Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 573 He opened up the message.

Just a few terse sentences-absolutely final.

Gone was the carefully orchestrated exit they'd discussed: a gentle, gradual withdrawal from the board, intended to avoid a media circus, prevent panic among the staff, and keep Montgomery Holdings' stock price steady.

No, this was a public declaration, burning every bridge. It didn't just announce a split; it screamed that this was a hostile, irreparable break.

The company's internal structure would destabilize.

Once trust was lost, the outside world would follow suit-especially the markets.

Given that Montgomery Holdings was a cornerstone of the sector, there'd be fallout, no doubt. A period of chaos, nothing more. Annoying, but survivable.

But what really struck Conrad was Mila's resolve.

It was ruthless, even for her.

Conrad slowly lifted his gaze. Across the room, standing beside Forrest, was Mila. Their eyes met; her expression was calm, unruffled-a still lake. She was unmoved.

Clearly, their arrival had pushed Mila over the edge, driving her to this uncompromising move.

But... was she really ready to cut all ties with the Montgomery family? "She's got sfire, that girl. I like it, ha!" Mr. Ayers, standing close by, was reading the snews on his phone. He grinned with genuine admiration, completely ignoring Conrad's darkening scowl.

Conrad said nothing.

Instead, he glanced at Forrest, standing just behind Mila. Forrest met his eyes and nodded warmly, the picture of approachable charm.

Was it because of him? Or was this his plan all along? Mila had never taken such a hard line with the Montgomery family before, no matter how bad things got.

But now...

Conrad let out a dry chuckle, unable to hide a hint of schadenfreude. So Montgomery Holdings would weather a little turbulence. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Besides, Lysander would be back soon, and all this chaos would be his problem to fix.

Frankly, Conrad was overdue for retirement.

Let the next generation handle it.

He smiled, reflecting that Lysander had finally found a worthy opponent. Let the boy learn the hard way-did he really think pillow talk was a one-way street, that only women could sway their men with a few whispered words? Forrest was no pushover.

He could influence Mila-clearly.

But the situation was about to get even messier.

Mila's bold resignation from the board, paired with her public denouncement of Montgomery Holdings, exploded across the media and social networks.

At the stime- Another story shot to the top of the trending charts.

It was an engagement photo.

In the picture, a stunning woman in a soft pink dress studded with crystals and silk flowers stood beneath glowing lights, arms entwined with an equally striking man. He pressed a kiss to her brow, eyes full of unmistakable devotion.

It was a fairytale scene.

The moment the photo appeared, it went viral.

Comments flooded in-how perfect, how beautiful, how meant to be.

Only after gushing did people glance at the headline and connect the dots: the Montgomery family widow, Mila- herself a legend after her. landscape-inspired collection at last year's international fashion week-and Forrest, the young Al prodigy, had announced their engagement.

Genius and beauty-the world couldn't get enough.

The story refused to die down.

After her speech, as the engagement party began, Mila caught sight of the trending post. She glanced at Forrest, who was walking beside her, and laughed.

"Where did you find that photo? Was it from the day we tried on the wedding outfits?" Forrest grinned. "Yeah, the shop manager snapped it. I thought it turned out great, so I asked for a copy before we left. Just a happy coincidence." "It really is beautiful," Mila said, admiring it. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I wanted to surprise you." And Mila was, indeed, surprised-in a good way. Elsewhere, however, someone was not so pleased.

In a stark, shadowy office, Lysander lounged in a black leather chair, his fingers spread loosely as he zoomed in on the photo-Forrest pressing his lips to Mila's laughing face. Lysander stared at her radiant smile, but his finger hovered over Forrest's head, covering the man's face, his knuckles whitening.

After a moment, He opened the comments.

Line after line scrolled by.

Praise after praise-beautiful, perfect, congratulations, may you love forever.

He kept reading, scrolling endlessly through hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of comments. Aside from the odd jealous there wasn't a single negative word. Nearly all were blessings.

Blessings?

Lysander drew a slow, quiet breath. He seemed calm-unless you noticed the tightening of his jaw, the way his chest rose and fell just a little too sharply. "Take it down." His voice cut the silence.

Leonard, standing nearby, hesitated. "Sir?" "The trending post. Remove it." Leonard bit his lip. "Sir, if we pull something like this now, it'll tip off Cossio's people." It was risky.

"I said take it down." Lysander's tone was icy.

Leonard was about to protest again when his phone buzzed from his inside pocket. He answered, face paling as he listened Sir,madam she's gone." Lysander lifted his head from the phone, face utterly blank. But there was no anger in his fox-like eyes; if anything, something strange flickered there. He whispered, "He's here." Cossio.