The office fell into a deathly silence, broken only by Elowen's muffled sobs.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Elowen's eyes were red and swollen from crying, making her look fragile and innocent.
Cassian turned a cold gaze on Scarlett. "She's just not well. Any project you can handle, she can handle just as well, if not better."
"Then let her do it herself!" Scarlett slammed her hand on the desk to make her position clear. "I absolutely won't withdraw from this project. I signed an exclusivity agreement with the partner organization. I'm the only authorized liaison who can mobilize resources. Without my consent, even if you hand the project over to Elowen, she won't be able to do anything with it."
"You..." Cassian's expression hardened.
"I don't have time to waste on you two. I have things to do." Scarlett turned and left.
After leaving the office, Scarlett didn't leave the building immediately. Instead, she went to find her assistant. "Compile all the project materials for me," she said without preamble.
Her assistant jumped to his feet, tension written across his face. When he heard her request, his face went white. "Ms. Vale, are we really handing this project over to Elowen?" He couldn't hide the pain in his voice.
"No." Scarlett's tone was measured, her gaze steady. "I'm going to register the project as an independent charitable foundation."
Her assistant froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "If we obtain independent legal entity status and tax-exempt certification, the foundation's assets will be considered separate property. Even if it's affiliated with Blackthorne Group, Mr. Blackthorne won't have the authority to reassign it unilaterally."
Scarlett lowered her gaze, concealing the emotion in her eyes. "Exactly."
They had been husband and wife, after all. She hadn't wanted it to come to this. But if he was going to force her hand by using a charitable project to win Elowen's favor, she wouldn't hold back out of sentiment.
"But..." Her assistant lowered his voice and closed the door. "The application process takes at least a month. What if Mr. Blackthorne forces you to hand it over before then?"
Scarlett looked up, her tone calm. "He won't. I have my own way of handling it."
Her assistant quickly gathered the materials, but by then the government offices had closed for the day. Scarlett decided to make the trip first thing the next morning.
When Cassian returned to the villa that evening, seven-year-old Ryan was eating dinner alone at the table.
He walked over and pulled out a chair, noticing Scarlett's absence. "Where is she?"
The butler hesitated, then spoke carefully. "She left this morning with her suitcase. Mr. Blackthorne, she was deeply hurt yesterday. Perhaps you should try to smooth things over with her?"
Ryan slammed his fork down on the table, visibly angry. "Aunt Elowen's birthday is coming up soon. I wanted Mom to help me make a handmade gift for her, but she left home instead! How unreasonable!"
Cassian's face darkened. "Ryan is right. Elowen doesn't have much time left, and Scarlett chooses this moment to demand attention. I gave her a chance to back down gracefully, but she'll only become more difficult." He waved a hand dismissively. "Let her do what she wants."
Scarlett was doing all this simply to get his attention and compete for the affection he showed Elowen. If Alistair hadn't forced his hand, he never would have married her in the first place.
He'd been too lenient with her lately, allowing her to get ideas she shouldn't have, thinking she could manipulate him this way.
She was deluding herself.
Early the next morning, Scarlett went to the relevant government office and submitted her application to register an independent foundation.
The preliminary review went smoothly. Next came the capital verification and approval process.
After that, Scarlett went to a law firm to pick up the drafted divorce agreement. She walked straight into Cassian's office without ceremony.
When she pushed open the door, Cassian was on the phone, his tone tender in a way she had never heard before. "All right, I'll come see you at the hospital later. Don't worry, I'll definitely get that project for you."
When he hung up and turned to face Scarlett, that tenderness vanished instantly, replaced by icy coldness.
"If you're willing to hand the project over to Elowen, I can consider forgiving you for running away this time..."
The slap landed hard, the sound ringing through the room.
Scarlett slapped the divorce papers down on his desk. "According to your terms, I leave the marriage with nothing. You get custody of Ryan. Sign it."
Cassian stared at the document, the air seeming to freeze around them.
After a long silence, he looked up, his eyes sinister. "Have you thought this through? Once you sign, there's no going back. Even if you come crawling back to me on your knees, I will never remarry you."
A mocking smile curved Scarlett's lips. "Don't worry. That day will never come."
Cassian's face darkened as he yanked the divorce papers toward him and, without even glancing at it, pulled out his fountain pen and scrawled his signature across the page.
Scarlett collected the papers, turned, and walked out.
Aksara