Chapter 8---You Don't Want This
1248 Words
Madeline had stayed up late the previous night and indulged in two cocktails. The remnants of her hangover weighed heavily on her, and to make matters worse, Wendy Taylor called early in the morning, disrupting what little sleep she had left.
"Again? What is it this time, superstar Wendy?"
Madeline was irritable upon waking. After years of suppression in the Cook family, now that she was finally free, she felt like a caged animal tasting freedom for the first time—raw, uncontainable.
Honestly, Wendy should count herself lucky she wasn't within arm's reach.
"Did I wake you?"
Madeline rolled her eyes and sat up, massaging her temples. "Just say it."
"...Your ex is trending. He's with his *white moonlight*, Elena Peterson. The whole internet's buzzing—were you both cheating, is that why you divorced so peacefully?"
Madeline froze, now half-awake. "You said *ex*-husband. From now on, anything about Tyler Cook doesn't require you to sacrifice half your life to tell me."
On the other end, Wendy rubbed her neck. "I'm sorry, Maddie. Go back to sleep, go back to sleep! I won't bother you again!"
And with that, she hung up quickly.
Madeline tossed her phone onto the bed and buried her face back into the pillow.
But Wendy's words looped in her mind, making sleep impossible.
She grew restless. "Iry, boil some water for me."
"Understood, Master."
Slipping on her slippers, Madeline entered the bathroom. Her reflection was a mess—hair tangled, skin dull from the night before. She didn't like what she saw.
It's just a divorce. Get over it, Madeline.
Half an hour later.
Madeline scrolled through the gossip news on her phone. Pretending she didn't care would be lying. But she'd seen this coming. Now, seeing Tyler Cook and Elena Peterson together, she found it almost laughable.
She closed the Twitter app. Since they were divorced, Tyler's late-night rendezvous with Elena had nothing to do with her.
After breakfast, Madeline applied her makeup, slipped into a blue dress, and pulled the dusty Ferrari out of the garage, driving straight to Nimbus.
She'd been there yesterday—escorted upstairs by Xavier, downstairs by Wendy herself. The receptionists greeted her with deference.
"Ms. Jenkins, here to see Ms. Taylor?"
Madeline smiled. "Yes, is she in?"
"Ms. Taylor just arrived. I'll call the elevator for you."
Madeline nodded. "Thank you."
Looking at the respectful receptionist, she recalled the two at Vertex a few days ago, and couldn't help but curl her lips.
How poorly Tyler must have treated her for even the front desk to look down on her.
Then again, she'd been foolish—throwing herself at him like a desperate admirer. In the end, all she got was a divorce certificate and nothing more.
A *ding* echoed as the elevator doors opened.
Madeline snapped out of her thoughts, stepped out in silver stilettos, and walked straight to Wendy's office.
Serena Halberg, seeing her, looked surprised. "Ms. Jenkins, what brings you here?"
"Just dropping by."
Smiling, she gestured toward the slightly ajar door. "May I go in?"
"Of course. She's alone. Actually, since you're here, could you please tell her to keep a lower profile? The paparazzi have been swarming. I barely managed to suppress yesterday's incident."
Madeline nodded. "I'll make sure she's careful."
Serena was one of the few who knew Madeline was the silent majority shareholder of Nimbus, and aware of her bond with Wendy. Wendy was carefree—only Madeline and Ellis Rockford could rein her in. Serena, as her manager, was always left cleaning up the mess.
Now that Madeline was stepping in, Serena felt like she could breathe again. "It's my duty. I won't keep you, Ms. Jenkins."
Madeline pushed open the door. The glamorous superstar, flawless in public, was now glued to her tablet, her expressions worthy of her Best Actress title.
"What are you watching?"
Madeline sat beside her and tapped her crossed legs.
Wendy was mid-bite into the scandal of Tyler Cook and Elena Peterson when Madeline arrived—she was thrilled. "I'm devouring the drama between your ex and his *white moonlight*! Honestly, it's almost touching."
Madeline gave her a cold glance. "What did you say?"
A chill ran down Wendy's spine. She quickly switched to a righteous tone. "I mean, how shameless! They just divorced, and already they're flaunting it. Are they trying to prove they're soulmates?"
Madeline poured herself a cup of tea. "Getting into it now?"
This time, Wendy was genuinely afraid. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! To make up for it, I got two tickets to Elena the Lotus's art exhibition. You should go with Xavier—dazzle them so hard it hurts! What's so great about Tyler Cook anyway? He's just the secondhand man you cast aside. Xavier is way better."
Madeline raised an eyebrow. "You dare say that to Tyler Cook's face?"
Wendy, of course, wouldn't. "We're all civilized people. Public fights are so crude. We should humiliate them subtly! Trust me, take Xavier with you—public opinion will shift to your side in no time!"
"Give it a rest. Don't drag Xavier into this. Have you even seen the comments from his fangirls lately?"
"You don't get it. Xavier is transitioning into a serious actor. Fangirls? They're not exactly irreplaceable."
Madeline almost believed her. "Alright, what's your real motive this time?"
"Cough, cough... I heard Elena Peterson invited Tyler Cook as a special guest."
Madeline paused, turning to look at her. "Are you using me as entertainment?"
Wendy nervously shifted her gaze, placing a hand on Madeline's shoulder. "Don't put it that way, Maddie. Think about the three years you suffered in the Cook family! All because Tyler turned a blind eye. Elena didn't just invite Tyler—she also invited Heather Cook and Grace Cook. Don't you know what people are saying about you now? That after three years in the Cook family, you're worth less than a single invitation from Elena Peterson."
This reminded Madeline of something from two years ago—her 25th birthday. Wendy had thrown her a small party. She'd planned to reveal her wealth that night, to finally show Tyler and his family who she really was. But that evening, not a single member of the Cook family showed up—except for Wendy and her friends.
That wasn't the worst part. Grace Cook had shared a screenshot—of a group chat where she asked who would attend Madeline's birthday party. Every reply was a blunt "No."
The screenshot went viral. The entire social circle mocked her—a country bumpkin who married into high society, wore fancy clothes, and foolishly believed she was a phoenix. Hosting a birthday party? How ridiculous.
The old wound ached deep in her chest. Madeline lowered her eyes. "It doesn't matter."
Wendy clicked her tongue. "How can it not matter? Grace is a hardcore fan of Xavier. Recently, Elena's company contacted Xavier's manager, trying to collaborate on an art exhibition. Two years ago, you couldn't get the Cooks to your party. Now, they can't even get Xavier to theirs."
"Wow… just imagining it gives me chills!"
Madeline gave her a half-smile. "Impressive. Now you're scheming against me."
"No, no, never!"
After a pause, Wendy couldn't hold back. "So… are you going or not?"
Madeline took a sip of chrysanthemum tea. "Of course I'm going. Why wouldn't I?"
She wanted to see how Grace would react when she found out her idol was with her.
- Writer
