The Ex and Her Riches

Maverick gazed up at her, a flattering smile playing at his thin lips.

Gwendolyn cast a deep, meaningful glance at the man.

Indeed, he was due to be taught a lesson that night, and Gwendolyn’s anger simply would not subside until the man was crying and pleading for mercy.

She extended her hand toward him. “Belt.”

Without hesitation, Maverick swiftly unfasted the metal buckle and obediently handed the belt to her. Then, he turned around and faced away from the woman.

Gwendolyn felt a shiver course through her entire being. She folded the belt in half, her eyes glinting with resolution and intensity. Lifting the belt high into the air, she readied herself to strike the wounded back before her.

However, before she could swing the belt in her hand, her gaze involuntarily landed on the palm-sized burn on the man’s back.

The vividly crimson flesh and the gruesome wound provoked unease. It was so strikingly conspicuous that it was hard to ignore.

Besides, he’d sustained the injury by shielding her. Otherwise, it would be her face that was bearing such agony.

As Gwendolyn pondered on this, she experienced a surge of conflicting emotions. It felt as though an unseen force held her wrist, preventing her from lowering it no matter what.

She released a silent sigh and seemed to have deflated all of a sudden, for she realized, much to her vexation, that she actually started to feel sorry for him.

This feeling made Gwendolyn very unhappy.

The three years she had spent in the Wright residence were akin to enduring a living hell, devoid of any semblance of warmth. Following the divorce, she had observed some changes in Maverick and his growing sincerity. It would be disingenuous if she said she remained unmoved.

Nevertheless, Gwendolyn refused to tread upon that familiar path again.

No matter how much she attempted to sever the ties between him and herself, in the end, she would be the one to wind up hurt.

At that thought, she tightened her grip on the belt, trembling as though she had made a momentous decision.

Maverick remained motionless, not uttering a single word nor furrowing his brows.

his body, it seemed as if

unconsciously shifting to the center of

despite

a ferocious kick on his shoulders and threw the leather belt back at him. “Hurry up and get

those words, Gwendolyn lifted the quilt and, with her back turned

off guard, Maverick staggered slightly from

rose to retrieve

had been removed, he refrained from wearing the clothes directly to avoid soiling them. Instead, he simply held

her side on the bed, her back facing him. She hadn’t even changed her attire; how could she possibly

coat. It won’t

secretly clenched her teeth and replied, “I don’t care. Just go

at the foot of her bed, his gaze fixed on her the

anger rushing to her head. Suddenly, she sat up abruptly, her face inflated with irritation. Seizing the pillow next to

“Get out!”

it steadily and placed it on the dressing table

another

caught it once again, and a gentle smile hung

reach from the bedside table—tissue boxes, ornaments, books,

beat. He then helped her place them on

his face brimmed

in Gwendolyn’s eyes, it felt

as if she could burst at any moment. She searched on the bedside table for a while but found nothing. When she looked down, she realized that she had already thrown everything away, except

hand of guilt toward the table lamp. The lamp was still plugged in, yet instead of disconnecting the power first,

actions, Maverick swiftly raised both hands in surrender, saying, “Stop!

fiercely until he closed the door and vanished from her sight. Only then did she place the table

out of bed, retrieved her pillow, and took several deep breaths to calm herself before heading to the bathroom

the next morning

remained silent, not uttering a single word.

to Angle right

Maverick, so all she had to do was

the office, Gwendolyn first made

repeated the name of the potion that Maverick mentioned last night

response was essentially the same as

for images of skin damage caused by the potent S40 strong corrosive potion. Since it was a laboratory chemical, it couldn’t be