"Enough!"
Spencer's patience snapped. He slapped two documents onto the table.
One was a divorce agreement.
The other was a compensation offer: a small two-story house in the countryside and a thousand dollars a month in living expenses.
Three years of everything I had. I'd taken a crumbling, insignificant Henson Group and built it into a top-three company in the city.
And all I got in return were two sheets of paper.
What a joke.
"A thousand dollars is more than generous, Jacob. Fits your station perfectly."
Miles sneered again.
"If you won't sign, you won't see a single cent!" Spencer threatened.
Every gaze in the room bore into me—cold, predatory, as if they wanted to tear me apart.
"Dad!" Marlene shot her father a look. "Jacob may not have achieved much, but he put in the work."
Then she turned to me with a sigh. "If you have conditions, name them."
"Forget it."
I let out a cold laugh, signed the divorce papers, and tossed the pen aside. I didn't spare the settlement agreement so much as a glance.
The room went silent with shock.
"Jacob!"
Marlene's voice stopped me. I turned.
She frowned. "You can't seriously go back to that run-down shack. You can't keep growing your own vegetables just to eat. That's no way to live."
"Are you pitying me?"
I raised an eyebrow. Before she could answer, I continued. "I don't need your pity."
"But you? All of you?" My gaze swept the room. "Don't come crying to me later."
The moment the words left my mouth, the entire hall erupted in laughter.
Every Henson in the room mocked me—called me delusional, said I was writing checks my mouth couldn't cash. They boasted that with Miles on their side, the Henson family would only grow stronger.
I didn't say another word. I walked out through the front doors of the Henson estate, their laughter chasing me every step of the way.
Outside, Doreen was leaning against a car, waiting. She shook her head with a sigh. "Marlene really can't tell gold from garbage. Not like me—I've always had a thing for your type."
She reached up and hooked her arms around my neck.
"Did you go over the plan?" I asked, keeping my tone even.
"You're such a block of wood! Zero romance!" Doreen pouted, then let her arms drop. "Fine. We'll do it your way. I'll bring my team in, fold your people into my company, and we'll crush Henson Group completely."
"As for equity, I'll only take ten percent. The rest is yours."