Chapter 12
The long list of conditions in the agreement killed Violet’s last bit of hope. Anger crashed over her like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming her. With a quick yank, she ripped the agreement to shreds.
Molet had always seemed calm and collected to Mandy. The only other time Mandy had seen her this worked up was when Archer got married and moved abroad. This was the second time Violet had gotten this upset for someone else.
Mandy bit her tongue, holding back the words she wanted to say. Violet took a deep breath and finally managed to calm down. Since Dylan signed the agreement with Mandy, she must have known about his departure.
Violet looked up at Mandy, her eyes lighting up with a hint of hope. “Mom, you know where Dylan went, right?”
Mandy held her gaze for a long moment. Violet thought Mandy probably knew about it. After all, Mandy had taken care of Dylan’s plane ticket and everything related to his departure. But Dylan had asked Mandy not to share where he was. She looked at Violet, feeling conflicted.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t share anything,” Mandy let out a bitter laugh. “Besides, it wouldn’t change anything even if I did.”
Dylan had a feeling this day would come—that Mandy would eventually let Violet know where he’d gone. They were mother and daughter, after all. So, he decided not to pursue his studies in the country Mandy had lined up for him.
Violet’s eyes clouded with disappointment. She hadn’t expected Dylan to walk away so suddenly, just like he had burst into her life back then. Mandy felt a slight pang of regret, but that was it. She tried to get a read on the situation. “So, you and Archer—”
Out of nowhere, a loud ringtone cut through the moment. Violet picked up and immediately heard Valerie’s frantic voice on the other end. “Vi, you’ve got to get back here quick! Something’s happened to Archer!”
Violet returned to the Padden villa and spotted a few foreigners standing outside. Up front was a woman with a cool, distant vibe, watching Archer cry into his hands as if it didn’t even faze her.
Violet recognized her immediately; it was Archer’s ex-wife, Holly Hunt. Valerie waved Violet hurrying over and quickly waved, “Vi, over here!” Everyone turned their attention to Violet. Holly even gave her the once-over. The intensity of Holly’s gaze sent a strange chill racing down Violet’s spine.
Violet walked up to Archer, her eyes locking onto Holly. “Ms. Hunt, what brings you all the way to the Padden villa?”
Holly sneered. “What brings me here? Come on, Ms. Padden, you know better than anyone. You were always hovering around Archer during our years of marriage. I guess we have you to thank for our divorce.”
Violet was baffled. For five years, she’d been overseas every week just to catch a glimpse of Archer. But she’d always kept a low profile, and the gifts she brought were nothing special. Holly stared at her like she was an idiot.
Archer and Holly’s marriage might have happened in a whirlwind, but she truly loved him and hoped he felt the same. Everything changed once she took over the family business and got caught up in restructuring. She began to overlook Archer.
When Holly saw Archer’s Instagram posts, she thought about clearing things up with him but kept getting caught up in endless calls. At the same time, gifts Archer couldn’t have gotten in Marien started showing up around him. Holly checked the security footage and found out Violet had secretly dropped those gifts on their doorstep.
Holly’s anger flared up. She tossed all the gifts right at Archer’s feet, and they got into a fight. In the end, Archer secretly divorced her and returned to the country.
Holly locked eyes with Violet. “Ms. Padden, you must have had quite the upbringing. Even with your own husband, you still can’t seem to stop thinking about someone else’s.” Her words made Violet go pale. “I’m already divorced.”
Archer shot his head up and stared at Violet from behind, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.