CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 62-VALUE

Bert’s apartment was understated luxury, pristine and immaculately clean—every corner exuding unmistakable masculine taste.

After ending the call with Catherine, Bert walked over to the bar cabinet, selected a bottle of carry-year red wine, and poured himself a glass. He glanced at the time, estimating that someone of Channing’s age should already be deep in sleep. Then he picked up his phone and dialed Channing.

Yes—he deliberately chose a time when Channing would almost certainly be asleep, just to disrupt his rest. He had warned Channing that no one was to disturb Catherine, not even Gerald. Apparently, Channing hadn’t been doing his job properly, so Bert needed to apply a little pressure.

Sure enough, on the other end, Channing was just drifting into slumber when the sudden call jolted him awake. Irritated, he snatched up the phone, ready to scold whoever dared to call at this hour, only to find Bert’s name on the screen. Instantly, he was fully alert, the last remnants of sleep gone.

"bert? Calling so late—what’s the matter?" Channing said, forcing a respectful smile.

Channing deliberately addressed Bert as "bert," rather than "Lord Washington," trying to appear familiar in the hope that Bert wouldn’t make things difficult for him. What he didn’t realize was that Bert was calling precisely to make things difficult.

Channing had already been mentally exhausted, thanks to the chaos surrounding his divorce from Tracy. Just before bed, Tracy had caused yet another commotion, even forcing him out of his own room into the guest room. Now, just as he had finally dozed off, Bert’s call pulled him back into alertness. His head felt ready to split.

And of course, Bert asked the most inconvenient question first, in his calm, measured tone:

"So, Channing, how’s the divorce going? Is it finalized?"

Channing stammered, trying to stall.

"bert... ah, I need a little more time on this... it’s not easy to finalize—"

"No problem," Bert said lightly.

"I was just asking. I was originally going to send eight hundred thousand over to you once it’s done."

The moment Channing heard the figure—eight million—his eyes went wide. He could barely contain the urge to finalize the divorce immediately.

He quickly made a solemn promise to Bert:

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s done. Tomorrow, I’ll drag that woman to the divorce court myself!"

"Do as you see fit, Channing," Bert said casually, though his words carried an unmistakable edge. "I’ve prepared twenty million for you, but I should warn you—if you keep dragging this out, who knows how much longer your company’s losses will pile up. And just to be clear, I won’t add a single cent more."

Bert’s words left no room for delay; the message was clear—get the divorce done, and fast. Channing, however, was already blinded by the lure of those twenty million.

"I know, I know. I’ll get the divorce done as soon as possible," he said, practically salivating at the thought.

In fact, as soon as he hung up, he was already planning to go to the master bedroom and deliver Tracy the final ultimatum. This marriage—she could either go along with it or not—either way, it was ending!

Channing had thought the call was about over, but Bert continued, his voice calm yet sharp:

"I believe I warned you last time, Channing, to keep those around you in check. Make sure no one bothers Cici. Judging by recent events, it seems your work in this matter hasn’t been quite sufficient."

Channing thought of how lately both Tracy and Lucca were wrapped up in their own crises—Tracy stressed over the impending divorce, Lucca flustered by Gerald’s ruthless push for a breakup.

But when Lucca’s name came up, Channing immediately thought of Gerald. He frowned and asked, "You mean Gerald? Has he been causing trouble for Cici?"

Bert’s tone turned colder. "Not trouble, exactly. Let’s say... he’s been persistently entangling her."

Channing pictured the scene vividly and couldn’t help but sigh. "Bert... I would manage Gerald if I could, but he’s determined to file for divorce. Even if I wanted to interfere, I’m powerless—and frankly, I have no standing to do so."

These past days, Channing’s family had been in chaos over Gerald’s insistence on divorce. The last gathering with the S family was meant to smooth things over between Gerald and Lucca, yet Gerald’s resolve was unyielding. No matter how both families pressured him—or how S’s mother threatened—Gerald refused to compromise. The marriage was on the brink of collapse.

Bert, perceptive as ever, caught the faint trace of resignation in Channing’s voice. A cold smile crept across his face. "No standing, you say? So you’re planning to accept the divorce?"

"Both daughters are being dismissed by Gerald. Can you really swallow that, Channing? And Lucca... she’s your precious daughter. You’re seriously going to let Gerald get away with all those years?"

Bert’s words dripped with provocation, carefully stoking the fire.

He had never fancied himself a ’good man,’ nor a merciful one, and he never hid his cunning. In fact, he often thought he’d shown restraint in recent years. Otherwise, Channing and Gerald wouldn’t be enjoying these relatively calm days at all.

In the past, Bert liked to personally deal with those who crossed him, leaving them to suffer. Now, he preferred watching them squabble on their own—he only needed to stir the waters slightly and then sit back, enjoying the chaos.

And with this particular call, he knew he had sufficiently stirred up the storm.

There was no way he’d allow Gerald to walk away from this divorce unscathed. If Gerald got what he wanted, he would have even more time—and excuse—to harass Catherine.

Bert would never permit that.

"Gerald likes to entangle himself with Lucca, doesn’t he? Fine—let him. Let them keep at it," Bert said, his tone calm but cutting. "This world isn’t as simple or naïve as he thinks. It’s not something he can just abandon when he’s tired of it, nor reclaim whenever he feels like it."

At the root, Bert knew, Gerald’s repeated pattern of divorce threats and sudden attempts at reconciliation stemmed from a life without real hardship. In other words, he had been spoiled by his affluent family since childhood.

Everything he wanted was always within reach. He had never learned the pain of loss, never learned to truly cherish what he had.

Not like Bert—or others who had to fight for everything. Those who struggled to attain what they desired valued it all the more.

Fatherly love, sibling love, romantic love—it was the same. When someone like Bert obtained something, he poured his entire being into treasuring and protecting it.

On the other end, Channing, already worked up by the conversation, couldn’t help but explode.

"Exactly! Our Lucca has been with him for two years, and now he just wants to divorce her? I won’t let him get away with this!"

Channing had long since lost hope for Gerald and Lucca’s marriage. These past days, he’d been utterly exhausted by his own company’s troubles, too preoccupied to properly focus on anything else. His mind was only on salvaging the business—he knew that if the company fell, his life would be ruined.