Chapter 14 Seeking Help From Kolton
The first time was at a restaurant. Kolton had no idea his wife of two years could play the piano.
He made a bet on Cecilia and lost.
The second time was at the Thompson’s place. He wanted to sleep with her, nothing more.
As for Iris, the girl who messed up Cecilia’s marriage, they hardly ever had a face–to–face showdown.
The first time, Iris was called “Mrs. Thompson” right in front of Cecilia.
The second time, Iris was packing Kolton’s underwear and took out black stockings and a bra on his bed, right in front of her.
Compared to that, getting turned down for jobs over and over again was nothing.
Divorce hurt like hell, but Cecilia had to go that way.
Two years of being together wasn’t something she could get over easily. It was better to rip the Band–Aid off quickly than to drag it out.
She knew all that, but she couldn’t let go. She couldn’t put on some nice makeup and go get the divorce papers like Veronica said.
Cecilia didn’t sleep a wink all night. Early in the morning, she put on some light makeup to hide how tired she looked, grabbed her ID, and went out the door.
She got to the courthouse two hours early. The office wasn’t open yet. A young couple was waiting at the entrance. They were all dolled up,
laughing excitedly with happiness all over their faces.
In contrast, Cecilia looked pale and lifeless, as if she had lost her soul.
It was a cool autumn morning. In front of the courthouse, there were two leafy trees.
The leaves were turning yellow and falling everywhere. One landed on Cecilia’s shoulder, and another fell next to her white flats.
She stood there, staring blankly at the young couple.
She remembered on the day she got her marriage certificate with Kolton, she had dressed up nicely.
She wore a dark red dress and had her long hair tied up into a bun.
The whole thing happened so suddenly that she didn’t have time to prepare. She wasn’t sure if she could wear makeup for the marriage photo, so she went without.
In the photo, Cecilia looked cute, kinda leaning toward Kolton.
Her small face was lit up with happiness–you could feel it even from the photo.
For a while, she thought the photo wasn’t that great. It wasn’t bad, but she felt like it didn’t show her at her best.
Next to Kolton’s sharp and handsome face, she felt she didn’t fit.
But now, she realized it was no big deal. It was just a photo.
And it was gonna be gone forever soon.
From now on, she was not gonna love Kolton anymore!
She was gonna make it happen.
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Cecilia was standing there in a daze when her phone in her bag started ringing over and over.
Finally, it pulled her back to reality. She realized her cheeks were wet and her eyes were blurry. She wiped her eyes, then took out her phone and answered it without even looking at the screen.
“Cecilia, you gotta help Quincy. He hit a woman, and she’s dead! Your dad wants to get the best lawyer in town, Mr. Mendez, but he’s booked. You gotta ask Kolton. He knows Mr. Mendez, and Mr. Mendez will do him a favor…”
Jasmin forced herself to finish, then started bawling.
Her crying, along with the noisy traffic, was like a drill in Cecilia’s head, making it throb.
“How’s Quincy?”
“Don’t ask questions now. Just go to Kolton, get Mr. Mendez, and get to the police station. The other family’s lawyer is already there. You know how hot–headed Quincy is. If he says something wrong and the other side uses it against him, he’s toast!”
With Jasmin pushing her, Cecilia ran to the roadside, flagged down a cab, and headed straight for the NimbusCore Group.
She didn’t have time to think about the divorce anymore. Nothing was more important than Quincy, the only person in her family who had ever made her feel like she belonged.
***
The atmosphere in the NimbusCore Group had been tense these past couple of days, and everyone was on edge.
Especially, the top brass was so nervous that they were barely breathing.
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Trenton was having the worst time. He dealt with Kolton the most, and he always got yelled at for no reason.
After he told Kolton about today’s schedule, Kolton gave him a mean look.
“We’re in a rush with the Sky Innovations project, aren’t we?” Kolton’s voice was low and threatening, and his eyes were cold and piercing.
Trenton blurted out, “Of course!”
The next second, the schedule was thrown right at his feet.
“So, how’d I still have time to go to the courthouse? What kind of schedule is that?”
Kolton’s lips parted, and he was spitting out angry words.
Trenton gulped, feeling a chill down his back. “Uh, should I cancel the schedule now?”
Cancel?
For days, Kolton had been waiting for Cecilia to come crawling back, and now, he had to say no to the divorce?
