William had been at the company to deal with business matters for several hours. It was already five in the evening when he checked up on the time. He called Bobby into his office and asked, “Is Valeria still in Wolf Group?”
“Mr. Howard, she has been picked up by President Garcia at two in the afternoon. She called and requested you to have dinner at President Garcia’s place after work. I did not tell you about it as you were in a meeting at that time.”
“Let us have a free meal at my mother-in-law’s house and also to pick up my wife,” William grinned while picking up his coat as he was ready to get up from his seat.
An international call had come in and it was from Jaxon. “Mr. Howard, I have the latest updates of Veronica’s abortion at that time as per your request!”
William sat down again and asked, “What is it?”
“Emily was innocent regarding Veronica’s miscarriage due to the horse fall at that time. Ornard was actually the mastermind behind this matter. He is truly a ruthless person. Veronica would be fuming with anger should she gets to know that Ornard had used her as bait from the very beginning.”
William had never once suspected that Emily had caused Veronica to experience a miscarriage. He had always been skeptical towards Ornard and Veronica, who were making up their own stories. Hence, William was not too surprised upon hearing this news being confirmed by Jaxon. “I assume that you have sufficient evidence with you?”
“Yes indeed. The horse riding instructor who had been bribed by Ornard at that time had confessed his actions. We have also gathered important information from the nurses and doctors who were in charge of Veronica’s miscarriage case in the hospital. There will be no more change of events regarding this matter.”
“Well done! Do provide me with all the evidence via email. I shall give a read later.”
“Okay, I shall send it to your mailbox right away.”
William and Bobby then made their way towards the house of Archer and Natalie. It was seen that the couple was busy as a bee in the kitchen. William entered the villa with his fingerprint. Valeria was seated in the living room and Abbie was in a video call with her. Abbie was sharing her feelings out on the other end of the phone.
“My mom’s legs are not well and she currently needs to use a wheelchair. The schedule of my brother and my dad are packed as they are caught up in work. I am the only one who has the time to look after my mom. Hence, I may only be able to head back after quite some time. I miss having hot pot, barbecue skewers, and night market! I desperately want to run away from this damned place which only has burgers and steaks to offer!”
Valeria smiled and comforted her, “Hang in there for a little longer. How about hiring a servant who specializes in cooking Chinese cuisine for you?”
“It is not entirely about the difference of taste palate. My sons are going to be born real soon, aren’t they? I would want to stay by your side and witness you give birth to my adorable sons.”
Valeria chuckled and said, “I will only be due after a few weeks later. I would not be delivering that soon! You are definitely still in time to join the party.”
They were having a good time chatting with each other. Abbie eventually hung up the phone in a hurry as another call had come into her phone.
Valeria put her mobile phone away and only realized that William was there. “When did you arrive?”
“Just a second ago!” William sat down beside Valeria and Raymond had also come back at a similar timing. He greeted William as soon as he entered the villa. He asked Valeria after taking a glance at the fruits and snacks on the tea table, “Valeria, do you still have room for dinner?”
“I would have to enjoy dinner even if my tummy is full, wouldn’t I? How could I be a mood spoiler when Archer and Natalie are the chefs for today? Besides, my portion is now equivalent to three persons. I have to be considerate of my sons even if I do not feel like having dinner. I cannot let them starve!”
“You must be currently weighing at two hundred pounds, right?” Raymond observed Valeria from top to bottom.
Valeria was so upset that she almost sprung up from her seat. “You must be talking about yourself. How is that possible for me to be so chubby?”
William immediately held her hand to comfort her upon seeing the furious look on her face. “You need not interact with people of a low emotional intelligence.”
“It is for her own good. Valeria, it would be hard for you to deliver your babies if you are chubby, wouldn’t it? Besides, it will be tough for you in going back to your pre-pregnancy weight after you have given birth to them. I should remind you that your husband is a handsome man. He might be seduced by beautiful women and hook up with them as you become increasingly unattractive…”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Archer came out and knocked on Raymond’s head without mercy.
Raymond brushed his head and asked, “Dad, did you hit me just now? How could you be so unreasonable?”
He immediately complained upon seeing Natalie coming out of the kitchen, “Mom, Archer had laid a finger on me!”
