Free Web NovelChapter 25: Chapter 25
Dylan left wrapped in an aura of icy anger.
Elise had Sandra photocopy the signed agreement and courier a copy directly to Dylan’s company.
As for whether he would actually appear at the Civil Affairs Bureau thirty days later... She honestly wasn’t certain.
Still, the agreement had been signed.
And if Dylan refused to cooperate after the cooling-off period ended, she could have Alexander Hayes file a formal divorce lawsuit in court immediately.
Elise called the attorney and briefly explained the situation.
After hearing everything, Alexander reassured her that since Dylan had already signed the agreement, the remaining procedures would become far easier.
Elise was definitely getting this divorce.
***
The next morning, Elise received a call from her mother, Leah Harper.
As always, her tone was commanding and overbearing. "Come home immediately."
Before Elise could even respond, the call ended abruptly. It had always been like this.
Elise lowered the phone and rubbed her temples tiredly, letting out a weary sigh.
She didn’t want to return to that house. But if she refused, with her mother’s relentless personality, Leah would likely storm into the company by afternoon.
Elise didn’t want a public scene at work. So no matter how unwilling she was, she could only make the trip home.
...
Half an hour later, the white Porsche Panamera drove into a private estate nestled halfway up the mountainside.
After parking the car and stepping out, Elise’s gaze swept casually across the driveway... Then paused.
Parked nearby was a black Rolls-Royce Phantom. A matching-number Phantom like that existed only once in all of the capital.
Elise’s brows slowly furrowed.
"Miss Elise is home!" The housekeeper hurried out from inside the villa. The moment she saw Elise, she called loudly toward the house,
"Miss, hurry inside! Madam and Mr. Bennett have both been waiting for you!"
At those words, Elise’s lips pressed tightly together.
Elise stood there quietly, looking at the "home" she had not returned to in five years.
It wasn’t that Leah had forbidden her from coming back; Elise simply had never wanted to return.
And during those same five years, Leah had never once reached out to her either.
Though they were mother and daughter, they had become more distant than strangers.
On the drive over, Elise had still been wondering why her mother had suddenly remembered she existed.
Now she understood. Dylan was here.
The moment Leah saw her precious golden son-in-law appear, she suddenly remembered she had a daughter.
Back then, all of the city believed that Bruce Bennett favored his second wife, Ella, and that her son, Steven, would inevitably become the future heir of the Bennett Corporation.
As for Dylan... The boy who had lost his biological mother at birth and grown up without protection... He had been treated as the forgotten son of the Bennett family, completely marginalized, with no connection whatsoever to the family’s future power.
So years ago, like most wealthy families, William Harper had never thought highly of Dylan.
The marriage alliance he originally arranged for Elise had been with Steven.
But Elise had refused to cooperate. She had even been willing to sever ties with the Harper family entirely just to choose Dylan.
Later, after Dylan rose against all expectations and became president of the Bennett Corporation, the Harper family’s attitude toward the once-dismissed son-in-law changed completely.
After the marriage, many of the Harper family’s business projects relied heavily on support from the Bennett Corporation.
So to the Harper family, Elise’s marriage had never been solely about her happiness.
It was a marriage tied to the fate of the entire family.
A faint, bitter smile touched Elise’s lips.
It all felt absurd.
In wealthy families built on profit and power, love and familial affection were always the most insignificant things of all.
Paula, the housekeeper, led Elise into the villa.
"Madam, Miss Elise has returned," she announced cheerfully. frёewebηovel.cѳm
Elise changed her shoes at the entrance and walked toward the living room.
Then suddenly, she stopped.
On the sofa sat not only Leah and Dylan, but someone else she never expected to see.
Robin.
Elise’s grip tightened instinctively around her handbag. Dylan had actually brought the child here. What exactly was he trying to do?
The little boy sat beside Leah, holding a green grape in his small hand. The moment he saw Elise, his eyes lit up immediately.
