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.”

over 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

jaw, and Mrs. Bartley was at a loss for

us!” Mr. Bartley lounged on the couch, legs crossed, transforming from a dignitary to a rogue in a heartbeat. “Firstly, Alston won’t have to marry the ‘simpleton‘ and demean himself. I’ll

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

you oversimplifying things? The Ashbournes have a formidable reputation. I find Emeric

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

Evadne! In my eyes, that woman is like a banshee, far more terrifying than her father!” Alston fumed, influenced by Edith’s opinions. “You might handle Frederic, but can you really contend with Evadne? She’s the actual power

forget, she

cornered animal in front of Mr. Frederic. I’ve taught you better! Even if it’s an act, you have to

Alston was speechless.

agreed to marry Marilla to please Edith. He didn’t care for her; it was all a performance, a means to an end. Yet watching her dance intimately with Aaron had stung him deeply. It felt like a betrayal, as

completely ruined your impression with Frederic. He’s known for holding grudges,

“You don’t have what it takes to marry

day, Frederic, having wrapped up his engagements, inquired about the previous

gift to Marilla and Aaron’s bold declaration of affection.

our Miss Marilla. The welcome gift alone

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

getting the better of him. “Bought by a mere trinket? Those Ashbournes probably have a vault full of such baubles. Emeric probably has a whole truckload.”

leagues better than that Bartley boy,” Dennis scoffed. “Last night, Alston had the nerve to

the mention of this. The comparison between the two

we call off the engagement with the Bartleys? A match with the Ashbournes would be a hundred times better. I

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

chose to remain silent.

window, the sky was overcast, mirroring Frederic’s mood. 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

real affection for his daughter; it was all about family arrangements. But the way Aaron looked at Marilla, with such genuine affection, couldn’t be just for show.

Aaron wasn’t

buzzed, startling him from his thoughts. It was Hamilton.