The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 176

These past few days, Felicity had been holding back a storm of frustration inside her.

But she wasn't the unreasonable type.

She knew Julian had been acting strangely lately.

So she tried to stay calm and handle things sensibly.

Even with all this weighing on her, work demanded her focus—there had been a string of issues on the construction site. As chief engineer, she resolved every problem swiftly and with flawless precision, not leaving even the smallest mistake for anyone to find.

Her professionalism impressed both the on-site engineers and the foreign business partners, earning their renewed respect.

Even Julian couldn't help but admire her.

His tone softened as he apologized, "Felly, I know I've been neglecting you these days. Once I've sorted everything with Winona, we'll get married."

Felicity finally forgave him.

Taking the opportunity, she asked Julian about the statue of Christ he had promised her, but he shook his head firmly. "Felly, the statue can't go to you—and it certainly can't go to your grandparents."

Felicity didn't press him any further.

She understood Julian: once he made up his mind about something, there was no changing it.

"Alright, I won't ask for the statue anymore. All I want is for us to be together and not let anything from the outside get in the way."

"Nothing will come between us," Julian assured her. "Once the divorce papers with Winona are signed, we'll get married right away."

"Why can't you finalize the divorce now?" Felicity asked, puzzled.

"Winona filed for divorce two months ago," Julian admitted—something he only confessed that afternoon when Felicity pressed him for answers.

The news left Felicity stunned, momentarily speechless.

She'd never imagined Winona had started divorce proceedings two months ago.

"All those times she came to see me, it wasn't to pester me—it was just to ask when I'd be ready to sign the papers. I failed her. The legal process is already in motion; there's no going back now." Julian's voice was steady, almost detached.

But what shocked Felicity most was what Julian did next—not only did he reject her grandmother's request, he announced in front of everyone that he would give the statue to Old Mrs. Perkins.

And he would do it in Winona's name.

That's when Felicity realized: Julian hadn't invited the Shepherds here for a pleasant family meal.

He'd brought them to this upscale restaurant so that Winona and Old Mrs. Perkins could publicly humiliate the Shepherds.

"Don't you think the statue belongs to the Perkins family to begin with? It's only right to return it to its rightful owners," Julian said coldly, locking eyes with Felicity.

He didn't wait for her to reply.

He didn't even look at her again. Instead, he pulled out his phone and made a call. "Cliff, bring the Christ statue from my car into the restaurant."

Three minutes later, his driver Cliff arrived with the statue.

Julian carefully cradled it in both hands and presented it to Helga Perkins with utmost respect. "Grandma, the Perkins family's statue of Christ—at last, it's back where it belongs."