After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 156

Chapter 156

MHD

“All I’m asking is for you to stay with me, Rebecca. To stop this talk of divorce, Jeffrey explained, his voice patient. “This isn’t about taking away your freedom.”

Rebecca didn’t bother to reply. “Right, she thought bitterly. He won’t let me leave him, and he expects me to accept that he’s supporting Andrea forever. How is that any different from taking away my freedom?”

“Here. This is yours,” he said, pulling the unlimited black card from his jacket and offering it to her. “I had it reissued with a new design. Andrea never touched it.”

Once, such a thoughtful detail would have melted her heart. Now, it was just noise. Her mind was a single. looping track of panic. She thought, Is Samuel okay? How could this have happened? The school knew all his allergies…

Suddenly, a horrifying idea struck her. She shoved him away, scrambling back to put some distance between them. Her eyes were wide with a new kind of terror.

“Samuel..” she started. “His allergic reaction. That was you, wasn’t it? Did you stage this whole thing?”

The pieces clicked together with sickening speed: the prepared agreement, the order to the doctors to stand down, and the door to his suite left open. It was all too perfect to be a coincidence.

“No.” Jeffrey said flatly.

“Really?” Rebecca shot back.

“No,” he repeated.

She chose to believe him. He didn’t have to lie to her.

Once Rebecca’s emotions had somewhat settled, Jeffrey asked the question almost anyone in his position would have asked. “Do you really think I’m the kind of man who would risk our son’s life?”

“Are you serious?” Rebecca shot back. “You were literally using his life as a bargaining chip five minutes ago. Did you forget already?”

“Amazing,” she thought with biting sarcasm. How a man that powerful could have such a short memory.

Jeffrey’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing to defend himself. The truth was, he was just as terrified for Samuel as Rebecca was. But he didn’t tell her.

The clock rewound two hours, to the moment Rebecca had stormed out of his suite.

Jeffrey was about to call Gregory, intending to have him speak with the gaming division executives. He wanted them to ease up on the PrimePlay Technologies team’s workload and provide more hands–on training

10:30 Mon, Sep 29

Chapter lati

he was about to dial, his cell rang. He recognized

and it’s had, the teacher sand, her voice

his condition. My team is on

immediately dialed the private medical unit that shadowed Samuel 24/7, ordering them to

at Samuel’s side in under sixty seconds, giving him the best

the medical team reported to Jeffrey over the phone, his voice tight. “We’ve stabilized him for the moment, but we

everything in motion the instant

it,” the medic

response underway, Jeffrey’s mind shifted to information control. He dialed Lena again. “Say nothing of this to Rebecca for the

“Okay.” Lena agreed.

never left the video call with the medical team. He watched the monitor, his eyes locked on Samuel’s pained face.

like forever, the

Samuel doing?” Jeffrey

hospital director, Emory Yeager, who had personally supervised the case,

“Then why isn’t

probably just exhausted. It’s been a long day for him, Emory reassured him. “I promise you, Mr. Hanson. He’s healthy

chest finally

plan–to keep the whole incident from Rebecca. But then he suddenly remembered how hell–bent she was on divorcing him and taking Amelia and Samuel out of Jelasburg. In that moment, an idea struck

carefully,” Jeffrey said to the medical staff. “I want you to use makeup that’s safe for kids to make him look like he’s still having an allergic reaction. Make his lips look pale, and spray some

met his request, but no one dared question

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Chapter 156

so, the stage was set

her accusation. “I used his life

She needs to believe I can be this ruthless when it comes to Samuel. It’s the only way she’ll understand that

topics. He wanted her to have an easy life, not kill herself with late nights

the one thing that was

had no clue what had set her off. “I gave you back the card. You can have anything you want. Why waste your

job. She snatched the paper off the

burning like acid. The next time we fight. he’ll spit out those same words: Everything you eat, everything you

mistake twice. Once was more than enough humiliation to last a

job makes you happy, keep it. You’re free

remark he’d once thrown at her in anger had become a permanent thorn in her heart, but

her, a strange warmth flickered to

was. The only difference is that now, all that fury

late, Jeffrey said softly. “You should