Chapter <b>123 </b>
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“Should I get you the best divorcewyer?” Ian suggested, thinking that going through legal action was probably the most reliable way.
“It won’t make a difference,” Jessica replied, scrolling through countless photos on her phone. “Ever since Jeffrey and Reba split up, I’ve had a private investigator tailing them, but I never found them doing anything intimate or out of line.”
Reba said, “He’s always so cautious.”
Jeffrey had always been the kind of guy who needed everything to be under his control. Even divorce was no exception. It had to be his decision; any other way simply wouldn’t work.
“There’s one thing that might actually work,” Jessica finally spoke up after a long silence. It was the only risky move she’d thought of, but it was bound to get Reba into a heap of trouble.
“I don’t care how messy it gets, as long as I can get out of this marriage,” Reba said firmly, determination shining in her eyes. She had to get divorced.
If Jeffrey wound up backing outter, she needed a n B. Otherwise, she’d be forced to spend her whole life trapped between him and Andrea, and just the thought of that made her skin crawl.
“We could use Jeffrey’s parents and the board of directors at the Hanson Group to put pressure on him,” Jessica said. “Just tell them he’s too busy chasing after you to focus on running thepany.”
Marcus, Candice, and the board members of the Hanson Group were all about money and power. If Jeffrey was seen neglecting his duties because of Reba, he’d be under a ton of pressure from all sides.
“Ever since Jeffrey took charge, everything’s run like clockwork. It’d be pretty hard to dig up any real dirt on him,” Reba admitted.
‘Much as I hate the way Jeffrey does things sometimes, in these matters, he really does know what he’s doing Reba thought.
“We don’t need to find any real ws,” Jessica replied, her eyes narrowing. “We just need to stir up some trouble between Jeffrey and his parents.”
Reba paused, her mind racing, Jeffrey couldn’t stand Marcus and Candice. He’d avoided them whenever possible, never bothering to fake any kind of family closeness.
If she actually stirred up trouble between him and his family, he’d probably despise her for it. He’d spit out something cruel like, “You want a divorce? Fine, I’ll give it to you. Just don’te begging me for help when you’re struggling alone.”
“Okay,” Reba finally said, steadying herself.
She knew what she was about to do was downright savage, but if Jeffrey was going to y dirty and refuse to let her go, she had no choice but to fight back just as hard.
Jeffrey, standing on the balcony next door, heard every word loud and clear. The instant Reba said “okay,”
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his grip on the ss grew tight.
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‘Reba,‘ he thought. ‘Are you really this desperate to get rid of me? So, you would agree to something so shameful, something you’d never touch before.
He shoved down the storm of emotions inside, squeezing his eyes shut to quiet the ache and frustration in his chest. Any lingering urge to treat Reba kindly, he forced back down into the darkness.
After a long moment, Jeffrey pulled out his phone and called Gregory. “If anyone tries to stir up trouble between me and my parents, or me and the board members, don’t stop them.”
Gregory was confused.
Jeffrey continued, “If necessary, help them out.”
Gregory asked, “Help those working against you?”
Jeffrey said, “Yes.” He wanted to see just how far Reba would go for a divorce, just how ruthless she could be.
“Understood,” Gregory replied, instantly figuring this must have something to do with Reba. If it were Stephen pulling the strings, he’d usually say something like, “Let them think they’ve got the upper hand.”
That night, Jeffrey didn’t get much sleep at all.
For so long, he’d believed that even if Reba disliked him or took issue with him and Andrea, it was just simple hatred, nothing more.
Just like when Stephen had told her about his rough childhood, even if Reba had trouble epting him, she’d still quietly shielded his battered pride from the worst of it. But for Jeffrey, it felt like everything had changed.
Reba was oblivious to any of it. Her life was as busy and ordinary as ever, and during a quiet moment, she shot May a quick text with the date for her divorce.
She found herself caught between hope and bittersweet nostalgia. It was like saying a final goodbye to a beautiful chapter in her life, one she’d never see again.
Thursday rolled around. Reba was grinding away at work, staring at herputer, but totally zoned out.
“Reba,” Jane called, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Huh?” Reba blinked, shaking off her daze.
Jane caught the spaced–out look and asked, “You feeling alright? You seem kind of off today.”
“No, I’m just trying to figure out how to handle this part,” Reba said, gesturing at her screen. “It’s turning out to be a lot trickier than I thought.”
“Put this aside for now,” Jane said, sounding calm. “There are two people waiting in the conference room on the twelfth floor. Mr. Smith wants you to meet them.”
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Reba paused, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “Mr. Smith wants me to meet them?” Reba asked.
Jane nodded. “Yep.” Even though Reba was confused, she headed over anyway.
Jeffrey had been working at the Hanson Group for the past few days and hadn’te by, so it couldn’t be him or Gregory looking for her.
‘Could it be Jessica and Ian?‘ she wondered. But they always gave her a heads–up before dropping in.
With a jumble of emotions about what might happen next, Reba took the elevator up to the twelfth floor and went straight to the conference room.
“You’re here,” Jason said, standing by the elevator. As soon as he saw her, he led her inside. “They’ve been waiting for you for quite a while.”
Reba paused, a little thrown off. “Who?”
Jason said, “Jeffrey’s parents.”
Without a second thought, Reba turned around and jabbed the elevator button. Meeting them was definitely not happening. She wasn’t stupid.
Marcus and Candice had never liked her, and odds were they just showed up to interrogate her about why the divorce hadn’t happened yet. Even if she told them it’d be official next Friday, they’d be convinced she was stalling on purpose.
For her mental health and to keep the rest of her day drama–free, Reba was absolutely not about to stick around and put up with any of their nonsense.
“What’s up
with you?” Jason stepped in front of the elevator doors, giving Reba a puzzled look.
“My stomach’s acting up,” Reba said, clutching her belly and already putting on a dramatic performance. “Can I hit the restroom first and thene back? Please?”
“Afraid that’s not gonna work,” Jason said, and he was way too sharp to buy her act. “They came all the way over just to see you. Skip the meeting, and Primey Technologies could be looking at a whole mess of trouble.”
“Isn’t Jeffrey the <i>one </i>running Primey Technologies?” Reba asked, testing the waters and trying to sound
innocent.
Normally, Jeffrey would never have allowed his parents to get involved like this. He couldn’t stand his parents meddling in his life.
“Mr. Hanson’s in charge, but he’s still part of the Hanson family,” Jason said, clueless about what was really going on behind the scenes. “I called him twenty minutes ago, and he said not to bother him with something
like that,”
Reba paused, suddenly realizing Jeffrey not only knew about his parents showing up, but he was also letting it happen.
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He was letting them handle things, which probably meant he’d made up his mind about the divorce. So, he wasn’t going to interfere with anything at all.
‘Fine by me,‘ Reba thought. ‘At least now I don’t have to keep worrying that I’ll be stuck in this marriage