In the Lap of Luxury by Unsweetened Chestnuts

Chapter 16 Secretary–Cum–Wife
Benjamin sat in a first–class seat on the plane. He took out the pair of rings that he had instructed his housekeeper to throw
away earlier.
After some hesitation, he took out the bigger ring and put it on.
He had never worn it before. But it fit him perfectly, as if it had been tailored for him.
Over the last three years, he had refused to wear it, insisting that it wasn’t appropriate for
work.
Any other wife would have thrown a tantrum at that.
However, Grace hadn’t. She had been gentle and obedient, indulgent of his every whim.
He had never expected her to leave him so suddenly and determinedly. She hadn’t even taken her wedding ring with her.
Benjamin turned the ring around in his hand, frowning.
Gentle and obedient, or determined. What was she really like?
When the plane touched down at Darai, Benjamin headed to the offices of Donegan Enterprises. Once he reached, he went
straight to the president’s office.
Timothy squinted at his computer, then picked up the proposal and checked it again.
Then, he put down the file and said earnestly, “Benjamin, I’ve checked. Hawkins Group is eligible to participate in the expo.”
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. So he was right–Amirate was the one barring them.

“Did you
offend the president of Amirate Corporation, Aaron Lewis?” Timothy asked.
“The records show that he had used his right to veto to bar Hawkins Group from participating in the expo.”
Benjamin’s eyes were dark and unreadable.
“I’ve never met him. My secretary was the one who was dealing with this. Everything was going fine until now. We just needed to
sign the contract.”
“Then where’s that secretary of yours? Let her deal with it.” Timothy played with the pen in his fingers as he spoke playfully.
Benjamin lowered his eyes, hiding his dejection. “She quit.”
Timothy gave him an understanding look. “Then she must be the one ruining things for you.
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“She quit and took some resources with her, making you lose out on this huge contract. You must’ve signed a non–compete with
her when you hired her, right? You can sue her.”
Everything he said only served to fuel Benjamin’s anger.
Larry noticed that his boss didn’t look happy. He laughed awkwardly and said, “Mr. Donegan, the secretary was Mr. Hawkin’s
wife.”

Timothy covered his mouth in surprise.
“Oh, damn. Bro, who did you marry? Superwoman? How could she handle being your wife and your secretary at the same
time?”
Benjamin didn’t deign to give him an answer.
Timothy didn’t have a filter most of the time, so Benjamin was used to his comments.
And after all, Timothy wasn’t wrong.
Grace was very capable. With the way she could handle everything, she was almost like a robot.
His heart felt heavy.
All this time, he had only ever seen Grace as his perfect secretary, forgetting that she had also
been his wife.
Timothy stood up and patted Benjamin on the shoulder, smiling teasingly.
“When did you get married? Why wasn’t I invited to the wedding? You should’ve introduced me to your wife.”
Even though they were best friends, they rarely met since their respective family businesses were based in different countries.
Benjamin and Grace had married quietly, without a lavish ceremony.
Only a few of Benjamin’s friends in Pamore, including Frederick Morris, knew about it.

Most of them looked down on Grace because of her background. They had all thought that Benjamin had drawn the short end of
the straw.
So they hadn’t mentioned that he was married to anyone else. In fact, they still treated him like he was a bachelor.
“They just divorced,” Larry blurted out.
When he realized what he had said, it was too late.
Larry lowered his head and cursed himself as he felt Benjamin’s glare on him. Why did he have to say that?
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Timothy stopped his teasing. “It’s okay, Benjamin. Marriage isn’t all that great, anyway.
You’re better off divorced.”
Then he sighed, remembering his own problems.
“What’s up?” Benjamin asked.
Timothy was willing to confide in his best friend.
“I don’t want to get married!” he said.
“My father is forcing me to marry the sister of Amirate Corporation’s president. She’s ugly! I was able to avoid her all this time
since she was abroad. 1
“But now that she’s back, my old man’s become more insistent than before! He has even planned the wedding!
“He wants me to go home and get married. I don’t want to!”