The courthouse waiting room that morning felt chilly, but Joy still showed up in a sexy dress. Gio, on the other hand, wore his sharpest suit, ready to celebrate freedom from the wife he believed had been blocking his happiness.

The air was heavy, and Joy could feel it—especially under Gio’s constant glare. He was still pissed, imagining what kind of relationship she’d had with Robert.

“Hun, it’s freezing… is the hearing gonna take forever to start?” Joy whined, clinging to him.

Gio bristled at her sudden clinginess. He was about to shake her off, wondering why she’d flipped from cold to needy, when his eyes caught Ashley. She walked in gracefully, dressed in a long‑sleeved formal blouse and crisp white trousers, accompanied by a modest older man.

Quickly, Gio wrapped an arm around Joy’s shoulders, pretending to shield her from the cold, but his gaze stayed locked on Ashley. She looked pale—still recovering from the miscarriage days ago. His eyes narrowed with contempt.

“You still look sick, Ashley. You should be resting at home instead of dragging yourself here to fight for money that isn’t yours. Face it—you’ll walk out of here a beggar,” Gio sneered.

Ashley only gave a faint smile, untouched by his mockery. Without a word, she stepped into the courtroom, the older man following close behind.

Not long after, the judges entered and the mediation hearing began. From the start, Gio was cocky—he was sure he’d win since Ashley appeared to be alone. The modest man beside her didn’t look like any competent lawyer.

“This’ll be easy,” Gio muttered to Joy before the session kicked off. Joy smirked, flashing Ashley a smug grin.

Gio’s attorney cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses, and opened a thick folder on the defense table. With a booming voice, he launched into the claims.

“Your Honor, in this mediation, our client, Mr. Georgio Miller, files a countersuit regarding the breakdown of his marriage. He asserts that Mrs. Ashley neglected her duties as a wife and committed fatal acts of negligence.”

The lawyer glanced briefly at Ashley before continuing.

“A week ago, Mrs. Ashley suffered a miscarriage. This tragedy was purely the result of her failure to maintain her physical and mental health, shutting herself off from her husband. Such negligence destroyed my client’s hopes of having children and triggered irreparable emotional damage in their marriage.”

Joy, seated in the back row, grinned openly, her satisfaction written all over her face. Gio straightened his shoulders, wearing a carefully staged look of heartbreak for the judge.

“Furthermore, Your Honor,” Gio’s lawyer flipped to the next page, “regarding the division of marital assets. Our client demands full ownership of Miller Cosmetics, including the headquarters building and all operational vehicles.”

“The legal basis for this claim is that during four years of marriage, Mrs. Ashley was a full‑time housewife with no income. She made no financial contributions or work input—neither in startup capital nor daily operations of Miller Cosmetics. All assets currently in existence are the pure result of our client, Georgio Miller’s hard work.”

The attorney closed his file with a sharp tap on the table.

“Therefore, we request the court to grant full ownership of Miller Cosmetics to Mr. Miller, including the headquarters building and all operational vehicles. We also ask that Mrs. Ashley be ordered to vacate the marital residence with no right to demand compensation.”

Gio exhaled with satisfaction, shooting Ashley a sidelong glance filled with triumph. He was certain that after this statement, poor Ashley would have no choice but to break down in tears right there in court.

“Does Mrs. Ashley have a defense?” the judge asked. Ashley rose gracefully. The lawyer everyone had dismissed as “cheap” stepped forward, placing two large black folders on the judge’s bench and Gio’s attorney’s desk.

With calm, controlled tones, he began: “Our client disputes and rejects the claim to all assets mentioned. Attached are documents containing financial records from the past four years, proving that 100% of Miller Cosmetics’ startup capital and operational bailouts came directly from the personal account of our client, Ashley Fortisiano.”

At that, Gio’s eyes widened in disbelief. As far as he knew, Ashley’s family name before marriage was Spencer! Had her lawyer just read the wrong name?

Gio nodded to himself, convinced Ashley was so broke she’d hired some washed‑up, senile lawyer to defend her.

Ashley’s attorney pressed on. “Next, these documents are land ownership certificates showing that Miller Cosmetics’ headquarters and its entire retail network stand on property owned by Celeste Group—who just revoked the lease rights to the buildings.”

Gio’s lawyer, just as stunned as his client, scrambled to check the rebuttal files. His face drained of color as he leaned back toward Gio and whispered, “We’ve already lost. Their documents are all legit!”

Gio slammed the table in fury. “Impossible! Who the hell is Celeste Group? Joy! Do you know anything?” His panic and rage now turned on her.

Joy’s eyes widened. “How would I know? I only joined your company less than a year ago!” she snapped, refusing to take the blame.

She was already bitter—ever since Gio’s attitude shifted after her ties to Robert were exposed. Now he was piling everything on her shoulders, and it burned.

Gio’s eyes darted wildly, his mind racing with paranoid guesses. That slip about Ashley’s family name replayed in his head. “Damn… don’t tell me—”

Ashley had been waiting for this moment. She walked gracefully toward Gio and Joy, who stared back at her in shock.

With the same calm composure, Ashley pulled out her legal ID card and held it up in front of Gio.

“For four years I threw away my father’s family name for a man like you. Today, allow me to reintroduce myself. My real name is Ashley Fortisiano. The rightful owner of every asset you think you control.”

The courtroom buzzed with gasps of disbelief. Gio froze, unable to process what he’d just heard. His confusion had finally been shattered—and the truth was far beyond his wildest fears.

“Looks like today you’re the one walking out of here as a beggar,” Ashley added with a sly grin.

Outside, Vance Kensington watched through the crack of the courtroom door, lips curling into a mocking smile at Gio and Joy’s backs.

“This won’t end easy, Georgio Miller,” Vance whispered to himself.