Chapter 69
Gabrielle glanced at me strangely a few times, then suddenly sighed. “You really…”
“What?”
“You’ve changed.”
She looked at me seriously. “At first, I thought it was just memory loss. But now, it’s like your whole personality shifted.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I’ve just finally found the real me.”
Honestly, I just wanted to avoid Jonathan and Alicia quietly, but of course, Alicia noticed us. She looked right over and called out in a cheerful tone, like nothing had ever happened between us.
“Elise! You’re here?”
She waved us over, her voice overly familiar, pretending like there was no tension at all. Tugging on Jonathan’s arm, she said, “We were just talking about you! I can’t believe you showed up so soon…”
She said, “I showed up“, not that I was “back“.
She said it as if she and Jonathan were the real hosts of this house and Gabrielle and I were just visitors.
My eyes landed on her hand, still clinging to Jonathan’s arm. He glanced down, then quietly pulled away and stepped toward me. He looked at me for a moment but didn’t say a word.
I didn’t acknowledge him either. I just looked at Alicia and said, “I’ve got things to take care of. I’m going
to take my leave.”
“But you just got here. Why are you leaving already?”
She looked from me to Jonathan. “Is it because I’m here? If I’m making you uncomfortable, I can leave…”
She dropped her head, putting on the perfect pitiful expression. “Actually, Mr. Ford Senior asked me to stop by… I wouldn’t have come otherwise.”
How convenient. What a perfect excuse.
I didn’t respond. I just turned and left with Gabrielle, not even breaking stride as we passed Jonathan.
His expression instantly darkened, and the temperature around us seemed to drop a few degrees. Not
that I cared.
As we walked off, I could still hear Alicia’s soft, aggrieved voice behind me. “Jonathan, I’ve put up with everything from her, but I really hate seeing her treat you like that…”
I didn’t know what Jonathan’s reply was because I was already inside with Gabrielle.
She looked at me, almost amused. “You’re seriously just going to ignore Alicia like that?”
“I used to kick and scream and fight with her. What good did it do?”
Chapter 69
I said it without a trace of emotion. “Honestly, I’m hoping she steps up her game. Maybe then I won’t have to cough up 100 million to get a divorce.”
Sure, it sounded a little pathetic, but between pride and 100 million? I’d choose the 100 million dollars.
Gabrielle opened her mouth, like she wanted to say something, but then thought better of it and let it go. Instead, she picked up the divorce agreement again, flipping through it with a furrowed brow.
“You guys had this thing notarized. A bunch of these clauses shouldn’t even be enforceable, but because of the notarization, they actually hold legal weight…”
She rubbed her temple. “What were you even thinking when you signed this? Why would you agree to something like this?”
“Hell if I know,” I muttered, frustrated. “I don’t even remember these past few years. For all I know, I might’ve been brain–dead when I signed it.”
Gabrielle sighed. “Don’t worry, I’ll see if there’s a loophole somewhere. But be prepared–there’s still a real chance you’ll have to pay him that 100 million dollars.”
“I know.”
That was exactly why I’d been so proactive lately about meeting with Frederick.
After Gabrielle left, I pulled out the proposal I’d been working on earlier and started reviewing it, seeing if anything could still be improved.
That was when I suddenly felt a heavy presence behind me. I didn’t even have to turn around. Jonathan was already there, tilting my chin up from behind and making me lean back against his chest.
“Where were you all day?” he asked. “You didn’t come into the office.”
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