Rift in the perfect picture

Chapter 0411

I took some time to get back to work. Once again, I became a frequent flyer, barely setting foot in Radiant City over the past month.

With a few cases successfully going to trial, my personal brand took off. The public now knew me as the gorgeous pro bono lawyer“. It was a new label given by netizens.

Of course, I also heard other voices, claiming that my success was inextricably linked to Nicholas.

What they didn’t know was that I hadn’t seen Nicholas for a month now. According to Beth, Nicholas

s was

away on a business trip as well.

Those who thought I relied on my connections to become the “gorgeous pro bono lawyer” were about to witness my divorce with their so–called “big shot” again.

I had been waiting for a call from Nicholas. His parting words, “Wait for news“, kept me obediently waiting. I waited through winter and into spring.

On one hand, it felt like he had disappeared, never reaching out or controlling me anymore. On the other hand, I think I was avoiding hearing Claudia’s voice on his phone again.

The only connection I had left to the Hawk family was Frances.

The shares I had Douglas purchase secretly were not going to fall into her hands for free. Daniel’s inheritance couldn’t be transferred to her outright either.

Whether Frances could hold onto those shares was another story. Claudia had been causing trouble ever since she started interning at Hawk Corporation. The shareholders definitely wouldn’t let Frances get involved and take a piece of the pie. 1

Frances had spent years by Daniel’s side, so she knew this well. That was why she treated me so attentively now.

Lately, I had been pondering how far I should go with Frances. Calling it deep–seated hatred would be an exaggeration, but she had definitely hurt me before.

I told Douglas that, at the very least, she should suffer a setback with me. She should be forced to give up a portion of her most valued assets as a form of punishment.

One day, Douglas called me. “What do I do if Frances won’t put her money into my investment? She thinks I’m trying to scam her. She is way too cautious. She doesn’t trust me enough.”

“Don’t underestimate her. She has been with Daniel for decades.” I smiled and added, “She doesn’t have much money right now, so, naturally, she’s cautious. Let her see some small gains, and she’ll trust you.”

“And by ‘gains“, you mean?”

Douglas was hesitant, unsure of how to proceed. After all, from his perspective, Frances was still Nicholas’s stepmother. For now, she was technically my mom too.

I understood his caution. Just as I was about to reply, my phone buzzed loudly in my ear. Seeing the name “Deena” flash on the screen, my heart skipped a beat.

“Douglas, I’ll call you back in a bit.”

+25 BONUS

The moment I hung up. Deena’s icy voice came through the phone, unusually serious.

“An, tell me, where did you get the herbal tonic dregs you asked me t

test?”

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “Deena, did you find something in the test results?”

“Yes. No matter where you got it from, don’t drink another drop. I spoke to my senior. You need to go for a full checkup this afternoon!”

I laughed it off lightly.

“Nicholas’s mother went through a lot of trouble to find this for me. What’s the matter? Is it poisonous? I’ve been drinking different ones for 4 years now. If it were truly toxic, I wouldn’t still be alive, would I?”

“What?”

Deena could hardly believe what she was hearing. She lifted a hand to cover her eyes, feeling a wave of heartache. When she spoke again, her voice was hoarse.

“Ari, the reason you haven’t been able to conceive for 4 years isn’t because of your health, and accident, it’s because…”

I cut her off with a low voice, “It’s the herbal tonics, isn’t it?”

‘s not an