Book 2 : She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement

Chapter 8

Chapter 630: Divorce!

Nora hacked into the hospital system and quickly found Cecelia’s medical records.

Cecelia was indeed pregnant. That much was clearly stated in the medical report from the hospital.

According to the medical report, Cecelia was already three months pregnant.

Nora originally thought that the pregnancy was fake, but in the end, it turned out to be real. This was out of her expectations. Therefore, she thought about it and then checked Thomas’ travel records. When she did, she found out that three months ago—in other words, the period when Cecelia had become pregnant-Thomas had actually gone out of the country! In addition, Cecelia hadn’t gone with him! A suspicion formed in Nora’s heart. She turned off the phone and looked at Thomas. “How long has Cecelia been pregnant?”

Thomas lifted his chin. “Hmph! It’s been more than a month!”

It was just like what she had thought.

Nora lowered her eyes.

Cecelia was lying. By claiming that the three-month-old baby was only a little over one-month-old, her objective was self-evident.

She gave him a mocking smile and said, “Oh.”

Then, she turned and walked out.

Seeing how she was behaving, Thomas curled his lips disdainfully and then called out after her, “It’s okay, Nora! We are family, I won’t spread the news that your medical skills are lacking!”

After saying this, he looked at Mrs. Livingstone. “Mom, since Cecelia is already pregnant and Helen is infertile anyway, why don’t we get a divorce straight away?”

Mrs. Livingstone was actually still hesitating and in an internal struggle.

Cecelia was no kind soul. How could she compare to Helen’s well-behaved, sensible, and filial personality? Cecelia was shrewish and had already become well-known in the circle as a rebellious woman a long time ago.

But when she thought of how Cecelia was already pregnant… Besides, at least she wasn’t a poor girl like the one her son had impregnated back in college. No matter what, one could at least say that the two families were equally matched in status this time.

Mrs. Livingstone made up her mind. “Okay!”

The two then bid farewell to Mrs. Hunt. How could one like Mrs. Hunt, who had experienced all sorts of ups and downs, possibly trust a stranger so easily, though? She asked, “Thomas, is that Cecelia woman trustworthy? You must check everything out clearly, okay?”

Thomas replied, “Yes, yes, I know. Don’t worry, Grandaunt! It’s not like I want to be the father to someone else’s child. I’ve already asked about it a long time ago. We’ll be able to have a DNA test done once she’s four-month pregnant!”

When Mrs. Hunt heard this, she nodded. “Okay.”

After the two of them left, Mrs. Hunt looked at the housekeeper. She frowned and asked hesitantly, “Do you think Nora’s medical skills are really that bad?”

If they weren’t good, how would she be able to make the Zabe Corporation’s Calming Pill?!

The housekeeper, however, replied, “Ma’am, who cares whether they are good or not? In any case, she has made a mistake this time! This shows that Ms. Smith is just enjoying a reputation unwarranted by any actual skill.”

Mrs. Hunt nodded at her words.

She was right.

She wasn’t going to care if Nora was an impressive woman or not! In fact, what she wanted was for Nora to not be that impressive. Otherwise, how would she be able to control such a well-known woman after she married into the Hunts'?!

Nora went straight back to the Smiths’ after she left.

Cherry, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa and playing games, was dissing someone. “Hey, the person in the support role, you’re not the Invisible Man, why are you hiding? Have I, a gunner, seen you even once during the entire session?”

Hearing this, Pete sighed silently and continued to read with his head down.

When Nora glanced at the book, she found that her son was reading a book about world economics. The corners of her lips spasmed a little and she couldn’t help thinking that the little fellow sure was a mutant.

She wondered how high Xander’s IQ was. Would it be higher or lower than Pete’s?

While she was musing over it, Pete, who had noticed her coming in, hurriedly got up. He handed her the glass of water in front of him. Then, he took out a set of pajamas and handed it to her. “Mommy, are you tired?”

Nora: “…”

The longer she lived with Pete, the more she found that the little boy was really very caring and heartwarming. However, his behavior instead made Nora feel her son’s desire for motherly love.

She indeed had too little time to spend with her children.

Thinking about this, she took the glass of water from Pete and took a couple of sips. Then, she placed it on the coffee table next to her and took the pajamas. She looked at Pete and asked, “Pete, do you know Helen Stewart?”