"Pretty Miss!"
His clear, innocent voice should have sounded comforting.
Instead, all Elise felt was exhaustion. She didn’t want to drag an innocent child into the middle of this. But she also couldn’t bring herself to accept him.
Taking a slow breath, Elise ignored Robin completely and looked directly at Dylan.
"You shouldn’t have brought him here."
"Robin’s hand hasn’t healed yet, so he’s been especially attached to me these past few days." Dylan’s voice remained low and steady. "Robin is our child. Since your mother is technically his grandmother, there’s nothing wrong with bringing him here."
"I never agreed to adopt this child!" At last, Elise’s restraint shattered.
She pointed at the boy, anger blazing in her eyes. "He’s just the child you had with Quinn!"
Dylan’s expression darkened immediately.
"Elise," he said sharply, "do you really have to be this cruel in front of a child?"
"Yes, I do!" Her voice trembled with fury. "Did you forget? You were the one who said you didn’t think I’d ever become a qualified mother!"
Dylan froze. For the first time, a flicker of stunned realization crossed his face.
"Now take this child and leave immediately." Elise pointed toward the front door, her entire body tense. "Go back to Quinn. We’re already in the middle of divorce proceedings anyway. Now the three of you can finally stop pretending and live openly as one happy family!"
"Elise, shut your mouth!" Leah’s furious shout rang through the room as she abruptly stood and strode toward her.
Before anyone could react—
Slap!
Her hand struck Elise hard across the face. The sharp sound echoed through the living room.
Dylan instantly shot to his feet from the sofa, instinctively taking a step forward, only to stop himself abruptly.
He remained standing there, brows tightly furrowed, one hand clenched rigidly at his side.
Elise hadn’t expected Leah to hit her so suddenly.
Caught completely off guard, the force of the slap sent her staggering backward, nearly crashing into the carved rosewood chair behind her.
Thankfully, one hand caught the chair in time.
Her other hand instinctively moved protectively over her abdomen.
After steadying herself, she slowly lifted her head and met Leah’s cold, reprimanding gaze.
"You’re screaming about divorce over such a trivial matter?" she scolded harshly. "Is this how I raised you?"
A trivial matter?
Elise slowly touched her burning cheek.
Then she laughed. The smile on her lips was cold. Bitter. Utterly mocking.
"Yes," she said softly. "Compared to the business cooperation between the Harper family and the Bennett family, my personal humiliation really is insignificant."
"You—!"
Leah instinctively raised her hand again, but remembering Dylan was present, she forced herself to stop.
Drawing in a breath, she adopted the tone of a strict, righteous mother.
"Arguments between husband and wife are completely normal. Dylan is already busy enough managing such a massive corporation. As his wife, you should be more understanding of him."
Her expression softened slightly when she glanced toward Robin.
"As for this child, Dylan already explained everything to me. Since he carries the Bennett family bloodline, then as the daughter-in-law of the Bennett family, you should behave with more grace and generosity and help Dylan raise him properly."
"If he enjoys raising someone else’s child, then he can raise him himself."
Elise’s tone remained unwaveringly cold.
"And as for finding a mother for that child?" She laughed bitterly. "Trust me, he has no shortage of candidates."
"Elise!" Leah’s face turned livid with rage. "Are you deliberately trying to drive me to a heart attack?!"
"So that’s why you called me back?" Elise looked at her mother and let out a cold laugh. "To lecture me into not getting divorced?"
By now, her heart had long since gone numb.
"Well, congratulations. Your mission is accomplished."
Her gaze swept coldly across the room. "Since they won’t leave... I will."
Without another word, Elise turned and strode toward the door.
"Elise, stop right there—!"
Leah’s furious voice rang out behind her.
But Elise didn’t stop. She only wanted to leave. To escape this suffocating place as quickly as possible.
"Elise!"
By the time Dylan chased outside, the white Porsche Panamera had already turned around and sped out of the estate grounds.
