Chapter 1But I'm the Majority Shareholder

The day after I contacted the private investigator, a stack of glossy photographs was waiting on my desk.

The face of the young woman in those pictures was one I could never forget.

This entire nightmare started with a simple iced caramel macchiato. Felix had handed it to me right after he got home from work.

"Your favorite," he said, his tone as casual as if it were the most natural habit in the world.

I didn't take the cup. A sudden, inexplicable weight dropped in my chest.

"I stopped drinking these years ago," I replied, keeping my voice perfectly level.

He didn't look surprised. "Really? I remember you loving them back in college."

That single sentence confirmed everything. The 'you' he was talking about wasn't me.

Because I spent the majority of my college years studying abroad in Europe.

But I didn't scream or throw the coffee in his face. I just forced a faint, hollow smile. "I guess tastes change when we grow up."

* * *

Four years ago, during an infrastructure project in a deeply impoverished rural county, I crossed paths with a young girl being dragged away by her parents. They were forcing her into a marriage with an older man to settle family debts. Her name was Tessa.

Tessa's clothes were threadbare, her face smeared with dirt, but her eyes held a terrifyingly fierce light.

Back then, I thought that light was pure resilience. Ignoring her parents' vicious insults, I paid off their debts, rescued her from that suffocating town, and funded her entire college education.

My phone buzzed. The private investigator had sent a new message.

"Based on my findings, she is staying by Felix's side to 'repay' him for his financial support."

My hand trembled violently around my phone.

Repay his support?

Let us completely ignore the fact that I was the one who pulled Tessa out of that rural hellhole.

Let us talk about Felix. He was a penniless orphan who couldn't even afford his freshman tuition. Every single step he took to reach his current status as a highly respected CEO was paved by my money and the absolute power of the Davis family.

I let out a long, shaky breath, fighting back the tears burning my eyes. My hand instinctively rested over my flat stomach.

A suffocating bitterness flooded my heart.

A tiny life had once fluttered right there.

Two years ago, I discovered I was pregnant. I was ecstatic, meticulously planning the perfect way to surprise Felix.

But before I could tell him, I received a frantic call. Tessa's parents had tracked her down on campus and were trying to kidnap her.

I didn't hesitate for a second. I called the police and rushed to the university with my security team.

In my desperate attempt to pull her away from her violent father, a brutal scuffle broke out. I was shoved hard against a concrete step. And just like that, the child I had barely begun to love was gone forever.

The doctors told me the physical trauma was severe. My chances of ever conceiving again were practically zero.

When Tessa found out, she sobbed hysterically. She fell to her knees, swearing on her life that she would find a way to repay my sacrifice.

And her grand repayment was crawling into my husband's bed and tearing my marriage to shreds.

I whipped my car around and drove straight to my parents' estate.

They were surprised to see me walk through the door unannounced.

"Did Felix upset you?" my mother asked softly.

Looking at the silver streaks in my parents' hair, I swallowed the ugly truth.

"No. He is just swamped with work. The house felt empty, so I wanted to come see you guys."

My father frowned slightly, though his eyes held a glimmer of approval. "He built that company from nothing. It is not an easy feat."

"But no matter how hard he works, he shouldn't neglect his family."

I didn't acknowledge my father's defense of him. Instead, I took a breath and asked the question I came for.

"Dad, when you first invested in Felix's startup, didn't you draft a contingency agreement?"

My father thought for a moment and nodded. "I did. The terms stated that if he ever failed to meet my ethical expectations, his shares would revert completely to me."

"But once he proved himself and the company stabilized, that clause naturally became void," he added.

He paused for a second before continuing. "However, right before your wedding, Felix insisted on transferring half of his total shares to you as a dowry. I thought he had been through enough hardship, so I never actually had you sign the transfer documents."

I fought to keep my face neutral, masking the surge of adrenaline in my veins. "Do you still have those documents?"

"Of course. I keep all the files in the study."

He retrieved the thick legal folder from his mahogany bookshelf and handed it to me.

I took the contract, quickly scanned the legal jargon, and signed my name on the dotted line without a singular ounce of hesitation.

I didn't need the money. But since Felix had the audacity to betray me, he needed to prepare himself for absolute ruin.