He didn’t know she had the patience for this.
Kolton clenched his teeth, jaw tight.
Cecilia might plan to either back out at the last minute or argue with him at the entrance of the courthouse.
She knew that with his status, he wouldn’t want to make a scene in public and would give in.
That was Kolton’s guess. He was always sharp in business, and he was pretty sure of his people–reading skills.
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But he couldn’t decide if he should cancel the trip to the courthouse.
He rested his hand on his chin, thinking it through.
Meanwhile, Trenton was about to say something but stopped himself. “Actually, it’s okay not to cancel the trip. Today, Quincy…”
Bang!
Cecilia pushed the door open and rushed in, panting. “Kolton, I need to talk to you.”
“How did you get in here?” Kolton’s face turned serious, but his furrowed brows relaxed a bit without him even realizing it.
“I saw Trenton’s assistant downstairs,” Cecilia said. Seeing Kolton, she quickly realized that barging in like this was pretty rude.
She was here to ask for his help. If she ticked him off, he’d never do her any favors.
Cecilia looked down at the schedule on the floor, and the first line said, “9 a.m.: Go to the courthouse with Mrs. Thompson for divorce.”
She suddenly remembered that she had run out this morning to get a divorce from Kolton.
So, would he help Quincy find a lawyer?
“Cecilia, don’t you think it’s a bit late to come crawling to me now?”
Kolton leaned back, loosened his tie with his strong hand, and his lips curled up in a kind of sneer.
“I… Quincy is in trouble. Can you help find Mr. Mendez?”
Cecilia wasn’t one to sugarcoat things, so she got straight to the point. “He hit a woman with his car and she died. But I found out on my way here
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that she was trying to pull a scam on him. Cases like this are tough to win, but with Mr. Mendez on our side, we’ve got a shot. Can you… Can you help us out?”
She wanted Jasmin to go talk to the victim’s family and try to calm them
down.
After all, Quincy had caused a death, and as his family, they couldn’t think about how to avoid paying or getting out of trouble.
A lawyer could only try their best to handle things peacefully and make the other side happy.
But if the victim was trying to scam him, the whole thing was different. Quincy shouldn’t have to take the blame for a death he didn’t cause!
According to Quincy, he saw the woman standing by the roadside from far away. She didn’t move, and he thought she was waiting for someone.
But when his car passed by, she suddenly lunged at it, so fast that he didn’t have time to hit the brakes.
Kolton’s eyes got colder and colder, and the smile on his lips froze.
“We’re getting a divorce. Why should I help your brother?”
One of them was frantic, the other completely indifferent.
Cecilia bit her lower lip so hard that she tasted blood before she let go. Her voice trembled with tears as she said, “Forget the money in the divorce. I just want you to help me get Mr. Mendez. Can you do that?”
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“Haha!” Kolton was so mad that he actually laughed. His anger flared up in an instant. He abruptly stood up, walked around his desk, and stood right in front of Cecilia.
He was so tall that he almost towered over Cecilia. Looking down at her, he said, “What makes you think you deserve any of my family’s money? In
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two years of marriage, what have you done for us? Huh?”
“Wait, Mr. Thompson…” Trenton opened his mouth, about to say something, but Cecilia cut him off.
“I’ve been taking care of you for two years. I might not have made any grand contributions, but I’ve certainly put in the effort! Is that nothing?!”
Cecilia’s eyes were red as she stared Kolton down.
“Mrs. Thompson…” Trenton tried to speak again, but Kolton interrupted him.
“Any servant could do that. Stop trying to take credit!”
Things like doing laundry and cooking were meant for the servants. It was Cecilia’s choice to do them, not something Kolton asked for.
“What about sleeping together?!” Cecilia’s voice shot up.
She wasn’t sure if she was arguing with Kolton because she couldn’t let go, or if she was trying to find a way to make him help Quincy.
But either way, talking about their intimate moments made her feel embarrassed and sad.
“Do I need to remind you that is part of being married?”
Kolton’s neck veins were popping out as he tried to see if Cecilia looked like she didn’t want the divorce.
But she didn’t. She was here to save Quincy.
If she wanted a divorce, why should Kolton help?!
Cecilia felt totally defeated. With Kolton, she never had a chance of winning, no matter what.
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So, what should she do now? Should she not divorce him and use their secret marriage to pressure Kolton? Would he help Quincy then?