Pete’s eyes lit up at the name and he nodded. Then, he said with a bit of embarrassment, “She is quite nice. Uncle Thomas often visits the Hunts, so Great-grandma told him to play with me. He is very well-behaved on the surface, but in private, he called me a little i***t. After he married Aunt Helen, every time he came over, she would bring me toys. When Uncle Thomas scolded me, she would also stop him gently…”

At that time, Pete had never experienced a mother’s love, and he also felt nothing toward the nannies’ attempts to please him.

But Helen was truly kind and caring. On top of that, she was also filled with love and patience for children. People like her gave Pete a very comfortable feeling.

When Nora heard what he said, she finally understood why Justin had asked her to help them.

Just by how Helen had kept Pete company, she couldn’t let the matter go unchecked. With that in mind, Nora suddenly said, “Pete, I’m going out for a while.”

Pete nodded.

Nora turned around, went out of the house, and drove to Helen’s parents’ home, the Stewarts’ residence.

To be honest, she initially didn’t intend to bother with the Livingstones’ mess. After all, Thomas’ fatherhood had nothing to do with her.

But since Helen had treated Pete kindly, she couldn’t just sit back and wash her hands of the matter.

When she came to the Stewarts’ residence, the guards stopped her.

When she said that she was looking for Helen, the guard gave her a wry smile and said, “They are… kinda busy at the moment, so it’s not convenient for outsiders to enter.”

Nora broke into a frown.

Just as she was about to reply, a car came up to them. Then, a hasty-looking woman got out. She was a little chubby and looked somewhat like Helen. She said to the guard, “This is…?”

The guard explained, “Ms. Jessica, this is Mrs. Helen’s friend. She’s here to visit Mrs. Helen, but… Mrs. Livingstone has come over with Mr. Livingstone and they are currently making a scene in the house, so…”

When Jessica Stewart, the Stewarts’ eldest daughter, heard this, she said straightforwardly, “For her to come over to look for Helen, she must be Helen’s friend. How can you refuse her entry? News of the scandal will spread sooner or later anyway, so what’s there to be scared of? Let her come with me!”

Only then did the guard let Nora through.

Nora raised her eyebrows, finding the young lady rather interesting.

The two drove into the residence together.

They parked the car. Before they even stepped through the door, they could already hear an arrogant Mrs. Livingstone saying, “They must divorce! But this is all because your daughter is infertile, so we’re not going to give her anything! Also, the Stewart's didn’t make her situation clear before the marriage, so this is fraud! On top of that, she also wasted three years of our time. Otherwise, the Livingstones would already have at least two children in the family by now! You have to compensate us for this!”

Helen’s mother, Mrs. Stewart, said furiously, “Divorce? So that she can make way for that homewrecker?! Mrs. Livingstone, are you that anxious that you can’t wait even a second longer?!”

Mrs. Livingstone sneered, “Cut the crap. In any case, it’s the Stewarts who are in the wrong! As for Cecelia’s pregnancy, Thomas didn’t cheat. It’s because Helen is infertile, that’s why he went to another woman!”

Chapter 631: The Truth!

Mrs. Stewart became even more infuriated when she heard this. She clutched her chest, unable to speak.

Helen was just crying her eyes out next to her.

Her father was not at home, so the two women from the Stewart's were obviously suppressed in momentum.

When Nora was about to take a step forward, Jessica, who was next to her, stepped forward abruptly and said loudly, “Mrs. Livingstone, now that’s not very nice! What do you mean Thomas didn’t cheat? Is the child in her belly not Thomas’? Did Thomas not have s****l relations with another woman while he is married?”

Mrs. Livingstone choked at once.

Jessica went on. “My little sister certainly hasn’t given birth to any children, but are women mere baby-making tools? Are you saying that the Livingstones' and the Stewarts’ union was solely for the purpose of having children? If so, then why didn’t you just approach surrogate mothers instead? What is the point of having Helen there? Besides, do you have any medical evidence to prove that my little sister is infertile? This is complete sophistry. If you cannot produce a medical report, then I will sue you for slander!”

Jessica was very aggressive, much like a hen protecting her chicks. She stood in front of her mother and Helen and blocked them from Mrs. Livingstone.

Mrs. Livingstone seemed a little afraid of Jessica. She subconsciously stepped back and said, “No matter what, they have to get a divorce!”

