Chapter 5

Yvette watched the news and saw the press conference held by Lane Group. It was an announcement that Xavier had successfully acquired Snyder Group. James' company no longer existed in the world.

…

Things on Xavier's end had been extra pleasant lately. He had acquired Snyder Group and gotten his revenge.

"The Snyder family finally got what they deserved for tricking you into that marriage three years ago." Tristan chuckled.

Yet, he changed the topic in the next instant. He asked Xavier, "Xav, has Deaf Yvvy approached you during the past few days?"

Xavier froze halfway through signing a document. He didn't know why, but people around him kept mentioning Yvette these days.

"No," he replied coldly.

That shocked Tristan. After all, how could Yvette not do anything when something this massive had happened to her family?

With that in mind, he spoke again. "Could it be that she's finally come around? I heard her family has been looking everywhere for her. Nobody knows where she's gone—"

He kept blabbering on.

Xavier frowned, feeling utterly annoyed. "Get out!"

Tristan jolted. That was when he realized that Xavier was furious. Not daring to say another word, Tristan bolted out of the CEO's office.

Once outside, he took his phone and called his assistant, Avery Fitzpatrick. "Have you found Yvette?"

"Yes, she's in a small hotel in Hexim Pass," answered Avery.

Tristan had Avery send him the location before he drove there.

He refused to let Yvette off the hook so easily. So what if she was willing to divorce Xavier now? She had already prevented Xavier and Daphne from being together for over three years!

Besides, Daphne had saved Tristan's life once, so he owed her.

It rained outside.

Yvette finished her volunteer work and picked up her medication from the hospital. Then, she held an umbrella while walking back to the hotel.

There were very few people on the road.

Tristan drove his car but kept his eyes on Yvette's slim back. He deliberately sped up as he drove past her, sending a puddle of rainwater splashing onto her.

Yvette shot him a blank stare.

Tristan happened to meet her emotionless gaze through his rearview mirror. He didn't know why, but he felt inexplicably nervous.

Yvette recognized Tristan's luxurious, dark gray Bugatti. Yet, she retracted her gaze and pretended not to notice him.

Even so, Tristan refused to stop there. He deliberately slowed his car and followed her. "Hey, Deaf Yvvy. So, you have a temper now, huh?

"You're not even going to greet me now? Didn't you used to love greeting me? Didn't you enjoy tickling my fancy?"

Yvette remained stoic while the former mocked her.

She used to do everything to win over those around Xavier, including his friends. It was all because she liked him. She had figured that Xavier's family and friends would one day accept her.

Alas, it seemed she had been too naïve.

At the previous gathering, Tristan had declared that he was Daphne's friend.

He couldn't care less about maintaining his gentlemanly, upper-class image when siding with Daphne. He had insulted Yvette and called her shameless. In the end, he had also thrown her into the pool, leaving her to die.

Since then, Yvette had steered clear of him.

Upon receiving no reaction or response from Yvette, Tristan stopped the car, opened the door, and strolled toward her. He grabbed her arm and asked, "What stunts are you planning to pull this time?"

Yvette's arm hurt, so she looked up at him. "I don't know what you're saying."

She wanted to pry his hand off her arm, but he flung her aside.

"Don't touch me with your filthy hands!" Tristan bellowed.

Yvette stumbled backward before falling to the ground with a loud thud.

Tristan froze on the spot in slight disbelief. It baffled him to see Yvette resorting to such tricks. He had only pushed her with a slight force, so how could she fall like that?

Seeing people looking their way, he nervously got back into his car.

Still, he gave her a warning before driving away. "Don't mess with Daph just because you're a disabled person, Yvette!

"She's different from you. It's taken her a lot of effort to get to where she is now, so you'd better not disrupt her and Xav's relationship again!"

After driving away, he even told the Snyder family where Yvette was staying.

Yvette's hands and knees were scraped when she fell. It hurt so much that she couldn't stand for a long time.

Deep down, she didn't understand why Tristan was so blind to what was right and wrong.

She recalled risking her life to rescue him from a car that had been about to explode four years ago.

His face had been covered in blood, and his eyes hadn't been visible. However, he had spoken in the warmest voice.

He had said, "Thank you. I promise I'll repay you someday."

Yvette couldn't help but bitterly wonder if this was his way of repaying her.

…

Once Yvette returned to the hotel, she took a shower and applied medication to her scraped skin. Then, she lay down in a daze.

The fall hardened her determination to leave Xavier for good.

…

The sun was shining brightly outside when Yvette woke up.

She got up and headed to the living area, only to see Yara sitting on the couch, wearing a formal dress.

Yara didn't seem to care one bit that Yvette had just woken up. She picked the document off the coffee table and handed it to the latter. "Take a good look at this. It's the backup plan I've selected for you."

Yvette accepted the document but saw the title "prenuptial agreement" on the cover. She flipped through the pages while reading the contents aloud.

"Ms. Yvette Snyder will marry Mr. Liam Lorimer. As his wife, she'll devote herself to him and look after him until the end of his life.

Liam will look after Yvette's family, which includes maintaining their quality of life. He'll also provide 300 million dollars as funds for the Snyder family."

Following that, the document stated Liam's details. He was an entrepreneur from the older generation in Tirion. He was 78 years old that year.

Yvette's mind tensed.

At that moment, Yara spoke up again. "Mr. Lorimer has expressed that he doesn't mind that you were married before.

"He'll help revive our family's reputation from the ashes, as long as you marry him. Come on, dearest. You wouldn't let me and Terrence down, right?"

Yvette's face paled even more. "I can't agree to what you're asking of me."

