Chapter 54
He softened his tone and said, “Jessica, stop the mess. Come back with me.”
Brian was used to polished suits and elite circles, so he completely ignored the fact that Jessica was wearing a tailored designer suit.
Jessica continued eating without looking up. Brian’s presence slightly dulled her appetite.
Brian continued with a dark face, “Fine, Jessica. So you are really determined to leave, huh?”
His gaze flickered slightly as he looked at Jessica’s seemingly down–and–out state. “Since you insist on the divorce, you will have to take on part of Jake’s expenses. His tuition alone is hundreds of thousands a year, not to mention his custom clothes and transportation.”
Jessica did not understand what Brian tried to say. She only felt irritated upon hearing those words.
With a smirk, Brian said, “For Jake’s expenses, I will need three million dollars a year from you. That is not too much, is it?”
Jessica chose to leave the marriage with almost nothing. The fact that she had tried to sell her shares in the Atkinson Group was proof that she had no liquid funds.
Brian believed he had hit her weakest spot, and even if Jessica worked another ten years, she still couldn’t come up with that amount.
But within moments, the smirk on Brian’s face froze. Jessica slapped a bank card on the table in front of him.
She snapped, “There’s over three million in the account. Anything extra can go toward Jacob’s expenses.”
She finished the last few bites of her pasta. Warmth spread through her stomach, easing the exhaustion from the day.
After wiping her mouth, she stood up. The heels of her business shoes were neither too high nor too low, but every step she took toward the door was calm and steady.
Before she walked out, she said, “I’ll text you the PIN.”
Brian stared in stunned silence at her retreating figure. It took him a long time to regain his composure.
His eyes landed on the bank card resting on the table. Suddenly, Brian’s phone vibrated. He checked it and saw a six–digit number in a text
message.
Brian thought, “There is really over three million in the account. Where did Jessica get so much money?‘
He knew that Jessica hadn’t yet sold her shares in the Atkinson Group. Over the years, although he had given her a secondary card, her expenses were mostly for daily use, the occasional handbag or outfit.
He knew Jessica wouldn’t have had any significant savings, let alone over three million.
Brian gripped the card. The cool plastic edge pressed sharply into his fingers. For the first time, he realized how little he truly knew about Jessica. A strange sense of unfamiliarity settled in.
Meanwhile, Jessica drove home, not sparing a second thought for the three million.
A few of her illustrations, if sold at the right timing and with the right buyer, could fetch several million for just a couple of pieces.
What surprised her was not the money but the fact that Brian thought to use money to pressure her into compromise.
Jessica shook her head and thought, ‘How ridiculous.’
She tossed the matter aside, washed up, and collapsed into bed. The company had too much going on, so she was exhausted.
The next morning, both her alarm and countdown reminder went off simultaneously. Jessica sat up and saw that the countdown showed only four days remaining.
After washing up, she went downstairs to find Dereck reading the newspaper in his glasses. With Jessica now in charge, he had the time to enjoy his long–delayed retirement.
“Oh, Brian called again this morning. He wants to meet me. He is quite bothered by our refusal to cooperate and says he wants to hear our reason face–to–face.” Jessica was just about to leave when Dereck casually mentioned it.
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Chapter 34
“Lalkar party prodica replant the turn willend stand in her car
I try to its codiston condd bring wat profits to the company, she had me in working with Mikienes Group
A he was bring to the office, her phone rang, tt was from Jacks
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