“Divorce? Sure, but you have to give my little sister the compensation she deserves. The Stewart's are not to be trifled with either!”

After snapping back at Mrs. Livingstone furiously, Jessica looked at Helen and said, “What is the use of crying when your husband has already cheated on you? Times have changed, can’t you even stand up for yourself? Helen, I’m telling you, you have to divorce him! Are you planning on keeping that man so that he can bring back more illegitimate children?!”

The sobbing Helen nodded. “I will do as you say, Jessica.”

She was thoroughly heartbroken.

When she got married, everyone had said that she was really blessed to be able to marry into the Livingstones'. Given how close a relationship the Livingstones' and the Hunt's shared, she would surely welcome a good life in the future.

But who knew that Thomas would actually be such an insect?

Mrs. Livingstone sneered, “Jessica, what do you mean by that? We Livingstones are decent people, we are not people who indulge in casual relationships! We won’t just want any random woman!”

Jessica sneered, “Oh, really? Considering how you can accept even someone like Cecelia, the Livingstones’ standards for women are really too low!”

Mrs. Livingstone wanted to continue the argument about Cecelia, but she suddenly realized something. She sneered, “The problem is not about Cecelia right now; rather, it’s about Helen’s infertility. On top of that, she even conspired with a doctor to shift the blame onto my son! What a pity for her, though, because Cecelia is pregnant, which just so happens to clear my son’s name! On the other hand, even though it has been three years since Helen married into the Livingstones, she hasn’t gotten pregnant even once, so the problem must lie with her. Since that’s the case, then this marriage should be annulled! When the two of them got engaged back then, we had agreed that whoever does something wrong after marriage would receive a smaller portion of the joint financial assets! Therefore, Helen can only leave the Livingstones penniless!”

Cecelia was pregnant.

The timing was simply too sensitive.

Should news of it spread, everyone would surely know that Thomas had cheated on his wife. If that happened, he would no longer be able to hold his head up high in the circle of the wealthy in New York.

That was why Mrs. Livingstone had come over to make a scene. Firstly, it was because a married couple’s joint property was indeed difficult to divide. Secondly, it was because she mustn’t allow her son to be known as someone who had mistreated his ex-wife!

She mustn’t allow her son to become the main reason for the marriage’s failure.

Jessica let out a contemptuous laugh. Suddenly, she lowered her eyes and said, “We are all respectable people that don’t wish to embarrass ourselves. The Stewarts will not ask the Livingstones for even a single cent more than what should be given. However, alimony must be given because you made Helen quit her job after she married Thomas! Because of that, she now has a three-year unemployment gap in her career!” Mrs. Livingstone sneered, “Then what about the money that the Livingstones gave the Stewarts when they got married back then?”

The Livingstones had given them a large sum of money as a wedding gift.

By saying that, Mrs. Livingstone was demanding even that sum of money back, even though they had given it to them as a gift.

Jessica was about to speak when Helen suddenly looked at Thomas. “Thomas, what is the meaning of this?”

Thomas curled his lips disdainfully and replied, “My mother’s will is also mine! I’ve found you really boring since a long time ago! You don’t even move at all in bed. It was really no fun at all!”

Helen turned paler. At last, she lowered her head and said, “Fine, fine… I will return you all that money the Livingstones gave us!”

A shocked Jessica looked at her abruptly. “Helen, what kind of nonsense are you saying?”

If they returned that money, what would outsiders think?

Why didn’t they take any money from the Livingstones during the divorce? But even gave them money instead?

Of course, it was because they had done something wrong!

People often didn’t care about the details, they only looked at the results. Neither would they think that Helen was being generous. Instead, they would definitely think that Helen must have done something to let the Livingstones down!

Helen, however, shook her head. “Jessica, I just want to be divorced as soon as possible.”

She didn’t want to be entangled with him any further.

She would just cut the Gordian knot. This way, she would be able to go home and live a carefree life!

Seemingly having understood the meaning behind her words, Jessica said nothing more.

Mrs. Livingstone sneered, “Helen, are you feeling guilty? Well, that makes sense. We won’t hold you accountable for wasting my son’s time either. We’ll just let the matter go at that! I just hope that you won’t bother my son

After that, Mrs. Livingstone, Thomas, and Helen settled on the time and date that they would come over to take the money, as well as when they would sign the divorce papers.

