Chapter 6 Farewell Dinner

When Faye made the statement, her face filled with sorrow, helplessness, and self-mockery.

Zayn felt his heart twisting painfully. He held Faye’s hand and said, “Fifi, there’s no need for you to go with Mr. Wilson. I can protect you now!”

Faye sneered twice. “How are you supposed to protect me? Is it by just saying so or with the three million dollars you’re going to give?”

Zayn burned with excitement as he took out a bank card from his pocket. “I genuinely can provide you with three million dollars! Fifi, there are three million dollars on this card of mine. I’m really capable of protecting you!”

It appeared that Faye did not share his excitement in the slightest. Her expression turned even colder while her eyes grew more disgusted. “Zayn, you keep changing the way I look at you over and over again, and you’re always making it harder for me to put up with you!”

“Fifi, I’m not lying to you. There truly are three million dollars on the card. You can follow me to the bank and check if you don’t believe me…” Zayn tried to take her by the hand once again, but she ferociously flung his hand away.

“That’s enough, Zayn! You’re a useless piece of sh*t who doesn’t work and depends on me to support you financially. I’ve never criticized you because you never forced me to have sex with you. I still have a certain level of respect for you, but don’t you see that what you’re doing now is ruining even that? Do you even know how much three million dollars is? It’s an amount of money that you won’t be able to make in ten lifetimes!”

Upon hearing that, Zayn felt his heart tighten, and it was difficult for him to even breathe. He bit his lips and told himself over and over again that Faye was doing this because she was unaware of his identity. She did not know who he was and that was why she made such a harsh comment. That was not what Faye actually thought of him.

He wanted to force a smile just like he did previously, yet he found that the muscles on his face were rigid and he was incapable of controlling them.

Perhaps realizing that her words were a little harsh, Faye took two deep breaths and attempted to soften her tone. “Alright, Zayn. Let’s part ways peacefully and head to the attorney’s office to finalize the divorce. If you’re willing, we can remain friends. There’s 300,000 dollars in this card and I’m giving it to you in private. Thank you for doing so many chores for the Carters over the past four years.”

As she was speaking, Faye took out a bank card from her bag and stuffed it into Zayn’s hand. “The password is your birthday. It isn’t considered a lot in Waltz City, so I suggest you head back to the countryside. Get married and spend wisely. It should be enough for the rest of your life.”

Zayn felt his heart twisting in agony as he held the card in his hand. It was as if his soul had been stripped away. After a long time, he raised his head and looked at Faye. With a weak voice, he asked her, “Faye, we have been married for four years. In your heart, am I just a servant for the Carters?”

Perhaps because he appeared so miserable and sad, the sight of Zayn made Faye’s heart wrench in pain. She could not bear to meet his eyes, so she hastily lowered her head and avoided his gaze. She felt like crying.

They had been married for four years and had lived together throughout that time. Zayn’s presence had already left a deep mark in her life. It was impossible for her to insist that there were no feelings between them at all. One would have feelings for a dog after keeping it as a companion for four years, let alone a human being. Moreover, though Zayn was rather useless, he took meticulous care of Faye in everyday life. She could still remember that time two years ago. She was very sick and Zayn was so busy caring for her that he did not sleep for two full nights.

In reality, she was already accustomed to Zayn’s presence. Had it not been for this incident, she did not mind spending the rest of her life with Zayn. What a waste that this occurred, and this was her life, so she was destined to endure it.

“Yes,” Faye forced herself to say. Moreover, it was said with an ice-cold tone.

Zayn’s tears rolled down his face despite himself. He clenched his fists tightly until his nails dug into his flesh. He gradually loosened his grip as if he had exhausted all his strength. He replied, “Alright, I agree to the divorce.”

Hearing Zayn's consent, Faye was relieved, yet she felt an ineffable emptiness in her heart.

A divorce was the best ending for both of them.

Her family was not at home that day, so Faye suggested that they eat out and they could consider it the farewell meal of their marriage. Zayn agreed.

Faye drove to a place not very far away. It was a fancy restaurant close to the attorney’s office.

They ate in silence. Both of them did not speak as they counted down the final span of their marriage in their hearts.

After the meal, they paid the bill and exited the restaurant. Just as they were preparing to head to the divorce attorney, a figure suddenly walked in front without paying attention to the street. She ended up bumping into Zayn and almost tumbling over.

“Hey, are you not watching where you’re going?! If you were to damage my handbag, you wouldn’t be able to compensate me with all the money in your entire family!” she yelled ferociously. Squinting, Zayn saw a slightly chubby woman with thick makeup. She was pointing at his nose as she loudly scolded him.

