Free Web NovelChapter 165: Chapter 165: Cecelia Archer’s Bag of Tricks
It was over.
After hiding it for so long, she had finally found out.
June Archer knew a divorce was now inevitable. His heart turning to ash, he climbed up from the floor and stared at her coldly as he spoke.
"That’s right. You saw it. I saved up for a house behind your back. I was never serious about our life together. I already have someone else. Let’s get a divorce."
Ever since she’d married June Archer, she knew he wasn’t a man of great means, but he had always been hardworking. He was devoted to their family, and he’d always given in to her every whim.
They couldn’t compare to the middle or upper class, but for people from their background, she was already living a much better life than her sisters and cousins back home.
Although Chloe King often complained, she always acted satisfied with her current life when she was with her own family.
She had never imagined that June Archer would one day betray her, nor had she ever thought he would one day be so rich.
’This location, this house... It has to be worth tens of millions, right?’
Her worldview shattered. Her entire world came crashing down. Chloe King shoved the property deed into her waistband, plopped onto the floor, and began to wail hysterically.
"Oh my god! How could you trick me like this! You heartless bastard! I’m at home every day like a nanny, slaving away for you, raising your child, pinching pennies with you! I practically gave you my heart, and this is how you repay me? You’re not even human!"
"I’m going to call my mom! I’m going to call my brother and the others! I’ll have them come and deal with you! You faithless, shameless cheater! Just you wait!" freēwēbnovel.com
Things had already come to this. Her brother didn’t need to hold back anymore. He walked over to her and started to get rough.
"Give me back the deed. I need it now. As for your family, let them do whatever they want!"
"No! You can kill me today, but you’re still not getting this deed!"
Chloe King curled into a ball, clutching the deed tightly against her stomach.
"I don’t care what’s going on with you and your little mistress! We’re not divorced yet, which means half of your assets are mine! I said you can’t have it, and I mean it! If you try to take it again, I’ll call the police and report you for domestic abuse! I’ll make sure you walk away with nothing!"
"You!"
Cecelia Archer called again. Terrified his wife would actually call the police, report him for domestic abuse, and make him lose everything in the divorce—and the 20 million with it—her brother had no choice but to let go of her and answer the phone.
"I’m sorry, Cecelia. I can’t make it right now."
"What’s wrong?"
Cecelia Archer hadn’t expected him to be unable to come. Mrs. Vaughn was waiting at the hospital. Candy’s life was hanging by a thread. He had to come.
"What happened? Where are you right now?"
Lying on the floor, Chloe King screamed into the phone at Cecelia.
"Cecelia Archer! After all these years I’ve treated you like my own sister, feeding you and your brother the best, and this is how you two plot against me in the end?! I won’t let you get away with this!"
"This house is marital property between your brother and me! No one is taking it without my permission, so stop dreaming! Your brother just hit me, and now I’m going to report him for domestic abuse! I’m going to divorce him! I’m going to make sure he loses everything! And I’ll have my family come deal with him! Just you wait!"
Hearing her sister-in-law’s screaming, Cecelia Archer’s heart sank.
’She knows. It looks like getting that house is going to be impossible for now.’
Although Candy’s life was important, so were the lives of her brother and Rocky. Cecelia Archer knew she couldn’t afford to cross her sister-in-law, and she sighed.
"I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t think it would turn out like this. Just stay home and try to calm sister-in-law down for now. Once I’ve handled things here, I’ll come back and explain everything to her. Don’t do anything rash."
Her brother was worried about her too. "Then what will you do? Can you handle things on your end?"
"I have to, whether I can or not. I’ll figure something out. We’re running out of time. I’m hanging up."
After hanging up, Cecelia Archer sold her own house. She managed to transfer the 20 million to Mrs. Vaughn’s account just before the bank closed, and then she took a taxi back to the hospital.
In the hospital room, Mrs. Vaughn was casually playing on her phone. Cecelia Archer walked up to her.
"Did you receive the transfer?"
Mrs. Vaughn glanced at her. "We agreed on 40 million. Why is it only 20 million?"
At this point, Cecelia Archer didn’t hide the truth from her.
"Damien bought these two houses behind my back, one for me and one for my brother. I can sell mine anytime, but my brother’s..."
Mrs. Vaughn had known it. Once money fell into the hands of poor people like them, it was easier to swallow it than to spit it back out.
Cecelia Archer was just all talk, putting on a show of her high morals. Forcing her to spit the money back out would be like taking her life, wouldn’t it?
"This is just a stalling tactic, isn’t it? You use 20 million to placate me now, and for the rest, you’ll just wait for Damien to come back and smooth things over. So many schemes. Cecelia Archer, I was a fool to trust you."
Seeing that she had misunderstood again, Cecelia Archer quickly knelt down and explained with a sincere expression.
"No, that’s not it. Everything I’m saying is true, please believe me, Auntie. If you don’t believe me, you can call Damien. I really didn’t know he was the one who paid for them. I sincerely want to return the money to you, but... Please don’t let anyone harm Candy. I’ll go find my brother right now. I will get the deed for the other house to you as soon as possible. Please, trust me one more time, okay?"
Her performance was superb; she looked as if she were in genuine agony. Mrs. Vaughn truly enjoyed watching her this way.
She glanced again at the half-dead little bastard on the bed. ’They can’t win against me anyway,’ she thought. ’And pushing her like this is rather amusing.’
"I’ll give you half a day more. Get the other 20 million into my account before 11 AM tomorrow. If you’re one second late..."
She smiled and flicked Candy’s IV tube with her finger.
A jolt of fear shot through Cecelia Archer.
After Mrs. Vaughn left, Cecelia Archer slumped weakly beside Candy’s bed for a while before a nurse came in to do her rounds.
Cecelia Archer had no one else she could rely on, so she could only ask the nurse.
"Could I trouble you to watch my child for me? I have to step out for something. I’ll be back in a little while."
The nurse was agreeable. "Sure, but don’t be too long. It’ll be difficult for us if she wakes up looking for her parents. Besides, if there’s an emergency, we need a guardian’s signature."
"I’ll be back as soon as I can. Thank you."
In a panic, Cecelia Archer hailed a taxi and went to her brother’s rented apartment.
When she reached the door, before she could even knock, she heard Rocky’s heart-wrenching sobs and her sister-in-law’s hysterical screams.
’She really didn’t want to go in. She really didn’t want to argue with her sister-in-law. But she had to.’
It was Rocky who opened the door.
Looking down, she saw his face was a mess of tears and snot. Cecelia Archer’s heart ached for her little nephew, and she wiped his face clean.
"Where’s your dad?"
Rocky sobbed, "In the room. Daddy and Mommy were fighting. Mommy got really, really mad. Auntie, I’m so scared."
Cecelia Archer picked him up. "Have you eaten?"
"No. Mommy said we’re not eating, and that I should just starve to death."
"..."
Cecelia Archer closed the door and carried Rocky inside.
When she reached the bedroom door and looked inside, she saw her brother sitting on the left side at the foot of the bed, and her sister-in-law on the right. One looked more furious than the other.
Her sister-in-law was panting, having stopped her tirade of curses, clearly aware that Cecelia had arrived.
