Chapter 3

After dinner, Ella dragged Cora out for a night of singing at a bar. By the time Cora made it home, it was close to 11:00 pm. Flipping on the lights, she was startled to see Axel sitting alone in the dark living room. His eyes were red-rimmed, his voice was hoarse, and his expression was utterly defeated. "Cora, I need to talk to you." "I've got something to tell you, too," Cora said as she withdrew a folder. "Look through it, and we'll talk after I take a shower." The moment Cora disappeared down the hall, Axel's phone began buzzing incessantly. "If Cora doesn't agree tonight, you'll lose 100 million dollars, Mr. Jaeger." "Losing money is one thing, but what if Cora refuses to cover your debts again?" Axel's thumbs flew across the screen. "There's no way that will happen. You'll see." "Are you sure you'll keep her in Auchendale for ten years?" "Honestly, she lasted three years in that last test. Isn't that enough proof of her sincerity?" Was it enough? Axel stared at his phone as doubt crept back in. In truth, he was born into one of the country's wealthiest families. He didn't come from an ordinary family and wasn't a self-made businessman as Cora believed, but he had his reasons for hiding the truth. Back in high school, his first girlfriend had schemed to get him into bed after learning about his affluent family. Months later, she turned up pregnant at his parents' door, demanding 30 million dollars for an abortion and silence. Her money-hungry greed had shocked and horrified him to the point where he could barely recognize her. It was his first lesson that gentleness could hide a sharp blade, which would wait for the right moment to draw blood. His dad, Paul Jaeger, doubtful of Axel's lack of self-control, had canceled his plans to study abroad. Other than that, the family's core business, which should have been his, was handed to his less capable younger brother, Asher Jaeger. To this day, Axel hadn't fully regained his position within the Jaeger family's inner circle. "One last time," he typed, his lips pressed thin. "After she goes to Auchendale for just one more year, I'll bring her back and tell her everything. From then on, she'll be the Jaegers' rightful lady." "What about Ms. Leighton?" someone asked. Another teased, "Don't you get it? With Cora away and no woman at his side, Mr. Jaeger needs someone to care for Nolan, but his wife will be the one who really matters. A year is more than enough for him to tire of Ms. Leighton and clear out every other fling." "Exactly. Mr. Jaeger understands that Cora's the real deal. Smart and educated, she's suited to be the wife, while women on the side are just for fun." "Right? She's beautiful, elite-educated, and capable. If not for her weak family background, he wouldn't have had to test her loyalty, and Ms. Leighton could never compare." Axel lifted his brows at that and offered no reply. When he heard the bathroom door open after Cora took a shower, he quickly locked his phone. "Honey," he said, taking the towel to dry her hair, his voice dripping with humility and exhaustion. "The company's recently been in serious trouble, and we're a million dollars in debt." In the past, Cora's heart would have ached for him. She'd have immediately said, "It's fine. We'll get through it together." But tonight, she just closed her eyes and stayed silent. "Please, just help me one more time…" His voice cracked, full of fragility and wounded pride. Cora's expression stayed cold. "I don't have any money left, Axel." He drew in a long breath and put more effort into his pitiful act. "If you could just go back to Auchendale one more time…" "Did you look at the folder?" she asked, suddenly getting up. "The divorce papers." The shift in Axel's expression was almost theatrical. Shock and disbelief flashed across his face before it twisted in outright anger. "Do you think I'm broke, and that I'll never make a comeback? I misjudged you, Cora," he snapped, his face flushed with rage. With that, he grabbed his coat and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Cora stood still for a moment. When she noticed the warm glow still spilling from Nolan's slightly open door, she decided to stay. She texted Ella, "He left." In response to that, Ella replied with an "Okay" sticker. Earlier that evening at the restaurant's underground parking lot, Ella had clipped a live tracker, which she always carried, under Axel's car. She'd half-joked, "This is how we usually play the heir game." Cora quietly slipped into Nolan's room, where the latter was fast asleep. He inherited her facial features, but at the same time, he had Axel's mannerisms and the gentle expressions that sometimes carried a trace of disdain. She still remembered the day she left. Clutching her sleeve with tiny fists, he'd refused to let go and cried "Mommy" over and over until her heart almost shattered. She owed him and missed so much of his growing up, and Axel was to blame for everything. That was when her phone buzzed with another update from Ella, who sent her the car's location. "It looks like your cheap husband's not so broke, after all." Axel had driven to the city's most expensive neighborhood, where prices started at 150 thousand dollars per square foot, and every apartment was a sprawling penthouse over 3,000 square feet. Cora looked around the modest three-room apartment they'd scraped together for five to six years, topped with her mom's last 200 thousand dollars just to afford the down payment. She couldn't help but laugh coldly.