Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 149

Limiting her to just dividends without voting rights was a deliberate move on Julian's part, a tactic designed to distract her from the fact that she was only receiving ten percent of the shares.

He never anticipated that after reading the contract, the only thing Elara would fixate on was the decision-making authority.

And all under the guise of protecting his reputation and watching out for his best interests.

Julian heavily suspected Elara was using the contract as an excuse to mock him about Vivian.

But as he stared at her, scanning her face for any trace of the cunning manipulation or panic of being caught in a lie, he found absolutely nothing.

Was he just projecting?

Elara let him study her for a long moment before tilting her head in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Am I wrong?"

Julian shifted his gaze away uncomfortably. "You're just being paranoid."

"But is my logic wrong?" Elara pressed, refusing to let it go. "Is it a crime for me to worry about you and try to protect us from future liabilities?"

Her voice gradually softened, taking on a wounded, fragile tone.

"Why are you acting like this?"

Elara looked at him with profound disappointment and heartbreak. "You never used to doubt my intentions when I tried to look out for you. Why are you so quick to shut me down now the second I try to help?"

"We're husband and wife. We're a team. I only overthink these things because I want to take the pressure off your shoulders, to make sure our family actually survives this."

"How does me caring about your public image turn into me trying to sabotage you?"

Her voice cracked, thick with emotion, and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears, looking as though she was on the verge of breaking down completely.

Julian felt a sharp stab of guilt in his chest. Frowning, he quickly cut off her impending emotional spiral. "Elara..."

"Fine. I get it."

If she aggressively demanded decision-making power right now using legal jargon, Julian would dismiss her as an amateur and ruthlessly deny her.

So Elara didn't talk to him about corporate structures, economics, or management theory. She talked to him about feelings.

She leaned fully into the persona Julian expected—a desperate, insecure wife terrified of her husband's infidelity, obsessing over social gossip and petty domestic drama.

If he thought she was ignorant, she would play ignorant.

If he thought she was just a shortsighted, irrational housewife, she would give him the exact irrational housewife he expected.

She was feeding him the exact narrative he desperately wanted to believe, manipulating him right into her hands.

"How am I creating stress?"

Elara faked a flare of irritation, sounding thoroughly offended. "Didn't I just explain it to you? I just want the voting rights on paper so you don't become a laughingstock. Whenever a real vote happens, you’ll still be the one calling the shots. How is that causing trouble?"