Chapter 7
It was the engagement ring he’d given me.
I cherished it like a precious gem, tucking it away among all the cheap trinkets Preston had gifted me.
Preston’s gaze stiffened as he looked over.
He knew all too well where those missing things had ended up.
They were all lying quietly in the trash can, along with the torn–up fake Marriage certificate.
He finally understood that this time, I really meant it. I didn’t want any of it anymore.
Preston was freaking out.
He tried to reach me like a madman.
But to his horror, he realized that, besides Whats App and my phone number, he had no other way to get in touch with me.
He had someone look into my current whereabouts.
The guy asked, “Mr. Scott, does Ms. Sampson have any friends?”
Preston was at a loss for words.
The guy pressed, “Where did she live before you two Met?”
Preston stayed silent.
The guy sounded a bit helpless. “Well, you at least know where she usually likes to hang out, right?”
Preston was speechless.
He realized he didn’t know a single thing about me.
Suddenly, he snapped his head up.
He thought of the babies. The babies were still in the hospital. He believed I was there.
But when he rushed to the hospital and asked for me, the doctors and nurses looked at him with disbelief.
They stared at him like he was a total outsider.
One of them asked, “Are you even aware your wife nearly died from severe bleeding during childbirth?
“We tried to call you forty–seven times. If our doctors hadn’t risked everything to operate, she and the babies wouldn’t have made it.”
Preston’s voice was dry and hoarse. “Which room is
she in?”
The nurse couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him. “She was discharged ages ago because you didn’t pay the
bills.
“Now you care? Where were you when she needed you?”
Preston vaguely remembered me calling him for
Money.
But at the time, he was busy ordering a dress for Gabrielle from Sworyland, so he brushed me off, saying he hadn’t gotten paid yet and told me to figure it out myself.
As he walked out of the hospital, he slumped down on the curb, feeling defeated.
I had vanished from his life, as if I’d never been there
at all.
Even if it all started as revenge, Preston had to admit that he regretted it.
Using My status as a trending online artist and all the connections I’d built up, I zeroed in on the art company owned by Gabrielle and launched a precision strike.
First, I hired over a hundred bot accounts to leak the video from that night’s party.
The next day, the internet exploded.
[Harper Group’s art prodigy Gabrielle Harper exposed as a love child.]
[Harper Group’s heiress showdown: real vs. fake.]
The company’s stock plummeted.
Clients who had commissioned paintings were suddenly backing out left and right, canceling their deals without a second thought.
Gabrielle was floored.
She kept running back to Scott Manor, but every time, the butler gave her the cold shoulder and turned her
away.
The butler said, “Mr. Scott’s not feeling well and is in the hospital.
“If you need anything, you can call Mr. Preston Scott.”
She went back and lost it at Preston.
But Preston had publicly cut ties with the Scott family for her, and he could no longer set foot in Scott Manor.
A few days later, all her former ghostwriters came forward, dropping bombshell after bombshell and exposing Gabrielle as a fraud.
Gabrielle was sobbing uncontrollably, forced to pay out billions in compensation, and the Harper Group went bankrupt.
At the hospital, I sat by Nathan’s bedside with the two kids.
Nathan, the head of the Scott family, kept glancing at the kids with a satisfied look.
He said, “You’re the best of the Scott family, and now you’ve even got kids.
“I can finally rest easy, knowing the Scott family is in your hands.”
Suddenly, the door to the hospital room was slammed open.
Preston stormed in, looking furious.
He demanded, “Grandpa, why did you cancel the deal with the Harper Group?
“Do you even realize that because of this, Gaby was so stressed out that she lost the baby?
“If you don’t get the partnership with the Harper Group back on track right now, I’ll cut all ties with the Scott family for good.
“Don’t expect me to take over the company.”
The room fell into a dead silence.
Someone snickered.
Preston felt humiliated and whipped around, shooting a glare at whoever laughed.
When Preston saw me holding the two kids, he was stunned for a second. Then his jaw dropped, and a huge smile spread across his face.
“Meredith! You…” But then, as if something had clicked in his mind, his face suddenly turned cold.
“I thought you’d matured, but instead, you went behind My back and got Grandpa to pressure you into Marrying me.
“I can’t believe you’d pull something like this. I’m so disappointed in you.”
Even as he spoke, Preston couldn’t hide his
eagerness. His hands reached out for the kids, as if he
were claiming what was rightfully his.
Preston said, “Hand over the kids. Gaby will take care of them for you.
“As for you, when you finally learn to behave, maybe then I’ll let you return to the Scott family.”
Suddenly, a strong hand seized Preston’s wrist.
A Mocking voice cut through the air. “Preston, what do you think you’re doing to my wife?”
Preston couldn’t believe his ears.
But when he saw Frederick and me holding hands, fingers locked together, he froze on the spot.
Preston staggered, having to grab the table to keep himself upright.
Preston stared me down, his gaze locked on me with a burning intensity.
Preston shouted, his voice trembling with rage. “Meredith, you Made Me a cuckold?
“No wonder you walked out so cleanly. When did you
two start sneaking around behind my back?
“Spill it!”
His eyes were bloodshot, looking like he was
possessed by a demon.
Frederick didn’t even blink. He decked Preston with a
solid punch.