Brooke closed her eyes, and clenched her face muscles, bracing herself for the impact that never came. She fearfully opened her eyes, expecting to see a fist right in front of her face.
But instead, her escort had grabbed Ethan's wrist, stopping him from connecting the punch.
"Mr Halton!" The lawyer got up, astonished that Ethan had the nerve to try hit his wife right in front of him.
Ethan tried to retract his hand, but the man's grip was too strong, it was so strong it had started to hurt him a bit.
"Let go!" He roared, too ashamed to say that he was feeling pain from the tight squeeze.
The escort looked to Brooke for permission to let go, which she did by nodding with her eyes closed and her lips pressed together.
Reluctantly, the escort released Ethan, but kept his gaze on him intensely.
Ethan rubbed his wrists together, wondering where Brooke had found such a strong man. Just then, a thought clicked in his head, "Ah, I see what's going on now." Ethan laughed, still rubbing his wrist.
He alternated his gaze from the escort to Brooke, "You brought your boyfriend with you to try and scare me off? Didn't you, you little slut?!"
Once again, the lawyer was left in awe. "Mr Halton-"
"The only slut in this room is you Ethan!" Brooke retorted sharply, clutching even tighter onto the phone Thane had given her. It had the scent of his perfume on it, and it made her feel like he was there with her, calming her and giving her strength.
"What was that?!" Ethan tried to make a move, but the escort stepped in front of Brooke, discouraging such thoughts.
"That's enough out of both of you!" The lawyer announced, grabbing their attention, "Please, can we all calm down and get down to business?" He asked, trying to diffuse the tension.
Brooke nodded, and wheeled to the lawyer's desk, Ethan tried to pull his seat closer to hers, but her escort stood in-between them, blocking his view of her.
The lawyer sighed in relief and picked up the papers, "So, Mr Halton, your wife here has filed for a divorce, on the grounds of domestic violence and abuse-"
"All false claims." Ethan cut him off.
The lawyer didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had just seen this man almost hit his wife, yet he still claimed it was false?
"But she has refused to press charges against you and stated she will not, unless you sign the divorce papers. Now, I'll read over the terms and conditions-"
Once again, Ethan interrupted, "Brooke you must really be insane, first you make all these stories up and now you want me to settle you?" He cracked a grin.
"Is that what all this is about? You ran off with your boyfriend and now you want money?" Ethan continued to laugh, showing no respect for Brooke or for the lawyer.
Brooke swallowed the words she wanted to say and turned her attention to the lawyer. "How fast can we get the divorce done? I want it as quickly as possible."
The lawyer answered, "Depending on Mr Halton's willingness to sign the papers. If he agrees, I can have this finalized in a week or two. But if he continues to resist, we may have to drag this matter in court, which could take months."
Brooke shook her head. No! She couldn't stay married to this man for months.
To Ethan, she said, "You don't even love me, you never have. So why won't you sign these and let me live in peace?"
"In peace? I won't allow it." He sat up straight, "I'll forgive your foolishness if you come back home now, before my patience wears thin." Ethan stated.
Brooke felt defeated, this man was just an impossible boulder than kept weighing her down.
"Then, I guess I'll see you in court." Brooke said, turning to his direction, her escort stepped out of the way so she was looking him straight in the eye.
Ethan was beyond shocked. His wife was always weak willed and would cave in to the slightest pressure.
"Your bluff isn't going to work. How can a nobody like you afford to take me to court..." Just as he was saying that, his eyes landed sight on the phone in her hand.
It was the newest brand in his series and hadn't even been brought into the country. His gaze trailed to the wheelchair she was using, with one look he could tell it was expensive. Even the clothes she had on were miles apart from the casual clothes she usually wore.
Taking a good look at his wife, Ethan couldn't recognize her, she looked like a guarded woman, who was being taken care of by someone else.
He sent a nasty glare at her escort, 'Could he be the one backing her up?'
"Let's go." Brooke announced, her escort nodded, "Yes ma'am." He replied and helped to wheel her out of the office.
'Ma'am?' Ethan raised a brow. Did this man work for his wife? But how was she able to afford it?
Just where did she get all that money from?
**********
Cassie had formerly been disgruntled when the meeting place for her meetup with the Grayson heir was shifted to another location. But upon arriving at the invite only restaurant, Cassie could tell that she made the right choice going against Ethan's order.
While she waited for him, Cassie took a lot of pictures on her phone, of herself and the beautiful decor of the place. Her behavior was a sharp contrast to the other guests who were either silently eating, or indulged in deep conversation.
Twenty minutes into waiting, she got a sudden text, from his assistant, telling her that the appointment was cancelled over an unavoidable emergency.
"What?! How dare he? Just what could be more important than meeting with me?!" Cassie cursed and banged her fist on the table.
No later than ten seconds later, a waitress walked up to Cassie's table, holding a large black bag, and presented it to her.
On sight, Cassie recognized the name of the designer on the exterior.
"Mr Grayson called in advance to apologize for not being able to make the appointment and sends you this as a small apology present." The waitress announced.
Cassie excitedly took out the black box inside and ripped out the bag inside it.
"Oh my good Lord!" She gasped wildly, staring at the black bag with rose gold hardware. It was an authentic design and the only one of five in existence!
Cassie stared at the bag in awe, and in that moment she completely forgot all about her anger, which had now turned into intrigue.
'Now, I just have to meet this heir for myself! This is an opportunity I can't let pass me by!' Cassie thought to herself, as she took out her phone and started a live stream.
Author's Note: Thanks so much for the love guys!
20 votes: 3 chapters mass release. (Votes must add up before the release of the next chapter btw)