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Chapter 16
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Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 17
Gregory glanced sideways at Eleanor, taking in the anticipation on her face.Eleanor said firmly, "That whole situation back then was a mistake. Adam is already in prison and won't be causing any more trouble, while Fiona is too sick to make a difference."Even though Anathea's uncle is still holding things together, the Jacobson family is nothing but a relic of the past. There's no way they'll ever regain their former status."She concluded decisively, "So, you should find a time to finalize the divorce. Once Anathea is out of the picture, you can finally marry Natalie." Her eyes sparkled with excitement at the thought, and she added, "And if you and Nat could give me another grandchild, that would be even better."Gregory didn't respond. He simply took a glass of wine from a passing server and took a slow sip. Eleanor mistook his silence for agreement, and her smile grew even brighter.Sooner or later, she would make sure Anathea was completely gone from the Sinclair family. .
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 18
Thinking back, Anathea realized that if Gregory ever found out she'd secretly taken photos of them, he'd probably make her delete every last one on the spot. That was how much he avoided being seen with her—whether at their wedding or now, during their impending divorce. It was no surprise that no one ever believed she was actually Mrs. Sinclair. Anathea smirked at the thought, but thankfully for her, none of that mattered anymore. She no longer cared about titles or labels. In a month, she'd be leaving the Sinclair family for good."Here, try my creamy white fish chowder!" Brisa suddenly said. Then, she clapped her hands, signaling a maid to bring over the dish. The rich, savory aroma filled the air immediately.The soup was a velvety blend of flaky white fish and tender potatoes, with hints of leeks and garlic, simmered to perfection in a creamy broth. Crisp pancetta added a subtle smokiness, while earthy mushrooms balanced the flavors. It was garnished with fresh chives.An
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 19
Brisa answered, "I was the one who asked Nat to come over and keep me company. I haven't seen her in so long, and I really missed her.""Oh, I see..." Isabel nodded, but she still looked a little puzzled. "But there was a well-dressed woman standing next to Gregory. Do you know who she is, Anathea?""A woman?" Brisa's expression darkened instantly.Anathea noticed the shift and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, but Isabel beat her to it. "Yeah, and she even arrived with Gregory."Brisa's face turned serious as she looked at Anathea. "Wait a minute. I told Arnold to pick you and Gregory up together. How did you get here?"Anathea hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, "I drove myself."Brisa's brows furrowed as she snapped, "Unbelievable! That little brat actually left you to drive here alone?""Grandma, actually—" Anathea tried to explain, but Brisa cut her off. "Don't defend him!"Anathea rarely saw Brisa this angry, so she swallowed her words and stayed
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 20
"But—" Anathea wanted to say that now wasn't the time to expose her status. After all, the last thing she needed was more unnecessary trouble. The abduction incident still haunted her, and she never wanted to go through anything like that again."No buts!" Isabel cut her off without hesitation. "Anathea, you can't back down. Just think about it—you're gorgeous, you've got an amazing figure, and you carry yourself with absolute grace and elegance. That other woman is nothing compared to you!"Before she could continue, the sound of a gentle piano melody floated through the air.In the center of the garden, a woman in an elegant sky-blue gown sat at the grand piano on a stage surrounded by blue roses. Her slender fingers danced effortlessly across the black and white keys, each note forming a melody so mesmerizing that it seemed to take on a life of its own, wrapping around her before drifting outward.The beautiful rhythm resonated through the crowd, captivating everyone who lis
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 21
The crowd whispered among themselves, and someone could be heard saying, "Opening the first dance at Madam Eleanor's birthday party... That says a lot about how much she favors that young lady.""Absolutely. Just look at the way Madam Eleanor looks at her with pure admiration."Another chimed in, "And dancing with Mr. Sinclair himself? That has to mean something, right?""Isn't he a father? No one's ever confirmed who the child's mother is. What if it's her? What if she's the future Mrs. Sinclair?""She's stunning and incredibly talented. No wonder he's kept her out of the public eye. Anyone would want to protect a woman like that." Anathea listened to the speculative murmurs around her, her expression unreadable. However, Isabel was furious. She didn't care how talented or beautiful Natalie was—being a homewrecker was still disgusting.And now, Natalie had the audacity to take Gregory's hand and dance with him in front of everyone, as if declaring herself the rightful Mrs. Sinc
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 22
Isabel frowned when she heard the crowd praising Natalie and Gregory. She glanced at Anathea, only to notice the latter's unfazed expression. It was almost as if she was used to such commentary.An uneasiness settled within Isabel. She felt disgruntled as she recalled the time her ex-boyfriend had cheated on her. If she ever ran into the trollop who'd ruined her relationship again, she swore she'd make her pay.At that moment, Natalie took Gregory's hand and twirled around him before he pulled her in by the waist and dipped her. As she went down, she turned her face to Isabel and Anathea.Anathea narrowed her eyes when she noticed the territorial gleam and provocation in Natalie's gaze. It was as though Natalie was saying Gregory was so taken with her that Anathea no longer meant anything to him.However, Anathea remained straight-faced as she stared at Natalie, looking completely bored with the childish mind games the latter had cooked up.But Isabel's eyes widened, and her voice
