Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret - Chapter 172: Chapter 172
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Before Sally could finish speaking, Abigail's anxious voice came through the phone. "Sally, Lillian suddenly got sick in the middle of the night.
"She's been having diarrhea and throwing up, and I have no idea what's wrong. Finn isn't home tonight, so I had to call you."
"Got it. Coming home right now." Sally quickly hung up and rushed out of the bathroom.
After hastily gathering her things, Sally cast one last glance at Jaxon, still sound asleep. With practiced quietness, she eased the door open and slipped downstairs.
Noon the next day, Jaxon was jolted awake by the heated argument downstairs. As he opened his eyes and looked around, he realized the room was no sign of Sally anywhere.
Jaxon thought angrily, 'When the hell did she leave?'
He immediately pulled up the surveillance footage from the Zale Mansion. What he saw made his blood boil. He wondered angrily, 'She just slept with me and then bailed? She's got some nerve.'
The shouting downstairs wouldn't stop, pounding into Jaxon's throbbing skull.
After a quick wash-up, Jaxon headed downstairs. Halfway down the spiral staircase, Jaxon spotted a familiar figure in the living room.
Brad and Lauren were locked in a heated argument. Catching snippets of their conversation, Jaxon quickly pieced together what they were fighting about.
Howard had summoned Brad back, reportedly to negotiate the division of assets after his divorce from Sally.
Brad looked up toward the staircase. When he saw Jaxon appear, he reined in his emotions a bit and softly called out, "Hello, Jaxon."
Jaxon nodded indifferently, said nothing, and headed straight for the dining table.
Just as their argument was heating up again, an icy voice cut through from the staircase. "How long do you two plan to keep this up?"
Jaxon glanced up toward the source of the voice. It was his father coming downstairs.
The kitchen flowed seamlessly into the dining area, giving Jaxon a clear vantage point from which he could see everything in the living room.
He kept his head down, picking at his breakfast, occasionally stealing glances toward the living room.
Jaxon thought to himself, 'What a spectacle, too bad Sally missed seeing this firsthand.'
"Morning, Grandpa." As Howard descended the stairs, Brad's voice dropped to a respectful hush.
Lauren wordlessly took a seat on the sofa. The butler assisted Howard to the sofa before stepping aside.
Howard gripped his cane, fixing Brad with a sharp look. "You got a problem with me agreeing to this divorce? Wasn't it you two who kept pushing for it? Now that I've finally said yes, what are you complaining about?"
Brad saw the displeasure on Howard's face. Through gritted teeth, Brad finally blurted out, "I'm not upset about the divorce. It's the splitting of the assets that's really bothering me."
Brad looked at Howard and demanded, "Grandpa, Mom told me you plan to have me hand over half my fortune to Sally after our divorce. Is this for real?"
At those words, all eyes in the room turned to Howard.
Jaxon was the only one at the dining table, keeping his head down as he calmly ate his breakfast. His knife and fork never stopped moving, and he gave off a laid-back, almost indifferent vibe.
Though he appeared indifferent as he ate, Jaxon didn't miss a word of the argument going on in the living room.
An icy chill suddenly filled the living room. Howard demanded sharply, "Shouldn't you be giving her this money?"
Brad's eyes turned icy, his voice seething with barely contained fury. "Grandpa, I honestly don't get it. Why would you do this?"
"Why the hell did I do this? Don't you know damn well why? And you still have the nerve to ask me?" Howard's voice suddenly shot up, his eyes blazing with cold fury.
"Grandpa, I know you and my father built most of the Zale Group's businesses from scratch, but under my leadership, the market value has skyrocketed.
"Now you want me to hand over half my fortune to Sally? Don't you think that's absurd? What has she ever done to deserve it?" Brad's voice was thick with resentment, his face set in stubborn defiance.
"Jerk." Howard slammed his cane down on the floor with a heavy thud. The sudden thud of Howard's cane against the floor sent a wave of tension through everyone in the room.
Howard snapped, "Sally has lived with you all these years, bore you a son, and endured agonizing pain bringing him into this world. If you can't even appreciate that, fine, but to go fooling around with other women?
