0 Half of His Assets
“We can’t drag this on forever, Ethan. We only live once,” Madison said.
Ethan tightened his fist when he thought of how close she had come to relenting. “Look outside the window, Ethan. Do you see those two birds? They’re busy finding food, but don’t you think they look pleased out there, enjoying their freedom?”
Ethan gazed out the window at the two birds she was pointing at. He was silent for a moment, then finally said, “Alright. Let’s get divorced. I’ll ask my lawyer to finalize the papers tomorrow.”
That night, Madison spent her first night in the little studio she rented. When she woke up the following day, she received a call from Ethan’s lawyer, Xander. The two of them agreed to meet at a
cafe to talk about the divorce.
”
“Ms. Madison, these are the divorce papers Mr. Ethan asked me to draft last night. Please have a look.
Madison did not have qualms about any of the terms listed in the agreement, but she could not
believe her eyes when she saw how Ethan was planning to divide his assets. “Half of his asset?.” She asked, stunned at Ethan’s generosity.
Xander smiled and explained, “Ms. Madison, these are the shared assets between you and Mr. Ethan. Don’t you know that?”
Madison frowned. “I know, Mr. Xander, but there must be a mistake. Ethan and I agreed that I’d leave with nothingE
Xander immediately sat up when he heard this. “He must have changed his mind. Are you saying you don’t want his money?” The lawyer asked.
“Well, yes.” Madison answered as she bit her lower lip nervously.
Xander grew more and more surprised at what Madison was saying. This is the first time in his long career that he’ll meet a wife who is not interested in a nickel from her spouse.
“Mr. Xander, I never contributed anything to Ethan’s career, so I don’t think I have the right to any of his financial assets,” Madison explained.
With that, she paused momentarily, then added, “I’m sorry to do this, but please draft another contract, Mr. Xander. I agree with all the clauses except the distribution of Ethan’s financial assets. I’d appreciate it if you could alter that for me. Thank you!”
Xander was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Ms. Madison, have you even looked at the amount? These are the ten billion dollars we’re talking about. Why won’t you take this money?”
In all his years as a lawyer, Xander had thought he had seen it all, but this was the first time he encountered someone who would say no to such an extravagant amount of money.
“Of course, I’d like to take it, but they don’t belong to me, do they? I’ve never contributed anything to
20 Half of His Assets
Ethan’s career, so why should I be entitled to the money?”
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“Very well, Ms. Madison. I will redraft the papers and send them to you and Ethan. I’m not sure he’ll agree to this new term, seeing as he specified that you got half of everything.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him about it.”
“Thanks. That will make my job easier. Good day, Madison.”
Madison stepped out of the cafe and dialed Ethan’s number.
Ethan picked up so quickly. It was as though he had been waiting for her to call all this time. “Are you satisfied with the divorce settlement?” he asked coldly.
“Why are you doing this?”
Why was he offering her so much money when, all this while, he thought Madison had married him for his money? Why was he offering her so much money in the divorce settlement if he considered her a gold digger?
“Just take it. It’s my compensation to you.”
“Will you offer every woman you marry half of your assets? What would you do if you married ten different women? You’ll be broke and destitute!”
“Of course, I’m not going to do that. Why? Are you worried about me?”
Madison scoffed. “Like hell. Don’t worry; I promise I won’t speak to the media about you and Maya
after the divorce You don’t have to offer me so much money to shut me up.”
“This has nothing to do with Maya.”
“I don’t want the money. Xander is drafting a new contract without this clause. Don’t make this harder than it already is, Ethan.”
“If it’s hard for you, come home and drop this.” Ethan offered.
agreement.
“No. My happiness matters too much for that.” With that, Madison hung up.
Thirty minutes later, Madison arrived at Isabella’s house, clutching the divorce
When she arrived, Isabella was still fast asleep, clearly exhausted from a night out.
“My love, you didn’t tell me anything on the phone. What’s going on?” Isabella asked.
Madison had called Isabella beforehand to tell her she was coming over but did not elaborate on the exact reason. Madison knew she could not go to Vicky about her divorce, so Isabella was the only person she could confide in.
“Look at this. It’s the divorce agreement Xander drafted. Ethan is offering to give me half of his full
asset.”
The two of them sat down on the couch. Madison handed Isabella the file.
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“What?” Isabella exclaimed even as she went through the contract. “Half of everything?”
Madison nodded.
Isabella’s reaction was anything but calm when she skimmed the first few pages.
However, when she reached the section that specified the amount of assets Ethan would give Madison, her eyes bugged out of her head in shock. “My dear, you’re going to become a billionaire! Did you threaten Ethan or something? Why is he suddenly so generous?”
“I don’t know either. I told him I would leave this marriage with nothing, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Is something wrong with you? Do you even know how much money ten billion dollars is? You can buy thousands of clothes and luxury bags with this money! Why would you not take it?” Isabella asked, genuinely surprised.
Madison cast her a look of contempt and explained, “Even after I take this money, the guilt of spending money that doesn’t belong to me will weigh on my conscience.
Besides, I have my income now and no longer need to rely on anyone. I’m Magnifique, for God’s sake. I’m a strong, independent woman. Didn’t you say you believed in me?”
As much as Isabella wanted to agree, she could not help thinking of how helpful this money would be
for Madison’s career. Or how it will make life easier for her.
One would inevitably have to sacrifice something for one’s career. Still, with ten billion dollars, Madison could easily buy her way into an up–and–coming film production company that would catapult her to stardom.
Madison knew precisely what Isabella was thinking, so she quickly added, “Isabella, I want to do this
on my own.”
“Well, since you’ve already decided to turn Ethan down, why are you showing me this? Are you trying to make me jealous?” Isabella teased.
“Ethan refuses to get a divorce unless I agree to sign this agreement.”
“What is he trying to do? Is his company on the verge of bankruptcy or something? Is he trying to divide his assets with you so you’d share his debt when his company goes bust?“,
They have heard of someone doing this before.
“He’s not the kind to do something so despicable! He’s always held his integrity high, so he would never do something like that,” Madison replied, defending Ethan.
“Well, why would someone willingly share half of their assets with someone else?”
All of a sudden, Isabella’s entire face lit up.
“I know why.”