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 23
The sophisticated champagne tower toppled over with a loud crash. The glasses shattered into pieces, and everyone in the crowd watched with abject horror as Isabel and Natalie lay on the ground.Save for a small cut on her face, Isabel was relatively unharmed by the broken glass thanks to her jacket. But Natalie wasn't so lucky; her face was fine, but her dress left much of her skin exposed, and the broken glass had left tiny cuts on her arms.The golden pink of the champagne mixed with blood formed a jarring sight."Nat!" Eleanor cried in alarm as she ran over to inspect Natalie's wounds.Anathea limped over to Isabel, who'd eased herself upright.Isabel seemed shocked as she gaped at Natalie's unmoving form on the ground. It was like she'd passed out. Isabel didn't remember being too forceful with Natalie. More importantly, she'd nearly lost a chunk of her hair courtesy of the latter's vicious grip.And yet, it was Natalie who'd blacked out from the fight, not Isabel. It was
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 24
Isabel hated herself for being so impulsive earlier. Natalie was the homewrecker, but by picking a fight with her, Isabel had made her look like the innocent damsel-in-distress destined to marry Gregory. The incident had also put Anathea in a precarious position with Gregory.But Isabel was sure of one thing—Natalie was the man-stealing whore who'd come between her and her ex-boyfriend. She couldn't believe Natalie would deny having done something like that and still dare to seduce Gregory! She should've known better than to see Gregory as her role model since she was young. Men were all the same after all!"Is Gregory blind or something?" Isabel seethed. "How could he leave an angel like you for a trollop like Natalie? Just thinking about it pisses me off! Ow, ow—Anathea, that hurts! Gentle dabbing, please!"Anathea dabbed an iodine-soaked cotton bud on the cut on Isabel's cheek. When she saw the latter wincing and gritting her teeth in pain, she chuckled. "You need to learn yo
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Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 160
"Speed up," Gregory said suddenly.Dexter flinched in surprise and glanced uneasily at the current speed. It was already close to 60 miles per hour."Speed up!" Gregory ordered again."Yes, sir!" Dexter's heart skipped a beat as he pressed down harder on the gas.What was originally a 30-minute drive was cut down to 15.By the time Dexter finally brought the car to a stop, his facial muscles were twitching, and his right foot wouldn't stop shaking.Cyrus looked surprised when he saw Gregory. "Mr. Sinclair?"Gregory rarely came back this early.Gregory stepped out and slammed the car door shut behind him with a loud bang. His heavy footsteps echoed as he strode into the house."When was the last time Anathea came back here?" he asked."About a week ago. She hasn't returned since the day she left." Cyrus was confused. "Is something wrong?"Something was very wrong.That meant ever since that night Anathea had walked out, she hadn't come back. If it hadn't been for that whole
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 159
As Gregory watched Xander's face scrunch up in distress, he was at a loss.Because of his busy work schedule, he rarely had time to spend with Xander. To him, Xander was just someone he was connected to by blood. There wasn't much emotional attachment beyond that.As the CEO of Sinclair Group, Gregory could handle major projects and manage relationships with shareholders and directors with ease, but he had no idea how to handle a crying child. Right now, watching Xander cry so hard, he didn't know what to do.Xander continued sobbing while repeating, "I want Mom! I want Mom! Did I make her angry? Is that why she doesn't want me anymore?"Gregory's head was pounding from the sound of Xander's crying. He glanced at his phone and saw that Anathea still hadn't responded to his message.What was going on with her?A cold anger formed at the edges of Gregory's brow.Could Anathea really be so heartless that she didn't care about Xander at all? If she didn't care about Xander, did that
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 158
Gregory's expression darkened in an instant. He quickly stood up and called the family doctor, Mateo Nielsen, to head over to Xander's location.When they arrived at Natalie's house, they found Xander collapsed on the floor. His face was flushed bright red."Xander!" Gregory rushed forward and lifted him into his arms. When he checked Xander's forehead, he found it burning hot.Xander had a fever."Dad…" Xander weakly opened his eyes. His throat felt like it was on fire, and his whole body ached.Usually, when he felt like this, Anathea would be by his side. She would stay up all night to care for him and check his temperature again and again.He suddenly missed her. "Where's Mom? I want… Mom…"Gregory didn't respond. Instead, he handed Xander over to Mateo, who quickly started checking his temperature and running tests."Mr. Xander has been eating too much unhealthy food lately, which caused an infection and triggered this high fever," Mateo explained. He gave Xander an inject
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 157
