Chapter 139

Haynes’ deep eyes flickered with a shadow of emotion. The tensions between Stella, him, and Keen were their own family affair. But now, things had escalated to a point where Stella and his mother were at each other’s throats. That morning, his mother had called him. She’d laid it down thick, saying that if he didn’t divorce Stella, he shouldn’t bother reaching out to her again. Yesterday, Stella had slapped him right in front of his mother, clearly not caring about leaving any room for reconciliation.

“Stella, what’s gotten into you lately? You weren’t like this before.”

Stella replied coldly, “You think I’ve changed because you’re not getting the benefits you used to.”

“And what about me? In this marriage, what have I got besides an unfaithful husband, a child who looks down on me, and your mother’s insults?”

Haynes was silent for a few seconds before he spoke, “No matter what, she’s still your elder. You shouldn’t have—”

Stella cut him off with a laugh before he could finish.

“Did you enjoy those slaps last night? Want me to give you a few more so you can enjoy it a bit longer?”

At the mention of this, Haynes’ expression turned icy.

“Stella.”

Stella leaned back, unfazed. “What, it hurts when it’s your face? Where were you when your mother was slapping me? Why didn’t you stand up for me?”

“And you know why your mother always feels she can treat me however she wants?”

She looked him straight in the eye, enunciating each word.

“Because she knows, no matter what she does to me, you’ll never stand up for me or fight for what’s right.”

Haynes was momentarily at a loss for words.

Stella didn’t care for his response, her tone indifferent. “I’ve sent you the divorce papers. Sign them before Ms. Pearce passes away. After all, there’s a cooling-off period for divorce.”

As Stella was about to leave, Haynes’ voice stopped her.

“Stella, do you know why I married you?”

Stella’s expression was cold. “Because I was pregnant.”

“Exactly,” Haynes’ voice was cool. “Because I wanted our child to have a complete family.”

The O’Brien family seemed simple enough, with Deanna having only Haynes and Callie. But it was complicated, too. Haynes was six years older than Callie, yet they were half-siblings, sharing the same mother but different fathers. Over the years with Haynes, Stella had learned a thing or two about the O’Brien family. Deanna had Haynes out of wedlock, and no one knew who his father was. Back when Deanna was younger, society wasn’t as accepting as it is now. Raising a child with an unknown father brought a lot of judgment and disdain. Even with her decent background, Deanna and Haynes faced a lot of gossip. Deanna’s parents were so upset by the situation that they passed away early, leaving Deanna alone with her son and a struggling O’Brien Corporation.

In her prime, Deanna was a force of nature. When her parents passed, she seized control of the O’Brien Corporation—not as a caretaker, but as its undisputed ruler. The old guard at the company tried every trick in the book to undermine her authority. As her only son, Deanna had high expectations for Haynes and was extremely strict with him. If he came home complaining about being bullied, instead of comfort, Deanna would scold him for being weak and give him a harsh lesson.

Despite her strength and savvy, Deanna was losing ground to the sly foxes at O’Brien Corporation, and her power was slowly being eroded.