Chapter 216
Blake’s POV
I set down my wine glass and looked at Victoria.
“My divorce with your sister is temporary,” I said flatly.
Victoria’s eyes widened. “Temporary? You mean you’re going to remarry her?”
“Yes.” I gave a slight nod. “Eventually.”
If the divorce hadn’t become so public, I never would have signed those papers. The media attention, Audrey’s insistence it created a storm I couldn’t control. But I still saw our separation as a pause, not an ending.
“But why?” Victoria’s fork clattered against her plate. “After everything she’s done? Audrey only married you for your money! Why give someone like that another chance?”
I studied her face, suddenly connecting the dots.
“How exactly do you know what Audrey’s motivations were?” I asked, eyes narrowing. “You’re suggesting she doesn’t care
for me?”
Victoria scoffed. “Of course she doesn’t! She never has.”
She leaned forward, suddenly smug. “Mr. Parker, there’s something you probably don’t know.”
“Two years ago, my parents and I came to New York. We brought our luggage to stay for an extended vacation.”
Victoria paused to gulp her wine, then continued with a slight hiccup. “Audrey was our only family here, so naturally, we came to your place.”
Her eyes gleamed. “But your precious wife kicked us out in the middle of the night!”
I kept my expression neutral, but my mind was racing.
“She told us she married you for your money,” Victoria continued. “She said there was no love between you, that even like her. She admitted she had to walk on eggshells around you.”
you didn’t
Victoria’s voice turned mocking. “She promised once you fell for her, she’d make you buy us a mansion in New York for our
visits.”
Her words matched exactly what I’d overheard that night two years ago.
I hadn’t known the Sinclairs had arrived with luggage, planning to stay. Audrey knew how much I valued privacy – I’d moved out of the Parker mansion the moment I turned eighteen, preferring solitude to family gatherings.
In our entire marriage, Audrey never invited her family over. Was she actually protecting my space rather than being
ashamed of them?
My certainty wavered. I’d assumed her leaving our marriage without taking anything was manipulation – a ploy for sympathy. I thought her refusal of Grandfather’s assets was another performance to impress me.
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What if I’d been wrong?
If money wasn’t her motivation… then what was? Could she have genuinely cared for me, enough to marry a man in a vegetative state? Would someone develop such deep feelings after just one meeting?
Audrey’s POV
It was almost dark as I stepped out of Dr. Evans‘ building, my mind heavy with our conversation. She’d spent hours trying to convince me that with my condition, I shouldn’t stress my body further.
But I’d decided. I would help this anonymous benefactor by producing genuine symptoms. Since learning about my cancer, losing my baby, and watching my marriage fall apart, I’d stopped expecting much from life.
This benefactor had brought in specialists for me. The least I could do was return the kindness, even if it meant some
discomfort.
I was about to hail a taxi when my phone buzzed with a message from Blake.
It was a photo of Victoria in a fancy restaurant, holding a fork in one hand and a wine glass in the other, looking
completely out of place.
His caption: “Michelin restaurant. Come collect your sister. This is the address.”
I bit my lip and typed back: “Didn’t she tell you I’ve cut ties with them? She’s not my sister anymore. If you want to entertain hef, that’s your business.”
I flagged down a cab and had barely settled in when Blake sent a video.
Victoria appeared on screen, talking with her mouth full of steak.
“If I knew where Audrey lived, I’d have gone straight there,” she said, words slightly slurred.
She looked at the camera with forced sweetness. “Why don’t you take me to Audrey? Just drop me at her door.”
“What if she refuses to see you?” Blake’s voice was cold.
Victoria smiled. “Oh, I have my ways.”
“What ways?” Blake pressed.
“With my smarts, making Audrey take me in would be easy,” she said, eyes.brightening.
in, I’ll cause a scene outside her door. Let all her neighbors hear.”
her sister. If she won’t let me
She leaned forward. “Even if she calls the police, what can they do once they know I’m family? As long as she’s my sister,
she can’t escape me.”
I gripped my phone tighter. I knew Victoria was manipulative, but this level of calculation shocked me.
If she found my apartment, I’d be trapped. To avoid disturbing neighbors, I’d have to let her in. And with her nature, my
home would become a war zone.
Worse, Astrid was staying with me now. Her temper would explode against Victoria’s schemes. Three of us under one roof
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would be hell.
My phone chimed with another message from Blake: a smiling emoji followed by, “Come now, or I give her your address Your choice.”
1 glared at the screen, teeth clenched. Despite everything in
“Fine. I’m coming!” I typed, directing the
Se screaming no, I had to comply to avoid future harassment.
driver to the Michelin restaurant.
Each minute of the drive felt endless, bringing me closer to a confrontation I desperately wanted to avoid. When we arrived, I spotted them through the large windows Blake and Victoria seated face to face, deep in conversation.
I stepped out of the taxi and approached. As I got close enough to hear their conversation, Blake’s words stopped me cold.
“What do you think makes Audrey Sinclair worth my affection?” he asked Victoria, his tone casual.
I froze, a sudden weight pressing down on my head. The world seemed to spin as his words registered.
Though I’d known Blake didn’t care for me, hearing him question my worth so–bluntly sent ice through my veins.
a businessman to his core. Even matters of the heart came down to value This was Blake Parker’s true nature propositions for him. Worth. Merit. Return on investment.
And clearly, I didn’t measure up.
If I wasn’t worth his affection, who was? Laurel Rose?
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