Facade of Love

Chapter 163 No Strings Attached

The words seemed normal at first, but they left me feeling cold. I shivered without meaning to and replied, “No need for that.”

I ended the call, pressing down the unease in my chest. I took a deep breath and felt a sudden lightness wash over me.

“It’s actually a divorce certificate,” my mom said, giving me a sideways look. “And these properties and bank cards are…?”

“They’re from Idris,” I said with a shrug.

Her eyebrows knitted together in concern. “Scott Corporation may be struggling, but we don’t need these. All that matters is that he’s good to you from now on. You should give them back to him.”

I knew what was on my mom’s mind and smiled. “It’s probably too late to return them. If he wanted to give them, let’s just keep them. Think of it as him buying a clear conscience.” It was his way of making up for the child we lost without cause.

Mom pressed her l*ps together and let out a heavy sigh. “Alright. When there’s nothing owed, it’s easier to part ways cleanly.”

That’s right, no debts meant no lingering ties or conflicts.

It was the weekend, and Maxwell had left early for Scott Corporation to put in some overtime. Mom had made breakfast, but he’d barely eaten before heading out.

told me to freshen up and take some food over

checked my phone. That’s when I noticed several missed calls

[Yvette, let’s meet.]

Idris this, Idris that. Two sisters scrapping over a guy? Yawn. Anyway, Idris and I were history now, so her crush

her a text: [Hanging out with you is a total time–suck, and I’m not about to rehash your soap opera with Idris. If we’re gonna chat, it’ll only be about that time

faster

Scott Corporation. Maxwell was a genius, turning the company from zero to hero in a

Caleb and Benett.

Corporation office, I dropped the food on Maxwell’s desk. He peered up from his paperwork, puzzled.

the brink of starvation,

grinned, cracking open the box. “Aunt

desk, eyeing the

a garbled, “Yep, just gotta chat with the

them to him. “You’ll find a few project leaders‘ details in here. Plus, I got Mr. Taters to help us out with a little setup.

me a thumbs–up.

and he frowned. “Divorce