Ellison's face turned livid. “She's from Zenith Group! She manipulated you into divorcing me and leaving the company just so she could poach you! You've been played!”
Penelope wasn't going to let that slide. “Let me make this perfectly clear: our company isn't a prison, and Marin is free to come and go as she pleases. If she wants to join us, we will welcome her with open arms and a generous compensation package. If she doesn't, we wish her the best in finding a company that suits her better.”
Ellison scoffed. “I don't believe you're that magnanimous.”
“I believe it,” Marin stated.
Ellison let out a harsh laugh. “Marin, you'll regret this one day!”
Furious, Ellison stormed off.
Penelope shoved the paperwork into Marin's hands. “You'll need to stick around here and wait for the lawyers to finalize the procedures. Are you going to be okay on your own?”
Marin nodded. “I'll be fine, but my parents were worried. They're already on their way.”
“That's for the best. When Ellison starts playing dirty, he's impossible to predict.”
Marin smiled bitterly. “I'm only just now seeing his true colors.”
“Then I'll see you in Orenth.”
“Okay.”
Theodore headed back that very afternoon. Following the address Linda had provided, he arrived at a secluded mansion on the outskirts of the city. Linda was waiting by the entrance, looking as though she were about to burst into tears the moment she saw him.
“Mr. Stapleton, please get in there and stop him! Marico is about to gamble away the entirety of Zenith Group!”
Theodore's expression darkened instantly at her words.
There were bodyguards stationed at the door who originally didn't plan on letting him in, but the mansion's butler recognized him. Jumping in fright, the butler quickly ushered Theodore inside.
“I don't believe my luck can stay this bad! Deal the next hand!”
Marico shouted, aggressively tossing his cards toward the dealer.
At that moment, a man standing by handed him an IOU slip.
“Please sign and press your fingerprint here, Marico.”
Marico glanced at it and scowled. “Are you afraid I'm going to flake on my debts?”
“Of course not, you have Zenith Group backing you—that's a mountain of gold. But table rules are table rules. We settle the tab after every round to avoid any unpleasantness over pocket change later.”
Marico swore again. He was just about to grab the pen when a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself
Hello! This series has been requested a lot on Reddit, but we’re unable to post the link there ourselves. If you have a Reddit account, we would truly appreciate it if you could help us share the link to this novel to increase its readership. As a thank-you, we will increase the number of free chapters available each day. Thank you so much for your support!...