Chapter 4
Angelina broke the awkward silence with a cough, clearing her throat.
“So, about what we talked about this afternoon. I want to go over it again.”
Chester looked down, his voice cautious. “I’m worried you haven’t thought this through. You might just be acting on impulse.”
“I’ve thought it through.” Angelina started to speak again but stopped mid–sentence, stifling a yawn. The long day had taken its toll.
“You’re tired,” Chester said, already stepping back. “I’ll come by tomorrow. Get some rest.”
“Wait.” Angelina stopped him, her tone serious. “I’ve made my decision. We’re not getting a divorce, and I’m keeping the baby. I know I was the one who contacted the doctor, but I’ve changed my mind. I’m ready to try and make this work. Please trust me.”
Chester clenched his fists, trying to stay cautious. Angelina was clever and manipulative–he had learned that the hard way. But despite himself, he felt a spark of hope. Her words struck a chord he wasn’t ready to admit.
“I know my change of heart seems sudden,” she continued. “But I promise you, I mean it this time. Once I’ve made a decision, I don’t go back on it.”
“I’ll raise the baby,” she added, her voice steady. “You do whatever you need to do. I know I can’t help much, but I’ll try not to be a burden.”
Chester hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. Get some rest.”
He turned to leave, but Angelina called after him, “You’re driving all the way back to the suburbs? That’s an hour’s trip, at least. We need to save where we can now, and gas isn’t cheap. Just stay here tonight.”
Chester blinked, caught off guard. The same Angelina who used to spend thousands without batting an eye was suddenly worried about gas money?
“I’m driving a different car now,” he said, unsure why he even bothered to explain.” Something more economical-”
“It still uses gas,” she interrupted. “Every little bit adds up.”
Before he could respond, she disappeared into the bedroom, returning with a pile of blankets. Chester instinctively moved to help her set them up, feeling oddly touched by her gesture.
“There. This should be enough for you to make do on the couch,” she said without meeting his eyes.
Chandr
The next morning, Angelina woke up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. She headed toward the kitchen to make breakfast, only to find smoke rising from a pot on the stove.
Chester had beaten her to it. He was already up. He was a disciplined man, getting out of bed. every morning at 5:00 am to go for a run. It was a habit he had maintained for years. His hair was still damp from a shower. His complexion was fair, almost unnaturally so, and his sharp features made him look effortlessly striking.
Angelina froze in place, momentarily stunned. She had to remind herself to breathe.
“I’m done in the bathroom if you need it,” he said casually, snapping her back to reality.
She nodded mechanically, grabbed her toothbrush, and headed to the sink. Catching sight of her reflection in the mirror, she frowned. Pregnancy hadn’t been kind to her. Her face was bloated, and her figure was unrecognizable. She looked like any other average, exhausted mom -to–be.
“Just one more month,” she muttered to herself, trying to stay optimistic. “I’ll lose the weight. I’ll bounce back.”
In the living room, Chester was on the phone.
“Yeah, about David… Is it taken care of?” he asked. His tone was calm but firm.
Angelina cracked the bathroom door open, straining to listen.
“Good. Thanks for handling it. I owe you one.”
David? Angelina’s heart skipped a beat. In the novel, David Peterson was a minor character. But his role was pivotal. He was someone Chester had trusted implicitly, but it didn’t end well.
David was one of Chester’s closest friends from college, but he came from a humble background and carried a deep sense of inferiority. When David’s mother needed surgery to save her life, Chester paid for the best doctors without hesitation.
After graduating from college, Chester even gave David the position of deputy director of the finance department at Whitmore Group’s headquarters.
But jealousy poisoned David’s gratitude. No matter how hard he worked, he could never escape the shadow of being Chester’s subordinate. The resentment festered until David betrayed Chester, conspiring with competitors to siphon funds from the company.
By the time the dust settled, Whitmore Group had lost billions, and David had walked away with more than his fair share.
In the novel, Chester only uncovered David’s betrayal years later after clawing his way back to the top.
Angelina’s stomach turned. She had to warn Chester before it was too late.
Chapter
He hung
and looked at her, confused by her intense expression. “What is it?”
“Did you cook breakfast?” she asked, trying to ease into the conversation.
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Google helps,” he said with a shrug, brushing past her question.
Angelina sat down next to him, her tone shifting. “Have you figured out who’s behind the company’s collapse?”
Chester stiffened. Of all the things he had expected her to say, this wasn’t it. The Angelina he knew never cared about business–only how much money it could bring her.
“There were issues with multiple projects. The accounting.
She cut him off, her voice serious, “If I’m not mistaken, isn’t David the deputy director of the finance department? Didn’t he oversee all the company’s accounts? What’s his explanation for the discrepancies?”
Chester’s gaze darkened. She spoke like an outsider, yet she knew too much. How did she even know David’s name?
“This has nothing to do with him,” he said flatly.
Angelina recognized the name of the game. David had set up a scapegoat to keep Chester off his trail. He was playing both sides, pocketing money while protecting his reputation.
“I’m just saying you should look into it,” she said lightly, retreating to the bathroom before she said too much.
Chester brought the breakfast to the table. The oatmeal he had tried to make was lumpy and unappetizing, but Angelina didn’t complain. She glanced at her phone, her face lighting up.
“Look at this! I made 36 thousand dollars overnight.” She grinned, holding up the screen for Chester to see. “I’ve been listing my bags and clothes, and they’re selling faster than h expected.”
Chester raised an eyebrow. “That much already?”
“Yeah! After breakfast, we’ll ship the items that have been sold. We can take the rest to your parents‘ house. Once everything’s sold, we’ll have a nice cushion. And we should cancel the Jease on this place. Even if it’s run–down, the rent is still expensive. The sooner we move out, the better.”
She rattled on excitedly, oblivious to the way Chester was looking at her. There was something strange about her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when she noticed his silence.
“You worked as an assistant. How do you know the name of the deputy director of my company’s finance department?” he asked pointedly.
Angelina froze. She hadn’t thought that through. In the novel, the female side character had never crossed paths with David. She made a slip of the tongue without realizing it.
“I… heard it from Joshua” she said hastily.
Chester didn’t push her further. He simply hummed in acknowledgment, though his expression was unreadable.
Chap 5
