His Last Command Came Back to Kill Him novel Chapter 149

He specifically mentioned Shamar's name to remind Clive of the connection.

But Clive's expression didn't change. "If you like it, it's yours."

Just to put a smile on Yelena's face, he was perfectly willing to snatch away the last fragment of her grandfather's memory.

Yelena smiled radiantly, giving Whitley a look of effortless victory. "I'm so sorry. Highest bidder wins. Nothing I can do."

Reid turned to Whitley, his tone polite but final. "My apologies, Ms. Nash."

With one sentence, her hopes were completely severed.

Leroy stood to the side, throwing gasoline on the fire. "How was she ever going to compete with you? You guys aren't even in the same league."

"Some people think just because they schemed their way into the Sherwood family, they suddenly matter. She really needs to look in the mirror. Compared to Yelena, she's practically dirt."

Words like that used to cut her, but now they barely registered.

What did register was the bone-deep chill spreading through her.

Clive was systematically destroying every last shred of her dignity.

First, he had tried to overwrite her grandfather's resting place with Yelena's grandmother, and now, he was publicly hijacking her family heirloom.

Whitley took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto his. "And I suppose being a homewrecker is something to be proud of?"

Leroy and Yelena's faces went rigid simultaneously. "Are you seriously throwing a tantrum because you lost?"

Whitley's voice was deadly calm. "If the homewrecker isn't embarrassed, why should I be?"

Without waiting to see the fallout on their faces, she turned and walked away.

***

The entire expo had been emotionally exhausting.

The little girl asked to use the restroom, so Whitley walked her over.

As they were standing by the sinks, the little girl looked up, her wide, innocent eyes full of confusion.

"Aren't you and that man married? Why is he helping other people bully you?"

Whitley froze, staring down into those clear, untainted eyes.

Even a child could see it. Clive couldn't even be bothered to pretend to respect her in front of a kid.

She had walked in thinking she might finally reclaim a piece of her history, only for him to effortlessly dump ice water over her life.

Whitley said softly, "We're getting a divorce. Once we're divorced, we won't be family anymore."

"What, is she harassing you again?" Leroy walked over, following Clive's gaze to Whitley's retreating back. He looked disgusted. "She is like a disease. She just won't go away."

"Compared to Yelena, she's an absolute joke."

Yelena was graceful, capable, and from a good family. Everywhere she went, she commanded respect.

Whitley, on the other hand, was sullen, manipulative, and had now run off to some tech firm just to hang around Chisholm Vance all day.

***

When Zinnia heard what went down at the expo, she exploded. "Did they plant a tracker on you?! How the hell do you run into them everywhere?"

Whitley set her phone on the desk, her eyes fixed on the dense rows of data on her screen. Her voice was steady. "It's a small city. There are only so many high-end events, and we're in the same industry. Running into them is inevitable."

She hadn't called to complain.

"I just emailed you a file. Have it printed first thing tomorrow and notify the tech department. Meeting at 10 AM."

Zinnia opened the email, her jaw dropping. "...The government bidding proposal? You finished it already?"

Whitley's intuition for industry trends was already terrifying, but what made her truly lethal was how perfectly actionable her blueprints were.

The more Zinnia read, the faster her heart raced. If they actually secured this bid, PurePath Biologics would instantly leap to the top tier of the industry.