CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN: A GOLDDIGGER

Raymond’s POV

The drive to my personal apartment at the center of the city was long.

Celeste didn’t say a single word the entire ride. Her arms were crossed, her eyes fixed on the window, and her lips were trembling slightly. I didn’t know if she was crying or just trying not to scream.

Every second that passed made the silence heavier. The humiliation at the mansion kept replaying in my head like a broken record. Sameen’s face, Raina’s tears and the old man’s words. Every piece of it stabbed my chest over and over.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly and my knuckles turned white.

Celeste let out a small sigh. "So that’s it?" she said quietly.

I didn’t look at her. "What do you mean?"

She turned her head, her tone suddenly sharper. "You are not even going to defend me? You just stood there and let them humiliate me like I’m some cheap street girl."

I clenched my jaw. "I tried, Celeste but what did you expect me to do? Hit the old man too?"

She scoffed. "Maybe, He talked to me like I was trash. You just stood there like a scared little boy."

That hit harder than she probably meant it to but I stayed quiet as there was no point arguing now.

When I pulled up in front of my private apartment building, she didn’t wait for me to park properly before opening the door and stepping out. Her heels clicked loudly against the pavement as she stormed toward the entrance.

I followed her silently dragging my feet. The doorman opened the door immediately, clearly confused at the sight of us, her in tears and me looking like I had just crawled out of a war zone.

Inside the penthouse, Celeste walked straight to the minibar, grabbed a bottle of wine, and poured herself a glass with shaky hands.

I watched her gulp down half the glass in one go before finally saying, "You should rest, you have had enough stress for today."

She spun around to face me. "Don’t tell me what to do, Raymond."

Her voice was sharp, filled with something that didn’t sound like pain anymore, it sounded more like anger mixed with entitlement.

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. "Celeste, please.. Not now. I’m not in the mood for another fight."

"Oh, but we need to talk," she said, placing the glass down and crossing her arms. "Do you have any property under your name?"

That question came out of nowhere and I frowned. "What?"

"You heard me," she repeated, her tone firmer. "Do you have any properties, assets, businesses, anything that belongs to you alone?"

"Why are you asking that?" I asked quietly.

She tilted her head slightly, her red lips curling into something close to a smirk. "Because I want to know what I’m getting into, Raymond. You just got thrown out of the Black family, remember?"

My heart dropped a little. "What are you talking about?"

"I’m talking about the fact that your family just kicked you out," she said. "If you don’t have anything of your own, then what’s the point?"

I blinked at her, my chest tightening. "What’s the point?"

She shrugged casually. "Yeah. I mean, I’m too young to be tied down with a baby if there’s no guarantee for the future. I need to know if my life is secure with you or if I’m just setting myself up for failure."

I stared at her in disbelief. "Celeste... are you hearing yourself right now?"

She looked me dead in the eyes. "I’m just being realistic. Love doesn’t pay bills, Raymond."

Something inside me snapped. "You’re unbelievable," I said quietly. "I lost everything for you, my family, my daughter, my father’s respect. And now you’re asking me if I’m rich enough to keep you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don’t be dramatic. You didn’t lose them because of me. You lost them because you couldn’t handle your own lies and I just happened to be there."

My fists tightened. "You’re a gold digger."

Her expression darkened, but then she let out a dry laugh. "Finally...The truth, took you long enough to figure it out."

I froze, staring at her as my stomach turned. "What?"

She shrugged again, this time with a smirk that made my skin crawl. "What did you think this was, Raymond? Some grand romance? Please. You think I would’ve followed you if you weren’t Raymond Black, the powerful, wealthy man with all the connections and the name that opened doors? Get real."

I took a step back, my chest pounding. "So everything you said, all the love you confessed... it was all fake?"

She looked at me blankly. "Does it matter now?"

"Yes, it damn well does!" I shouted. "Because I believed you! I destroyed my family for you!"

She sighed, almost bored. "And that’s not my fault. You are a grown man who made his own choices. Don’t act like I forced you into anything."

I stared at her, my throat tight. "What about the baby? Is it even mine?"

She smirked faintly, picking up her glass again. "Oh, don’t start that now."

"Answer me, Celeste!" I roared.

She flinched but quickly regained her calm. "You will never know, will you?" she whispered, her tone cold and taunting.

I felt dizzy, the room spun and I had never hated anyone as much as I hated myself in that moment, for being so stupid, so blinded and so desperate for something that never even existed.

She placed the glass down and leaned closer, her voice soft but venomous. "Here’s what you are going to do, Raymond. You will go meet Lauretta, sign the divorce papers, and make sure you demand a lot of money and shares. If you don’t, well..." She placed a hand on her flat belly and smirked. "I might just change my mind about keeping this baby."

"You are insane," I muttered.

