Chapter 203
Clayton’s fingers barely grazed Audrey’s sleeve when a figure slammed into him..
“Ah!” The kick sent Clayton flying. He hit the pavement, organs rattling, every nerve screaming. “You…” He clutched his stomach, squinting upward.
A towering figure in a tailored suit stood beside Audrey, exuding authority.
Backlit by the light behind him, the figure’s face was hidden in shadow. Clayton couldn’t make it out, but when the man lifted a hand, he caught a brief glint. It might be a ring.
“You okay?” Yann asked Audrey. His voice was icy.
“Fine.” Audrey hooked her arm through his, dragging him forward. “Let’s go.”
Yann tilted his head to glance down at Clayton, towering over him like a predator looking down at prey. His gaze was icy. “Get lost.”
A chill ran through Clayton’s spine. This wasn’t Paul, but somehow, this man radiated predatory control, terrifying Clayton.
In the white Range Rover, Audrey pressed against Yann’s arm. “You heard everything?
Yann radiated an icy, intimidating presence. He started the car and sped away. He had arrived early and heard Clayton’s groveling to Paul and his pitiful plea to Audrey.
Pressing his lips into a thin line, Yann thought, ‘Let Clayton divorce first? Does she want to give that scumbag another chance? Either husband now, with a legal certificate to prove it.‘
“I’ll never divorce you.” Yann’s declaration brooked no argument.
“I know, I know,” Audrey chuckled, nuzzling against him. “Just like in those CEO novels, there’s no divorce, only widowhood.”
way, I’m her
Yann’s knuckles whitened on the wheel, veins popping out on the back of his hands. He seemed even angrier now, the presence around him colder than the car’s air conditioning.
Audrey hurried to placate him. “You might be older, but you’ve got charisma, knowledge, stamina-”
Yann’s hand shot out, pinning her head to his chest. “Call me ‘old‘ again.”
They were only seven years apart. According to sociological studies, it was the ideal age gap. Thirty was a man’s prime age.
Buried in his crisp cologne and faint soap scent, Audrey chuckled. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter. “That’s why his shirt. “All proper in public, all filthy in private.”
Suddenly, the car veered off the road and came to an abrupt stop by the roadside.
Still holding the back of her head, Yann crushed his lips onto hers. His kiss swallowed her gasp. “Say it again.”
Audrey could barely breathe, let alone speak fluently. “I love… how you… invent new moves.”
She especially loved that split–second when he came–eyes cold with lust yet tender, features taut with primal intensity.
ou,” she mumbled into
Lately, though, he had denied her that view, spinning her away or covering her eyes. Blindness heightened other senses, but she missed watching him
unravel.
10.40
Chapter 203
Behind them, Calvin saw Yann’s car slam to a sudden stop and thought something had gone wrong. He quickly told Ryder to pull over. However, he was about to get out when he saw the car jolt again. He decided not to bother getting out after all.
Ryder kept shifting his eyes away, refusing to look straight ahead..
“You knew it!” Calvin smacked Ryder’s shoulder.
“I just noticed.” Ryder choked back laughter.
“What’s the date today?” Calvin asked casually as he pulled out his phone to check the calendar, wondering if Yann’s luck had finally turned.
Dazed from the searing kiss, Audrey fumbled with Yann’s belt buckle. “Did you lock this thing?” she muttered in frustration.
Yann straightened up, his chest heaving. Grabbing her restless hands with one hand and steadying the wheel with the other, he floored the accelerator.
“Oh!” Calvin’s head slammed against the seatback, his phone bouncing off his lap. “Yann is crazy.”
“Let’s go,” Ryder said hurriedly, stomping on the accelerator to follow.
Yann seemed in a rush, driving at breakneck speed. The white Range Rover screeched to a stop in the courtyard of Royal House No. 16. As Audrey reached for the door handle, he pulled her back.
“Not… not in the car.” Audrey squirmed against him, legs kicking uselessly as Yann reclined the seat. After her teasing during the drive, hands roaming, lips trailing, his patience had already evaporated. He couldn’t wait for another second.
The Maybach followed into the courtyard. Spotting the rocking Range Rover, Calvin waved frantically. “Leave. Now.”
In the Range Rover, Yann’s hand pressed Audrey’s palm flat against the fogging window, their fingers interlaced as the vehicle’s suspension groaned.
In the parking lot, Clayton limped to his car with his hands pressed against his aching stomach, only to find Valerie leaning against it, eyes blazing.
“Business meeting?” Valerie spat. “Your business is dumping me and remarrying Audrey? Dream on. I’ll never divorce you.”
Every breath sent fire through Clayton’s ribs. His voice was weak, exhausted. “I’ve got nothing left. Stick with me, and you’ll starve. Maybe we should just go our separate ways. You might even find someone better.”
Valerie’s smile turned sharp. “Two million dollars. Then I’ll sign those papers.”
Clayton leaned heavily against the car door, sweat beading on his forehead. He thought, ‘Two million dollars? Doe money–printing factory?‘
He opened the car door, climbed in, and collapsed into the seat. Every part of him drained.
hink I run a bank or own a damn
Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Valerie yanked open the passenger door. “Audrey is loaded now. Get back with her, and you’ll get plenty out of it. Two million dollars sounds high, but you can recoup that in months. Or we rot together. Your call.”
Valerie leaned into the car, shoving Clayton’s shoulder. “Did you hear me?”
Clayton peeled his eyes open, exhaustion and disgust warring in his gaze.
Valerie had truly shattered his understanding of her. She was vain, greedy, and vicious. She actually wanted him to extort Audrey for her payoff.
Regret carved itself into his bones. He thought, ‘How have I ever believed Valerie, defended her, and even married her?‘
Valerie caught his icy stare. A chill shot down her spine. She opened the car door. “Think it over. The money I borrowed was all used for our living
W
3
Chapter 203
expenses. It counts as our shared debt.”
With one hand braced on the car door and the other on her hip, she slowly got out of the car.
76%
+38
Then, she played her trump card. “You can’t divorce a pregnant woman. After I give birth to the child, you’ll still have to pay child support. Paying me two million dollars or being stuck with me forever. You decide.”
Clayton’s gaze dropped on her belly. It was another man’s kid, and Luna’s father was still unknown. He shot Valerie a sharp, hateful glare as he thought, 1 have to end this. She’ll drain every last bit of life out of me.’
Valerie stood by the open door and waited for Clayton to respond, oblivious as the engine roared to life.
Suddenly, the car lurched backward. The door wrenched Valerie off–balance. She tried to climb back in but only managed to get one foot inside before the car slammed on the brakes.
Valerie hit the ground hard, screaming, “My baby… Hospital! Now!”
A
