Jared had a point. With my newfound perspective, parenting no longer felt like a suffocating trap, so I didn’t outright reject the idea.
“I’ll teach her when I have time,” I conceded. Yvonne’s progress was the real reason for my shift. Had she remained the spoiled, disrespectful child from my previous life, I would’ve walked away without a second thought. But now, she was improving daily, reaching out to me willingly. I could meet her halfway, though my heart, once broken, remained guarded. No matter how much I played the part of a mother, I couldn’t love her as recklessly as before.
Jared smiled. “Thank you.”
I lowered my head to eat, ending the conversation there.
Jared didn’t eat much. His assistant, ever perceptive, brought him a glass of red wine and offered me a fruit cocktail. I eyed the drink but didn’t touch it.
Jared glanced over, amusement in his gaze. “What? Afraid I spiked it?”
Honestly, the thought had crossed my mind. Jared was like a starving predator right now. Who knew what he was capable of? The fact that he’d once asked me about paying three million for one night proved he was bordering on obsession.
“Tell me the truth,” I said, shifting the topic to something that would really grab his attention. “Did you transfer me to Shaville because you knew Nathan and I were getting close?”
His gaze locked onto mine, unreadable for a long moment before he finally admitted, “Yes. That was part of it.”
“Since when did you become so petty?” I scoffed.
Jared swirled his wineglass, his tone deceptively light. “I’ve always been petty. You just never noticed before.”
“Now that we’re divorced, you still think you can control me?” I smirked.
The words seemed to hit him. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Human emotions are complicated. I don’t want to keep orbiting around you, but… sometimes I can’t help it.”
His eyes lingered on my face. “You’ve changed, you know. Your insights, your mindset, your decisiveness… It’s like you’re evolving every day.”
“Just proves my point,” I said coolly. “You have to love yourself first before anyone else can.”
“In theory, yes.” He took a slow sip of wine. “The day we signed the divorce papers, I went to church. Spoke to a priest.
“He told me I should only ever have one wife, that she’s where my fortune lies. If I remarry, I’ll lose everything.”
I nearly choked. Jared, the man who’d never believed in God, consulting a priest? That was almost laughable. “Oh? Then you’d better treat me well. After all, I did bring you good luck.”
Jared chuckled, but there was something raw in his gaze. “So now I want to treat you better. Will you let me?”
“No,” I said simply. “I’m afraid Nathan might get jealous. He’s a good man, sincere. I won’t hurt him.”
Jared’s expression froze. My words mirrored exactly what he’d once said about me to others.
His voice was barely steady. “You never cared about love. You said you wanted to play the field. Why do his feelings matter now?”
I arched a brow. “Unlike you, I don’t keep one foot in and one foot out. When I commit, I commit fully. And right now, that means considering his emotions.”
Jared’s hand on the table clenched slightly, veins bulging visibly beneath his skin. “Victoria, is he really that much better?” His voice was thick with anger. “You divorced me for him, didn’t you?”
My expression hardened. “I left for myself. I’d backed myself into a dead end and chose a new path.
“Nathan’s like… a strong oak by the roadside. Offers shade when I’m weary, support when I stumble. Even blooms flowers to cheer me, bears fruit when I’m hungry.” I met his gaze squarely. “Why wouldn’t I cherish such a man?”
Jared’s eyes dropped to my new wristwatch. “His gift too?”
I admired the timepiece with deliberate grace. “Obviously.”
With a loud thud, Jared slammed down his whiskey glass and stormed out. I hailed a cab home shortly after.
The next morning, my ex-mother-in-law Sally called. It was her first contact since the divorce. Worried something might have happened to Yvonne, I answered immediately. Instead, I got an earful of venom.
“Victoria! Why haven’t you quit Jared’s company yet? How much more blood do you plan to suck from him?” Sally’s shrill voice accused.
I blinked in disbelief. Since when did earning a legitimate salary become “bloodsucking”?
“I submitted my resignation yesterday. Your son declined it. Besides,” I kept my tone professional, “my career is progressing well. I see no reason to leave.”
“All those years I praised you for being sensible.” Sally’s pitch climbed higher. “Turns out you’re just another scheming seductress! Because of you, Jared’s cut contact with Tracy.”
Ah. The real issue surfaced. My existence was blocking the Holcomb family’s preferred replacement daughter-in-law.
“Sally, you’re mistaken. Jared and I interact strictly professionally. Whatever’s happening with Tracy has nothing to do with me.” My voice remained steady despite my tightening grip on the phone.
“Don’t play innocent!” she snapped. “If it weren’t for you, Jared wouldn’t be ignoring Tracy. She was my perfect choice for a daughter-in-law. She even promised me a grandson.”
“Victoria, after everything the Holcomb family has done for you, the least you could do is disappear from Jared’s life. I’m begging you.” Her voice was frayed with desperation. Clearly, her obsession with securing a grandson had reached new heights.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the cityscape below. Should I back down? But then, why was I always expected to prioritize other people’s feelings over my own?
That had been my fatal flaw in my previous life: being too afraid to say no, too willing to suffer in silence. But truly shrewd people never sacrifice themselves for others.
“Sorry, but Jared and Tracy’s issues are theirs to resolve, not mine,” I said, my voice icy.
“How is this not your problem? If you weren’t clinging to Jared, he’d have moved on by now!” she accused.
I laughed. “Sally, if Jared can’t find a girlfriend, that’s hardly my problem. After all, I’ve already moved on.”
“What?” Her voice sharpened with disbelief. “You have a boyfriend!”