"No," she said coldly. "I’m practical....You should try it sometime."

Then she turned around, walking toward the bedroom. I watched her slim figure disappear behind the door before she slammed it shut so hard the sound echoed through the apartment.

I stood there frozen, my chest heaving as anger and heartbreak tangled inside me like barbed wire.

I sank onto the couch, burying my face in my hands.

My head pounded and everything, every single thing felt like a cruel joke.

Celeste had played me, Sameen now hated me, Raina despised me and I have been thrown out of the Black family.

And I was standing in the ruins of everything I once thought I controlled.

I stared at the floor for what felt like hours until the light from the window dimmed into dusk. My mind kept repeating one name over and over, noLauretta.

I picked up my phone with trembling hands and dialed her number.

She answered on the second ring. "Raymond."

Her voice was calm and smooth, like she was expecting me to call her.

"I want to meet," I said hoarsely. "Tonight."

There was a pause. "Where?"

"XX Restaurant, 8 p.m."

"Fine," she said. "I’ll be there."

Then she immediately hung up. No questions or no small talk. Just that same cold tone she always used when she wanted to remind me that I no longer mattered.

By the time I got to XX Restaurant, the place was half-empty and quiet. The waiter led me to a private booth in the corner, and I sat down, staring blankly at the empty chair across from me.

Lauretta arrived a few minutes later, dressed in a sleek black dress, her hair tied neatly in a bun and her expression was unreadable.

She sat down without saying a word, and the silence between us was heavy enough to suffocate me.

I finally spoke. "I’m ready to sign the papers."

Her brows lifted slightly. "Oh?"

"But," I continued, "I have conditions."

A small smirk played on her lips. "Of course you do."

"You will give me thirty percent of the company shares, the house in Midtown, and a lump sum of twenty million dollars," I said firmly.

She didn’t even flinch. "Done."

That startled me. "Just like that?"

She leaned back in her chair. "Raymond, I don’t care about the money. I just want this over with. You’ll have everything you asked for."

I frowned. "Then why are you really back, Lauretta?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

I leaned forward, my voice dropping. "You faked that accident years ago. I know it. You wanted everyone to think you were dead."

Her lips curved into a faint, cold smile. "You always were more observant than I gave you credit for."

"So why?" I asked, my tone sharp. "Why come back now? Why destroy everything again?"

She laughed quietly, that bitter kind of laugh that made my skin crawl. "Destroy everything? Raymond, everything was already destroyed long before I came back."

"Don’t play games with me, Lauretta," I warned. "Why do you want to hurt Kendrick?"

That made her pause and her gaze turned sharp as her smile faded.

"Ah... Kendrick," she murmured. "You mean the son I never wanted?"

My heart skipped. "What?"

She stared right into my eyes. "You know it’s true, having Kendrick was a mistake. I told my father years ago. I should have aborted him, but he insisted I keep the child. Said it would make the family look complete."

My blood ran cold. "Lauretta, what the hell are you saying?"

She shrugged, her tone icy. "I’m saying what you already knew deep down. I never wanted to be a mother, Raymond. And Kendrick? He was nothing but a chain tying me to a life I didn’t want."

I slammed my hand on the table, making the cutlery rattle. "You’re sick."

She tilted her head, unfazed. "Maybe. But at least I’m honest."

I could barely breathe. My mind was racing, trying to process every word, every venomous truth spilling from her mouth.

She reached for her purse, pulled out a pen, and slid the divorce papers across the table toward me. "Sign it," she said flatly. "Let’s stop pretending this marriage ever meant anything."

I stared at her, my pulse pounding in my ears. "You’re not even human."

She gave me a slow, eerie smile. "Neither are you, Raymond. You just hide it better."

For a long time, neither of us spoke. The restaurant around us buzzed quietly, clinking glasses, soft chatter and faint music but it all felt far away.

Finally, I picked up the pen and signed my name.

She folded the papers neatly, slipped them back into her purse, and stood up.

"This is the last time we ever have to see each other," she said with a smile.

I wanted to say something, anything but the words wouldn’t come.

She leaned closer, her perfume cold and expensive, and whispered, "Tell Celeste she can keep the baby... if it’s even yours."

Then she walked away, her heels echoing on the marble floor until she disappeared out the door.

I sat there, staring at the glass of wine she had left untouched. My reflection in it looked hollow like a stranger.

Everything I had built and everything I had believed in was gone.

Celeste’s betrayal and Lauretta’s confession. It was like the universe was laughing in my face.

When I finally walked out of the restaurant, the night air hit me hard. The city lights blurred as tears filled my eyes, but I didn’t bother wiping them away.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t know where to go.

Because somewhere between love and betrayal, I had lost everything, including who I was.

And as the cold wind brushed against my skin, one thing became painfully clear.

This was just the beginning of my downfall.