"You and your son even sent her to prison all for that woman. Do you have any idea what she went through in there? I only found out later she was beaten for years, nearly died in that hellhole."
"For these reasons alone, you owe her this money. Consider it paying for your past sins." Howard fixed his glare on Brad, his voice thick with suppressed fury.
At those words, Brad's brow furrowed uncontrollably. "What did you just say? She was beaten regularly in prison? How is that even possible?"
'I pulled strings and paid a hefty sum. How the hell could she still have been bullied? She nearly died because of it? That's absolutely impossible,' Brad thought, reeling in disbelief
"How the hell is that impossible? If you don't believe me, go dig up the truth yourself." Howard's voice rose sharply in anger. Gripping his cane, he slammed it down on the floor again.
The tension in the room just kept getting heavier.
At the dining table, Jaxon set down his utensils with deliberate calm, then rose unhurriedly to his feet.
His presence was equally heavy. With measured strides, Jaxon made his way toward the living room.
Seeing Jaxon approach, Lauren quickly stepped in to mediate. "Mr. Zale, how about we discuss this in detail later? Please don't get yourself worked up. Sally said you really shouldn't be getting so upset right now—"
"I actually think Dad's approach is perfectly justified," Lauren didn't even get to finish her sentence before Jaxon cut in sharply as he approached.
Lauren was left speechless, floundering for a response.
"Jaxon, you too? You really think I should give her this money?" Brad's hands at his sides instinctively clenched into fists for a moment. He lifted his gaze, meeting Jaxon's eyes in a tense standoff.
Jaxon's voice was ice-cold. "Count yourself lucky to have married a woman like her, a blessing most people wouldn't get in several lifetimes. Yet you personally sent her to prison. Consider this money your atonement; frankly, you're getting off easy."
"Jaxon?" Brad's eyes widened in shock.
Jaxon cut him off mid-sentence. "And one more thing. Since Dad's already approved the divorce, just sign the damn papers and quit stalling."
Brad's brow furrowed involuntarily at his words. 'Why does it always feel like Jaxon is siding with Sally?' he wondered. 'Was I just imagining things?'
"She's been having diarrhea and throwing up, and I have no idea what's wrong. Finn isn't home tonight, so I had to call you."
"Got it. Coming home right now." Sally quickly hung up and rushed out of the bathroom.
After hastily gathering her things, Sally cast one last glance at Jaxon, still sound asleep. With practiced quietness, she eased the door open and slipped downstairs.
Noon the next day, Jaxon was jolted awake by the heated argument downstairs. As he opened his eyes and looked around, he realized the room was no sign of Sally anywhere.
Jaxon thought angrily, 'When the hell did she leave?'
He immediately pulled up the surveillance footage from the Zale Mansion. What he saw made his blood boil. He wondered angrily, 'She just slept with me and then bailed? She's got some nerve.'
The shouting downstairs wouldn't stop, pounding into Jaxon's throbbing skull.
After a quick wash-up, Jaxon headed downstairs. Halfway down the spiral staircase, Jaxon spotted a familiar figure in the living room.
Brad and Lauren were locked in a heated argument. Catching snippets of their conversation, Jaxon quickly pieced together what they were fighting about.
Howard had summoned Brad back, reportedly to negotiate the division of assets after his divorce from Sally.
Brad looked up toward the staircase. When he saw Jaxon appear, he reined in his emotions a bit and softly called out, "Hello, Jaxon."
Jaxon nodded indifferently, said nothing, and headed straight for the dining table.
Just as their argument was heating up again, an icy voice cut through from the staircase. "How long do you two plan to keep this up?"
Jaxon glanced up toward the source of the voice. It was his father coming downstairs.
The kitchen flowed seamlessly into the dining area, giving Jaxon a clear vantage point from which he could see everything in the living room.
He kept his head down, picking at his breakfast, occasionally stealing glances toward the living room.
Jaxon thought to himself, 'What a spectacle, too bad Sally missed seeing this firsthand.'
"Morning, Grandpa." As Howard descended the stairs, Brad's voice dropped to a respectful hush.
