CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 87: ALL A MAN’S SWEET NOTHINGS ARE LIES (PART 1)

If such a scene wasn’t enough to bring tears to Rebecca Quentin’s eyes, then seeing the understated yet exquisitely tasteful business card with "Howard Geoffrey" printed on it at the bottom of the jewelry box finally broke her, and tears flowed uncontrollably like a flood from her eyes.

This was the business card he often carried with him, but rarely gave out. The number of people who received his card could be counted on one hand...

"Ugh..."

Her body instantly went limp, and Rebecca Quentin collapsed to the floor, finally crying like a wronged child...

She didn’t know how much time had passed when the sound of the door turning, accompanied by Isabella Joanna’s cheerful voice, came through, "Dear..."

The word "dear" hadn’t fully left her mouth before Isabella Joanna was stunned by the scene before her.

The room was in complete disarray, with everything scattered across the floor. Rebecca Quentin leaned lifelessly at the foot of the bed, her eyes swollen and red, and the black card and business card she had been clutching had already slipped from her powerless fingers.

Isabella Joanna stood frozen, hands covering her mouth, unable to recover for a long time.

Rebecca Quentin slowly lifted her vacant eyes, staring at Isabella Joanna for a few seconds before suddenly letting out a pained laugh, "Isabella, was the first time you and Howard Geoffrey slept together here?"

"Rebecca..." Isabella Joanna noticed the card and business card scattered by Rebecca Quentin’s side, her voice turning hoarse.

At that moment, Rebecca Quentin slowly stood up, without blame, anger, or further tears, she quietly brushed past Isabella Joanna.

"Rebecca!!"

Isabella Joanna reached out in time to grab Rebecca Quentin’s slender arm.

Rebecca Quentin stood frozen, her back to Isabella Joanna, staring blankly ahead without a word.

Isabella Joanna stepped in front of Rebecca Quentin, her smoky eye makeup now streaked with tears, "Let me explain."

Rebecca Quentin lifted her chin, struggling to suppress her sobs, her eyes still unfocused.

"I am not in a relationship with Mr. Geoffrey. I don’t know how to explain it to you, but it’s really not what you think... I’ve always known you and Mr. Geoffrey are a pair. I never thought of interfering between you two. Over a month ago, one of Howard Geoffrey’s subordinates, Jason Wood, came to me with a card worth fifty million to give to you. I was furious when I went to confront Howard Geoffrey, and then..."

Interrupting Isabella Joanna, Rebecca Quentin clearly hadn’t absorbed Isabella Joanna’s explanation, coldly and sadly laughing, "In just a month, you’ve moved into the most upscale apartment in T City, with countless designer clothes and handbags. He is really generous to you!"

"Rebecca..."

Rebecca Quentin continued to speak to herself, "Even the house is arranged in the way he likes, I suppose he frequently visits you here when he’s in T City, right?"

"It’s not like that, Rebecca, I just..."

Before Isabella Joanna could finish, Rebecca Quentin had already started to walk away, leaving without looking back, slamming the door behind her.

Walking down the bustling streets, Rebecca Quentin was like a soulless person, each step like the walking dead.

She wanted to find a quiet place, but there were people everywhere. Everyone who passed her was either rushing off to do something or happily chatting with someone beside them. Their contentment and ease with life made her, now lost and broken, feel especially out of place in this society.

Having walked aimlessly through several streets, with no idea of how long she had been walking, Rebecca Quentin wiped away the last trace of tears at the corner of her eyes and sent a text message to Isabella Joanna—

If you still consider us friends, I hope you can keep this a secret for me. I don’t want Howard Geoffrey to know.

On the other end, Isabella Joanna thought Rebecca Quentin didn’t want to disrupt her current life with Howard Geoffrey, and immediately replied with "Okay."

After deleting the sent and received messages from her phone, Rebecca Quentin forced a smile through her bitterness and dialed a number.

It was nighttime in New York, and Howard Geoffrey’s voice was noticeably languid and sleepy, "Baby..."

Rebecca Quentin maintained her smile, though her eyes stared lifelessly ahead, her voice flirtatious as she had been with him these days, "Honey, I miss you. When are you coming to T City to pick me up?"

The next day.

Rebecca Quentin awoke from the king-sized bed of the XX Hotel.

Judging from the light, it should be past noon.

Rebecca Quentin draped a robe over her shoulders and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, reaching out to pull the curtains open.

Instantly, sunlight flooded the room, illuminating Rebecca Quentin’s flawlessly delicate face with no trace of her former distress.

Suddenly, Rebecca Quentin’s phone rang.

Glancing at the number displayed on the phone, Rebecca Quentin calmly pressed the answer key, "Mr. Jones."

Skyler Jones’s voice was as amiable as ever, "I’m sorry, I was busy with something yesterday. Did you need something from me?"

Rebecca Quentin gazed distantly into the horizon, speaking softly, "The pictures you sent me, I’ve confirmed they’re all real... You and Howard Geoffrey have always been business partners, but you had no reason to have someone secretly follow him unless there was some grudge between you two. And considering Howard Geoffrey kept warning me to stay away from you, there must be some feud, so I’d like to propose a collaboration with you, would you be interested?"

Skyler Jones’s voice turned colder than usual, "You should know that the call you’re making to me right now might already be monitored!"

"That’s not my concern. I’m sure Mr. Jones you’ll handle it, won’t you?"

In that moment, Rebecca Quentin’s intelligence surprised Skyler Jones. After a few moments of reflection, Skyler Jones laughed heartily, "Very well, I enjoy talking with smart people. I hope we have a pleasant collaboration!"

"I won’t allow you to get close to other men. I want you to completely belong to me from now on."

"Believe it or not, these two years of marriage left a mark not only in your heart but in mine as well, Rebecca, if in the past six years I couldn’t give you the life you wanted, I hope in the days to come I can make it happen."

In a daze, the tender romantic promises whispered in her ear, but now each word pierced her heart like a sharp blade.

Why treat her that way?

Did he know how much courage it took for her to decide to be with him?

She didn’t want to deal with the past generation’s right and wrong, nor did she have the strength to bear it. She just wanted a simple and ordinary life. If he couldn’t give it to her, he shouldn’t have entangled her. Her heart was already scarred, unable to withstand such blows. She was on the verge of falling apart...