Chapter 5 Jeanette Loses Her Mind

William shot Jeanette a look of surprise. As a woman who'd once obeyed his every word and poured every ounce of her love into him, she now stood before him looking pale and lifeless. For some reason, a flicker of discomfort crept into his chest. His gaze lingered on her, and he saw her bowing her head, looking at the sterile white tiles beneath her feet. "When Cordelia's condition is stable, I'll go to the courthouse with you," Jeanette said. With that, she quickly turned to leave, for fear that she might retch blood the next second. She refused to appear pathetic in front of Giselle. William watched as she left and frowned slightly. Craig had just informed him that Jeanette refused a divorce and even tore up the divorce agreement. How had she changed her mind in just a few hours? He opened his mouth to speak, but Giselle's sharp cry of pain caught his attention. Immediately concerned, he led her toward the doctor's office. … After Jeanette drove home, she locked herself in her room and swallowed a handful of painkillers. The painkillers that used to work wonders seemed to have lost all their effect and could barely suppress the searing pain. Curled up on the couch, she wept until tears soaked her hair. She drifted into a fitful sleep amidst the pain and woke up to find that it was already dark outside. Venturing into the kitchen to find some food, she overheard the hushed whispers of housekeepers just inside. "Did you hear? Mr. Ashford gifted Elm Villa to Giselle!" "Mr. Ashford's really generous to Ms. Wills. The last time I brought him coffee and snacks, I overheard them saying that Elm Villa cost him 800 million dollars! Even the flowers in the garden are expensive and specially tended by professionals. Just a single bloom costs tens of millions of dollars!" "Can you imagine how much he has spent on her?" "Oh gosh, I'm so envious of Ms. Wills, unlike Ms. Young here. Mr. Ashford's never even bought her a piece of clothing, has he? Why is the difference just so huge?" "Who knows? But Ms. Wills is gorgeous and gentle. If it were me, I'd fall for her too." Jeanette couldn't listen any longer. Every word from the housekeepers hit her like stones with a dull, unbearable ache. When she stepped into the kitchen, her footsteps startled the two housekeepers. They turned, and identical looks of embarrassment flashed across their faces when they saw her. From this close, she must have heard everything they said. Shifting uncomfortably and for fear of losing their jobs, they looked at Jeanette in a pleading, ingratiating manner. "We were just casually talking, Mrs. Ashford. Please don't take it to heart." Jeanette's emotionless gaze fell on them as she said, "The Ashford family has rules against gossiping about your employers. Go to George and collect your final pay." Their expressions changed instantly as they both glared at Jeanette with resentment. However, she didn't spare them another glance. Instead, she grabbed her food and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, she heard their venomous whispers. "No wonder Mr. Ashford doesn't like her! A vicious woman like her should drop dead already!" Jeanette's steps didn't falter in the slightest. Her mind was filled with thoughts about the 800 million dollars and astronomically priced flowers. Just as the housekeepers had said, William had never spent even 100 dollars on her in all three years of their marriage. Suddenly, she felt worthless for spending three years of her life on William. Even if she was just working as a housekeeper, she would be paid, right? Back in her room, she took out her phone and called Sienna. "You have been looking into investments lately, haven't you? Could you show me the projects?" Sienna clicked her tongue. "Oh? Have you come around and decided to invest in those college boys and enjoy their admiration? William treats you like trash, and there are plenty of men out there!" As she spoke, she sent the project files to Jeanette. "Pick whoever catches your eye, but you don't have to invest much. Just a few hundred thousand dollars is enough to make them worship you for life." Jeanette ignored her nonsensical remarks and selected the least promising project—a project on self-driving chip research and technology. It had only one pioneer—Simon Hudson. This project was notorious for being a money pit with low success rates. It had been hyped for years, but few had made any true breakthroughs, and most ventures were just using it as a buzzword for speculation. Besides, Simon wasn't a well-known industry leader but just a recent university graduate. It wasn't surprising that no one was willing to invest. Now Jeanette knew why Sienna had it buried at the bottom of the list. She briefly looked over the project, then asked Sienna for Simon's contact. "This isn't the kind of investment you can make with small change. Are you sure?" Sienna was shocked. "Yes." Sienna drew in a sharp breath before asking, "What exactly about this project appeals to you?" "It burns money," Jeanette simply replied. She knew she wasn't thinking straight, but she was in the mood for revenge spending and draining William's accounts. In the three years of their marriage, she'd never spent his money. Was she supposed to wait until after the divorce or her death, only to have Giselle enjoy it all when she was gone? Sienna didn't probe. She sent over Simon's number, and Jeanette wired 80 million dollars to Simon without a second thought. Then, she went on a spree, pouring more funding into a handful of dying companies. After that, she headed out. She swept through several luxury malls and had the shop assistants deliver all her purchases home. On her way back, she bought stacks of lottery tickets and did not stop until her bag couldn't hold another slip. By the time she was done, it was late. She decisively went straight home to sleep. Meanwhile, William frowned slightly at the constant stream of purchase notifications popping up on his phone. In a single day, Jeanette had spent such an enormous amount of money. Had she lost her mind?