pushed me hard. My high heels slid, and my ankle bent painfully.

A severe pain burst from my ankle, and I almost fell to my knees from the pain.

I gripped the side of the table just to keep standing, sweat appearing on my forehead from pain, yet I still lifted my head and looked at him with red eyes.

“What?”

My voice sounded hoarse. “You want to be slapped, too? Then bring your face over!”

Russell’s face turned fully dark.

I could not understand why he believed so strongly that I would not do anything to him.

In only three years, he strongly reached the highest position in the field, because of whom?

The company’s initial capital of fifty million was given by me.

The first overseas shipping trade route was arranged by me.

His first important investment meeting was supported by me, secretly behind the scenes.

I supported him with my whole heart. I had already spoken with my father earlier.

On my birthday, I planned to tell Russell everything.

Tell him that my father was the person leading the number one financial group overseas.

My mother was the leader of the Gardner family, the main family among the four great families.

I wanted him to meet my parents with a position that was good enough.

I thought he finally had the ability to stand beside me.

But I was mistaken, completely mistaken!

Russell became angry from my disappointed look, his expression dark.

With Camille held inside his arms, he asked me coldly, “Do you remove it by yourself, or do you want me to let somebody help you remove it?”

My ankle shook from the ache, but I still lifted my frame and kept my back upright.

“Russell.”

I questioned him word by word, “You have decided to force me to face shame in a place like this, correct?”

He gave no denial.

“You caused this yourself. You can admit having a sugar daddy, yet you refuse to show you are innocent?”

Camille hid her face with her hands, her eyes showing the joy of getting revenge on me.

“Remove it! Why are you afraid? You feel guilty, don’t you!”

I felt too tired to keep debating with them, so I put my hand into my purse to pull out my mobile.

But a moment later, Camille suddenly ran forward, seized my mobile, and threw it hard onto the floor.

The display broke into many fragments.

The home display glowed briefly.

It showed an image of my dad and me that we had just snapped together.

When Russell noticed that picture, his expression turned fully dark.

His body shook with anger.

“You truly are not clear with that old guy! If nothing exists between you, why take such a close photo?!”

Anger nearly made me laugh.

“I already told you that is my real father! And what you are doing is group violence, it is against the law!”

“Russell, do not forget who supported you to reach where you are now!”

Like something had been struck, Russell mocked.

“Do not try to make yourself seem so helpless. You dare open your legs and attract an old man, yet you refuse to admit it?”

“Do you think I would feel pleased living on the dirty money you earned through those shameful ways?”

“I only feel sick. I no longer rely on your dirty money to stay alive!”

Each word felt like a knife dragging across my heart.

I looked at him and felt our three years of marriage were laughable, like a joke.

Russell spoke in a cold tone to the security guards next to him.

“Take off her clothes!”

Two security guards paused while walking toward me.

“Russell.”

My voice suddenly became cold as I spoke a hard warning, “If you dare let them touch me even a single time, you are done. Just prepare for bankruptcy!”

Camille instantly laughed and mocked when she heard that.

“Are you obsessed with acting like a wealthy young woman? Saying you can ruin someone in one night? Then I will say this, Artemis, just wait for your death!”

Russell looked at me with a cold expression, clearly not treating my words as important.

“You truly cannot be helped.”

My ankle was hurt, my phone was smashed, and I was surrounded from every direction.

Watching that I was about to suffer humiliation, I closed my eyes, drew a deep breath, and said, “Russell.”

“We are getting divorced!”

Chapter 4

The moment my words dropped, Russell’s eyes suddenly shrank.

But before he could reply, Camille already coldly laughed. “So now you remember to speak about divorce?”

She crossed her arms, her tone teasing. “Who was the one holding tightly to President Holmes and refusing to release him earlier? Are you really willing to leave?”

The cold look in Russell’s eyes slowly pushed away everything else.

“You want to threaten me using divorce?”

He looked straight at me, his voice dark.

“Artemis, do you think I am still that Russell who would have nothing after leaving you? Divorce then divorce. I even believe you are not worthy to be the wife of the Holmes family!”

