Madeline's eyes flickered to Trevon standing in the doorway. Her expression froze briefly before calmly looking away, pretending she had not seen him.Her reddened cheek was briefly visible.Trevon's grip on his bag tightened.He marched over to Madeline, and after a quick scan to confirm that the swelling on her face was the only injury, he asked icily, "Madeline, just how many enemies have you made?"Madeline shot him a withering look. "Who could I possibly offend? I simply don't get along with the Gibsons, that's all."Trevon's voice grew heavier. "What's that supposed to mean?"Ignoring him, Madeline turned away, leaving Trevon to focus on Caleb.Caleb let out a weary sigh. "Someone needs to rein in Yanely's temper."Trevon's expression turned stormy at the mention of Yanely being the culprit.Her sister-in-law had been hospitalized for a while, but Yanely had not bothered to visit. When she finally showed up, it was not to offer comfort but to start a fight.The girl had
Daniel finally caught up with Trevon as they settled into the car.Stealing a cautious glance from the driver's seat at Trevon in the rearview mirror, Daniel asked, "Mr. Gibson, where to now?"Massaging the throbbing at his brow, Trevon muttered, "Back to the office."He had been worried about Madeline's health and had left the office earlier than usual despite his work piling up.Daniel kept silent, steering the car toward the office.Out of the blue, Trevon asked, "Why do you think a woman would suddenly become argumentative and difficult?"He was clearly talking about Madeline.After a brief pause, Daniel replied, "Maybe she's feeling hurt and upset."She had reasons to feel that way.The Sanders family had not been kind to her, and Trevon's mother and sister had given her a hard time. He himself had not been much better.All hell would have broken loose if it was Yanely in that situation.However, Madeline barely talked back. In the grand scheme of things, it was hardly
Yanely complained, "Why do we have to wait for her first?"Riley had a headache. How did she end up with such a foolish daughter? She explained with patience, "If Madeline is still in the hospital and you ask Caleb out on your own, he won't be happy. He might even drag you to apologize to Madeline. "Do you want to apologize to Madeline?"Yanely shook her head vigorously. Madeline came from a poor family, it was done, and there was no way Yanely would apologize."So, Mom, what are you going to do about Madeline?"Riley just smiled. "Don't you worry about that."Yanely sulked. "Come on, don't be mad. It doesn't suit a young lady to lose her temper."Riley pulled out a card from her wallet and offered it to her. "It's loaded with seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, go have fun shopping."Yanely's eyes sparkled, and she reached out eagerly. Riley quickly pulled it back, cautioning, "Stay under the radar. If the old lady hears about this, it won't be good for either of us."Ya
"Mom, what brings you here?"Madeline rose from the bed, her body protesting the early hour, and perched on the edge, not quite ready to stand. Riley, clad in a pristine pink trench coat and sharp white heels, exuded an air of elegance. She gave Madeline a once-over and, seeing her upright, said, "Well, since you're up, it's time to check out and head home."Madeline blinked in surprise. "Mom, is there a reason you want me discharged?"Riley eyed her with a hint of suspicion. "Would you stay in the hospital if nothing was wrong?""Look around. Which daughter-in-law is constantly ill and always in and out of the hospital? It's bad luck."Madeline thought, since when is getting medical help a sign of bad luck? However, she knew better than to argue with Riley. That would only invite a never-ending lecture on how a daughter-in-law should behave.She bowed her head and replied gently, "Got it. I'll talk to the doctor. If I can leave today, I will."Yet, Caleb had just told her yeste
Trevon was immediately filled with regret. He had promised himself he would not get into another fight with her. Why could he not just hold back?Madeline's hands were balled into fists so tight that her nails were cutting into her flesh, but she did not even wince at the pain."Mr. Gibson, you had really bent over backward for Lydia. I value my own well-being too much. Maybe we should just get a divorce now?" He had just said it in a fit of anger, but was she actually taking him seriously?Trevon's brows knitted together in frustration. "That's not what I was trying to say."Madeline shrugged it off. "Whatever your intentions are, they don't interest me."She handed Trevon the hospital bill. "Just take it out of the 1.5 million dollars from the divorce settlement."Trevon examined the bill, his expression changing as he understood what it was. Looking up, he said, "You checked out because of the bill? The Gibson family can easily cover that. Stay a few more days, rest up properl
It was a while before Daniel came up to Trevon. "Mr. Gibson, Mrs. Gibson caught a cab and left."Madeline had not given Trevon a second glance, nor had she waited for Caleb to offer a ride. She simply hailed a taxi and disappeared into the city. Trevon's eyes briefly met the kimchi noodles then abandoned them in the trash can. His lips tightened, but he remained silent.Sliding into the backseat of the car, he loosened his tie and said, "I need you to dig into my mom's bank transfers from the last three years. Check Madeline's deposits too.""Got it." Daniel asked, "Mr. Gibson, are we heading to the office?"Trevon hesitated, his eyes catching the sign of a noodle shop serving sour beef and cabbage soup. With a reluctant sigh, he decided, "To the office."Tears rolled down Madeline's cheeks as she sat in the back of the cab, unable to stop them. She had always known it was a long shot, hoping for Trevon's love, for a place in the Gibson family. She had given it her all, never allo
Daniel laid out the last three years of Madeline's financial ins and outs."Here's the breakdown of Mrs. Gibson's earnings for the past three years. The hefty chunks came from selling her paintings, mostly during her first year of marriage. Later on, the cash flow was mostly smaller transfers from a buddy named Yeneth, one thousand here, three thousand there. Not big amounts, but they came through pretty often. Other than that, Mrs. Gibson didn't have any other income."So, it was clear as day—Riley had not contributed a dime to Madeline's finances. Madeline's life, which looked good on the surface, was actually funded by her mother's art and her own hustle.Trevon's face was a storm of colors, anger and shock battling for dominance. "Then where the heck did the extra seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars from my account vanish every month!"When he got back in the business saddle, Riley had been siphoning off a cool seven hundred and fifty thousand a month, claiming it was for
Madeline had been swamped with work all day at home. By the time she checked her phone and saw Yeneth's message, night had fallen.Yeneth had sent a screenshot with a ranting voice message. "Can you believe her? Showing off her new ring like it's no big deal, as if she's not worried about being outed as the mistress."The screenshot showed Lydia's latest post. "The salesperson said this ring means 'faithful love.' Mr. Gibson, that's exactly how I feel about you."Accompanying the post was a photo of a ring being slipped onto a finger. The hand placing the ring, Madeline knew instantly, belonged to Trevon. His fingers were long and well-defined, the middle one calloused from years of writing. Madeline responded with an indifferent detachment. "Looks nice. And she's not exactly a mistress, so let's not call her that anymore.""How can you say that? She's totally the mistress. She knew Trevon was married and still got involved. If she's not a mistress, what is she?"Trevon's just a