His Ex Wife Is A Billionaire

Chapter 762

In the dead of night, Mr. Bartley summoned Alston to his study. Mrs. Bartley was already there, her presence a clear sign of the gravity of the discussion about to unfold.

“What? Call off the engagement?!” Mrs. Bartley shrieked in disbelief. “Timothy, are you out of your mind? The news has already spread like wildfire. I have the ladies from the country club practically fawning over me, showering me with gifts because our Alston is set to marry the Abernathy heiress!”

Her eyes blazed with the scandal of it all. “With the wedding just around the corner, you drop this bombshell on me. How am I supposed to show my

ace around them after this?”

“Dad! What’s going on? Why cancel the engagement?!” Alston, his face flushed with anger, recalled the evening’s humiliation. “Marilla had the audacity to hold hands with Mr. Ashbourne and dance with him right in front of me. I’ve been embarrassed already, and now you want to call off the wedding altogether?”

Edith had painted Marilla as a simpleton. But what sort of fool dares to flirt with another man in front of her own fiancé, to be so intimate in public?

The thought of it was maddening. He wanted to make her pay, to make her regret her indiscretion.

“If your dignity comes at the cost of my future, then I say your pride is a small price to pay!” Mr. Bartley’s words were shocking, his impatience written all over his face.

“What are you saying?!” Both mother and son stared at him, bewildered.

“Haven’t you seen it tonight? Aaron has fallen for that ‘simpleton‘,” Mr. Bartley said, sipping his tea with an air of self–satisfaction. “Suri approached me in confidence, asking me to break off the engagement.”

to her son, she’ll back my campaign in the upcoming election. Chairman Emeric is also in the loop. If I refuse, they’ll throw their support behind my rival. Tell me, would either of you do

Mrs. Bartley was

the couch, legs crossed, transforming from a dignitary to a rogue in a heartbeat. “Firstly,

financing and aligns us with the influential Ashbourne family. It’s killing two birds with

The Ashbournes have a formidable reputation. I find Emeric even more

knows that. He’s abroad for treatment and probably won’t last two years. I’m not

eyes, that woman is like a banshee, far more terrifying than her father!” Alston fumed, influenced by Edith’s

she

stood up abruptly, pointing at Alston as he shouted, “You think if it weren’t for Suri’s proposal, you’d have any chance of securing this marriage? Look at the mess you made tonight, acting like a cornered animal in front of Mr. Frederic. I’ve taught you better! Even if it’s an act, you have to maintain your composure. But you lost your temper in front of everyone!

Alston was speechless.

it was all a performance, a means to an end. Yet watching her dance intimately with Aaron had stung him

clear: you’ve completely ruined your impression with Frederic. He’s known for holding grudges, and even if I

“You don’t have what it takes to marry into their world. Give

about the previous night’s events during his

every detail, including Suri’s lavish gift to Marilla and Aaron’s

been incredibly generous with our Miss Marilla. The welcome gift alone was worth over ten million,” Dennis

We’ve been planning an engagement with the Bartleys, and yet they’ve shown no

pride getting the better of him. “Bought by a mere trinket? Those Ashbournes probably have a vault full of such baubles.

is leagues better than that Bartley boy,” Dennis scoffed. “Last night, Alston had the nerve to publicly criticize you. I wonder

the mention of this. The comparison between the two suitors was the last thing

call off the engagement with the Bartleys? A match

girl and my daughter wed to an Ashbourne boy? As if my children have no other prospects but those Ashbournes!” he fumed, his pride

to

If he set aside his personal feelings, he had to admit that Aaron, Suri’s son, was a far superior match for his daughter than the Bartley lad. And not just in

no real affection for his daughter; it was all about family arrangements. But the way Aaron looked

wasn’t

from his thoughts. It