Chapter 229

“Mom, this is business. Stay out of it,” Jared cut in, his voice hard as steel. He turned his gaze to me. “Victoria, don’t quit. You poured your soul into that hotel. Are you really going to walk away before you see what it becomes?”

“Jared, why are you being so sweet to her?” Sally complained. “She’s hell-bent on divorcing you. She doesn’t love you anymore. Stop chasing after her like…”

“Mom,” Jared said again. He never took his eyes off me as he cut her off. “There is nothing wrong with my marriage. Victoria and I are fine.”

Yvonne slowly lifted her face from Jared’s shoulder. Her gaze found mine. “Mom,” she whispered, “please don’t divorce Daddy. I won’t talk to other ladies like Tracy.”

I froze at her words. Yvonne wiped her nose and said, “Are you mad at me? I used to say Tracy was nice and that I liked her, but I actually like you more–because you’re my mom.”

“Yvonne, stop this nonsense,” Sally cut in, her voice sharp. “You told me how wonderful Tracy was. What’s with the sudden change of heart?”

Yvonne ducked her head, nervously twisting her fingers. “Tracy is nice,” she mumbled. “But… she’s nice to her nephew, too.

“On our trip, her nephew shoved me down, and she ran to help him first. It really hurt, and she didn’t even check on me.”

A ripple of surprise went through the adults at the table. A bitter, knowing smile touched my lips. Yvonne finally had her first lesson in human nature.

Jared, however, was surprisingly gentle. “Listen, sweetie,” he said softly. “Tracy is nice to you because she likes me. If she didn’t… she probably wouldn’t be so nice to you. It’s that simple.”

“Jared, for heaven’s sake,” Sally gasped. “How can you tell a child something like that?”

“Because Victoria was right,” Jared said, his voice firm. “Yvonne is starting school soon. She needs to learn to see people for who they are. I want her street-smart, not naive. Sugarcoating everything isn’t gonna help her.”

Yvonne nodded hard. “I’ll try my best to learn, Dad.”

“Jared, Tracy lost the baby,” Sally said, her voice rising with desperation. “She said she’s coming back here to work. She wants to be with you. She loves you, and you two go way back. She’s a perfect match for you.”

“Mom, a perfect match isn’t the same thing as a wife,” Jared said deadpan. “Two ambitious, strong-willed people like us… We make great business partners. We would make a terrible married couple.”

Sally was stunned into silence. I looked up at Jared. He might be trying to defend me now, but I was over it. I just didn’t care anymore.

With no one else to attack, Sally turned her fury on me. “So, Victoria, are you really that determined to divorce my son? You’d better not regret it.”

I looked straight at Jared and said firmly, “Yes, I want this divorce. And I won’t regret a thing.”

Jared’s face went pale. Yvonne buried her face in his chest, her body trembling with quiet sobs.

Jared softly ran his fingers through Yvonne’s hair and pressed a gentle kiss to her head. “Don’t cry, sweetie,” he whispered. “Mommy’s just upset. She doesn’t mean it.”

“I mean every word,” I stated. “I can keep handling the hotel stuff. And that payment you promised me? The one due six months after the divorce? Don’t try to weasel out of it.”

Jared squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “If you’re worried about it,” he said, his voice tight, “I’ll transfer the money to you tomorrow.”

“Jared, what money? How much did you promise her?” Sally practically screamed. “Don’t be a fool.”

Jared replied coolly, “Mom, this isn’t your business.”

“Not my business?” she shot back. “She’s playing on your guilt to get a bigger payout. Can’t you see that, you idiot?”

My heart sank. Sally was sharp as a tack. She had seen right through my plan.

“You’re wrong, Mom,” he said softly. “Victoria doesn’t play games like that. She’s not capable of it. She’s just… a simple person. So incredibly.”