The Firefighter Returns as a Quintillionaire King novel Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

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Alex stepped into the office, the assistant closing the door behind him. He kept his expression neutral, refusing to rise to her bait. “I’m here to discuss something important. It won’t take long.”

“I’m very busy,” Lisa said, not looking up from her papers. “I have a board meeting in twenty minutes.”

“This is more important than any board meeting” Alex reached into his messenger bag and pulled out the divorce agreement, setting it on her desk. “You never came home yesterday. You never saw these.”

Lisa’s eyes fell on the papers, and her pen stopped mid-signature. For a moment, her composure cracked-genuine surprise, maybe even hurt, flashing across her face. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by that infuriating coldness.

“Divorce papers,” she said flatly. “How dramatic.

“It’s not dramatic, Lisa. It’s necessary.” Alex kept his voice calm, measured. “Our marriage is over. We both know it. I’m just making it official

Lisa stood up abruptly, her chair rolling back. “So that’s it? You’re just going to throw away three years of marriage without even trying to work things out?”

“Work things out?” Alex let out a bitter laugh. “Lisa, you left me to die in a fire. You brought another man into our home. You’ve made it abundantly clear that I mean nothing to you. What exactly is there to work out?”

“I’ve already explained-”

“You’ve explained nothing!” Alex’s voice rose despite his best efforts to stay calm. “You’ve made excuses. You’ve justified your actions. But you’ve never once acknowledged that what you did was wrong. You’ve never once shown any remorse or concern for how I felt.”

Lisa’s face flushed with anger. “What about how I feel? You punched Ben! You humiliated me at that restaurant! You’ve been parading around with that rich woman like some kind of—”

Her phone rang, cutting her off mid-sentence. Lisa glanced at the screen, and her entire demeanor changed instantly. The anger melted away, replaced by concern.

“Ben,” she answered, her voice immediately softening to that same gentle tone Alex had heard her use with Ben before. “What’s wrong?”

Alex watched in disgust as his wife’s face filled with worry.

“A fever? How high?” Lisa was already grabbing her purse, clearly preparing to leave. “Have you taken anything? Are you alone?” She paused, listening. “No, no, of course I’ll come. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Just stay in bed, okay? I’m on my way.”

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CHAPTER 23

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She hung up and started toward the door, completely dismissing Alex’s presence.

“Lisa.” Alex’s voice was sharp. “We’re not done here.”

“Yes, we are,” Lisa said coldly, not even looking at him. “Ben has a high fever. He needs me.”

“And I need you to sign these papers.” Alex moved to block her path, his crutches making the gesture less dramatic than he’d intended. “Five minutes, Lisa. That’s all I’m asking. Then you can run to your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Lisa’s voice was shrill. And he’s sick! He needs help!”

“He has a fever, not terminal cancer,” Alex shot back. “He can survive fifteen minutes without you hovering over him. I’m your husband, and I’m standing right here asking you to have one honest conversation with me before we end this marriage. Is that really too much to ask?”

Lisa’s eyes flashed with fury. “You’re being completely unreasonable! Ben is vulnerable, he’s scared, he doesn’t have anyone else-”

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