All Chapters of Billionnaire's regret: Ex-wife is an heiress: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Claire lowered herself into the nearest chair without drama, without tears, without any of the outward collapse the moment probably deserved. She just sat, staring at the middle distance, thinking about all the ways this was going to change things, all the moving parts that were now in motion, all the doors that had just opened that she didn't yet know how to close.John pulled his chair close to hers and rested a hand on her arm, not trying to fill the silence with anything it didn't need.Vivian had already moved past the stage of shock. She'd had enough time over the past week, watching Mark's face to reach a quiet, painful understanding that the results were going to say exactly what they said. She hadn't wanted to accept it. But she'd known, and the paper in her hands had simply confirmed what her gut had been telling her for days. She set the envelope down on the table between them.Mark sat with his face pressed into both palms, with his elbows on his knees. He hadn't said a wo

Judge Matilda let the gallery settle for a full minute before she spoke again. There were more strikes of the gavel, and several warning looks across the room, and then the silence of people who realized she was not making empty threats about clearing the court."Mr. Hayes," she said, once order had been restored. "You understand the weight of what your client has just alleged in this courtroom.""Yes, Your Honor. We do." Hayes stood straight with no hesitation. "And we are prepared to support that allegation with substantive evidence, including witness testimony, contemporaneous communications, and a medical report filed in the weeks following the incident.""You had better be," Judge Matilda said, and there was something in the flatness of her tone that made it clear this was not encouragement. "Allegations of this nature carry consequences for all parties involved, including for counsel who brings them into a courtroom without adequate foundation.""We understand, Your Honor.""Def

The front door had barely closed behind them before Rebecca turned on her mother."What the actual hell was that?" she demanded, spinning to face Anabelle in the middle of the living room. Abraham tried to put an arm around her shoulder and she shrugged him off without breaking eye contact with her mother."Rebecca…" Anabelle started."No." Rebecca snapped harshly. She was genuinely rattled rather than just irritated. "I need you to answer me clearly. What exactly do you want here? Do you want to ruin his life? Do you want money? Do you want him in my life, out of my life ?”“What is it, Mum? Because you can't want all of those things at once and expect the rest of us to just keep up.""I want justice," Anabelle shot back, raising her voice, disrupting the careful composure she'd maintained all morning. "I want someone to finally be held responsible for what was done to me. Is that so difficult to understand?""You could have done this twenty years ago!" Rebecca threw her hands up. "Y

Sasha had shown up with two massive buckets of chicken wings and enough ketchup to constitute a health concern. Nikita had brought wine, three bottles, two of which were already open. Magdalena had made pasta from scratch in Claire's kitchen, which Claire had watched with undisguised reverence, given that she was never going to have such prowess in the kitchen. They'd eaten most of it. They were now deep into the kind of conversation that only happens after good food and a second glass of wine, where everyone says what they actually think."I just prefer them bald and short " Magdalena was saying, arms folded, with the dignified conviction of someone defending a perfectly reasonable position. "That's not a crime.""Nobody said it was a crime," Nikita said. "But you absolutely had a moment last week when we saw that man in the lobby. He's the exact opposite of everything you've described I was standing right there, Magdalena.”"I had a reaction." She defended."You grabbed my arm and

"Babe, I have to tell you something." Abraham said with the utmost sense of urgency in his voice.Rebecca had just finished ordering another round of luxurious bags she definitely did not need. The confirmation screen glowed back at her like a small, satisfying victory."Yeah? What is it?" Rebecca asked, turning her head to Abraham for just a moment before her eyes drifted back to her phone."Babe, can I have your undivided attention?" Abraham repeated with a firmer tone.Rebecca dropped her phone on the duvet and turned to face him fully. There was something in the way he was standing very still, like he was holding something heavy, and it made her sit up a little straighter."Yeah, what is it? It sounds overly serious." Rebecca grunted, though her brow was already furrowing."We might have to tone down the spending." Abraham said carefully."Why?" Rebecca asked in a high-pitched tone, sitting up instantly. Her eyes narrowed. She looked at him like she was hoping he was making bad jo