Chapter 7

Camilla spotted Jeremy as well. She had just stepped out of the elevator when she heard someone criticizing the Sloan family. As the eldest daughter of the family, it was her responsibility to protect the family's image and reputation, so she immediately rebutted icily.

She never expected Jeremy to be the person speaking ill of the Sloan family behind their backs. No wonder the voice had sounded familiar earlier.

Charlotte turned around as well. The moment she saw Camilla, she could no longer hold herself together. She ran toward her and threw herself into her arms, bursting into tears.

"Camilla…"

Only then did Camilla notice Charlotte and look her over. From her swollen eyes and tear-streaked face, it was clear just how aggrieved she felt.

Had Jeremy really been mean to Charlotte?

Zachary had also heard what Jeremy said just now. With a half-teasing smile, he remarked, "Looks like Jeremy has always been very dissatisfied with the Sloan family. Not only did he bully Charlotte, but he's even insulting the entire family."

Camilla immediately eyed Jeremy coldly. "You have a problem with the Sloan family's upbringing?"

Jeremy calmly looked at the two sisters and chuckled. "Was I wrong in what I said? Do you need me to explain the situation to you in more detail?"

Camilla frowned. More and more people had gathered around them. There were patients who had come to seek treatment as well as medical staff from the hospital.

She gave Kate, who'd just rushed over, a signal to clear the scene. Kate caught on and started dispersing the crowd.

Only then did Camilla turn back to Jeremy. "Come home with me so that we can settle this properly."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and reached out to grab his arm. To her shock, he shook her hand away.

"Why, you!"

Camilla looked at Jeremy in disbelief. In the past, they never would've let things turn this ugly between them in public. But right now…

Jeremy glanced around. Kate was currently working with the hospital security guards to shoo everyone off, but there were still plenty of people watching. Some had even taken out their phones. He smirked at the sight.

Although Jeremy believed the Sloan family would definitely agree to their divorce, there was no guarantee they would accept the agreement he prepared. Instead, they might force him to sign another agreement that was significantly unfair to him.

Therefore, he decided to use this opportunity to issue a warning and secure some leverage for himself.

"The Sloans have excellent upbringing," he replied, his expression mocking. "Take their oldest daughter, for example. She's a married woman, yet she maintains an ambiguous relationship with another man, even making plans to spend the night with him."

The moment those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted.

"What? Ms. Camilla Sloan is married? Isn't she just dating someone?"

"Yeah! It's the guy next to her. I asked him about it before, and he said they were still just dating."

"What the hell? She's married, but she's also dating another man?"

"She's cheating on her husband!"

"I never thought Ms. Sloan, who always looks so stern and unapproachable, would actually do such things behind closed doors…"

The sharp, unpleasant comments reached Camilla's ears. Her face darkened, but it was not because she was worried about herself. She was worried that the rumors would affect the company.

She was about to complete the agreement she'd made with Ralph, so she didn't want an unexpected bump in the road at a time like this.

Seeing that Jeremy was about to speak up again, Camilla snapped harshly, "That's enough!"

Her voice was loud enough that the entire place instantly fell silent. She swept her gaze across everyone, her eyes sharp and her tone so cold it sent chills down everyone's spine.

"I hope everyone will refrain from posting any videos you took tonight online. My assistant will check everyone's phones later. Rest assured that I will provide everyone with satisfactory compensation."

Kate immediately caught her drift and instructed the security guards to surround all entrances while she began checking everyone's phones with a few more guards' help.

Only then did Camilla step forward again. Scowling angrily, she grabbed Jeremy's arm and dragged him toward the office.

Having achieved his goal, Jeremy allowed her to pull him along.

Soon, the two arrived at the office.

Camilla released his arm and glared daggers at him. "Do you even realize what you said just now?"

Jeremy was puzzled by her anger. "Was I wrong?"

Camilla had to force down her emotions. "I promised Zachary that we would hide the fact that I'm married from the outside world. Did you consider what would happen to him if you announced it like that? He's still sick right now. How do you expect him to deal with all those kinds of rumors?"

Jeremy was dumbfounded. Even now, the first person she worried about was still Zachary.

The two stared at each other for a long time. The anger in Camilla's eyes almost turned into a tangible flame.

Suddenly, Jeremy laughed. "What about me?"

Camilla stalled. "What was that?"

Expression calm, Jeremy replied, "You're afraid he can't take the rumors. In that case, how do you think I've felt all these years? Hearing people say how loving my wife and another man were, day after day—do you think I can handle that just fine?"

Camilla instinctively retorted, "How can that be the same? He's—"

Jeremy raised his hand, cutting her off. He finished the sentence for her. It was the same sentence she had repeated thousands of times before.

"Yeah, he's sick, right? Why should I be so petty with a sick person, right? Well, you have nothing to worry about now. I won't care about it anymore."

He slipped his hand into the oversized pocket of his doctor's coat and gripped the divorce agreement he had already signed. They weren't going to stay married for much longer anyway.

Hearing him say that, Camilla instinctively felt relieved. Yet she still felt that something was off about it. As she thought about what had happened today, her anger returned.

"You've disappointed me a lot today. First, you pushed Zachary, and then you made me sign the paperwork to approve your shady attempts to get more money through fraudulent prescriptions. I've already put up with all of that, yet you had the nerve to bully Charlotte and insult my family just now! That's something I can't forgive."

Jeremy snorted mockingly.

"Look at you, happily tossing all these false accusations at me without even bothering to investigate the matter first. As I said, the Sloans sure have excellent upbringing."

Camilla frowned. "I saw it with my own eyes! Are you saying that's not what happened?"

Jeremy stared her in the eye and retorted, "Did you see me push him? When I asked you to sign the paperwork, I also offered to let you check it. Did you?"

As he spoke, he stepped closer. "And just now, do you have any idea why I reprimanded Charlotte? Why I insulted your family?"

Camilla froze. She looked at Jeremy, who was just inches away from her. The scent on him was both familiar and unfamiliar. Could it be that she'd really misunderstood him?

But even so, who was she?

She was the oldest daughter of the Sloan family. She represented them and Sloan Group. Not once had she ever lost at the negotiating table. She alone had the authority to criticize others, never the other way around.

"No matter how badly Charlotte messed up, you shouldn't have been so harsh toward her, and neither should you have turned it into a problem with the Sloan family's upbringing! My parents already think little of you. What makes you think they'll accept you into the family if they found out about what you did?"

Jeremy sneered. "What makes me think they'll accept me into the family? Have you ever thought about whether I want to accept them as my family?"

Camilla's brows furrowed harder. "We come from entirely different social classes. It's perfectly normal for my parents to scorn you. What you need to do is figure out a way to earn their favor, not rant about it in front of me. When it comes to this, Zachary is way better than you. At least he knows how to get on my parents' good side."

Jeremy scoffed in anger. Zachary again. She couldn't go two minutes without mentioning him. Looking her straight in the eye, he said, "There's one other way to resolve this situation."

Camilla narrowed her eyes, a bad feeling rising in her chest.

"No good ever comes from trying to force things. Let's just call it quits," he continued coolly.

She froze in complete shock, doubting her ears.

"What did you just say?"

Jeremy continued to stare right at her as he repeated clearly, "I said, let's get a divorce, Camilla."