Kael replied in the calmest and most indifferent tone, “Got it, Dad.”
Only after watching Teddy fall asleep did Kael finally leave and head to Jovita’s room. The sound of a woman’s curses still filled the air.
“Please give my mom a sedative.”
Kalea stood off to the side, staring at him in shock, as if she wanted to say something but ultimately held it in.
“Kalea, stay here and look after Mom and Dad. I need to deal with some matters at the company.”
“Okay.”
Once outside the hospital, Kael took a deep breath. After getting into the car, he lit a cigarette. Everything that had happened tonight replayed vividly in his mind.
Naomi betrayed him, and that’s why she told everyone about the divorce?
He scoffed. Naomi, that woman, betray him? Ridiculous.
It was absurd—like something out of a fantasy. He never thought Naomi would actually sign the divorce pape
As soon as those words left her mouth, the other end of the call went dead silent. For a moment, there was nothing—then suddenly, a teenage voice exploded through the speaker, full of outrage.“Holy crap, Naomi! Did you seriously get yourself a new guy?!”The outburst made Atlas frown. He didn’t recognize the voice, but the way this kid spoke to Naomi—it definitely didn’t sound like a stranger.Naomi looked at Atlas awkwardly, then brought the phone closer to her mouth.“Uh… excuse me? Who is this?”The voice sounded weirdly familiar, like someone she should know—but she couldn’t quite place it.There was another long pause, and then suddenly—an avalanche of cursing.Yeah. Full-on cursing.“Damn!”“Was it that bastard Kael?!”“I swear I’ll burn the whole Rhodes family to the ground!”“Tha
“Uh… am I supposed to know who the lead actor is?”Honestly, that was way beyond Naomi’s understanding. In her eyes, she was just a small-time actress. It didn’t matter who the lead was—as long as she did her part well, that was enough.But in Atlas’s eyes, it was a completely different story. Everyone on the production team had spent a lot of time with Naomi lately, and he couldn’t allow anything to happen to her.Atlas gently patted her head. “It’s okay. If you don’t know, you don’t need to.”Naomi smiled at him gratefully. “Then… can I livestream from here?”
Kael felt his heart go numb. “She… signed it?”He remembered that day clearly—the restlessness that consumed him after leaving the villa. To him, the marriage had always felt like something she’d forced on him. He’d placed the divorce papers in the study on the very day they got married. And on his birthday night, he’d pulled them out in front of Naomi—not to end things, but to scare her.After that, when Mario called the next day—right before he flew abroad—he’d been told to manage everything related to Naomi.On the other end of the line, Mario’s heart skipped a beat.“Mr. Rhodes… when Miss Swift went through with the divorce, I tried to reach you. But you told me to handle everything concerning her, so…”His voice trailed off, uncertain.To Kael, those words hit like a bomb going off in his head.His whole body stiffened. For a moment,
Kael replied in the calmest and most indifferent tone, “Got it, Dad.”Only after watching Teddy fall asleep did Kael finally leave and head to Jovita’s room. The sound of a woman’s curses still filled the air.“Please give my mom a sedative.”Kalea stood off to the side, staring at him in shock, as if she wanted to say something but ultimately held it in.“Kalea, stay here and look after Mom and Dad. I need to deal with some matters at the company.”“Okay.”Once outside the hospital, Kael took a deep breath. After getting into the car, he lit a cigarette. Everything that had happened tonight replayed vividly in his mind.Naomi betrayed him, and that’s why she told everyone about the divorce?He scoffed. Naomi, that woman, betray him? Ridiculous.It was absurd—like something out of a fantasy. He never thought Naomi would actually sign the divorce pape
Kael stood frozen in the same position, eyes filled with shock and fury. It was as if he couldn’t believe the one who slapped him was Naomi—the woman who’d always claimed to love him.Naomi lowered her eyes and murmured, “I’m fine, Atty.”Seeing how in sync the two of them were, Kael felt even more bitter. “Naomi, do you even know what you’re doing? Do you have no shame or sense of decency?”Atlas immediately pulled Naomi behind him. “Mr. Rhodes, I suggest you show some respect. My wife is none of your concern. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you understand what it means to cross the Knox family.”“Bullshit! When was Naomi ever your wife?!”Just as the two men were about to come to blows, Melvin chuckled and interjected, “Mr. Rhodes, you still have the mood to come to a bar? Looks like your parents are just fine then?”The air went still in an instant.
Atlas frowned and immediately called a waiter over, asking for a glass of peppermint tea.Normally, something like that wouldn't be available in a bar. But since the drunk person happened to be the boss, the waiter naturally obliged without hesitation.“Thinking of leaving?”Atlas glanced at someone who had drunk themselves into a mess, clearly not in the mood to deal with a drunkard.Naomi looked at Melvin and said sweetly, “Atty, let’s wait for Melvin to sober up. This bar actually has quite the vibe.”They weren’t in a private room, just tucked into a dim booth in the main hall.Atlas knew the girl was in the mood to play, so he didn’t stop her. Instead, he just let her lean against him and quietly watch the people dancing on stage....Danna, once a rising star in the overseas entertainment industry, had returned to Elaris. As expected, her comeback instantly shot her to the top of