“But since we are divorcing, then sign the divorce agreement.”

The auction hall had already gathered money from every side, and someone quickly lifted a hand.

“President Holmes, I just happen to have a lawyer here. You may borrow him.”

A few quiet laughs from people watching the scene rose from the crowd.

A few minutes later, a quickly written divorce agreement was set on the table.

I dragged my injured foot and slowly walked ahead.

When no one was watching, I quietly pressed the tracking button on the side of my wristwatch.

A red signal quietly went out.

Within at most ten minutes, the bodyguards arranged by my father would reach here.

And at this moment, I only needed to stretch time.

Russell sat in the chair, his expression dark.

“First clause, leave with nothing.”

“After the divorce, you cannot carry away any company assets.”

“Including every share registered under your name.”

My face stayed empty.

“Alright.”

Russell stopped briefly.

“Second clause, after the divorce, you cannot appear publicly as Mrs. Holmes again.”

“You cannot interfere with the company’s work.”

“You cannot release any words harmful to the company.”

“Alright.”

I did not even pause to think.

“Third clause….”

“All acceptable.”

I interrupted him.

Russell suddenly lifted his head and looked at me.

He clearly had not expected me to be this straightforward.

He had first believed that I was only pretending, purposely saying I wanted a divorce.

He thought once he presented those conditions, I would not resist kneeling and begging him not to go through with the divorce.

Yet I did not.

I only stood in place, calm as though the one ending a marriage was someone else.

A small moment of doubt passed through Russell’s eyes, afraid that my quick agreement had some trick.

He did not know that the company assets he cared about so much looked like worthless leftovers in my eyes.

And when I said I would cause him to lose everything, those were never angry words.

The lawyer gave the contract to me.

I did not even glance at it and simply wrote my name.

“Your turn.”

Russell received the contract, his fingertips stopping for a moment.

He looked at me, as though trying to discover even a little unwillingness on my face.

But he found nothing.

While everyone watched closely, even though he felt a little reluctant, he still wrote his name.

At first, I believed that after this moment, I could walk away.

But Camille clapped her hands.

“Signing the agreement does not mean the matter finishes.”

She showed a proud smile, looking very satisfied.

“A moment ago, asking you to remove your clothes was to confirm whether you betrayed him.”

“Now….It’s to take revenge on you!”

She stared at me, her look cruel.

“Artemis, you secretly blocked me and caused me to lose every acting role.”

“Before you possessed money and influence, I could not touch you. Now everything changes, you have nothing.”

She linked her arm with Russell’s arm, her voice gentle and charming.

“Brother, I feel upset. You help me, correct?”

Russell held her and spoke in a quiet voice, “Since she angered you, she must return it until you feel pleased.”

I was so angry that I laughed.

Depending on others’ power, like a dog, they showed it clearly!

Camille waved her hand and spoke toward the guards, “Pull off her clothes! Whoever removes them first, I give one hundred thousand.”

The air immediately turned greedy.

Several guards looked toward one another.

“One hundred thousand?”

“Is it real?”

“Of course.” Camille showed a proud smile. “Transfer it right away.”

After hearing about the cash, the doubts of several people quickly vanished.

Someone stretched his hand and caught my arm.

Right away, I pushed him away and shouted coldly, “If you dare lay a hand on me once, tomorrow your bodies go into the ocean to feed fish!”

For a short moment, several guards felt shocked by my eyes.

Camille shouted angrily, “Stupid heads! She owns nothing now, yet still pretends!”

“Move fast and begin!”

One man pressed his teeth tightly and suddenly grabbed me again.

The wound on my foot had not healed, and I could not break away at all.

At the moment, his fingers touched my collar.

A gun fired.

Blood sprayed out.

That guard yelled loudly, holding his wounded arm and dropping to his knees.

From the doorway came even and measured footsteps.

Men in black uniforms walked in, their actions clean and powerful.

They carried guns and quickly controlled the scene.

Everyone stayed in a frozen place.

The man in front walked toward me and lowered one knee slightly.

His voice stayed quiet and respectful.

“Miss. Sorry we’re late!”