Chapter 16

Bethany quickly arrived at Lawson Group's top-floor office. As she pushed the door open, her eyes met Trystan's for the first time since that night, and the atmosphere turned awkward abruptly. Trystan was the first to look away, returning his attention to the documents on his desk. "Does Baruy Studio have such flexible working hours?" Bethany realized that Trystan was asking why she wasn't at work. "There's been some trouble. I probably won't be able to keep my job," Bethany replied. As if he had anticipated it all, Trystan let out a chuckle. He raised his head, and his narrow eyes,which were devoid of emotion, met Bethany's. "So, are you having second thoughts about agreeing to a divorce with no settlement?" Trystan suspected that Bethany might have come to amend the divorce agreement. "No." Bethany resented Trystan's attitude. If she was pursuing money, why would she have worked as an unpaid maid for a year? "Trystan, let's get this straight. I gained nothing from being married to you for the past year," Bethany added. "Is that so?" A mischievous glint shifted in Trystan's eyes. "What about your mother?" Bethany was speechless. She knew Serene had received considerable money from Lawson Group over the previous year. Yet, Bethany had nothing to do with it. But given the fact that she was Serene's daughter, she found it difficult to explain herself. "How much did my mother ask of you? I'll repay you in the future." Bethany sighed. "Repay me?" Trystan found it amusing. "At least ten million dollars. How will you repay me?" "Ten million dollars?" Bethany was shocked to the core. She had only expected a couple of million dollars at most. At the same time, she couldn't help but be impressed by Trystan's generosity. Despite not having any romantic feelings for her, he had still been willing to give Serene ten million dollars. Then, Bethany couldn't help but wonder why Serene would push for a divorce if she was already receiving such a hefty sum. Could Serene stand to gain even more if Trystan married Megan instead? Trystan noticed Bethany's expression and added, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Elijah for the transaction records." "I believe you," Bethany replied, well aware that Trystan wouldn't bother lying about this. "So, when will you repay the money?" Trystan paused and met her gaze. Bethany felt a headache coming on. "As soon as possible." Trystan chuckled coldly, knowing that Bethany would never be able to repay him. He lowered his head again and hastily inquired, "Did you take your pills?" "What pills?" Bethany was confused. Trystan paused while signing, still keeping his head down. "I'm asking you if you took any pills after that night." That night? Bethany quickly realized that Trystan was referring to whether she had taken contraceptives after their intimate encounter that evening. It made sense. Pregnancy would make it more difficult if they were going to get divorced. Fortunately, Trystan had no grounds to be concerned. "Don't worry, Mr. Lawson, I took the pills soon after." Bethany assured him. Trystan's hand tightened around the pen. "You better have some brains. Just to remind you, even if you do get pregnant and try to pull something, I won't acknowledge the child as mine." Bethany had always known that Trystan didn't love her, but hearing these words pained her greatly. She took a deep breath and calmly replied, "Rest assured, I have no intention of dragging along a third wheel after divorcing you." Trystan slammed the pen down on the table, making a loud noise. Bethany jumped and looked at him, unsure of what to do. Trystan pressed the intercom on the desk. He sounded irritated. "Tell everyone to assemble in the conference room right away. The report was terribly done. It seems the company has been squandering money on hiring incompetent employees." Bethany thought that Trystan's sour mood stemmed from work-related issues. Despite that, she couldn't help but admire him. She had the impression that Trystan wasn't bothered by or overly concerned with the prospect of a divorce. To him, it was meaningless. He must have believed their marriage had never existed. Soon, Elijah entered the room cautiously and said, "Mr. Lawson, everyone is waiting in the conference room." Trystan got up without a word and left. Bethany attempted to follow, but Elijah stopped her. "Madam, kindly wait here for a while. If you have more to discuss with Mr. Lawson, you may continue after he has finished the meeting." Bethany reluctantly agreed. At lunchtime, Elijah personally dropped off some takeout for her. "Madam, I wasn't sure what you preferred, so I got a variety of dishes. I'll prepare something else if you don't like what you see." Bethany replied hurriedly, "There's no need. Has the meeting not finished yet?" Elijah shook his head. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while longer." "What about lunch?" Elijah sighed. "We'll go hungry, I suppose. Nobody dares to mention it until Mr. Lawson does." To avoid any further delay, Elijah said, "Madam, take your time with your meal. I'll have someone come to clean it up later. I must return to the meeting right away." Bethany finished her lunch and waited a few more hours. She glanced outside the conference room multiple times and noticed that everyone inside was occupied. The meeting room was a hotbed of tension. Trystan appeared to harbor resentment against everyone, and no one dared to say anything. Soon, the sky darkened. The courthouse was likely closed by then. Bethany had no choice but to give up waiting. Just as she was leaving, she remembered something. Bethany returned to Trystan's desk, took a piece of chocolate from her bag, placed it on the desk, and left. When Trystan returned, it was already 8:00 pm. He hesitated momentarily before taking the chocolate from the desk and eating it. The bitter taste made him furrow his brows. As the chocolate gradually melted, a rich cocoa flavor enveloped his mouth. Trystan stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window for a while before sending Bethany a WhatsApp message. "Meet me at the courthouse entrance next Wednesday at 8:30 am." In the meantime, Bethany had just finished ranting about the day's happenings to Jenny. They were sitting on the couch, and each had a cushion in their hands. "How did Harper know that you were at Baruy Studio?" Jenny felt like something was off. The intention behind Agatha's sabotage and Harper's intervention appeared to be the same—to make Bethany lose her job. "Maybe it's just a coincidence?" Bethany responded with skepticism since there appeared to be too many coincidences. Her suspicions were growing. "What are you going to do about it?" Jenny asked. "I'll wait for Regina's message, even though I know it won't be good news." "Why not defend yourself?" Bethany fell silent. The only thing that could make Regina change her mind was her talent. She needed this job. "Jen, I've made up my mind. I'll create more designs in the coming days and send them to Regina on Monday." "Alright," Jenny replied, clasping her hands together. She felt relieved upon seeing Bethany's determination. Despite facing unfair setbacks at every turn, Bethany proved incredibly resilient. Jenny believed that one day Bethany would blossom into a remarkable individual who would impress everyone. Before heading to bed, Bethany looked at her phone. Her nose tingled, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "Beth, what's wrong?" Jenny hugged Bethany hard. "I'm fine," Bethany responded, pushing back tears. Jenny read the messages on Bethany's phone. She softly patted Bethany's back. "Beth, don't be so sad. You knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Perhaps you will find this empowering. It's been too challenging. Look at how much you've suffered for loving Trystan all these years."