Chapter 11

Natalie raised her head and stared at the desk lamp on the small table. Before Rowan could get close, she sprang up, grabbed the lamp, and hurled it at him. When Rowan saw her face clearly, her eyes were red with fury. Her once gentle, delicate features had twisted into something frightening. "Are you out of your mind?" Rowan shouted. "Yes, I am, and I can't take it anymore!" Natalie snapped, finally releasing all the anger she had been holding inside. It was obvious that everything today had been orchestrated by Imogen, yet Rowan was blind to it and couldn't see the truth at all. Imogen had crossed Natalie's bottom line again and again, yet Rowan kept protecting her. To Natalie, there was no point in continuing this marriage. When she learned that Sarah wasn't at school, panic had overtaken her. She feared something terrible had happened to her. When the teacher said a classmate's parent had taken Sarah away, she believed it and assumed it was all just a coincidence. But Imogen and Rowan appearing there at that exact moment could never be explained as a coincidence. "Did you read the divorce agreement I gave you last night?" Natalie asked coldly. At this moment, divorce was the only thing on her mind. "You want a divorce from me?" Rowan laughed mockingly. He hadn't even brought up divorce yet, so he found her courage laughable. "Natalie, without me, can you even survive? Without the Payne family, you're nothing, and your sick mother will only rot to death in the sanatorium," he said, reducing her to nothing with every word. "That's none of your concern, Mr. Payne. Even if I starve to death outside, I'll never come crawling back to you," Natalie retorted. "When you used my money to pay for your mother's medical bills, were you this righteous?" Rowan said coldly, every word stabbing her heart. Natalie immediately realized Scarlet must have told him about Sabrina's medical bills. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known so fast. "We're not divorced yet, so that money still counts as part of the marital assets." Natalie snapped. "You can blow ten thousand dollars in one night to book a VIP room for Imogen, so why can't I spend 100 thousand dollars on my mother's medical care?" Rowan retorted coldly, "That was what Imogen deserved for the company project. Your mother has been sick for years, and over the past seven years, how many hundreds of thousands of her medical bills have you paid with my money?" Natalie stepped around the bed and dug through the bedside drawer. Sure enough, the divorce agreement was inside. "Sign this. After that, I'll never spend a single dollar of yours again. You can spend as much as you want on any woman, and I'll never interfere." Rowan stepped forward and snatched the divorce agreement to look at it. One clause stated that Natalie would have custody of both children, and another stated that after seven years as a full-time wife, he would give her 50 million dollars in compensation, plus a villa. Rowan sneered. "50 million dollars, a villa, and full custody of both children? You've got some nerve asking for that. Roger and Sarah both carry the Payne name. Even if I agreed to let you have the children, the elders of the Payne family would never approve. "And you're asking for 50 million dollars? Giving you one million would already be an act of mercy." He thought for a moment, then added, "You sit around at home all day with nothing to do, obsessing over things like this and scheming about how to squeeze more out of me. Are you afraid that once our marriage contract ends, I'll kick you out with nothing?" Natalie had originally planned to write in the divorce agreement that she only wanted custody of Sarah. But if she actually wrote that, Rowan would know how much she cared about Sarah, and he would never let her have her way. Asking for custody of both children was only a tactic on paper. Her real goal had never changed. "Your first love is back, and you love her so desperately. I'm just trying to let you two be together," Natalie said sarcastically. "Natalie, if you want money and the kids, just say so," Rowan said righteously. "Don't drag Imogen into this. There's nothing going on between me and her. We're just work partners." "Yes, the kind of work partners who hug and kiss in the office," Natalie replied coldly. That afternoon, Natalie received a WhatsApp message from Scarlet. It was a short video. In the video, Imogen leaned close to Rowan, tilting her head to kiss his neck. He couldn't resist either, lifting her onto his lap, and the two of them kissed passionately, completely lost in each other. "Natalie, watch your mouth!" Rowan snapped. "How I speak isn't for you to judge, Mr. Payne. But here's some advice. Maybe watch your own mouth before pointing fingers at mine," Natalie shot back. "You vulgar, disgusting woman!" Rowan growled, his face red and veins bulging in his neck. But the angrier he got, the more delighted Natalie felt. "If you really want to cut ties with someone as vulgar as me, then hurry up and sign. That way, you can rush off to your precious, elegant first love and cozy up with her as much as you like," she said, handing Rowan a pen. "Dream on!" Rowan snapped, tossing the divorce agreement aside. He refused to sign. Grabbing his coat and a pack of cigarettes, Rowan left in frustration and drove straight to Imogen's place. Since Imogen couldn't cook, she had specially ordered takeout from a five-star restaurant and had it delivered to her apartment. "Don't get so worked up. It's not worth ruining your health over Natalie," Imogen said as she served Rowan some food and poured him a glass of red wine. "If only she were half as thoughtful as you. She spends my money and messes around with other men. Now she even turns around and slanders us. I've never seen such a hateful woman," Rowan said as he lifted the glass and drained it in one gulp. "If you hate her that much, why don't you just divorce her?" Imogen asked, pouting slightly as she spoke in a soft, coaxing tone. "She's unbearable, yes, but… she's still the mother of my two children. They're still young, and they can't live without their mother," Rowan said. No matter how ruthless he could be, he still had to consider Sarah and Roger. "Children are often far more resilient than we realize," Imogen replied. "It's just like when you first send them to preschool. She added, "Parents always think the kids can't handle being apart, but in reality, when you pick them up after school, they've usually had a great time. It's the parents who can't bear being apart, not the children." She couldn't help but feel disappointed as she listened to Rowan. After returning from abroad and doing so much for him, she realized Rowan still hadn't made up his mind to divorce Natalie. It looked like she would have to push harder. She stood up, walked over to the wine cabinet, and poured him another glass before sitting back down beside him. "This is a fine wine I brought back from overseas. Try it and see how it tastes." Rowan wasn't in the mood to savor it at all. He drank the wine as if it were water, emptying the glass in one go. After several glasses, his head started to get dizzy. "It's… getting late. I should head back," Rowan said, bracing one hand on the dining table as he struggled to stand. After only a couple of steps, his legs went weak. Imogen supported his arm and guided him toward her bedroom. "Rowan, you're drunk. Stay and rest," she said softly. Rowan sank weakly onto the edge of the bed, shaking his head slightly. When he looked up, Imogen's delicate face was reflected clearly in his unfocused eyes. "Rowan, do you like me?" Imogen pressed her lips together as she slowly leaned closer. "Do you want me?"