Chapter 5
“Fine. I’ll pay your medical bills.” Leo said through clenched teeth.
Audrey tossed a pen onto his lap and said, “Sign it. Can’t have you crying later that I blackmailed you.”
Leo hunched over the paper, his expression murderous. But when he looked up again, his face had smoothed out. He then transferred the
150,000 dollars to her account without a word.
The second Leo stepped out of the park, Audrey sent a message to Leo’s wife.
She sneered to herself, ‘Think you’ll come back for revenge? Keep dreaming. That money wasn’t hush money. It was compensation. What Ashwood does behind closed doors will all be shown to the public.‘
*****
20
On his way home, Clayton stopped to grab a coffee. Audrey used to say that coffee store had the best flavor and the price.
Just thinking about how happy Audrey would be with the coffee made him smile. But the smile froze the moment he stepped off the elevator.
The hallway outside his apartment was jammed with cardboard boxes, stacked so high that they nearly blocked the door.
One of them had soaked through at the bottom and was leaking something that smelled awful.
Clayton called the manager and then learned that Audrey had moved all of Valerie’s stuff out of the new house and dumped it here.
Clayton’s face went cold as ice. He wondered, ‘She just stayed at Ashwood · for a month. I made sure she was taken care of. She didn’t even go through the actual rehab program like others.
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‘I just said she’s not the kind to hold grudges, and she did this!
Clayton immediately called his assistant, Carter Kemp, and ordered him to find a place for Valerie fast. He didn’t want her and Luna out on the street tonight.
Carter found a spot in the complex next door and brought a couple of coworkers over to help move the boxes.
Jade from the firm showed up to lend a hand too. She asked, “Mr. Patel, I heard Luna was hospitalized. Is she okay? What a poor kid. Seeing her mom get beat up like that, no wonder she got autism.”
She peeked into the apartment, didn’t see Audrey, and lowered her voice. “Isn’t Audrey going too far? Kicking Vally and her daughter out like that is heartless.”
Clayton instinctively replied, “That apartment belongs to Audrey.”
Jade scoffed, “So that gives her the right to bully others?” She bent down to lift a box, not noticing the dark look on Clayton’s face.
She added, “She has no family and no background. If you hadn’t taken pity on her, she would’ve stayed stuck at the bottom forever.”
Lawyers had this special kind of social image, just like doctors or cops. They brought hope when people hit rock bottom. And Clayton, with his high–profile wins for the underdog, was seen as almost heroic.
Lawyers could reach both the working class and the elite. The job itself was a ladder. Jade thought without Valerie stepping away, Audrey would’ve never gotten a chance to marry a man like Clayton.
“Jade.” Clayton’s tone went ice–cold, his eyes sharp. “Audrey is my wife. I’m her family.”
Hearing that, Jade turned pale, and she muttered inwardly, ‘I thought Mr. Patel was into Valerie. Didn’t think he’d actually defend Audrey.’
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“Jade, come on, I’ve already made two trips,” Carter cut in, trying to shift the tension. “If we drag this out any longer, Luna’s gonna be out of the hospital before we’re done.”
20
Jade carried a box into the elevator, still fuming. She sneered in her mind,
‘Audrey just got out of Ashwood and already thinks she can throw Vally’s stuff out? She really thinks she can throw a tantrum at Mr. Patel?
‘Once he dumps her, she’ll beg for scraps. For women like her, marrying a guy like Mr. Patel is like winning the lottery. And instead of holding onto that ticket, she’s just out here lighting it on fire.‘
“Ugh, what the hell is in this box?” As soon as the elevator doors opened, Jade dropped the box. Takeout containers rolled out across the floor. She complained, “Did she seriously pack trash into these boxes? What is wrong with her?”
She glanced over her shoulder, worried Clayton might’ve followed. When she didn’t see him, she kicked the box hard and said, “Carter, I got my clothes tainted. I’m going home to change.”
Once everything was done, Clayton sat alone in his car, exhaustion dragging down his face.
That case he’d been working on recently had been a mess, so he left Audrey in Ashwood a few extra days just to deal with it. The second he had a breather, he brought her home and even asked Zoe to cook her favorite dishes.
He honestly didn’t get it. He had promised that once Valerie and Luna settled down, he’d hand over the rest of his salary to Audrey. He couldn’t understand why Audrey still threw a tantrum like this.
Frustration flared in his chest, and he thought, ‘Just because I took Luna to the hospital, she dumped all of Vally’s stuff here? Valerie’s been through enough already. Luna’s got serious autism for God’s sake. That woman is unreasonable.’
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Chapter 5
He glanced at the cup of coffee in the passenger seat–the one he bought for Audrey. His jaw clenched. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and chucked it out of the window into a trash can.
Audrey spent the night in a budget hotel. Her new house was a mess after Valerie’s stay and needed repainting before she could move in again.
She had already made up her mind about the divorce, so she wouldn’t drag it out. To her, men were seasoning, but money was the main course.
Sprawled across the bed, she browsed a job website on her phone. She used to work as an admin at a trading company, but maybe the timing was off, and she couldn’t find anything in that field.
It was just summer break, so tons of people were hiring tutors online. Audrey had done tutoring back in college, so it would be a choice for her
now.
After a month in Ashwood on one meal a day, her stomach wasn’t used to full portions. She had too much during lunch, and now, she felt like using
the toilet.
Sitting on the toilet, she kept scrolling her phone. That was when an Instagram notification popped up on the screen.
It was a post from Valerie. The photo showed a double bed. In the corner, there was an unopened condom. Sitting on the edge of the bed was a blurred figure–but anyone familiar could tell it was Clayton.
The caption said: [Grateful for you. My dreams do come true.]
Audrey dropped a comment: [Thanks for collecting the trash.]
Clayton’s call came through almost instantly. “Audrey, you threw out
Vally’s things, and now you’re mocking her online? Are you trying to push her and her daughter over the edge?”
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Audrey said lazily, “Oh, speaking of throwing things out, I’ll send you photos later. Valerie trashed my apartment. Since you let her move in, you can pay for the damage.” Then she added, “And how exactly did I mock her?”
Clayton snapped, “You liked her post.”
Audrey retorted, “She posted it. Wasn’t that the whole point? For people to like and comment?”
Clayton warned, “Audrey, stop being difficult. Because of your stupid comment, she’s crying. Luna’s scared out of her mind.”
Audrey pulled the phone away from her ear, rolling her eyes, a smirk full of mockery playing on her lips.
Then, she brought it back and said, “Clayton, just transfer the
compensation to me, and let’s get a divorce soon. Otherwise, I’ve got plenty of ways to make Valerie’s life miserable.”
Clayton shot back, “I’m not agreeing to a div—”
Before he could finish, she hung up.
Clayton tilted his head back, shut his eyes for a moment, and dragged himself back to the bedroom.
Valerie was still holding Luna and wailing loudly. Luna just stood there, frozen and trembling faintly from fear.
When she saw Clayton walk in, Valerie tried to stop crying. “Clay, it was just one photo. I didn’t mean to provoke Audrey. I just wanted to capture the moment, you know?”
“Audrey didn’t mean anything harsh. Don’t overthink.” Clayton handed her a tissue and added, “It’s late. You and Luna should get some rest. I’ll
come back tomorrow.”
As Clayton turned to leave, a flash of cruelty flickered in Valerie’s eyes.
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Without missing a beat, she shoved Luna hard.