Zayn furrowed his brows. He was about to contest her words when Faye said in astonishment, “Is that you, Ivy?”

“Faye Carter?” The other woman’s expression was unnatural.

“That’s right. It’s been a long time since we last met. I didn’t expect to bump into you here today,” replied Faye courteously.

Ivanna was Faye’s classmate in high school and they seemed quite close in the past. They stopped keeping in touch after graduation because Ivanna was not genuinely fond of Faye. Wherever Faye was, Ivanna was destined to be an accessory to her beauty. It was apparent that Faye was unaware of this. She was still under the assumption that Ivanna remained her classmate from the past. She wanted to hold Ivanna’s hand just like they did in high school, but she shoved her away.

Faye was stunned. She did not understand why this classmate she had been such good friends with before had become so distant.

Gazing at Zayn, Ivanna sized him up and saw that he was dressed in clothes from a flea market. A look of contempt flashed past her eyes. “This is?”

The words escaped Faye’s mouth. “He’s my husband.”

She regretted it as soon as she said it. She was about to divorce him, so how was he still considered her husband?

“Ooh! This is your husband, huh? He is rather fine and good-looking. What is his profession?” Her tone was obviously tainted with schadenfreude. She did not expect the most beautiful girl in high school would end up married to a poor man.

It made Faye even more embarrassed. For her, Zayn had always been a difficult topic of conversation when talking with outsiders.

“Uh…”

Seeing Faye hesitate and struggle with her words, Ivanna knew the truth. She immediately laughed profusely. “Could it be that he is unemployed?”

Faye chuckled forcefully and considered it as acknowledgment. She wanted to change the topic, but Ivanna refused to give her that chance. She continued to push Faye on the matter with her peculiar demeanor. It filled Faye with shame and regret. She would have headed to get the divorce right away if she knew this was coming. Why did she insist on a farewell dinner?!

“Ivy, let’s not talk about me anymore. We haven’t met for so many years. Are you married yet?” Faye stood in the middle and shielded Zayn. Out of sight, out of mind.

Ivanna beamed with joy. She was waiting for Faye to ask her about this. “I, uh, got married last year and had my wedding in the Hilton Hotel. The cost of each banquet table was over 1,500 dollars. That was quite expensive.

“I’m not as pretty as you, so I didn’t catch a man as great as yours. I only married a small business owner with a net worth of a few million. Oh right, your husband is jobless, no? He can work for my husband’s company. Since we’re old classmates, my husband will pay him well.”

“I appreciate your kindness, but we have our own arrangements,” said Faye, declining the invitation with a stiff expression.

Meanwhile, a voice came from behind Ivanna. “What are you girls talking about? Who’s coming to work in my company? Who’s this?”

A fat man with a fleshy figure, less than 1.7 meters in height, approached them. He had a huge belly hanging over his waist. His face was all chubby cheeks and his hair was sparse. He appeared to be almost 40 years old at the very least. His eyes lit up at once upon seeing Faye. The beady little things were bursting with a perverted glow.

Ivanna was overjoyed. She wrapped her arms around his arm affectionately and said in an intentionally coquettish manner, “Hubby, you’re here just in time. This is my classmate from high school. Her husband lost his job recently. Your company has quite a few vacancies, right? You can have him work for you.”

As Faye stood before them, the husband and wife unabashedly flaunted themselves in an eccentric manner. They were figuring out ways to mock Faye’s useless man and that made Faye very uncomfortable. Nonetheless, there was nothing she could do since they were not wrong.

“Ivy, I still have some matters to attend to. I’ll see you next time.” Faye could not stand being there anymore, so she finally tugged Zayn’s hand and prepared to make a hasty retreat.

Ivanna blocked her and said with a smile, “Sheesh! We just met each other after such a long time. What’s the rush? Let’s chat for a while more! Oh right, that jewelry store in front is having a sale. They are giving a 70% discount to pairs of married couples who purchase items of the same value. Let’s head over there and have a peak.”

“Ah? There’s no need for that. I didn’t plan on buying jewelry anytime soon.” Faye swiftly declined. Now that the Carters were in a serious financial crisis, her savings were used to pay off their debt. She had so little these days. How could she use that on jewelry?

Despite this, the more she refused, the more enthusiastic Ivanna became. She pulled at Faye and absolutely refused to let her leave. Faye was not adept at saying no, so she helplessly turned to Zayn for assistance. She hoped that Zayn would be sensible enough to find an excuse for them to escape in order to prevent them from embarrassing themselves more.

However, Zayn’s next remark almost angered her to death. “Sure, I happened to be planning to get a few pieces of jewelry for Faye as a gift.”