"Boy, let me spell it out for you. Madam Everett is divorcing you. She never liked you—not from the beginning, not ever."

I smirked, unfazed. "Oh? Is that so?"

I tilted my head slightly. "Did Everett tell you that herself?"

Gideon sneered and nodded. "Obviously! You don’t actually think the chairman of a listed company would ever fall for a loser like you, do you?"

"If it weren’t for the old chairman forcing her, you’d have been kicked out ages ago!"

So my suspicions were correct.

The Whitaker Family thought they were strong enough now to abandon me. That they could just toss me aside after using me to build their empire.

But they had seriously miscalculated.

Did they really think they could betray me and walk away unscathed?

I had single-handedly built the Whitaker Family’s empire in just three years. With a single phone call, I could strip them of everything—reduce them back to nothing.

But where was the fun of ending things so soon?

No, this game was just beginning.

Gideon had no idea what was going through my mind. Seeing me stand there silently, he assumed I was scared. His grin widened, his arrogance grew.

"Hey, Des, everyone’s waiting. Are you going to take off your clothes, or should I have someone do it for you?"

As he spoke, Gideon raised the microphone and bellowed toward the entrance.

"Security! Get in here!"

With his command, more than a dozen security personnel wearing Whitaker Group of Companies badges stormed into the venue. Under Gideon’s direction, they quickly surrounded me, forming a tight perimeter.

Meanwhile, Gideon stepped down from the rostrum—but despite his bravado, he stayed safely behind the security guards, keeping a cautious two-meter distance from me.

"Gideon, are you really trying to force my hand?" I asked, my voice calm but laced with warning. "Don’t forget—I’m still legally married. Aren’t you afraid of how Everett will react when she finds out about this?"

At my words, Gideon threw his head back and laughed.

"I knew you’d hide behind Everett! Lucky for me, I came prepared."

With a smug grin, he pulled out his phone in front of the crowd, dialed a number, and after a few rings, pressed the speaker button.

Everett’s voice came through loud and clear.

"Desmond, I want a divorce."

The entire room fell silent.

I remained expressionless. "Judging from your tone, Everett, you must have found a new ‘buyer,’ haven’t you?"