บททั้งหมดของ Dear Ex-wife, You're More Than A Substitute: บทที่ 191 - บทที่ 200

Tessa’s POVBy the time I returned home from the courthouse, I felt completely dry on the inside. I had cried all the way home. My stepmother had been trying to console me but I was inconsolable.The silence in the house made everything worse somehow. Too quiet. Too empty. Zane who would have put a smile, even if it was a fake smile on my face was at Harley’s house. Harley hired a babysitter for him, because she had some things to attend to. Oh, what would I do without her? I stood in the middle of the living room staring blankly around me while my stepmother slowly removed her scarf near the entrance. Neither of us spoke immediately. Firstly it was awkward being this close to her. My head still replayed Sophia’s words over and over again. Richard has a baby mama. A son in Thailand. When? How? What happened? My eyes watered and I looked up and they all managed to go back inside. Every single thought felt like broken glass scraping inside my chest. To think he was cheating all alon

Tessa’s POV One week later. THE CEO’S TELECOMS MEETING. “Time’s up,” my voice cut clean through the room as I slammed the door open and strode into the boardroom, heels echoing softly across the polished floor. Every step I took made me aware of the many eyes on me. Dozens of heads turned to me. I watched their faces. Annoyance first. Confusion next. Then curiosity. “You are here early,” a man rose, a small smile playing on his lips. “I didn’t know you would be here by now.” “You don’t want me to be here, Chamberlin?” I snapped at him. He laughed nervously. He was the chameleon Madam Clarisse introduced me to that day. She said, there was a specific way of talking to Chamberlain to keep him scared of betraying you. He was a loser but useful. “No, not at all.” He laughed nervously. “Excuse me? Who is she, Chamberlain?” A man with a horrible-looking, purple suit sprang up. I resisted the urge to laugh. No wonder he was a joker. He turned to me. “This is a closed session, not a

After I was reinstated on the board of directors and as a shareholder, three things happened that scared me. I wondered if we would win this fight against Sophia and her minions.“Sophia poached most of my clients from my company, my personal company.”“Most of the workers under Richard began to go over to Sophia's department and pledge allegiance to her.”“The company was falling in the stock market.”It was hard getting the company out of Sophia's control. But it will be harder to have people rally around us, to save a failing company. If care is not taken the company would be declared bankrupt. It would be gone.Next week, on Wednesday, will be the next shareholders' meeting. I want to be the new CEO. Also, Sophia wanted to be that. It was going to be a tough one.I flopped into my chair and saw a message from Felix. He said he was able to convince one of Sofia's loyal people. I thanked him and showed the message to Madam Clarisse.“That’s good news but I haven’t found who would be

Tessa’s POV I could not stop shaking. Even after the police took my stepmother’s body away, even after the house became quiet again, my hands still trembled uncontrollably in my car. I haven’t even called anyone to tell them. The realization that someone must have killed her because she wanted to tell me something hurt like crazy. My mind was racing with ideas on who might have done it. Sophia? Stacy? I shook my head and wiped tears off my eyes.The image of her lying lifeless on the floor would not leave my head. Finally, I was able to leave but I went to my mother-in-law’s house.That night I sat curled up on the couch inside Madam Clarisse’s living room while she rubbed my shoulder gently. For once, the powerful woman looked exhausted too.“Tessa,” she said softly, “you need to breathe.”“How?” My voice cracked instantly. “She called me because she wanted to tell me something important. Something urgent.” Tears filled my eyes again. “And before she could say it… she died. ” It f

Rachel’s POV Rain hammered violently against the windshield as I drove. It was hard to concentrate after what I had just heard. My hands trembled so badly on the steering wheel that I almost missed a turn.Was the governor dead? And… and it was Stacy who killed him. I swallowed. I glanced over at her. Beside me, Stacy sat unnaturally calm after casually confessing she had gone to prison to kill the Governor. She said it, like it was normal.God!I finally looked at her in disbelief. “Why would you do something like that?”Stacy laughed softly and wiped dried blood from her hand. “Because he’s becoming a problem.”“A problem?” My voice cracked. “That man is Sophia’s father!”“And?” Stacy shrugged. “Sophia won’t do anything.”“You don’t know that.”“Oh, I do.” Stacy smiled strangely while staring out the window. “Sophia only loves herself.”Something about the way she said it made cold fear crawl through my chest. These people were completely destroying one another now. Tessa was no