Thinking about how Zachary Sinclair had made a mess of the Sinclair Group in the last two years, a heavy expression clouded Sylas Vaughn’s face.
He let out a soft snort, then placed his hands on his knees, his long, slender fingers rubbing them gently.
Then, his gaze shifted to the window.
The shadow cast by the car window fell across his chiseled features, making him look even more noble and severe.
‘Since Selena Sinclair dared to run away,’ he thought, ‘I’ll have to make her come back to me willingly.
As long as I hold the Sinclair Family as a bargaining chip, how could she possibly not return?’
Even Sylas Vaughn himself didn’t understand this thought—why he cared so much about a woman he didn’t even like.
Julian Ford snuck a glance at Sylas Vaughn in the rearview mirror, seeming to sense something was amiss.
For the past three years, he had shown no interest in the Sinclair Family’s affairs.
Julian Ford found it strange that he would suddenly bring up the Sinclair Group.
After leaving the Vaughn estate, Selena Sinclair went to an apartment in Brookfall.
It was the small apartment of her best friend, Claire Cameron.
Since Claire Cameron had a movie to shoot abroad recently, Selena happened to have a key to her place.
So she just gave Claire a quick heads-up and moved in.
As Selena arrived at the apartment, pulling her suitcase, Claire Cameron asked over the phone:
“So, what is it this time?
Why’d you come running to me?
Did that old woman at home give you a hard time again?”
Although she was used to Selena using her place as a sanctuary,
Claire couldn’t help but ask when she heard that something was off in Selena’s tone.
“Claire, the woman he’s always loved is back.”
Selena’s eyes dimmed, and she seemed to lack the energy to even speak.
She closed the door, walked to the table by the window, and leaned back against its edge, propping herself up with one elbow.
“So, you’re backing out?”
At that moment, Claire Cameron was in a presidential suite somewhere in Yorland, draped in a white bathrobe.
Her robe was hanging loosely on her body, her hair was piled high in a bun, and she was holding the phone, gently supporting one wrist with her other hand, as she talked to Selena.
A faint tug pulled at the corner of Selena’s mouth.
Her gaze was calm and ripple-free as she lowered her head and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a layer of brightness on her indifferent face.
“We’re…
already divorced.” Her words came out at a measured pace, as if she were discussing something that had nothing to do with her.
On the other end of the line, Claire Cameron was clearly stunned, finding it hard to believe.
No matter how she had tried to persuade her to leave Sylas Vaughn before, she wouldn’t listen.
How could she now say she was divorced so easily?
“Claire, you know, the woman he’s always loved showed up at our door, forcing me to step aside.
And the Vaughn Family thinks I’m being petty, that I can’t tolerate Hannah Hayes.
Just because Hannah grew up with the Vaughns, I’m supposed to accept her return, and he…”
Thinking of the rumors about Sylas Vaughn and Hannah Hayes, Selena Sinclair let out a self-deprecating laugh, one that mocked her years of sacrifice and was filled with bitterness toward her absurd life.
“Selena!”
Claire’s tone on the phone suddenly turned serious and firm.
“When I advised you not to marry Sylas Vaughn back then, what did you say?
You said you truly loved him and didn’t care how he treated you.
But now what?”
“You said you gave up your future, gave up the Sinclair Family’s business, gave up everything to marry him.
And what did you get?
You’re Selena Sinclair, the heiress of the Sinclair Family!
Why should you bow down to that woman, Hannah Hayes?”
“If you had just been a little tougher, there would be no place for Hannah Hayes in the Vaughn Family!
And now you’re telling me you’re already divorced?”
“Claire…” Selena’s throat tightened, and a sharp sting hit her nose.
Over the years, for his sake and for the reputation of both the Vaughn and Sinclair families, her pride had been worn down bit by bit.
To love him, she had endured far too much bitterness.
Marrying Sylas Vaughn had been a girlhood dream.
Now that she had woken up, it was time to return to reality.
Thinking about Sylas Vaughn’s attitude toward her felt like life had slapped her hard across the face, leaving her speechless.
“Did Sylas Vaughn agree to sign?” Claire sighed on the other end of the line.
Selena could feel her friend’s anxiety.
It felt like the last thread of connection between them.
“Hannah Hayes is back.
I don’t think he has any reason not to sign.”
Selena paused for a moment, then brushed her hair back and said, “Because of Mr.
Vaughn, he was waiting for me to be the one to bring it up.
Now, he has his wish.”
Claire sighed helplessly, not knowing how to comfort her.
Instead, she said, “It’s good that you’re divorced.
A man like that isn’t worth it.
You’ve finally come to your senses.
It’s not too late to back out now.
You stay in the country and wait for me for a couple of days.
I’ll come see you as soon as I’m done here.”
Selena fought back the grievances welling up inside her as her eyes gradually turned red.
After hanging up, she finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into sobs.
These past few days, she thought she had been calm enough, that she could accept all of this peacefully.
But now, her tears were like a bursting dam, flooding out uncontrollably.
The pent-up frustration from the past three years was like a hidden bomb that exploded in that instant, shattering her last line of defense.
She curled up in a corner, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, as if trying to pour out years of accumulated bitterness through her tears.
It took a long time for her emotions to calm down.
She spent three days alone in the apartment before finally deciding to turn on her backup phone.
The moment it powered on, notification chimes sounded one after another.
A long list of missed calls and messages appeared, but she just gave it a cursory glance and ignored them all.
Among them were three missed calls from Sylas Vaughn.
There was also a text message from Laura Morgan, every word a dagger to the heart.
Selena merely glanced at it before swiping it away.
‘How rare.
Only after I left the Vaughn Family would that man think to call me.’
His previous calls had only ever served one purpose: to tell her when to come home to accompany him on a visit to Mr.
Vaughn.
Nothing else.
Come to think of it, it had been over three months since they last saw each other.
Now he was seeking her out, and it was all because of the divorce agreement.
For Sylas Vaughn, face was more important than anything.
Even if the marriage was over, she shouldn’t have been the one to bring it up first.
To him, something like this was more humiliating than being slapped in the face.
Over the years, he had tried all sorts of methods, hoping Selena would get the hint and back down.
Gradually, he had grown accustomed to Selena’s silence and forbearance.
Her decisive departure now made him feel a loss of control, a complete loss of face.
If Mr.
Vaughn hadn’t protected her and forbidden them from divorcing,
Sylas Vaughn probably would have kicked her out two years ago.
Claire Cameron returned to the apartment at noon and saw Selena on the sofa, holding a laptop, engrossed in writing something.
Hearing the door open, she looked up toward the entrance and called out softly, “Claire, you’re back.”
Claire dropped her luggage, not even bothering to change her shoes.
She rushed forward in her socks and hugged Selena, saying excitedly, “Selena, darling!
I missed you to death!
After all this time, you finally came to see me.”