Chapter 6
Her expression remained calm as she reached out and picked up the necklace, while Niamh’s eyes lit up with a mocking gleam.
Harvey leaned against the sofa, and looked away. He was convinced that Elara was like a dog—neglected one moment but wagging her tail the next the moment he beckoned her.
Elara hooked a finger under the necklace around Niamh’s neck, pulling it forward. She then held the two necklaces side by side.
“Niamh, the mother-of-pearl on your necklace is of much better quality. How about we trade?”
She didn’t call out the fake necklace directly as Niamh would have no shortage of excuses to dodge responsibility. Elara wanted Niamh to silently swallow the loss.
The delicate chain tightened against the back of Niamh’s neck, and she froze awkwardly. Her earlier anticipation of Elara foolishly wearing the fake necklace out in public and becoming a laughingstock instantly shattered.
Elara had managed to spot the difference in quality at a glance. Feeling somewhat uneasy, Niamh glanced nervously at Harvey.
The so-called peace offering had been entirely her idea, something she had presumptuously given on Harvey’s behalf. She couldn’t let Harvey think she had intentionally bought a fake necklace for Elara.
“Elara, I’ll give you whatever you want!” Niamh said with forced generosity, and she hurriedly removed the necklace from her neck.
But when she extended the genuine necklace toward Elara, Elara didn’t take it. Instead, Elara calmly fastened the fake necklace back around Niamh’s neck.
“This one suits you better.”
Niamh’s face flushed crimson with anger. Did Elara say the fake necklace suited her better? The fake necklace was only 30 dollars, while her genuine one was worth over ten thousand!
Elara took the real necklace from Niamh’s hand and tossed it into the trash can.
“Elara! If you’re mad at me, just take it out on me! Why’d you throw away the necklace?” Niamh exclaimed.
Elara cut off Niamh’s rising voice, “If you value that necklace so much, you can pick it up and wear it again yourself.”
“Elara! Are you really not interested in making up with Harvey?”
Niamh’s voice turned desperate as she fiddled with the fake necklace on her neck. Just wearing it for a few moments made her feel like breaking out in hives.
“I’m not here to make up. Harvey, I don’t want to stay married to you anymore.”
Elara pulled out a document and placed it in front of Harvey. She then said, “This is the divorce agreement. Please sign it.”
A chilling frost spread across Harvey’s handsome face. His cold laugh brimmed with contempt as he replied, “If you keep this up, I might actually take you seriously.”
“Read the divorce agreement. I hope you’ll sign it soon.”
Had she been angry, it might have meant she still cared. But now, she felt nothing as she sat across from Harvey’s strikingly handsome face.
Seven years of marriage had left her utterly disillusioned. The only way she could begin anew was by severing all ties with the Fisher family.
Harvey flipped open the divorce agreement and saw that Elara was requesting half of the marital assets.
He laughed, dismissing her as delusional.
But a second later, his expression stiffened. “How do you know so much about my liquid assets and fixed properties?”
“You don’t need to know how I found out about your holdings. I’ve been a full-time wife for seven years, and now it’s time to settle the accounts.
“I want half of your cash, cars, properties, land, and equity. And you’ll pay 200 grand a month in child support until our daughter turns 18.”
The man’s lips curled into a smile. His normally cold, stoic face seemed to show a flicker of life. “All this… because I’m wearing a matching watch with Niamh?”
Elara drew in a deep breath. “Three months ago, I used the money I earned from investments to buy you a watch for your birthday. You’ve never worn it.”
Niamh interrupted, blurting out, “Elara, your taste is too tacky! If Harvey wore that watch out, people would laugh at him!”
To her, it seemed clear Elara was throwing a tantrum over nothing.
Harvey’s voice grew colder as he held up the divorce agreement. “You think using this as a weapon against me is amusing?”
“Elara, are you divorcing Harvey because of me?” Niamh asked with an air of feigned innocence.
