The Blue Rejection That Ended My Marriage Chapter 05

The Blue Rejection That Ended My Marriage Chapter 05

Once Sloane had the signed agreement in hand, the last of her misgivings disappeared.

Elliot had always been softhearted. Now that he had put his name on the agreement, she was sure

he wouldn’t put up much of a fight.

She handed it off to an assistant to file away, then took Miles straight to a car dealership.

Once the paperwork was finished, she placed the keys to the new car in his hand.

Miles still looked uneasy.

“Sloane, this is way too expensive. What if Elliot takes this to the company and makes things

difficult for you?”

Sloane waved off the concern.

“Relax.”

“I’m paying for it out of my personal account. No one can say anything about it.”

The worry disappeared from Miles’s face, leaving only smug satisfaction.

But the eager–to–please look on his face made Sloane think of Elliot.

Ever since he quit his job, she had imposed those rules to keep him from wasting money.

Yet every time Elliot wanted something, all he ever did was argue with her, as though being supported by her was something she owed him. He never seemed grateful.

Her phone lit up with a message from Elliot.

Annoyance rose automatically.

It had to be another request for money.

She opened it impatiently, only to freeze when she saw what he had sent.

It wasn’t a request.

It was a divorce settlement agreement.

Miles saw it too.

“Elliot must be really angry this time. Sloane, maybe you should go see him.”

Sloane put her phone back in her pocket, her expression unchanged.

“This is just another stunt. Ignore it.”

“If he sends you another request, mark it blue again. Teach him a lesson.”

Miles lowered his head, hiding his smile.

“Okay.”

They returned to the office together.

The moment they walked in, Sloane’s chief of staff, who had been waiting for them, rushed over,

visibly pale.

“Mrs. Mercer, we have a problem.”

Sloane frowned.

“What happened?”

“Our client in Milan just emailed. They’re terminating their business relationship with us.”

Sloane’s head snapped up.

“Why?”

Her chief of staff glanced at Miles, sweat forming along his forehead.

“They said the new proposal appears to infringe someone else’s work. They also said our design team didn’t have the level of expertise they expected and behaved unprofessionally during follow–up discussions.”

“They’re adamant about it.”

Miles immediately looked rattled.

“Sloane, they insulted my ability first. I only snapped back a couple of times!”

“And why are they suddenly calling the designs infringing? Did Elliot report me just to get back at me?”

A flash of anger rose in Sloane, but before she could reassure him, her phone rang again.

This time it was the company’s legal team.

“Mrs. Mercer, we’ve been served with court papers.

sloane’s expression tightened.

“What papers?”

“Mr. Hale has filed for divorce. He’s asking the court to set aside the property–transfer/agreement and the marital–property waiver he signed under duress. He’s also bringing a copyright

infringement claim involving designs credited to someone else.”

“His filing says the company was only given permission to use Project Deep Blue and its original design files free of charge. Now… he’s withdrawn that permission.”

Sloane finally looked shaken.

She pulled out her phone and immediately called Elliot.

The call went straight to an automated message.

No one answered.

She opened their chat history.

The divorce settlement agreement filled the screen.

Then she noticed the message directly above it, one she hadn’t noticed before.

Elliot: [Sloane, sign it. I’ll see you in court.]

That was when panic finally set in.

She murmured under her breath, “He’s still counting on me to pay for his surgery. He’s actually going through with this?”