Every year on their wedding anniversary, Anathea would cook an entire feast by hand, bake a cake, and wait for him to come home.She'd been a devoted wife, always doing her part to hold the marriage together. That was proof of just how much she cherished it.Gregory's eyes lingered on Anathea's WhatsApp profile picture. It had been taken five years ago on their wedding day by a staff photographer.She was sitting in front of the wedding cake in her wedding dress. With her eyes gently closed, she clasped her hands together as she made a wish.His finger brushed lightly across her serene profile on the screen, as if he could sense the joy she'd been feeling in that moment.He couldn't help but wonder what Anathea had wished for that day. Probably a long, happy marriage with him. Yet they didn't even have a single wedding photo together.Gregory pressed his lips into a thin line.When Anathea prepared all those things on every anniversary, she must've been hoping he'd make even the
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 156
Gregory rubbed his temple.Only now did he realize just how ridiculous and irrational his actions had been. Everything he'd done was completely unlike him. But why?He couldn't make sense of it.As Adrian studied the flicker of emotions on his face, a glint of mischief lit up his eyes. Smiling, he asked, "Greg, wanna guess what I just saw in you?""What?" Gregory frowned. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be anything good.Just as he expected, Adrian said, "A jealous husband. That's what I saw."His words were like a stone tossed into a seemingly calm lake—one that had long been churning beneath the surface. At once, wave after wave stirred in the silence of Gregory's chest.He froze.A jealous husband? Was he jealous over Anathea?The realization hit him like a jolt.As Adrian watched him, he'd already pieced things together in his mind. Gregory's feelings for Anathea weren't just about possessiveness. He likely had had feelings for her for a while now, though he had
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 155
Gregory paused for a moment at Adrian's words. He tightened his grip on his phone and replied coldly, "I'm coming over now."In the garage, the silver-black Maybach gleamed under the lights."Who would've thought this car would end up rear-ending someone like that?" Adrian clicked his tongue. "I remember your driving skills were always top-notch. How could you crash this badly?"Gregory didn't answer, but Adrian didn't need him to. He quickly accessed the Maybach's dashcam footage and saw the scene from the accident."My God, you actually did it on purpose?" Adrian exclaimed. "Greg, you've got quite the temper!"Gregory pressed his lips together. His tone was laced with displeasure as he asked, "You called me here just to show me this?""Of course not." Adrian chuckled. "Let's see what really pushed the usually unflappable Mr. Sinclair to lose control."As he said that, he pushed the laptop toward Gregory and hit the play button.The video showed Anathea and Thomas maintaining
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 154
Gregory liked resilient and tough women, didn't he?As she talked, Natalie casually brought up the "Modern Tranquility" exhibition. "With Ms. Langley's piece anchoring the show, it was a huge success. Looks like it didn't make a difference whether Ms. Jacobson's work was there or not."She said it lightly, but her words were deliberate. The implication was clear—Anathea was replaceable.In reality, once Anathea's work had been taken out, attendance for the exhibition had dropped by nearly half. But Natalie only paid attention to the high-profile guests. Ordinary people didn't count in her eyes.Gregory didn't respond. He remembered agreeing to remove Anathea's piece. He could still recall the look in her eyes back then—stubborn, but faintly pleading. And he'd ignored it.He pressed his lips into a firm line.Natalie tried to continue the conversation, but Gregory leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. He was clearly no longer interested in talking.Seeing this, Natalie fe
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 153
Compared to Theo's agitation, Gregory remained calm. "So? What's the issue? Isn't this exactly what all of you have been pushing for?"Theo was caught off guard.That was true. Both he and Eleanor had repeatedly urged Gregory to divorce Anathea and marry Natalie. But now that Gregory had agreed to take Natalie to the party, Theo had turned around and asked if he even knew the real purpose.It was a little contradictory."I…" Theo opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Still, uncertainty lingered in his voice as he asked, "Have you… really moved on?""Yeah." A flicker of something unreadable passed through Gregory's eyes.Noticing no hesitation in Gregory's response, Theo assumed he was finally getting things back on track. After a reassuring pat on his shoulder, Theo took a seat when Eleanor called them to eat.Natalie was thrilled that Gregory had agreed to attend the party with her. It was as good as acknowledging her as his wife.Delighted, she took the initiative to
Why the Crocodile Tears? Chapter 152
"I asked him to come. It's been a while since we've all had a meal together, and I thought it would be nice to catch up. It's not too much to ask, is it?" Eleanor said, glancing over at Gregory.Gregory's expression stayed neutral. He walked up to her and greeted softly, "Hi, Mom."Eleanor nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips.The harmony they displayed in front of others was in sharp contrast to the tension in the car the other night. It was almost jarring.But neither of them seemed to mind. They wore the masks of a devoted son and a kind mother without missing a beat."Greg, take a look. What do you think of Nat's work?" Eleanor asked.Natalie looked up at him with eyes full of hope. She didn't care what the others said. She only cared about what Gregory thought.Gregory merely glanced over briefly and muttered, "It's fine."The same piece everyone else had raved about got a measly "it's fine" from Gregory. Eleanor's smile froze, and Blake looked just as uncomfortable.
