Chapter 3 No Wonder Mr. Ashford Is Not Answering His Phone

Sienna's rage flared as she rattled on. Listening to her talk about the past sent Jeanette into a daze. That was right. Jeanette had been so dumb to throw away her career and nearly sacrifice herself after the marriage, all for the sake of so-called love. Now that Giselle was back, William was in a hurry to divorce Jeanette so he could be with Giselle on a clean slate, unburdened. What right did he have to do that? Jeanette had devoted three years to caring for him, so why should she make way for someone else, especially now that she was dying? She refused to accept it. Even in death, she would be a stumbling block in their path! She was already living in pain, so why should William get to have things go his way? Agony and fury swelled in her chest until she was no longer in the mood to keep the conversation going with Sienna. After mumbling a random excuse, she decided to hang up the call. Sienna knew that Jeanette was in a foul mood and didn't press further. … The next few days, William never came home. Even his clothes were collected by his assistant, Craig Scott. Jeanette stood by the window and stared out in silence, wondering if this was his way of avoiding her on purpose. That just showed how much he despised her. A small, bitter laugh escaped her lips. Soon after, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Craig standing there, holding a stack of documents and a bank card. "Mr. Ashford sent me here to deliver these, Ms. Young. There's 100 million dollars on the card. "Please review the agreement. He said that if there's anything else you want, you can always add it to the terms." When Craig handed over the items, Jeanette looked down and noticed that the top document read "Divorce Agreement". William was serious about wanting to get a divorce. Jeanette's hand shook so hard that she could barely hold the documents steady. But the unconcerned Craig simply left as soon as the documents were delivered. Tears welled up in her eyes and blurred the words in the pages. She hastily wiped them away and quickly read through the pages again and again. William was generous. In addition to 100 million dollars in the bank card, he gave her one percent of his company's shares. Just the monthly dividends would amount to tens of millions of dollars. It seemed that he would go to any length just to get rid of her quickly. Jeanette was in so much pain that the metallic taste of blood crept up the back of her throat. She ripped the divorce agreement into shreds and stuffed all the pieces into the trash can. She was never going to get a divorce! Even if she did not have William's heart, she could cling to her position as William's wife. She would not let him and Giselle have their way! Before she could calm down, her phone rang. The moment she picked up, George's anxious voice rang through the receiver. "Mrs. Ashford, can you get in touch with Mr. Ashford? Mrs. Ashford Senior suddenly fell gravely ill, but I can't reach him at all! She's in a critical condition now, I can't make decisions all by myself!" Jeanette's grip on her phone tightened. Cordelia was the only person on earth who'd ever truly cared for her, aside from the late Evelyn. To Jeanette, Cordelia was no different from her biological grandma. The sudden news of Cordelia's critical illness sent her right into panic. How was it even possible that George couldn't even reach William? Ever since Stephen Ashford, William's father, went abroad on business, William had set both Cordelia and George's numbers on special alert. He was always exceptionally concerned about anything that had to do with Cordelia, so how could he be absent at a time like this? After hanging up, Jeanette tried calling William herself, but all her calls were unanswered. In her desperation, she was reminded of William's private villa—the forbidden ground. Just bringing it up would earn her a cold warning from William not to entertain her foolish hope, let alone pay a visit to the villa. Panic surged through her chest, but she couldn't afford to care that much right now. She drove straight to the villa. … At Elm Villa, Jeanette stepped out of the car and stormed inside, ignoring the housekeepers' attempts to stop her. Right after she stepped into the living room, she spotted William and Giselle on the couch, locked in an intimate position. Clad in a sheer nightgown, Giselle was nestled in William's arms. The last thread of composure in Jeanette's heart snapped. She could barely hold herself back from spilling sarcastic words. "No wonder Mr. Ashford wasn't answering his phone. Looks like he was too busy indulging in pleasure!" Seeing her, Giselle quickly sat up and tugged at William's sleeve. Then, she murmured in a soft, aggrieved voice, "Is Ms. Young misunderstanding something, Will?" William frowned at Jeanette as irritation surfaced in his eyes. "How did you even find this place?" Stung by the sight, Jeanette drew in a deep breath and forced down the bitterness in her chest. "Can't I come? Do I have to remind you that I'm still your wife, the lady of this villa?" Frowning, William was just about to retort when Jeanette continued, "Cordelia's critically ill and in the hospital. Are you sure you still want to be here, cuddling with your mistress?"