Chapter 249

This divorce agreement was exactly the same as the one Stella had wanted last time, where she asked for an equal division of assets. But Haynes wasn’t having it. He wanted her to walk away with nothing. Stella, tired of the entanglement, finally agreed.

However, on the day they were supposed to meet at the courthouse, he stood her up. Stella realized something important: if she didn’t fight for herself, no one else would.

Haynes’s face darkened. “Stella, is it fun for you to keep using divorce as a threat? Just because I missed one appointment, you have to raise a fuss over and over again?”

“If you’re really that upset about it, tomorrow… no, right now, we can go out. You can choose where to go.”

Stella looked at Haynes as if he had completely lost his mind. “A date? Haynes, are you out of your mind? I asked you to meet at the courthouse to finalize our divorce, and you think I wanted to go on a date?”

Thinking of Rachel’s interference and Jasper’s mocking, Stella guessed that Jasper might have said something to Haynes. She mocked, “I say I want a divorce, and you all think I’m trying to get your attention. I ask you to meet at the courthouse, and you think it’s a ploy for a date.”

“If that’s how you interpret plain English, then let me ask you this…” Stella’s eyes, strikingly clear, fixed on Haynes’s handsome face. “What will it take for you to believe that I genuinely want a divorce from you?”

The question hit Haynes like a sledgehammer, leaving him momentarily stunned. Seeing his silence, Stella continued, her tone calm.

“Of course, you can keep thinking I’m playing games to get your attention, but just so you know… I’m not signing Jasper’s release papers. Even if his time in holding isn’t long, having a record is enough to shake the foundation of his career in your prestigious family.” Haynes’s eyes narrowed. “Stella, how can you be so cruel?”

“Cruel?” Stella chuckled without anger. “Wasn’t it cruel when your dear friend insulted me, hurled abuses, and went on a rampage? Now that he’s facing the consequences, you call me cruel?”

Though Stella was smiling, her eyes seemed to have frozen over. “If fairness is cruelty, then maybe you shouldn’t live in this world, because it would poison you.”

Haynes locked eyes with her, his gaze intense and overbearing. “Stella, are you absolutely sure you want to divorce me?”

Stella met Haynes’s gaze without flinching. “Absolutely.”

“Fine,” Haynes nodded. “The same terms as before: you leave with nothing, and I’ll sign the divorce papers.”

Stella couldn’t help but laugh at Haynes’s condescending attitude. “Haynes, you’re the one who needs me now, not the other way around. If you want to sign and end this amicably, that’s great. If you don’t, it’s all the same to me. We can take this to court. But your best buddy might have to endure some more hardship.”

“I heard Jasper scratched himself up pretty badly, almost ruining his face. Even if the wounds heal, he might end up with scars. After all, his face got into contact with some of Mr. Burton’s concoctions, and some of those are pretty toxic.” Jasper nearly tore Mr. Burton’s clinic apart, and now Mr. Burton can’t stand him and refuses…