Yara had never imagined that Yvette would reject her so candidly. She blew up in a fit of rage at once. "What right do you have to refuse? I gave you life!"

Hearing that, Yvette met Yara's gaze. "How about I return my life to you? Would that mean I no longer owe you?"

"What did you say?" Yara shrilled.

Yvette's pale lips moved as she said, "If I returned my life to you, would it mean you'd no longer be my mother? And I'll no longer be indebted to you for giving birth to me?"

Yara sneered, not believing Yvette would dare do such a thing. "Okay, then. I won't force you to marry Mr. Lorimer if you give your life back to me. But the question is, do you have the guts to do it?"

"Give me a month." Yvette seemed determined.

In Yara's eyes, Yvette seemed like a crazed person.

She warned, "You'd best not threaten me by only saying you'll end your life. We're not that close, so I don't care if you die. However, you must sign this document if you're too afraid to end your life."

…

Yvette had suppressed all her emotions to the brim and needed to vent somewhere. So, she went to a bar. She sat in a corner, drinking and watching the crowd happily dance in a daze.

That was when a dashing man with striking eyes noticed Yvette, who was all alone. He approached and asked, "Yvette?"

Yvette stared at the man but didn't recognize him. Still dazed, she asked, "Do you know how one can achieve happiness?"

The man was confused. "What did you say?"

Yvette continued drinking as she spoke. "The doctor says I'm ill and should try to be happier, but I can't make myself feel happy…"

That sparked discomfort in the man, Claude Lander. He wondered if Yvette had forgotten about him. Also, he was confused by what she said—something about being ill and needing to be happier.

"You shouldn't be in a place like this if you want to be happy. Why don't I drive you home?" Claude spoke in a gentle tone.

A smile curved across Yvette's face as she looked at him. "You're a good person."

Complex emotions stirred in Claude when he saw her bitter smile. He wondered what she had been through these past few years. Why did she seem so sorrowful?

Meanwhile, Xavier was also at the bar. After settling the divorce papers, he had let himself loose every night. On top of that, he hadn't returned to Dewberry Estate in a long time.

It was getting late.

When the crowd was about to leave, Daphne noticed a familiar figure in a corner of the bar. She exclaimed, "Isn't that Yvvy?"

Xavier glanced in the direction Daphne was staring in and saw a man merrily chatting with Yvette.

His expression soured at once. He was disappointed in Yvette for getting drunk at a bar and chatting up another man.

He felt like he had thought too highly of her before.

"Should we go and check up on her, Xav?" asked Daphne.

"No," was all Xavier said before speedily leaving.

On the other hand, Yvette declined Claude's offer. "There's no need to trouble yourself. I can go home on my own."

Claude was still worried about Yvette, so he ran after her when he noticed her leaving the bar. "Do you really not remember me?"

Yvette gazed at him but couldn't recall who he was.

"It's Chubbs. Have you forgotten?" Claude reminded her.

Only then did Yvette remember her friend, Chubbs, whom she met when she had been living with Viola in the countryside. Back then, Claude had been chubbier and nowhere near Yvette's height.

Yet, his six-foot-two-inch frame now towered over her. He had even grown to have handsome features.

"I remember now! You've changed so much. I didn't even recognize you!" said Yvette.

Meeting an old friend away from home was a pleasant thing. But only a slight smile curved on Yvette's face. That upset Claude.

"Come on. I'll drive you home," Claude stated.

When he dropped her off, he was shocked to learn she lived in a run-down hotel.

Yvette shifted in embarrassment. "Sorry, it's not a glamorous place. Please don't tell Viola I'm living in such a place. I don't want her to worry."

Claude nodded. Since it was getting late, it was unwise for him to stay longer. So, he left after telling Yvette he would visit her the next day.

He didn't notice the matte black Maybach lingering in a dark area beneath the hotel as he walked out.

Now that Claude had left, Yvette felt dizzy and had an upset stomach from drinking too much.

That was when someone knocked hard on the door.

Yvette had just opened the door when Xavier grabbed her wrist. He exerted so much strength on her slender wrist that it felt close to snapping in half.

"You've made me look at you in a new light, Yvette!" Xavier snarled while shutting and locking the door. He then forcefully led her to the couch.

He sneered with words as sharp and lethal as a blade, "So, you've already settled on which family you'll marry into next, huh? I knew you wouldn't be so willing to let me go for no reason!"

Yvette didn't know why he had come over, nor did she know how he had seen Claude.

She was only briefly dazed. Once she snapped out of it, she shot a furious look at Xavier and didn't bother explaining herself to him.

The rims of her eyes reddened. "You and I aren't that different from each other."

The Snyder family had tricked Xavier into marrying Yvette. However, Xavier had treated her coldly for three years while remaining entangled with his first love.

Neither Xavier nor Yvette was a better person than the other.

Xavier had also drunk some alcohol, so he reeked of it. Eyes reddening, he pinched Yvette's chin and spoke with a dangerously low voice. "Who is he? When did you guys meet?"

That was the first time Yvette had seen him behave like this. She suddenly chuckled. "Are you jealous?"

Xavier's gaze grew tense as he scoffed. "You're unworthy of such a reaction."

Yvette became choked up.

That was when Xavier leaned in domineeringly and continued interrogating her. "Has he already touched you? Huh?"

In her three years of marriage, Yvette had given up on her work and declined to meet her friends whenever they had occasionally invited her out. She had done so to obey the Lane family's rules.

But now Xavier was suspicious of her.

Relief washed over Yvette just then. She questioned him back, "What do you think?"

That utterly angered Xavier, and his heated hands started travelling down her body.