All Chapters of Contract Over: You're Free to Go: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

At the mention of beef Wellington, Teresa suddenly remembered what she saw that night, on her wedding anniversary. The slab of meat sitting on the dining table had long since gone cold, the meat all chopped up into messy bits.She also remembered one line in particular that Silas had said to her."You just don't care.""I'll have to turn you down," Teresa declined Carlton's invitation before glancing at her watch. "I want to get home earlier tonight. Silas… wasn't in a very good mood yesterday. I want to head home and have a proper talk with him."Carlton's eyes flashed darkly, but his smile didn't fade at all. "That makes sense. He must've felt a little hurt about what happened."He went along with this line of conversation, his voice tinged with just the right amount of self-reproach."I thought about it later and realized it was somewhat inappropriate of me to give you that necklace. It's not surprising that Mr. Langston felt uncomfortable about it. "Since he spends all of h

The ink slowly dried into the silk cuff, the stain hardening. Each time Teresa's wrist rubbed against it, it irritated her skin and got on her nerves.She stared at the stain for a long while before irritably yanking two tissues from the box and scrubbing at it, but to no avail. The expensive silk was far too delicate, and the rubbing only made the stain spread.After taking a deep breath, she crumpled the used tissues and threw them into the trash can by her feet. Then she grabbed the coat draped over the back of her chair and strode out.Louisa immediately met her at the door with a stack of reimbursement claims. "Ms. Sloan, your signature is needed for these—""Leave them on my desk. I'll get to them tomorrow."Without breaking stride, Teresa swept past Louisa and stepped into the private elevator, the air turning chilly around her. All she could think of right now was the photo she'd seen on Carlton's phone—and the charming smile Silas flashed at the short-haired woman.The r

The first thing Teresa saw was a photo of a cafe with a nice ambiance. But in the very center of the photo, Silas was sitting at a table in a familiar dark coat, his head slightly lowered. Beside him was Estelle, the same short-haired woman from before.The angle from which the photo was taken added a layer of suggestiveness to the situation. It made it seem as though the two sat impossibly close together. Estelle's face was almost touching Silas' shoulder. In the warm light, his faint smile and downward gaze also carried a sense of intimacy.If the previous photo could arguably pass as a snapshot of a work meeting, this one, with its cozy atmosphere, made the two look like a pair of whispering lovers.Teresa's breath stalled. Her fingertips turned white from force as she stared at the phone screen, trying to find any trace to indicate the photo had been edited or fabricated.But there were none. The image was sharp enough that even the art on the two lattes could be seen clearly

The moment those words came out of Teresa's mouth, the atmosphere in the kitchen dropped below freezing point.A bunch of lousy side projects?This was how Silas found out that in Teresa's subconscious, his career would forever be nothing more than an aimless pastime that wasn't even worth speaking of. That was why he didn't even have the right to have business meetings at cafes. And if he so much as stepped out of the house to speak to another woman, it meant that he had some dirty ulterior motive.He had to take a deep breath. His previously gentle gaze slowly sharpened coldly. While staring straight into Teresa's eyes, he asked pointedly, "If I can't have business meetings at a cafe, where should I have them? At a top-rated fine dining restaurant like Ardor instead?"Her expression stiffened, as if she'd been put in a chokehold."What kind of nonsense are you spewing now?" she instinctively retorted, her voice raised to mask the flicker of panic she felt."Nonsense?" Silas

The wintry night breeze poured in through the windows of the Maybach and stung Teresa's face. Her hands were locked tightly around the steering wheel, her knuckles pale.While the speedometer indicated that she was almost pushing the speed limit, she didn't lift her foot off the gas pedal. It was as if she had an amplifier in her mind that was looping the words Silas had said in the kitchen earlier."You readily accepted the Crimson Star necklace he gave you. You said it was just a business move. What gives you the right to show up with some secretly taken photo from who knows where and start confronting me, demanding answers?"If you don't trust me, nothing I say will matter."Every sentence struck a raw nerve, expertly dismantling the logic and rationality she prided herself on. She'd grown so accustomed to surveying her marriage through the lens of the haughty overlord. She was used to Silas' gentle nature and constant compromise.Thus, when he finally shed that veneer of mild-