Chapter 2

"That… That can't be true. I just bought her a teddy bear—look at how cute it is! I'm sure she'll love it." Wyatt stared at Hayley. "She's still around, isn't she? You were lying, weren't you? Hayley—" "That's enough!" Hayley shut her eyes. A tear rolled down her face. Her voice was like a cold and sharp dagger; it stabbed Wyatt right through his heart, making his blood run cold. "I wasn't lying. Our daughter's gone now. I'm sorry, Wyatt…" Wyatt collapsed to the floor with a pained howl. His eyes turned bloodshot as he writhed and trembled violently on the floor. His nails dug into his palms so deeply that they drew blood and painted his fingers red. His poor daughter had already left this world, without even having the chance to see what it was like. The Lawson family sneered at his torment. Not only were they not sympathetic in the least, but they were filled with contempt for him. "Why?" Wyatt roared like a savage beast. "I'll tell you why." Maya strutted over to him and looked down at him imperiously. "This is the height of Hayley's career. It'll be ruined if she gets pregnant now. "That's why we can't keep the child. We can't let it turn into an obstacle on her path to success, like you. One more thing—I'm the one who brought Hayley to get the abortion." She smiled cruelly. After a few minutes of silence, Wyatt slowly got to his feet. He'd already calmed down, but his eyes were as cold as ice. He stepped forward and signed the divorce agreement without hesitation. His handwriting was beautiful. It was a mockery of the ugliness of the situation. Then, he picked the teddy bear up like it was his everything. Hayley's heart ached when she saw how broken he was. "I can compensate you for this, Wyatt. You can take anything in this house with you if you want. As for money…" She pulled out a check. "Name your price. Anything's fine." Maya wasn't happy about that. "How can you say that, Hayley? Think about how expensive everything here is and how hard we had to work to get to where we are now! That loser can't take any of our things! "He's leeched off us for three years. We've gone above and beyond for him. You're not allowed to give him even a dime!" Hayley frowned. "Mom, don't say such things. Wyatt—" "I don't want your things or money. I only want the clothes in that wardrobe." Wyatt walked toward the bedroom. There was a wardrobe in there filled with beautiful clothes that he'd made for his daughter. He had sewed them all by hand. He packed the clothes by wrapping them in a bedsheet. He also put the teddy bear in there. Then, he swung the makeshift bag over his shoulder. He looked at the pendant in the shape of a snake—the Snake Pendant—that hung around Hayley's neck. He said, "That's mine. Return it to me." Hayley took the pendant off without hesitation and returned it to Wyatt. Then, he took out the contract for a business deal with Toledo Corporation. "Today was supposed to be our wedding anniversary, so I'd prepared a gift for you. It doesn't mean anything anymore, though." He threw the contract to the floor and walked to the door, looking glum. "Look at him, Mom. Doesn't he look like a dog that's just lost a fight?" Matthew sneered. "He really does!" Maya cackled. Just then, Wyatt stopped at the entrance. He turned and swept a gaze over them all. Then, he looked at Hayley and said, "Mark my words, you'll regret this. I swear on my life that I'll avenge my daughter!" The icy dominance in his gaze made Hayley tremble on the inside. "What the fuck? That loser said that we'll regret this! Hah, I've never heard a bigger joke in my life. I can't even imagine how happy I'll be to have him gone!" Maya laughed hysterically. Matthew picked up the contract. "Wait, is this a contract for a business deal with Toledo Corporation?" Toledo Corporation? Both Hayley and William were stunned at the mention of it. Toledo Corporation was one of the biggest conglomerates in Jarilo. It had invested billions of dollars in several projects in Yonada. Almost all the companies in Yonada were dying for a chance to work with them. This was also one of Hayley's reasons for getting divorced—she wanted to be ready for an opportunity to work with Toledo Corporation. "It must be fake." William gave the contract a perfunctory look and sneered. "It seems like your useless husband has a few tricks up his sleeve, Hayley. He can even forge a contract." Hayley frowned. Was this the gift Wyatt had prepared? Did he think he could make her happy with a forged contract? She'd been feeling a little guilty over the divorce, but it now seemed that she'd made the right decision. "Well, the situation's a lot more straightforward now that you're divorced, Hayley. I'll think of a way to make you a member of Jarilo Club." William pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. Jarilo Club! Everyone's eyes lit up at the mention of that. Jarilo Club was a private association. Its president was the renowned Ann Moore. Toledo Corporation belonged to the Moore family, and Ann handled all of the company's projects in Yonada. The members of Jarilo Club were either wealthy or powerful, and its membership was a status symbol. To become a member, one had to meet specific requirements, among which was that one had to be a single woman. This was also one of the reasons why Hayley had divorced Wyatt. "Thanks for this, Mr. Porter. Since you're the scion of Porterworks Corporation, you must have many connections. Hayley's career will only get better with your help." Cole and Maya gave William sycophantic looks. "You're a thousand times better than that loser, Mr. Porter! If Hayley had married you right from the start, I bet she'd already be the wealthiest woman in Yonada!" Matthew also spoke in an ingratiating manner. "You flatter me." William's words were humble, but he looked like he was enjoying the praise. Just then, he caught sight of a calligraphy artwork hanging in a corner of the room. He hurried over to it and exclaimed, "This is beautiful!" "What the hell is that? Fuck! It's something that fucker left behind. Get rid of it! We don't want it to ruin the living room's ambiance!" Matthew snarled. "This is 'Rippling Spring!'" William's eyes grew brighter. The calligraphy was beautiful. When his gaze landed on the author's name, he exclaimed, "Mr. Cowan wrote this!" "Who's that?" Cole asked. "Mr. Joseph Cowan is a calligraphy master who's been living in seclusion in Yonada," William explained when he saw how lost the Lawsons looked. "A piece of his work would be worth at least 100 thousand dollars in the market." "What?" Maya was dumbstruck. Cole froze halfway through sipping his tea. Even Hayley looked incredulous. "You must be joking, William." "Not in the least. My father's the vice president of Yonada Calligraphy Association, and I'm also a member. Despite the high price Mr. Cowan's works fetch, there isn't any supply to meet the demand. "A few days ago, a bigwig from Shoresea City spent two million dollars on one of Mr. Cowan's artworks. There were only two words written on it, which means each word was worth a million dollars!" William took a deep breath, then asked in astonishment, "Wait, why do you guys have Mr. Cowan's work here? And it's authentic, too." After a long silence, Hayley said dazedly, "This… was written by Wyatt."