He was silent.
I could tell he was relaxed. He thought this was just a little rebellion from me-a woman asserting independence by moving out, buying an apartment with my own money-just harmless temper tantrums.
“I’ll send you back,” he said.
“What about my car?”
“I’ll have someone drive you home.”
Before I could protest, he locked the car door.
I had no choice but to accept.
For the next few days, I tread lightly, barely leaving the apartment.
I guessed his reaction to our divorce news would be explosive-anger, questions, impulsiveness.
I wasn’t ready to face his storm head-on. Instead, I planned to travel abroad, giving him space and time to process.
Eventually, he would realize this wasn’t a rash decision, but one I had already firmly made.
Cira would make him respond, one way or another. And me leaving quietly was the easiest path for him.
The phone rang again. It was Harlow.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” her voice was more serious than usual. “Lately, Daria has been moving around a lot-I wondered what she was up to.”
I sneered. “Don’t worry. The divorce agreement isn’t signed yet. She wouldn’t dare act rashly.”
She’s probably busy scheming, spreading rumors that Xavien and I are just a shell of a marriage, that it’s ending, and that he’s going to marry the Shadow Pack’s daughter.
Let her say whatever she wants.
Because now, I really don’t care anymore.
Celina
Friday afternoon found me booking a flight to Iceland when Daria called again. Three days had passed since our last conversation.
I knew she had something to tell me, though I hadn’t initiated contact.
“Hello, Mrs. Grant,” I answered coolly.
“We need to meet to supplement our agreement,” she said without preamble..
“Your lawyer can handle that with mine.”
“Celina,” her voice hardened, “you’ve already increased the settlement from ten million to fifty million. The least you could do is sign this addendum in person. I’m waiting at Amanson Hotel-it’s discreet, not many people around.”
Amanson Hotel?
I recalled Lian’s message. Sebastian was also meeting someone at Amanson today.
[What a coincidence!] A glimmer of light flashed in my eyes.
When she noticed my silence, Daria cleared her throat. “Seven o’clock tonight. If you don’t show up, we’ll stick with the original hundred million settlement.”
She hung up without waiting for my response.
I held my phone, staring at the screen thoughtfully. Harlow’s warning echoed in my mind… Was she really planning something with just two days left?
My relationship with Daria had always been cold. From the very beginning, she looked down on my family, tried to sabotage my relationship with Xavien, and barred me from living in the Blood Moon Pack estate throughout our entire marriage. At every holiday dinner, she greeted me with nothing but icy remarks and thinly veiled contempt.
Beyond that, she hadn’t done anything else particularly offensive.
This meeting was likely just another opportunity for her to intimidate me. By this point, she should have been fantasizing about how to announce the Shadow Pack-Shadow Pack combination in a high-profile way.I was still debating whether to go. If I stood my ground and refused, there wasn’t much Daria could do about it.
However, an hour later, Lian sent another text: “Celina, what have you decided?”
I pressed my lips together. He was actually following up now?
If it weren’t so impolite, I would have just handed the suit to the property manager for delivery- Sebastian did live right upstairs from me, after all.
After some consideration,I don’t think it’s good to pretend I didn’t see it again. It wouldn’t do me any good to offend Sebastian. Why don’t we go back and return the suit and meet Daria on the way.
So I replied to Lian: “That works. What time would be convenient?”
His response came quickly: “Eight o’clock.”
I applied light makeup, changed clothes, and drove to my parents’ house first.
A few days ago, when Xavien confronted me at the entrance to my apartment complex, I realized I was being followed. My suspicions only grew stronger when I noticed a suspicious car parked outside the yard these past few days.
I hadn’t been on the road long when Xavien called. “Taking a nap?” he asked.
Hmph. Setting a trap for me.
I mischievously honked my horn, making Xavien wince and pull the phone away from his ear.
“I’m driving to my parents’ place,” I said.
“Going to deliver that suit?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Seeing I wasn’t lying, Xavien ended the call, but instructed his surveillance to continue following me to my parents’ house.
When I arrived at my parents’ home, my father wasn’t there.
My mother, Esther-a senior scholar of werewolf culture-looked up from her notes, surprised to see me at this hour.
“Not working today?” she asked; setting aside her glasses.
“Took the day off. Caught a slight cold,” I said, touching my throat and giving a few half-hearted coughs for effect.
She frowned and stepped closer, brushing her fingers gently over my cheek.
“You’re not taking care of yourself. Look how thin your face has become.”
Then, after a pause, she asked quietly, “Is Xavien treating you well?”
A mother’s intuition. No matter how carefully I masked it, she could sense the cracks..
“If he doesn’t treat me well, I’ll leave him,” I replied lightly, forcing a smile.
But she didn’t smile back.
Her silence lingered longer than I expected.
Eventually, I shifted the conversation elsewhere. Asked about her research. Let her talk about the new werewolf students in her seminar. I nodded, smiled, responded just enough.
I wouldn’t tell them yet.
There was no point telling them now.
Not yet.
Not until the divorce was final.
No need to let them worry before they had to.
After dinner, I went to my old room and changed clothes.
I told my mother I was meeting a friend and would be back later that evening..
She didn’t ask who.
She just watched me for a moment, then nodded.
–
In the elevator, I put on a hat and mask, successfully slipping past my watcher as I left the complex.
I arrived at Amanson Hotel shortly before seven.
The exterior was traditionally elegant, while the interior exuded understated luxury.
I went to meet Daria first.
Upon entering, I spotted a Grant family driver who greeted me respectfully before leading me through a maze of corridors, eventually stopping in front of a door which he opened for me.
I entered a tea room filled with the intermingled scents of tea and jasmine incense.
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