[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603134E5B19-30":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},30,12,"Chapter 12: The Ex-Husband's Investigation","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante watched Celine walk away, but Archer stepped right into his path, bringing him to a dead stop.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A cold, humorless laugh escaped Dante at Archer’s words.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"A gentleman? Seriously?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She's my wife. How I treat her is absolutely none of your business.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer hadn't seen that coming, but he pressed on. \"Are you sure you haven't mistaken her for someone else? She genuinely seemed not to recognize you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"How could I mistake her? We were married for three years. We've only been divorced for three months.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Still, Dante couldn't shake a nagging feeling that something was off. Celine's gaze and entire demeanor had been undeniable to both of them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He’d have to dig into this the moment he got back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Archer's grin widened at his words. \"Divorced, you say? Then 'wife' isn't quite the right term, is it? Once you're divorced, there's no connection. At best, you're just... the ex-husband?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Furious and not wanting to waste another second on this guy, Dante shoved past Archer and stormed back into the party, determined to get to the bottom of this later.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer watched him go, a dark, contemplative look in his eyes. After a moment, he finally turned and walked away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"About that woman I asked you to look into, what have you found?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Returning to the Williams estate that night, unusually sober, Dante's first move was to call and check on the task he'd assigned earlier that day.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It's all done, Mr. Williams. A detailed itinerary of Mrs. Williams's activities over the past few months has been sent to your email. You can check it whenever you're ready.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After hanging up, Dante started sifting through the documents.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"A psychological clinic? The first thing she did after leaving me was go to a psychological clinic?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A flicker of something unreadable crossed Dante's face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Was she in so much pain she just couldn't handle it, resorting to hypnosis to erase him?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">What she did afterward only deepened Dante’s disbelief.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">During their three years together, she’d meticulously taken care of him without a single complaint, but she’d never shown any ambition or value of her own.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Yet, within her first month out, she’d landed a job and become an executive assistant.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When his parents had sponsored her, hadn't they mentioned something about her school? It seemed pretty prestigious.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Ah, whatever. He'd sleep on it and investigate the rest tomorrow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next day.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arriving at his office, his assistant placed the stack of documents needing his signature to one side.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, separately, he handed Dante another file.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mr. Williams, this is all the information regarding Mrs. Williams's past, including her academic records and family background. You can review it if you need to.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante nodded, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. His assistant always knew what he needed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Good, just leave it there.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Of course. Also, Mr. Williams, you have a dinner reservation with the second son of the Reynolds family at seven tonight. Should I cancel it for you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Archer Reynolds? What could those two possibly have to discuss?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was about to tell his assistant to decline, but then he suddenly remembered that woman. His thoughts immediately shifted, and he decided to accept the reservation.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine Evans...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It really seemed like she had forgotten him...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And what exactly was her relationship with Archer Reynolds?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He realized with a jolt how little he actually knew about his ex-wife.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">...\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In reality, Celine was far from the simple woman Dante imagined her to be.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After leaving the clinic that day, she headed straight to the apartment she had rented in advance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After a quick tidying up, she started sending out her resume. She needed a decent job, one that could support her and give her room to grow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Throughout her three years with Dante, she had never given up on her career.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As an architectural designer, a top graduate from an Ivy League university and program, she had continued to self-study and enter various design competitions. Even though she hadn't worked formally, her resume was incredibly strong.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Now, even though she had forgotten Dante, her professional skills and knowledge were still sharp as ever.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Because of the hypnosis, in her mind, those three years were spent recovering at home from an illness.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The position Celine first set her sights on was Executive Assistant to the General Manager of Reynolds Group.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Reynolds Group was a family business and a major player in the construction industry, meaning plenty of opportunities.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This General Manager was the second son of the Reynolds family, Archer Reynolds, who had recently returned from overseas.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He held dual master's degrees in Architecture and Management from top-tier international universities, his expertise was undeniable. As a newly returned executive parachuted into the company, he likely faced skepticism from veteran employees and needed to be cautious.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Therefore, for Archer, grooming a newcomer as his right-hand person was crucial.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Moreover, Celine was certain he had seen and was familiar with the international competitions she had entered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">So, after careful consideration, Celine submitted her resume directly to Reynolds Group.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just as she'd anticipated, after personally interviewing her, Archer hired her on the spot.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272932198]