Elara smiled faintly. “Why don’t you say that a little louder so everyone in the Fisher residence can hear?”
Niamh’s face twisted awkwardly, and her voice noticeably softened. “Why are you being so aggressive? You didn’t use to be like this!”
Seeing Niamh on the defensive, Beau leaped off the sofa like a little warrior, placing himself protectively in front of her. “Mommy, can’t you be reasonable?”
With his arms crossed over his chest, Beau scowled and continued, “Daddy works so hard, and he still has to deal with your attitude when he comes home. You’re not even a Fisher. What right do you have to take Daddy’s money?”
His words struck her like a blow to the chest. Elara looked at him and calmly replied, “Because I gave birth to his children and took care of this household!”
Even so, Beau refused to accept her explanation. “You’re always at home doing nothing! If you’re divorcing Daddy, then get out! I’m not leaving this house with you!”
Beau snorted as he lifted his chin high. There was a knowing glint in his eyes. He was smart enough to understand where Elara’s weakness lay.
He knew that Elara couldn’t possibly leave him behind. Beau also knew she feared his tantrums most. She would immediately stop whatever she was doing to console him anytime he got upset.
“Beau Fisher.” Elara called him by his full name.
“I never planned to take you with me. You were raised as the Fisher family heir from the moment you were born, but I’m done revolving my life around you.”
Turning to Harvey, she spoke firmly. “The divorce agreement is clear. I’m only asking for custody of Bambi. I’m not taking Beau.”
Beau crossed his arms and pouted, his lips jutting out in defiance. He didn’t believe a word of his mom’s nonsense.
He wouldn’t want to go with her even if she wanted to take him. She was just saying she’d only take Bambi to save face. After all, Bambi was nothing but a mama’s girl with no opinions of her own.
Harvey turned to Elara. “Do you really think you can manage that much cash, Elara?”
“What I do with my assets after the divorce is none of your concern.”
Harvey chuckled at her response. “Elara, you don’t have the ability to handle that kind of money. You’ll just come crawling back to me, crying for help!”
“Just sign the papers.” Elara was too tired to keep sparring with him. “Can we part on good terms, please?”
“Elara, how can you be so greedy? What will people think of the Jones family if you take half of Harvey’s assets?” Niamh interjected on Harvey’s behalf.
Elara laughed faintly, and her tone was laced with mockery. “If money means so little to you, then don’t come sniffing around my wallet in the future.”
“Of course, I won’t!” Niamh denied it immediately, though a strange feeling crept over her.
It felt as if she’d fallen into a trap. Yet she quickly dismissed the thought—Elara couldn’t possibly be that clever.
Harvey lowered his voice, softening his tone as if offering a compromise. “If you’re tired, just take a break. Use my supplementary card and shop your heart out in Arup. Then come back.”
He believed he was being generous. The lifeline he extended should have been enough for Elara to accept and back down.
Elara’s lashes fell as she looked down wearily. “Harvey, I don’t love you anymore.”
Her life had revolved around managing Harvey’s household for seven whole years, and she oversaw the entire Fisher residence’s affairs.
At the end of each year, her household expense records had to pass her mother-in-law’s scrutiny. Random checks on the family accounts were a regular occurrence.
If she so much as applied for a visa, Ethel would likely call the next day, reminding her to stay home and look after the children—let alone use a card to shop to her heart’s content in Arup.
Elara had been trapped in the Fisher family’s quagmire for years, and she was suffocating. She had desperately hoped Harvey would reach out and pull her up.
But when she hit rock bottom, all she found beneath her feet were the blades of her son’s words, cutting into her.
Elara could no longer wait around for someone to save her. The only one who could redeem her was herself.
Harvey let out a sardonic laugh; ironically, this was the day he had smiled at Elara more than he ever had throughout their marriage.
“Fine. I’ll sign the papers as you wish. I’d love to see how you manage without me!”