Natalie did not sympathize with Raymond at all and replied, “You deserve it! You should have minded your language, shouldn’t you?”
“You guys are a bunch of bullies! I shall be going for a hunger strike by skipping dinner!”
Raymond clearly did not mean it at all as he had consumed a lot of food during the meal. He brushed his stomach with a satisfied look on his face after having dinner and said, “What a pity. I can only get to enjoy a delicious feast when you guys pay mom and dad a visit. They would not even cook if you guys are not here.”
Valeria snapped back, “Don’t you think that you should treat me much better then? There would not be mouthwatering dishes to enjoy if I do not pay them a visit. You should try to get on my good side so that I would miss coming back home. You are then able to enjoy a marvelous feast, right?”
“I know that one should not compare with others and always feel grateful for what you have. However, I do not feel good seeing you here!”
The siblings continued to joke around with each other. William took out his mobile phone and opened his mailbox to read the email that was sent by Jaxon just now.
William’s face was filled with shock after reading the contents of the email. This matter was much more severe than he had imagined.
He needed to have a word with Fandrey regarding this matter in enabling the Floyd family to be the proactive one.
It was seven in the morning in the United States. Callum’s lawyer brought the divorce document and showed up at the Floyd family’s villa.
Veronica had trouble falling asleep peacefully these days as her thoughts were all over the place. She knew what was going to happen upon hearing from the servant that the lawyer had arrived at the villa.
She headed downstairs with a face that was as pale as a ghost. The lawyer was seated in the living room and he was enjoying his cup of tea. He stood up politely upon seeing Veronica come down from the top floor, “Veronica, good morning. I was entrusted by Mr. Floyd to have a word with you regarding the divorce issue.”
Veronica decided to drop her act since things had already turned out this way. She asked bitterly, “Is Callum that impatient? I am telling you, it is impossible in forcing me to walk away from this marriage. I shall demand meeting with Callum in person to talk things through!”
The lawyer chose to turn a blind eye when Veronica had lost her temper. He sat down once again and opened up his briefcase before taking a divorce document from it. He then handed the report to Veronica and said, “Veronica, please have a look!”
Veronica accepted the document from him and immediately tore it into pieces. “I will never talk things through with you regarding the divorce issue. Get lost! Get out of here right now!”
The lawyer decided to ignore Veronica despite she was raising her voice. He took out another document from his briefcase. He placed the agreement on the tea table instead of handing it to Veronica this time. He said in a much stern tone, “I shall remind you something on behalf of my client. This matter would not be solved even if you choose to act childishly. You need to keep your cool and have a thorough read of this document!”
The lawyer had decided to drop honorifics when addressing Veronica. The smile on his face had disappeared and he was glancing at Veronica with disdain. Veronica then realized that she was behaving like a clown. She suppressed her anger and said, “I want to meet with Callum. Can’t you give way to such a trivial request of mine?”
“Absolutely not! Mr. Floyd does not have the time to meet with unimportant people like you.”
“I will not sign my name on this document if Callum is very persistent in avoiding having a meetup with me! It is impossible for him to do things his way and force me for a divorce!”
“The decision is up to you then!” The lawyer did not elaborate further with Veronica. He got up from his seat and eventually left the villa.
Veronica took the document on the tea table and looked through it after the lawyer had left. She would not receive anything as per her expectation. Callum did not intend to give her anything as a form of compensation.
Veronica sat on the sofa and caught a breather. Callum was so bold in hoping to call it quits regarding their marriage. However, Veronica was very persistent in refusing to sign the divorce agreement. She had been a loyal wife for more than twenty years despite having no feelings for Callum. How could she deserve such treatment?
Veronica would have received a salary even if she was deemed as a servant for the Floyd family, right? Why did she end up with nothing after wasting more than twenty years of her life?
She did not reject the idea of Callum suggesting a divorce on their marriage. However, it was absolutely impossible for her to quit the game without getting anything in return. She needed financial assistance and demanded Callum in providing her with alimony payment.
Veronica decided to drag things further should Callum refuse to give her the said compensation fee. He would then be unable to take Emily’s hand in marriage. Veronica just wanted to make things difficult for them.
It was a whole new ballgame for going into divorce court in the United States compared to within the country. Veronica refused to believe that Callum had the patience to waste time like this.