CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81: FIGHTING A DIVORCE CASE

The Lockwood Group.

Claire Shaw was in the general manager’s office.

Even though she had her own studio now, she still visited Caleb Lockwood’s company every day like clockwork.

"Caleb, is there anything special about these two bills?"

Claire stood beside Caleb, her slender hand resting on his shoulder, her face brimming with curiosity.

Since she first arrived, Caleb had been fiddling with the bills in his hand.

They were two plain and ordinary banknotes—neither brand new nor ancient, unblemished by marks or scribbles, seemingly genuine.

Claire couldn’t fathom what made such unremarkable bills so captivating to Caleb, prompting him to examine them repeatedly all morning.

"Nothing special."

Caleb’s voice was calm and indifferent, as always.

However, Claire noticed the deepening curve of his smile, an enigmatic grin.

No matter how she asked or expressed her curiosity, Caleb didn’t explain the origin of the bills, nor did he put them away.

Serena Jennings didn’t go to the studio today.

She drove to The Lockwood Estate to deliver some health supplements to Lance Lockwood.

In the past, she would visit Serene Meadows Nursing Home weekly to see her mother and call Lance to check in.

Recently, she’s been preoccupied with her own company’s affairs, neglecting these gestures.

Serena first visited the nursing home, arriving at The Lockwood Estate around noon.

The old residence usually housed only Lance Lockwood and the servants, so upon hearing of her return, Ms. Wang immediately came to assist her, and Lance instructed the cook to prepare several of her favorite dishes.

For Serena, the old residence felt more like a warm home than The Jade Pavilion.

"Only Serena still thinks of me. But next time, don’t buy anything. This is your home; you don’t need to bring gifts when you come home." Lance offered Serena a steamed egg with sea urchin using serving chopsticks.

"Here, eat more. You’ve lost weight recently."

"Grandpa, you really should take care of yourself!" Serena said while instructing Ms. Wang to give Lance the supplements she brought regularly.

She had purchased these products from Faye Finch, trusting only The Wellness Pavilion for health items.

They chatted and laughed casually for a while, and as the meal was winding down, Lance asked Serena:

"By the way, Serena... has Caleb apologized to you?"

Serena’s chopsticks trembled in her hand before she tightened her grip.

"Hmm..."

If sleeping together counts as an apology, then Caleb certainly has apologized.

Last night, at The Seaside Villa, she and Caleb did.

Serena originally thought it was her grandfather who needed her, but it was Caleb who, under the guise of her grandfather, tricked her into coming to The Seaside Villa.

In the entire villa, it was just her and Caleb, and she couldn’t resist him.

"Grandpa said I stole your credit and your business, so I should apologize."

As Caleb was undressing, he said this.

Regardless of how Lance learned that the popular jewelry under Lockwood was her design and that Caleb had taken her raw stones, asking Caleb to apologize was out of goodwill.

Yet Caleb’s chosen method of apology left Serena speechless.

"Stop pretending to be virtuous; when I sleep with you, you don’t lose out. I know your response better than anyone."

Caleb tossed her onto the bed; when she resisted, he tied her hands with a tie. Yet the entire process wasn’t rough; it was gentler, more patient than before, as if truly serving her.

After it was all done, when Serena woke up, despite feeling hurt inside, she didn’t want to be seen as weak by Caleb outwardly.

She was glad she had two hundred-dollar bills on hand at that time.

In the morning, after showering and dressing, she waited for Caleb to come out of the bathroom and deliberately tossed the two hundred dollars onto the bedside table in front of him.

For a fleeting moment, Serena felt she saw a flash of humiliated anger in Caleb’s eyes.

She hadn’t expected Lana Xavier’s advice on throwing money as a form of payment worked surprisingly well.

Serena decided that she needed to read more novels.

At the dining table, Lance scrutinized Serena’s face.

From her expression alone, he could see that she and Caleb hadn’t reconciled.

"Serena..." Lance put down his chopsticks, speaking earnestly, "Do you still want to divorce Caleb?"

Serena’s hand holding the chopstick felt tense, as did her chest.

"Hmm..."

She nodded at Lance, hearing him sigh.

She came here today, essentially to sound out Lance’s opinion.

Serena’s worst-case scenario had been to wait for the two-year separation period; if Caleb didn’t agree, the court would likely grant her a divorce.

Yet her intentions were seen through by Caleb.

Last night, Caleb told her:

"Don’t think you can divorce after two years of separation. As long as we continue being intimate, the court won’t rule for it."

Serena was genuinely afraid.

She feared that after two years, she still couldn’t divorce Caleb.

Furthermore, during the marriage, Caleb wouldn’t make her life any easier; such incidents as last night would likely occur again.

She had to consider other options.

But she didn’t want to upset her grandfather, so she came first to prepare him mentally.

Fortunately, Lance’s sigh wasn’t one of disappointment toward her but of helplessness and regret.

Serena spent the afternoon chatting with Lance, but she clearly felt his mood decline after she expressed her continued desire to divorce Caleb.

However, when she left the old residence, Lance clearly expressed to her that no matter what decision she made, he would support her.

Serena searched online for law firms specializing in divorce cases.

Yet as soon as they heard the opposing side was Caleb’s team, they immediately backed away.

Serena knew not to have high hopes.

She was fully aware that with Caleb as her adversary, things wouldn’t be easy to resolve, otherwise their divorce wouldn’t have dragged on this long.

Sitting by the roadside, Serena nibbled on some bread as she gazed at the bustling street before her, full of neon lights.

Up to now, she couldn’t comprehend why Caleb was dead set against divorcing her.

Since her grandfather was unconcerned, the reason obviously wasn’t with him.

Could it be her caregiving was so superb that Caleb was reluctant to let go?

Serena found it both funny and frustrating.

Tonight, City A’s international racetrack was hosting a race.

Ever since he became fascinated by the mysterious racing goddess Chloe Linton, Patrick Rhodes seemed obsessed, showing up here every day.

Whenever there was a race, he came, regardless of whether Chloe was participating.

Persistence paid off, and finally, he managed to catch sight of her.

Tonight, Chloe suddenly participated again and claimed victory.

But Patrick didn’t stay for the award ceremony.

He had already been lurking around the driver’s changing room.

Patrick knew his behavior was somewhat creepy.

Yet his curiosity was overwhelming.

No matter what, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity tonight.

He’s determined to catch a glimpse of Chloe!