His Last Command Came Back to Kill Him novel Chapter 143

Whitley opened the small box. A stunning piece of translucent green jade rested quietly against the velvet lining. One glance was enough to tell it had been chosen with meticulous care.

Bonnie, the Sherwood matriarch, genuinely cared for her. She had gone out of her way to prepare this.

Yet, in all the years Whitley had spent in the Sherwood family, Clive had showered Yelena with countless pieces of jewelry while never bothering to buy his own wife a single decent gift.

Even this bangle was entirely Bonnie's doing. Clive had absolutely no part in it.

A bitter ache tightened her chest. She gently snapped the box shut. "I understand. Thank you, Goldie."

As expected, Clive was nowhere to be seen at the family dinner following the memorial service. He simply had someone pass along a message that he was tied up with urgent business and couldn't get away.

Bonnie's face was thunderous. She sat at the head of the table in dead silence, clearly furious.

Whitley wasn't surprised in the least.

The fact that he had even shown up to the cemetery was just to save face for his grandmother—and likely only because he was already in the area helping Yelena shop for a burial plot.

It was better he didn't show up than sit there faking civility.

After the dinner concluded, Bonnie took Whitley's hand and patted it gently. "Make sure you wear that bangle, dear. Don't lose it."

"The Sherwood family owes you too much for the past few years. Stop letting yourself be wronged."

Whitley's nose stung. She nodded.

Even the elderly matriarch could see her sacrifices and the injustices she had suffered. Only Clive remained willfully blind.

After getting a very weak Javier settled, Whitley sat in the car for the ride home, staring out the window at the blurry city lights, silent the entire way.

Finally, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to her lawyer:

[Can we expedite the divorce proceedings?]

The summons had already been delivered to Clive's office, giving him fifteen business days to respond.

It had only been a few days, but to Whitley, every second dragged on like an eternity.

**[Nash Pharma Secures Massive Capital Injection, Sweeps Exclusive R&D Qualifications]**

The article was a glowing tribute to Yelena's outstanding capabilities and limitless future. Reading between the lines, Clive's fingerprints were all over it. He was moving mountains for her.

From personal networking to corporate backing, he had paved a flawless, golden road for Yelena.

Whitley scoffed, swiping the notification away, and dialed her brother, Josiah Zimmerman.

"Josiah, don't panic about the project. We stick to our own pace. They might use capital to buy up contracts, but they can't steal our core tech."

"Let's just focus on building what's ours."

After hanging up, she turned her eyes back to the dense pharmacological data lighting up her monitor.

In this world, the only way to never look at someone else's face for permission was to become entirely self-reliant.

And then she would never have to endure that soul-crushing coldness ever again.