After making all the arrangements, before the two left, Mrs. Livingstone emphasized once more, “Helen, the Livingstones won’t hold it against you and your family this time! But remember this, the divorce is because of your infertility. It has nothing to do with the Livingstones!”

Thomas nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Remember this—it’s I, Thomas, who doesn’t want you anymore!”

After saying that, Mrs. Livingstone and Thomas left.

After they left, Helen squatted on the floor and suddenly burst into wracking sobs. She clutched her head and murmured, “I am so useless. Why couldn’t I just get pregnant? Why? I’m so useless.”

Only then did Nora finally take a step forward. She said, “It’s not your fault.”

Chapter 632: The Truth About Xander Yale

Nora had hidden herself in the corner after she entered just now and had refrained from interfering with their family affairs.

Therefore, the few of them hadn’t noticed her in the heated argument.

When she spoke, Helen finally looked up in a daze. At the sight of Nora, she wiped her tears and stood up. “Ms. Smith Why are you here?”

Before Nora could speak, Jessica asked, “Ms. Smith, what did you mean by that?”

Nora sighed silently.

Helen was simply too much of a pushover. Being ladylike and soft-spoken were positive traits; gentleness was also part of a person’s character. However, being excessively weak and delicate would only encourage others to bully one even more.

However, Jessica seemed different. She was more straightforward and the questions she asked hit the crux of the matter. Nora didn’t want to comfort or persuade them about anything. She merely said, “Thomas is not the father of Cecelia’s child.”

As soon as she said that, the people in the room were dumbfounded.

Jessica was stunned. She said, “He isn’t? If he isn’t, then what is Thomas doing? Also, why do you say that? Do you have any evidence?”

Jessica’s thought process was clear. Helen, however, was still looking at her in a daze.

Nora cast her eyes down. “I checked his pulse the other time, he does indeed have asthenospermia. On top of that, his condition is very serious. Therefore, it stands to reason that Thomas will not be able to have children. However, he said that Cecelia is pregnant and that they only found out about the pregnancy today. So I went to check Cecelia’s pregnancy records. I found that her HCG levels are relatively high. Those numbers are impossible in a patient who is only a month pregnant. In addition, I also found out that Cecelia has prior medical records from more than one month ago. At that time, they had already diagnosed that she was more than a month pregnant. From this, we can conclude that she should already be three months pregnant by now. Helen, where was Thomas three months ago?”

A dazed Helen replied, “Thomas was in France three months ago. A project over there had run into problems. As it was relatively tricky, he stayed there for nearly a month…”

At this point, Helen spoke again. “Did he go to France with Cecelia?!”

She seemed astounded. But as soon as she said that, Jessica smacked her hard on the head and said, “Helen Stewart, what’s wrong with you?! What kind of situation do you think you’re in right now? Yet you’re still being jealous?! Is there anything about that man that’s worth being jealous?! If you continue to be like this, I will really look down on you! Don’t you know that women should be independent?! If even you look down on yourself, then how can you make others value you?!”

However, Helen said in tears, “I’m not looking down on myself. But it’s true that I was married for three years, yet I didn’t get pregnant.”

Jessica was exasperated. She yelled furiously, “Hansel Lloyd’s wife also didn’t have any children even after so many years of marriage, and they adopted a child in the end. But look at her, when has she ever felt inferior about it?! When has she ever not carried herself graciously? Do you know why?!”

Helen nodded. “It’s because she is good at managing the company. She is actually the one in charge of Lloyds’ company.”

It was at this point that Helen finally suddenly understood. Her eyes reddened and she hung her head. “You’re right, Mrs. Lloyd can’t reproduce, but the Lloyds have never dared to look down on her because of that. Neither has she ever felt inferior because of it. Only when one becomes strong will they not be looked down upon.”

Seeing that she had finally understood, Jessica looked at Nora again. “I saw Cecelia at an event two and a half months ago, she couldn’t have gone out of the country with Thomas. Therefore, the child really isn’t his!”

As soon as she said that, next to them, Mrs. Stewart, their mother, immediately banged the table and stood up. “Since it is not his, then let’s go over and tell them about it right away. We’ll throw the evidence right in their faces! And see how they still have the cheek to demand a divorce!”

The room suddenly fell silent.

