Chapter 23: I Agree To The Divorce
Chapter 23: I Agree To The Divorce
Early the next morning, Janessa went to the Lu Group armed with several documents she had prepared.
As at the entrance of the large skyscraper, Janessa found herself feeling insignificant.
Although she was married to Rayan, she had never been to the Lu Group's building.
It only made sense for people not to know her.
Janessa walked into the building of the Lu Group with her head held high.
The receptionist stopped her as she passed.
"Miss, are you here for an interview?"
Interview? Janessa looked at the clothes she was wearing today.
She chose a skirt suit with a white dress shirt underneath.
No wonder the receptionist thought she was looking for a job.
"I'm here to see Rayan Lu."
The receptionist appraised Janessa coldly and said in an almost-robotic voice which dripped with disdain, "Do you have an appointment?"
"I don't."
With a patently fake smile on her face, the receptionist said, "I'm sorry, miss, but our CEO is a very busy man.Please set an appointment next time."
Then, the receptionist looked at her screen and proceeded to ignore Janessa, but her eyes watched her from the corner of her eyes.
If this woman were one of the CEO’s mistresses who came to cause a scene, then her job would be in jeopardy if she failed to stop her.
Janessa knew what the receptionist was doing.
It wouldn't do her any good to antagonize the front desk personnel.
Tapping on the desk, she told the secretary in a patient voice, "Please call your CEO and tell him that Janessa Qiu has something important to discuss with him."
The receptionist threw her a skeptical look.
Then, she picked up the phone to call the CEO's office, her eyes sweeping Janessa from head to foot.
"Corbin, there is a lady named Janessa Qiu here looking for our CEO.She insists on seeing him.Ah...okay, okay."
The disdain on the receptionist's face transformed into a serious expression as the call progressed.
"Miss Qiu, this way please.Our CEO is waiting for you in his office."Janessa gave her a gracious nod.
"Thank you!"
The receptionist personally escorted her to the CEO’s exclusive elevator, pressed the button for her, and sent her away with a smile.
With a relieved sigh, she patted her chest and then went back to her desk.
‘Just as I thought the woman was related to the CEO.It was a good thing I reacted quickly.’ The CEO's exclusive elevator was so fast that one could reach the top floor in mere seconds.
As she stepped out of the elevator, she was greeted by a man stood waiting for her.
"Mrs.Lu, Mr.Lu is waiting for you in his office,"he said courteously.
"Thank you."
Corbin led Janessa to the president's office, opened the door for her, and then left.
"Have you thought it through?" was Rayan's greeting to her.
He sounded confident about her answer.
Her arrival put him in a good mood.
‘Not for long,’ she thought smugly to herself.
As casually as someone in her own home, Janessa perched herself on the sofa as her eyes took in Rayan's office.
The office was identical to his study in the Lu Family villa.
The color theme was dark blue, and the dark accents and elegant furnishings perfectly matched Rayan.
"I agree to the divorce,"
Janessa declared without preliminaries.
Rayan smiled approvingly at her.
"Just as I thought.Smart people know how to choose."
His words sounded like it held a different meaning.
Then, to his surprise, Janessa said something else.
"However, I have a condition before I sign the papers."
"Condition?" he asked in a disbelieving voice.
"Do you really dare to bargain with me?"
Rayan's face darkened with fury.
He really couldn't understand this woman.
She really could do anything for money.
What sort of conditions would she demand so that she would sign the divorce agreement? "My condition is very simple, actually.I just need your word."
Janessa told Ryan in a quiet voice.
All of a sudden, she looked like a typical girl next door, and her gentle eyes reminded him so much of Gracie's.
He whirled around to look out the window. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
"A car, a house—whatever you want, I will give it to you."
Staring at his profile, Janessa suddenly burst into laughter.
"Do you think I came here to ask you for a car or a house?"
A deep frown formed between his brows.
"If not, what else could you possibly want? As you are right now, you'd be lucky to get these things from me.Sell them for money, and then the Qiu group may have a fighting chance."
With a mocking smile, Rayan took out a document from the drawer, walked up to Janessa, and threw it on her lap.
"Here is the distribution of the properties.See if there is anything else you are not satisfied with."
Janessa grabbed the arm of the sofa and flipped through the divorce agreement.
Then, she looked across the coffee table at Rayan and slowly, deliberately tore the document into pieces while he watched.
"Like I said, I don't want the house.What I want is to work in the Lu Group." Rayan thought that he was hearing her wrong.
His eyes flashing dangerously, he asked, "You want to work in the Lu Group? You can't even manage the Qiu Group well, but you still want me to employ you? Are you actually that stupid, or do you think I am?"
How could the young lady of the Qiu Group seek employment in the Lu Group? What was her purpose? What was the point of Janessa doing this?
"If you want your divorce, I'll give it to you.However, I need to be sure that you would never sabotage the Qiu Group.For that, I need to watch you from your side.Only until the Qiu Group is safe."Rayan gave his counteroffer.
"If you agree to divorce me, I will let go of the Qiu Group and invest in the Qiu family again."
Janessa gave a small laugh.
"That show is actually unnecessary, Rayan.If you don't agree to my request, then your little girlfriend would remain tarnished with the label of mistress."
Gracie tried so hard to become a wedge between the two of them, so she probably had no other end goal in mind except to marry Rayan.
Since she herself wasn't in love with Rayan, she could use that threat to hold over their heads.
Rayan had been in such a hurry to summarily deal with the Qiu Group, which showed exactly how much he adored Gracie.
Finally, Rayan gave his answer.
"Fine.You'll work in the Lu Group, but I'll decide on the position."
Janessa knew that Rayan would probably give her a horrible role, but it didn't matter.
As long as she got into the Lu Group, the first step would be completed.
She pulled out a document from her satchel.
"I've brought the divorce agreement.Take a look and sign it if you have no objection.It's almost noon, after all, and I don't want to delay your lunch with Gracie."
Rayan stared at Janessa for a moment, completely immobile, and then he rifled through the document.
The distribution of their conjugal property in this agreement made no sense.
Janessa only wanted twenty percent of property, whereas the original agreement showed he was willing to give away forty.
In effect, she would be getting only half of what he had offered.
Was their divorce worth that much? For a long time after Janessa had left, Rayan sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
Corbin knocked on the door and came in.
One look at the CEO's face, and he was filled with a sense of foreboding.
"Mr.Lu, I have just received the latest news about the Qiu Group.The company's cash flow problem was fixed, and the operations for the five suspended projects have resumed to normal."
Rayan was even more confused.
Why would she humble herself and work for the Lu Group if the Qiu Group now had their capital? On the next day, the two of them met at their scheduled time and walked into the Civil Affairs Bureau to change their marriage certificate into a divorce certificate.
They walked out of the bureau side by side, each bearing a copy of the certificate.
With a bright smile on her face, Janessa turned toward Rayan and asked, "So...when can I start working?"