The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 140

For a long time after that, Mathis completely stayed out of Bianca's life.

Time flew by. Throughout the entire month of October, Mathis was a fixture on the financial news rather than the tabloid gossip columns.

Under his aggressive leadership, Aeterna Dynamics had secured massive framework agreements with numerous emerging tech firms and launched a series of high-profile joint tech ventures.

However, Mathis actively pushed all the media spotlight onto Cynthia, cementing her public image as the reigning queen of the tech industry.

Every time a new headline about Aeterna dropped, Xanthe would spend hours cursing Cynthia out over the phone.

If she didn't vent, she'd explode. Since Bianca saw all the news too, seeing Cynthia bathed in glory definitely stung, so listening to Xanthe’s vitriolic rants actually made her feel a lot better.

During one of their regular calls, Xanthe fired off another tirade. "Seriously, is Mathis a total moron? Why is he bending over backward to prop up a complete fraud? You're a million times more talented than that home-wrecker."

"Mathis is an investor," Bianca reasoned calmly. "He's used to pulling the strings from the shadows, spinning narratives, and selling dreams to the market. It's probably just a professional reflex at this point."

"Well, why couldn't he spin a narrative for you?" Xanthe argued. "Actually, never mind. You don't need his fake PR spin anyway. Cillian told me he's arranging for you to give a guest lecture at Kingsbridge University's grad school next month. That's the kind of prestige no amount of fake hype can buy for that tramp.

"Cillian said he's going to have the whole thing professionally recorded and released online for free. Let the whole world see what real genius looks like! That'll show those two frauds."

"Mathis won't care," Bianca replied evenly. "He bought me a house, so his conscience is completely clear. Honestly, it's been great not having him breathing down my neck."

Staring down at the bustling city traffic below her office, her voice hardened with resolve. "If he won't pave the road for me, I'll build it myself. I don't need him to survive."

"Hell yes. That right there proves you're a million miles out of her league."

Talking to Xanthe always brought a smile to Bianca's face. "Thanks for always keeping my spirits up, Xanthe. I'm getting you something amazing for the holidays."

Mathis had already wired over the massive nine-figure payout he promised. Now entirely financially secure for the baby's future, Bianca poured her soul into her algorithmic research.

"You bet!" Xanthe cheered. "I love you, Bianca!"

Every few days, Milo would have massive luxury hampers sent to her office. Since he didn't know the first thing about pregnancy, he just asked his family's estate manager what to buy.

Premium prenatal vitamins, organic meal delivery kits, imported caviar, and rare wellness supplements.

They arrived by the truckload.

"Take care of yourself," Milo urged her during one of his visits. "You're only in your twenties. You have your whole life ahead of you."

After trying and failing to refuse the gifts multiple times, Bianca finally gave up and accepted them.

"Thank you, Milo."

"I know pregnancy takes a massive toll on the body, so this is the least I can do," Milo said softly. "Just promise me you won't let Mathis parading his mistress around on the news upset you."