Chapter 428
Chapter 428
“I swear, Stella has been nothing but good to you after you two got married, and yet here you are, messing everything up. And you still have the audacity to get feisty?” My irritation continued to rise, unrestrained.
“What on earth have I done, huh? Have I been caught in bed with another woman? Have I been on dates with someone else? Are all women like this, so irrational?!” Mitch, under Neil’s caution, managed to hold back a bit, but his tone was still rather sharp.
All this was happening over a speakerphone, and Mitch’s words only succeeded in infuriating Stella further. She demanded loudly, “So what do you want then? You want to wait until you’re caught in bed with Ariana before you admit there’s something going on between you two? All your favoritism towards her means nothing, is that it?!” “How have I been favoring her? Stop making things up!” Mitch sounded increasingly exasperated.
“Oh, I’m making things up, am I? Well, you go find yourself a reasonable woman then. We’ll get a divorce, I’ll take our kids, and I want nothing else from you. You go explain it to your parents. And if I can’t get Leila and Quincy, don’t blame me for what I might do!” After saying that, Stella promptly hung up the phone.
Only then did she explain to me what had triggered this argument.
While I was busy with Russel, Mitch had called Stella, again about the children, and he couldn’t help but discuss it with his parents.
The moment it came to their grandchildren, Mitch’s parents took a firm stand that the children must stay with them. That’s when Stella lost it.
She generally got along well with her in-laws, so she didn’t expect them to pull something like this before they’d even filed for divorce.
I felt a sudden sense of relief that I had stood my ground when it came to Serena and Brandon, refusing to give in to Ryan and Faith’s demands. Otherwise, I might be facing a fallout like this one.
Stella, unable to calm down, insisted on rushing back to Rosemont that very night to retrieve the kids from Mitch’s parents. It took me a while to dissuade her
Even if she needed to go back, she could do so the next day. It would be too much for her and the kid to drive all night on the highway.
By the time I got Serena and Brandon to bed, it was midnight, and I was utterly exhausted.
I was woken up by my phone ringing. Serena and Brandon had already been taken out by Norah. I glanced at the caller ID. It was Neil.
Thinking about the clash between him and Russel, I felt a bit embarrassed. At that time, I really thought Neil was at fault, even though I had no idea what had happened.
“Hello? What’s up?” I answered the phone, my voice husky and tired from just waking up.
“You wanted Ariana’s information?” There was a pause on the other end of the line before Neil spoke.
I hadn’t expected it to be so soon. It was only half past ten in the morning. I thought he would give it to me in the afternoon or evening.
I sat up. “Alright, send it to me.”
Neil hung up, then immediately sent me an email.
Ariana’s information was very detailed, even including her home address.
She didn’t have an impressive academic or work background. I wondered how she had managed to get into the Hebert Group, then get involved in this project, and then come here with Mitch.
The project hadn’t been going on for long, but there was already some ambiguity between her and Mitch.
Just as I finished reading the information, Neil called again. “Have you finished reading?”
“I have, thank you. Let me know if you think of anything else you want in return.” I replied politely, then added, “Did you talk to Mitch yesterday? Why is he getting stupider?”
“I didn’t say much, as you might know, I wasn’t in a great mood either.” Neil’s tone suddenly went cold. “Given the circumstances, you might as well have had someone else try to talk some sense into me.”
I felt a bit awkward. I was considering apologizing, but then again, even though Russel’s actions were somewhat extreme, they were undoubtedly effective, especially for
someone like Neil.
“In any case, let me know if you think of anything you want in return, as long as it doesn’t contradict the two conditions I’ve mentioned.” I didn’t explain what happened yesterday, I just kept it simple.
Neil hung up immediately. The dial tone made me feel like his mood wasn’t too great.
I quickly got out of bed and went to find Stella to show her the information.
After reading the information, Stella’s face went completely cold. It confirmed that Mitch’s promotion of Ariana had nothing to do with her business capabilities.
Ariana had only graduated from a community college, and her major had nothing to do with the current main business of the Hebert Group.
She must have used some means to get into the Hebert Group, then used other means to follow Mitch here, staying close to him to gain familiarity.
Stella gritted her teeth. “Did they start their affair while I was pregnant with our third child?”
“No, no, it shouldn’t have been that way. Did you notice anything off about Mitch when you were pregnant?” I asked.
“Not really. I’m just suddenly suspecting it.” Stella took a deep breath. She stood up. “Rena, could you do me a favor?”
I felt a bit apprehensive and also had a foreboding feeling. “What do you need? Just tell me.”
Stella glanced at the baby in the stroller next to her with a deep sadness in her eyes. “Could you look after Yara for a while? She can drink formula. I want to go back to Rosemont alone, but I can’t drive with her by myself. I’m also afraid that if something happens, she might get hurt.”
Stella’s words scared me. I asked, “You’re going to Mitch’s parents? Alone?”
“Yes, I want to go by myself first. I don’t want to tell my parents about this yet.” Stella didn’t like to trouble her family. If her parents found out about this, they’d definitely be
upset.
But it wasn’t safe to do so. Who knew what Mitch’s parents might do for the sake of the children?
“Stella, hold your horses a minute, why don’t you consider telling your folks first? Maybe they can go with you? I’m just not comfortable with you going alone,” I suggested.
But Stella was unyielding, “No, I can ask Barbara and Alicia to come along.”
If she brought in Alicia and Barbara, they would definitely go to bat for her.
Regardless of my unease, Stella was resolute. She took off alone in my car back to Rosemont, leaving the little one with me. Looking at the innocent baby in the stroller, my heart ached. I couldn’t help but feel that Mitch was a real piece of work. If it wasn’t for him, how did things end up this way?
