Chapter 1

At the back gate of Westbrook Prison, an elderly man kneeled on the ground, holding onto a Global Express Black Card. The elderly man was none other than the founder of Wealthwave Group, Fred Carter, who had a net worth of hundreds of billions of dollars. Unfortunately, he was facing the end of his life. After a recent diagnosis of a terminal illness, confirmed by multiple renowned doctors, he had been given less than six months to live. The day before, Fred had found out that a miracle doctor in Westbrook Prison had cured a patient with the same condition as him. Hence, he had immediately rushed over with a billion dollars in hand, hoping the miracle doctor would be able to save his life. As the iron gate creaked open, a prison guard stepped out and said, “Mr. Carter Senior, the miracle doctor was just released. You should be able to meet him if you go to the front gate now.” Meanwhile, the prison’s front gate opened as well. With each step he took away from the prison, Matthew Grant felt the wind against his skin. He spread his arms wide, basking in the sweet air of liberation. At last, he had finally been released. Three years ago, he had taken the fall for his wife, Tessa Sanders, and been sentenced to prison. As soon as he had gone to prison, he had encountered a senile old man who had claimed to be suffering from neck arthritis and begged everyone for a massage. The old man, Nicholas Hanson, had been unkempt and unsightly. On top of that, he had constantly rambled incoherently. As a result, all the other prisoners had either resorted to violence or verbal abuse toward him. When Matthew had noticed that Nicholas was about the same age as his father, he had volunteered to give the latter a massage. Unexpectedly, Nicholas had been rather picky; he had wanted the massage to be performed according to his precise instructions. Matthew had adhered to all his instructions and given him a massage. Afterward, Nicholas had frequently requested massages from him. As time had passed, Nicholas had imparted a wealth of knowledge to Matthew about traditional medicine. He had also claimed that the medical techniques he had taught Matthew could even cure those who were on their deathbeds. Matthew hadn’t thought much of it and had merely seen it as a way to pass the time. While following Nicholas’ teachings halfheartedly, he had even managed to learn some martial arts techniques from the former. On one occasion, a prisoner had fainted due to illness. The case had stumped the prison doctor as well. Yet, Matthew had been able to effortlessly heal the prisoner. It was at that moment that he had realized that Nicholas’ claims had all been true. From then on, whether it be prisoners or prison guards, anyone who had been sick had sought him out for treatment. As time had gone by, even wealthy people from beyond the prison’s walls had come by with money in hand to seek medical treatment from Matthew. Now, after three years, Matthew had finally gotten out of prison. As soon as he stepped out, he couldn’t help but think about Tessa and their daughter, Lorraine Grant, as well as everyone else back at home. He missed them so much. Now, they were finally going to be together again! All of a sudden, a red sports car screeched to a halt in front of the prison. A beautiful woman stepped out of the car. She wore a red dress that accentuated her figure and had a body that would make jaws drop. Tessa was a sight to behold. She was decked out in designer labels and sported sunglasses. She radiated an air of superiority, and her confidence bordered on arrogance. As soon as Matthew laid eyes on Tessa, his heart skipped a beat. After three years apart, Tessa looked even more beautiful than before. She had also become even more alluring. Smiling with his arms wide open, he approached her and said, “After three long years, I can finally see you again. I’ve missed you so much!” As soon as Tessa saw that, she held up a hand to block him. “Please stay back. I’d rather not have your misfortune rub off on me.” Misfortune? Matthew’s smile faltered, and he stopped in his tracks. He had served time in prison on Tessa’s behalf. Naturally, he hadn’t expected her to be disgusted by him because of it. Although it was rather superstitious to think like that, it suddenly occurred to him that he had just been released from prison and might indeed bring some misfortune to those around him. “Well then, let’s head home first. We can hug after I throw salt over my shoulder, right?” Tessa furrowed her brow and said, “I’ve had enough of this, Matthew. I’ve made numerous attempts to visit you in prison for the past three years, yet you’ve refused to see me every single time. “You can’t hide from me anymore. I want a divorce.” Divorce? Matthew was dumbfounded. As he gazed at Tessa in disbelief, he stammered, “Y-you… you want to divorce me?” Tessa responded resolutely, “Yes!” Matthew was devastated. He felt as though his world had fallen apart. After all, he had taken the fall for Tessa and endured three years in prison to shield her from the hardships of being incarcerated. Never had he imagined that his sacrifice would be met not with gratitude or deeper affection, but with a demand for a divorce! He felt as if Tessa had plunged a dagger into his heart, making it ache with sorrow. Overwhelmed by disbelief, he stammered again, “Y-you… Are you serious about divorcing me?” Tessa looked at Matthew with a hint of pity and said, “We’ve drifted apart over the last three years, and our lives have taken us on separate journeys. “Over the past three years, I’ve increased the company’s profits tenfold, and Evergreen Group is now worth nearly a billion dollars. “As a result, I’m now the well-known and successful president of Evergreen Group in Lambda City. As for you, you’re an ex-convict, and your name is synonymous with shame. We’re just too different now. You’re no longer worthy of me!” No longer worthy of her? A hint of agony flickered across Matthew’s face. Over the past three years, he had been looking forward to reuniting with Tessa after his release. He had longed to live a peaceful life together once more. While he had been in prison, he had diligently studied medicine and martial arts under Nicholas’ guidance. And his swift mastery surprised even Nicholas himself. Over the past three years, scores of wealthy patients had sought medical treatment from him, each eager to trade their vast fortunes for a renewed lease on life. As a result, Matthew had already amassed tens of billions of dollars. He had thought that, with such a vast fortune, he could give Tessa and Lorraine a life of comfort and luxury. He had never expected that all