Chapter 4

Timothy's arrival interrupted Mom. He was as polite and courteous as ever, yet he carried an air of innate superiority. He said, "Peter, Elizabeth. Sorry to keep you waiting."

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Fortunately, he didn't embarrass my parents or make them feel humiliated.

"No, it's fine. We just got here. We were chatting with Josie, so we didn't wait long at all!"

"You can go ahead and finish up whatever you were doing if you're not done. We're fine just talking here."

I lowered my head. "Come on, Mom. Let's eat."

Timothy sat at the head of the dining table. My parents and I sat on either side of him.

Dad looked hesitant as he carefully scrutinized Timothy's expression. His tone was almost groveling as he finally said, "Timothy, I have a favor to ask…"

Timothy said, "I know. York Group has been facing some difficulties lately. Don't worry about the funding. Did you bring the contract?"

Dad nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, of course."

Timothy said, "I'll sign it later tonight, and Josie can send it back to you tomorrow. The funds will be transferred to York Group by Friday at the latest."

His words instantly lifted a weight off both Mom's and Dad's shoulders. Their faces broke into relieved smiles as they thanked him profusely.

"Josie is my wife. It's only right for me to help her family through tough times," Timothy said.

His words dispelled Mom's earlier doubts. Being a straightforward person, she didn't beat around the bush when she spoke. She smiled warmly and said, "Seeing you and Josie doing so well puts my mind at ease!

"When I saw the news about Yasmin Beech's sugar daddy yesterday, I actually thought it might be you. The worry had kept me up all night!"

Timothy and I stiffened at her words, but we quickly changed the subject.

After they left, I slipped the divorce agreement in with the last page of Dad's contract and brought them to the study.

…

In the study, Timothy was handling work emails at his desk. The warm light outlined his cold features. I used to adore this focused, serious side of him.

I sighed softly and handed him the contract, saying, "This is the contract my dad asked me to give you to sign. Take a look at it, please."

He glanced at me and smiled when he saw that I wasn't arguing with him anymore. "So, you've finally learned where to draw the line."

"Yeah. Thanks for helping my family." I thanked him, swallowing my grief.

Before signing, Timothy said, "By the way, I need to tell you something. The media's been too nosy lately, so I'm planning to move Yasmin and Daphne in here. Horizon Bay is the most private villa district in Seavale, so it's safer for them to stay here."

A suffocating pain gripped my heart. How could I have forgotten that he was a shrewd businessman? Every favor he gave came with a price. He hadn't helped the York family for nothing.

I forced out a single word. "Fine."

He continued, "Also, I'd like Daphne and Yasmin to stay in the master bedroom. We want to give Daphne a sense of—"

"Yeah, you don't need to explain anything. I get it," I interrupted. "I'll move to the guest room. The master bedroom is yours and hers."

Timothy didn't even belong to me anymore. Why would I care about a bedroom?

I pointed to the contract after agreeing to his terms. "Can you sign now? It's urgent."

Timothy didn't say anything else and started signing.

The further he went, the more nervous I got—the last page was the divorce agreement I'd slipped in.