All Chapters of Wasted Tears: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

At the James family residence, when Ziva heard the sound of the car, she stepped outside the mansion. She then stood in the driveway, her posture stiff and her hands firmly on her hips.She wasn’t there to offer a warm welcome to her new sister-in-law. Her presence was a silent, cold threat designed to intimidate Brooklyn before a single word was even spoken. She wanted to avenge her best friend, Vavica.Brooklyn got out of her car, then she met Ziva’s glare with a steady, unbreakable gaze. She didn't look like a nervous newcomer. However, she looked like a woman who had already weathered enough chaos to be immune to Ziva's petty power plays.Ziva stepped forward and linked her arm through her brother’s, pulling him toward the mansion as if her brother’s wife didn't exist.Preston allowed himself to be led, his silence a stinging betrayal as they vanished into the living room together. Ziva paused at the door, then she glanced back with a look of pure, cold satisfaction before disappea

When Brooklyn walked out of the James family mansion, her husband tried to follow her, but his mother stopped him.She looked at her son, her eyes flashing with a cold, desperate resolve, and barked, “Don't you dare follow that girl, Preston. I refuse to have a common janitor staining our family tree.Do you want our social circle laughing at us? You must cut her off now, before the scandal becomes permanent. Vivica is the only one who belongs in this house.Forget about the company shares, Son. We will find a way to manage the inheritance until Vivica turns twenty-one, but I will never sit across from that girl for another meal."Ziva looked at his brother with tears brimming in her eyes and said, “Big Brother, please listen to Mom. That girl is nothing but a social climber who has forgotten her place.Please divorce her as soon as possible, Big Brother. We need to erase this mistake before anyone finds out that she is your nominal wife.”Before Preston could respond, Mr James Senior

Seeking refuge from the stifling tension of his family home, Preston retreated to the Presidential Suite of the Eternity Grand Hotel. His grandfather had forced him to remain married or face the consequences.The thick, luxurious carpet of the Presidential Suite swallowed the sound of Preston’s restless pacing, but it did nothing to calm his racing thoughts.To him, the path was clear. If he could just endure two more years of this sham marriage to Brooklyn, his patience would be rewarded.The moment Vivica turned twenty-one, she would be his, and with her would come the immense power and prestige of being the wealthiest heiress.Preston sat on the edge of the king-sized bed; his head buried in his hands as the weight of the stalemate settled over him. He was utterly at a loss for how to convince Brooklyn to remain in their hollow, sham marriage.At the Cartwright estate, Vivica threw herself on the bed, then she pulled out her phone and dialed her lover’s number with trembling fingers

Hiram walked to his sister's bedroom and gave the door a firm knock. When Vivica opened it, her face was tear-stained from her constant sobbing.However, her eldest brother didn't offer her any comfort. Instead, he looked at her with a questioning gaze, and he asked, “What is wrong with you, Vivica? Why did you insult Jason?"Vivica’s tears dried instantly, replaced by a sharp, cold spark of anger. She met her brother’s gaze without flinching, and she snapped, her voice trembling, “I don't like Jason, big brother. I don't want to compete with a ghost.”She refuses to be the consolation prize to a life that still revolves around someone else. For her, Preston’s messy life was better than being a shadow in Jason’s high-society life.Hiram let out a short, mocking laugh that was devoid of any warmth. He shook his head slowly, looking at his sister with a mixture of pity and disbelief, “Let me let you in on a little secret, baby sis. In the James family, marriage is a life sentence.Presto

At the Cartwright family estate, the atmosphere was thick with expectation. Hiram was in the living room with his brother, Patrice, waiting patiently for their grandfather to come back from the Ashford family estate.Their grandfather had gone to the Ashford family estate to merge the two most powerful families in the country by proposing a marriage alliance between their sister and Jason.To the brothers, it seemed like the ultimate strategic move, the final piece of the puzzle to secure the Cartwright family’s dominance for the next century.Patrice looked at his eldest brother and asked, “Big brother, do you think Grandpa Benjamin will allow his grandson to marry our baby sis?”Hiram shook his head, his expression grim, and replied, “Grandpa Benjamin would never reject the Cartwright family, Patrice.However, he will reject the arrogance he saw in our sister. He is looking for a woman with a soul for Jason, not a spoiled heiress.”Unbeknownst to them, the match made in heaven had al