Tessa would want to do once she had acquired some wealth would be to divorce him. Matthew’s rage surged, and he nearly demanded a divorce right then and there. Yet, the thought of Lorraine held him back. Thinking of Lorraine, he made a final plea. “Actually, I’ve earned a lot of money too, possibly surpassing tens of billions of dollars…” A mocking sneer spread across Tessa’s face as she retorted, “You must be delusional! Are you saying you have tens of billions of dollars? You’d be lucky if you had 100 dollars to your name!” Matthew seethed, his voice tight with frustration as he said, “You can dismiss my claims as mere bragging, but have you thought about how this will affect Lori?” Tessa scoffed. “Oh, please. Don’t even mention Lori. Although she doesn’t live with me and we hardly ever see each other in a year, I’m still her biological mother. “Yet, she always sides with her grandparents instead of me. I have no interest in keeping Lori by my side. All I want is Evergreen Group.” Tessa actually went as far as disowning Lorraine! Matthew was deeply disappointed. How could he go on living with such a woman? He angrily shouted, “We’ll get a divorce right away! As for Evergreen Group, I was the one who founded it, and it’s considered a joint property, so we’ll split it 50-50.” As soon as she heard that, Tessa coldly reminded him, “You’d already transferred the company’s legal ownership to me before your imprisonment! “If you insist on taking half of Evergreen Group, you can forget about seeing Lori again! Besides, your parents can’t bear to be separated from their precious granddaughter!” At that moment, it finally dawned on Matthew that Tessa had meticulously plotted everything all along. Although he had founded Evergreen Group and it was now worth hundreds of millions of dollars, it was worthless compared to his precious daughter. “Very well then. All I want is my daughter. Nothing is more important to me than Lori.” Tessa was caught off guard by Matthew’s lack of resistance; it rendered her prepared countermeasures useless. She took out a document and pen from the car and said, “Here’s the divorce agreement. Sign it.” Matthew snatched the pen and hastily signed the document. “You’ll live to regret this, Tessa Sanders!” Tessa took the document and checked it over thoroughly. After that, she sneered and said, “I’ll regret this? You’ll be the one who’ll regret this! If you hit rock bottom and can’t even find a job, don’t you dare come crawling back to me! “Oh, and by the way, I’m closing a major deal worth 30 million dollars later, so I won’t have time to finalize the divorce today. Let’s settle it at the courthouse tomorrow at 8:00 am.” She had scheduled a meeting with Rachel Carter, who had recently assumed the role of president of Wealthwave Group. Rachel had taken over after the company’s founder, Fred—who also happened to be her grandfather—had been diagnosed with a grave illness. Now, she was emerging as a new powerhouse in the business world. Hence, Tessa had spent a lot of money on gifts and even called in a few favors from friends to secure a meeting with Rachel at 10:00 am that day. She couldn’t risk jeopardizing her meeting with Rachel over a mere divorce. Matthew snapped at her, clearly not wanting to hear talk about her business matters. “Get out of my sight. I’ll be at the courthouse at 8:00 am sharp tomorrow for the divorce. After that, I never want to see you again!” Tessa shook her head with a hint of pity, thinking that only inadequate men would resort to anger and raise their voices at women. She couldn’t be bothered with such a loser. She turned on her heel, hopped into her sports car, and sped away. Matthew was rooted to the spot. His thoughts were consumed by the events leading up to his imprisonment. Before he had gone to prison, Tessa had knelt down and begged him to take the fall for her. She had looked so pitiful as she had reasoned that Lorraine was too young to lose her mother. She had even said that she had to be there to watch Lorraine grow up. It turned out that everything she had said was a lie! While Matthew was lost in thought, a black car pulled up beside him. Before long, Fred stepped out of the car and saw Matthew standing alone at the prison gate. Assuming that Matthew was the renowned miracle doctor, Fred excitedly walked up to him and said, “Oh, Miracle Doctor! I’ve finally found you! I’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and I’m desperate for your help.” Matthew snapped out of his daze and said listlessly, “I’m dealing with a divorce right now, so I’m in no mood to treat anyone.” With that, he turned and left, wanting nothing more than to get home quickly. He had been in prison for three years, but his parents hadn’t visited even once. He felt like something was amiss and was anxious to go home and see what was happening. At that moment, Fred inwardly lamented his misfortune that he had happened to meet the miracle doctor on the day of the latter’s divorce. Yet, he was determined not to lose this chance. With that thought in mind, he presented Matthew with a Global Express Black Card and said, “I’m so sorry for bothering you at this time! There’s a billion dollars on this card. If you deem it insufficient, I can offer more. Please, help me.” After saying that, Fred kneeled before Matthew. Matthew shook his head listlessly, completely ignoring the black card. After that, he gestured dismissively, saying, “Get up. You’re not dying yet, and I’m not in the mood to practice medicine right now. “My name is Matthew Grant. I live in Silverbrook Village in the Brackenridge district of Lambda City. You can visit me in a few days if you still require my services.” Then, he turned and walked away. With the black card in his hand, Fred watched Matthew leave, feeling utterly dejected. Given that he was the founder of Wealthwave Group, countless people in Lambda City sought an audience with him. Yet, even though he had offered a billion dollars and kneeled in desperation, Matthew hadn’t even spared him a glance. It was truly a stroke of misfortune to urgently need saving, only to find the miracle doctor in a foul mood. At that moment, Fred couldn’t fathom what kind of woman would have divorced such a remarkable person. Could she not see what she was giving up? At that thought, a sudden realization dawned on him. His granddaughter, Rachel, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the business world, was still single! If he could secure a marriage between Rachel and Matthew, not only would she gain an exceptional husband, but Fred’s own health concerns would be taken care of as well! Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.