Taken aback, Mrs. Stewart looked at the three of them.

Jessica didn’t pay any attention to Mrs. Stewart. Instead, she looked at Nora first and said, “Ms. Smith, thank you so much for not revealing all this the moment you stepped in!”

Nora merely smiled at her quietly.

Mrs. Stewart, however, was puzzled. “Why didn’t she say it? If she had, we would have been able to slap both mother and son in the face just now! How nice would that have been?”

Jessica looked at Mrs. Stewart, who had the same personality as Helen, and felt rather helpless. “Mom, what then?”

Mrs. Stewart replied, “When they are sure that the problem lies with Thomas, they definitely won’t dare to divorce Helen anymore! And since all of this is because of the Livingstones themselves, they will only keep Helen happy in the future!”

Jessica lowered her eyes. “And then? What happens after that? Do you want Helen to stay by his side as he goes for medical treatment, and then let him do a return of the prodigal son?”

Mrs. Stewart choked. “Girl, those words of yours sting too much.”

Jessica turned to Helen. She said, “Helen, you have two options now. The first one: You go to the Livingstones immediately with the evidence and tell them the truth. You will then become the Livingstones’ hero.”

Helen was taken aback.

Jessica, however, stared at her and said, “But I’ll be clear about this if you do that, then you’re no longer my sister! From then on, even if the Livingstones bully you, don’t ever come back here and cry to us about it!”

Helen bit her lip.

Mrs. Stewart became even more hesitant. She said, “Jessica, it’s better to demolish a temple than to destroy a marriage. If you do that…”

“Mom!” Jessica reprimanded her angrily. “Have you really become muddleheaded from old age? Back then, we failed to ask around properly and find out what Thomas was really like before we allowed Helen to marry him. Now that we have finally seen his true colors, instead of making a quick escape, what are you people still staying in the hellhole for?!”

Mrs. Stewart sighed. “Never mind, I wash my hands off this. The world belongs to you youngsters now. I’m old now, so I don’t understand anymore.”

Nora: “…”

She could finally see what was going on now. Jessica was the one in charge at the Stewarts, whereas the real mistress of the household didn’t have any control over anything.

She looked at Helen too, wanting to know her choice.

Helen bit her lip and said, “Jessica, Ms. Smith. I’ve made up my mind I want a divorce! What should I do in the second option you proposed?”

Jessica clapped her on the shoulder. “Now, that’s my sister, alright! No matter the occasion, you must always have the courage to face your troubles. Us daughters of the Stewarts don’t have to worry about remarrying at all! Now that you have made up your mind, then it’s time for us to set things up.”

Jessica said, “We won’t reveal the truth for the time being. Let’s make use of the opportunity while the Livingstones are still willing to get a divorce to get all the divorce procedures done first! Otherwise, once the Livingstones know the truth, they will definitely refuse to divorce. The Livingstones are big and powerful, and even have the Hunt's backing them up. We won’t be able to beat them in a direct confrontation. When that happens, it will be very hard for you to divorce him! After that, we will find an opportunity to let the cat out of the bag! I will also use the next few days to find Cecelia’s adulterer!”

Her thought process was clear, and she also had the courage to shoulder responsibility. Then, she turned to Nora and said, “But you’ll probably have to suffer some injustice for the next few days as a result of this, Ms. Smith. The Livingstones will definitely spread the news and say that the blame lies fully with the Stewarts.”

Nora raised her eyebrows and nodded. “I understand.”

This was precisely the reason why she hadn’t immediately brought up the matter about Cecelia when she came in and found that the Livingstones were discussing divorce matters.

Jessica felt very bad about this. She said, “I know the Livingstones very well. They don’t want any blemishes on their reputation. Back then, when Helen was about to marry into the family, there wasn’t any bad press about him out there. Even the matter about him impregnating someone when he was twenty years old was rumored to be the girl’s plot against Thomas. We were fooled by them!”

She was about to say more when Nora’s cell phone suddenly rang.

She looked down and glanced at it-it was an overseas number.

Nora raised her eyebrows and gestured to Jessica that she was answering a call. Then, she went out and picked up the call. Caleb’s voice came from the other end: “Ms. Smith, I heard that Mr. Hunt has an illegitimate child? I’m calling to tell you the truth I’ve found out about Xander Yale!”