Lauren wordlessly took a seat on the sofa. The butler assisted Howard to the sofa before stepping aside.
Howard gripped his cane, fixing Brad with a sharp look. "You got a problem with me agreeing to this divorce? Wasn't it you two who kept pushing for it? Now that I've finally said yes, what are you complaining about?"
Brad saw the displeasure on Howard's face. Through gritted teeth, Brad finally blurted out, "I'm not upset about the divorce. It's the splitting of the assets that's really bothering me."
Brad looked at Howard and demanded, "Grandpa, Mom told me you plan to have me hand over half my fortune to Sally after our divorce. Is this for real?"
At those words, all eyes in the room turned to Howard.
Jaxon was the only one at the dining table, keeping his head down as he calmly ate his breakfast. His knife and fork never stopped moving, and he gave off a laid-back, almost indifferent vibe.
Though he appeared indifferent as he ate, Jaxon didn't miss a word of the argument going on in the living room.
An icy chill suddenly filled the living room. Howard demanded sharply, "Shouldn't you be giving her this money?"
Brad's eyes turned icy, his voice seething with barely contained fury. "Grandpa, I honestly don't get it. Why would you do this?"
"Why the hell did I do this? Don't you know damn well why? And you still have the nerve to ask me?" Howard's voice suddenly shot up, his eyes blazing with cold fury.
"Grandpa, I know you and my father built most of the Zale Group's businesses from scratch, but under my leadership, the market value has skyrocketed.
"Now you want me to hand over half my fortune to Sally? Don't you think that's absurd? What has she ever done to deserve it?" Brad's voice was thick with resentment, his face set in stubborn defiance.
"Jerk." Howard slammed his cane down on the floor with a heavy thud. The sudden thud of Howard's cane against the floor sent a wave of tension through everyone in the room.
Howard snapped, "Sally has lived with you all these years, bore you a son, and endured agonizing pain bringing him into this world. If you can't even appreciate that, fine, but to go fooling around with other women?
"You and your son even sent her to prison all for that woman. Do you have any idea what she went through in there? I only found out later she was beaten for years, nearly died in that hellhole."
"For these reasons alone, you owe her this money. Consider it paying for your past sins." Howard fixed his glare on Brad, his voice thick with suppressed fury.
At those words, Brad's brow furrowed uncontrollably. "What did you just say? She was beaten regularly in prison? How is that even possible?"
'I pulled strings and paid a hefty sum. How the hell could she still have been bullied? She nearly died because of it? That's absolutely impossible,' Brad thought, reeling in disbelief
"How the hell is that impossible? If you don't believe me, go dig up the truth yourself." Howard's voice rose sharply in anger. Gripping his cane, he slammed it down on the floor again.
The tension in the room just kept getting heavier.
At the dining table, Jaxon set down his utensils with deliberate calm, then rose unhurriedly to his feet.
His presence was equally heavy. With measured strides, Jaxon made his way toward the living room.
Seeing Jaxon approach, Lauren quickly stepped in to mediate. "Mr. Zale, how about we discuss this in detail later? Please don't get yourself worked up. Sally said you really shouldn't be getting so upset right now—"
"I actually think Dad's approach is perfectly justified," Lauren didn't even get to finish her sentence before Jaxon cut in sharply as he approached.
Lauren was left speechless, floundering for a response.
"Jaxon, you too? You really think I should give her this money?" Brad's hands at his sides instinctively clenched into fists for a moment. He lifted his gaze, meeting Jaxon's eyes in a tense standoff.
Jaxon's voice was ice-cold. "Count yourself lucky to have married a woman like her, a blessing most people wouldn't get in several lifetimes. Yet you personally sent her to prison. Consider this money your atonement; frankly, you're getting off easy."
"Jaxon?" Brad's eyes widened in shock.
Jaxon cut him off mid-sentence. "And one more thing. Since Dad's already approved the divorce, just sign the damn papers and quit stalling."
Brad's brow furrowed involuntarily at his words. 'Why does it always feel like Jaxon is siding with Sally?' he wondered. 'Was I just imagining things?'
End of Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret Chapter 172. Continue reading Chapter 173 or return to Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret book page.