Chapter 6 A Deal

"Not for long! It was right before the wedding, after I discovered your betrayal!" Before the wedding ... For two whole years, I naively waited for him to return each day, only to realize he was working to ruin my family's business? What a bitter twist of fate! In a sudden move, Kathleen seized Rhett's hand, pulled it away from her face, and bit down with force. Slap! Rhett yanked his hand back and slapped Kathleen hard across the face. "You witch! This is only the beginning! Your dad is dead, your mom's still under my control, and I'll make her suffer slowly, ensuring you endure a life worse than death! I'll make you pay for betraying me! I'll make you spend the rest of your life like a beaten dog! Hahaha!" Rhett's eyes burned with fury and cruelty. His harsh laughter echoed in Kathleen's ears, making her whole body shake. This ruthless, terrifying Rhett was nothing like the gentle, warm person he once appeared to be. Holding back her anger, she kneeled and gripped his sleeve, pleading, "Rhett, where is my mom? You can hurt me and punish me, but please spare the innocent. Will you?" "Your mom lost her mind, so I generously arranged for her to stay in a psychiatric hospital!" Rhett sneered, brushing off her hand in disgust. "Filthy! Don't touch me!" With that, he turned and walked away. "Rhett! You monster!" Kathleen yelled, chasing after him in a frenzy. Reaching the door of the ward, her vision blurred, and she staggered, collapsing to the ground. A nurse passing by hurried over to steady her, saying, "Your head wound is bleeding again. Please lie down ... " ... Inside the Maybach. Arthur's slim fingers held a cigarette, casually resting on the car window. Through the drifting smoke, his furrowed brows and striking features appeared in the reflection. Suddenly, his phone rang. Seeing his assistant Dane Lopez's name on the screen, he answered right away. "Arthur, I've got the details. Kathleen just got divorced yesterday. The cause? Her ex-husband got her cousin pregnant, drove her family's construction business into bankruptcy, her father took his own life by jumping off a building this morning, and her mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital ... " Arthur's intense gaze narrowed. He crushed the cigarette between his fingers with force. A glimmer of surprise gradually surfaced in his otherwise unreadable eyes. So, did she go to the morgue to see her father, who had just fallen to his death? Was the woman who attacked her like a lunatic her mother? Did she really head to the bar after finalizing her divorce yesterday? Divorced, yet still a virgin ... and still being treated so cruelly by her ex-husband? The hand holding the crushed cigarette tightened, his knuckles turning pale with the pressure. The fierce anger on his handsome face slowly faded, giving way to a mix of conflicting emotions. Ring, ring, ring ... A phone rang again, but it wasn't his. Arthur looked toward the source of the noise. Under the front passenger seat, a pink phone case screen lit up. After completing her IV drip, Kathleen left the hospital. She went first to the funeral home, where the staff informed her that her father had already been cremated and Elena had taken the ashes. As for her mother, there was no trace of her. With her head wrapped in trembling bandages, she hauled her suitcase back to the Dawson Residence in Lakestone Estate, only to find the door sealed with an official notice. Sitting on the steps outside the complex, she looked at her suitcase, a glint of resolve surfacing through her sorrow. The last few tens of thousands in her bank account had also been blocked. Now without money or a place to stay, she had no choice but to ask her best friend for help to find somewhere to settle down and plan her next moves. However, when she went to grab her phone, she discovered it was gone. Suddenly, she recalled that she had taken Arthur's car to the hospital, and in her rush to get out, something must have slipped under the passenger seat. It had to be her phone. But after sending Arthur away at the hospital, how could she muster the courage to ask him for it back? She had no choice but to step outside and call Maeve for assistance. Just as Kathleen was about to rise, a car stopped by the side of the road. "Kathleen, I can't believe you're actually here!" Kathleen looked up and saw Paisley's beautiful and delicate face. She stepped out of the car, one hand resting on her belly and the other holding a bag as she approached. "I couldn't find you at the hospital, so I figured you'd be here." Kathleen stood up, preparing to leave with her suitcase. Paisley seized her arm. "Hey! I came to help you out of goodwill, so don't be ungrateful! Do you really think you're still the rich daughter of the Dawsons or Rhett's wife?" "Let go of me!" Kathleen didn't even glance at her, saying coldly, "If you push me too far, I won't hesitate to hurt a pregnant woman!" "Fine! Let's get straight to the point!" Paisley released her and pulled out a bundle of cash from her bag, handing it to Kathleen. "Let's make a deal. I'll give you this 30,000 dollars, and you promise never to mention Rhett's infertility!" Kathleen smiled. "Is the child in your womb worth only 30,000? Or is your relationship with Rhett only worth that much?"