Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Her investigation into her father’s case stalled with no updates from Ethel. She pondered Roscoe’s fate, wondering if he had managed to evade the clutches of the Watts family.
In the car, Jarrod issued instructions to his assistant. “The bodyguard who let go of Roscoe at the critical moment breached protocol. Handle it.”
“Understood!” the assistant responded, acknowledging Jarrod’s command.
That bodyguard had neglected his duty by leaving the target vulnerable during a critical moment, a grave error unmistakable. The Schultz Group couldn’t tolerate that within its precise organization.
The assistant then reported, “Mr. Schultz, Mr. Hampton has begun spreading rumors, accusing you of betrayal and negligence, claiming that Miss Lawrence’s jealousy prompted her to frame his daughter.”
Jarrod had foreseen this. He was well-acquainted with Wayne’s cunning, akin to an old, dangerous fox.
But he was ready.
“Contact the manager who oversees our joint venture with the Hampton family. Make sure their operations suffer severe losses. It’s time they learn that idle rumors come with consequences,” Jarrod directed.
Trust had never been established between Jarrod and the Hampton family. Both parties had embedded spies within each other’s operations.
Jarrod had long identified Hampton’s spy, relegating the latter to a harmless role without doing anything further yet.
Meanwhile, Jarrod’s own spies within the Hampton ranks were strategically positioned, awaiting their moment.
Despite Wayne’s guile, his descendants lacked his shrewdness. The younger Hamptons, either through foolishness or malice, were ill-equipped for serious responsibilities. The disruptions caused by Vicki and Lowe were already troubling enough.
By the following day, Jarrod’s instructions had been executed efficiently. The Hampton family’s project encountered significant obstacles, exposing critical safety violations that led to a plummet in their stock and widespread public concern.
Wayne, overwhelmed by fury and stress, was hospitalized, needing days of recovery.
Vicki, after spending fifteen days in detention, was released on bail, while Lowe faced grimmer prospects with potential imprisonment looming.
Upon Vicki’s release, a modest car awaited her, leading to her outrage. “What kind of junk car is this? How dare they send this to pick me up?”
The driver responded wearily, “Miss Hampton, you might not know, but all your luxury vehicles, along with your brother’s, have been sold by your father.”
Shocked, Vicki exclaimed, “What? Why were all the cars sold?”
The driver, reflecting on Vicki’s recent detention, realized she was likely unaware of the latest developments.
He informed her, “You probably haven’t heard yet, but the Hampton Group’s project faced some issues. To cover the financial shortfall, your fancy cars and your brother’s were sold. Also, your father has fallen ill recently and is currently hospitalized.”
Vicki was stunned to learn about the significant changes that had unfolded within the Hampton family during her absence.
She had initially planned to confront Nicole immediately upon her release, but now, she felt compelled to first grasp the full extent of the family crisis.
Vicki asked the driver to take her straight to the hospital to visit Wayne. There, she found Wayne looking significantly aged, his face etched with deeper lines.
Upon seeing Vicki, Wayne lowered his head. “Vicki, our family has been destroyed by Jarrod,” he said, sighing.
Vicki, perplexed and upset, pressed for details. “How could this happen?”
Wayne shared the distressing events that occurred during Vicki’s absence and then sighed heavily.
“I once believed Jarrod harbored some affection for you, but I was mistaken. He exploited our family and then discarded us. Now, I’m just an old man, wrestling with the failure to sustain the Hampton legacy. I dread thinking about how I’ll face our ancestors.”
Vicki clenched her fists, resolved. “I won’t let Jarrod escape responsibility for this.”
Wayne tried to temper her anger. “Let it go. What can you really do? He no longer cares about you. His focus now is solely on that woman and his ailing son.”
Wayne added bitterly, “It’s absurd that Jarrod would consider a vasectomy for a sick child. Clearly, that boy means everything to him. Yet, with the delicate heart condition and no donor, coupled with the lack of a seasoned surgeon, the boy won’t live long.”
Wayne found a cold comfort in this thought. Despite the disarray within the Hampton family, the idea of Jarrod facing the potential loss of his son, and thereby his lineage, provided Wayne with a dark reassurance.
“Heart surgery?” Vicki queried suddenly, sparking an idea. She looked at Wayne seriously. “Have you forgotten? There’s someone who can perform the surgery.”
“Who?” Wayne was puzzled, failing to remember.
“Don’t you remember your old friend who was a top heart specialist? He retired after his wife’s death,” Vicki said.
Wayne then recalled the individual in question as a renowned heart specialist and a long-time family friend who chose to retire after his wife’s accidental death.
Now, reminded by Vicki, Wayne’s memory came back.
“This is our chance to reverse our fortunes,” Vicki said solemnly.
Wayne’s demeanor brightened considerably at Vicki’s resolve. “It’s good to see how quickly you’ve taken control of the situation,” he commented, clearly impressed.
“You’ve stepped up remarkably fast,” Wayne continued, acknowledging her leadership. “It looks like the Hampton family is in good hands.”
“It seems Vicki could prosper the Hampton family,” Wayne mused, his words affirming Vicki as his successor.
Vicki was elated by Wayne’s praise. “Don’t worry. The Hampton family will thrive under my stewardship,” she assured him, gripping his hand firmly.
Shortly after their meeting, Vicki had her assistant book a flight where she could potentially arrange the medical help as a bargaining chip.
Meanwhile, around the same time Vicki gained her freedom, Doreen was also released.
Hallie greeted Doreen with tears and a tight embrace, distressed by the toll the ordeal had taken on her daughter. “My poor baby, you’ve gone through so much.”
“You’ve lost so much weight. It’s heartbreaking.”
Doreen, feeling wronged and overwhelmed, responded weakly, “Mom…”
During her harrowing half-month in detention, Doreen struggled with sleep and appetite, and even suffered physical assaults from other inmates who exploited her vulnerability without leaving any obvious marks.
Feeling utterly isolated and wronged, Doreen lamented aloud, “Jarrod was so cruel! How could he abandon me here without coming to rescue me…” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Hallie was visibly heartbroken as she commented, “Your uncle has completely changed, all because of his wife. He’s even planned to send you abroad to study once you’re released, without the option to return.”
“What? No way!” Doreen exclaimed, shocked and dismayed. “Mom, I really don’t want to go abroad. I want to stay here.” She shook her head vigorously.
“Studying abroad isn’t like traveling. It would mean constant supervision and no freedom at all!” Doreen snapped, highlighting the stark differences between travel and Jarrod’s restrictive plans for her.
Hallie, feeling powerless, responded with bitterness, “I can’t change his mind anymore. Your uncle is too focused on his wife and her sickly child.”
Doreen’s resentment toward Austin was palpable, rooted in her disdain for Nicole, Austin’s biological mother. This aversion extended to Austin as well, whom she dismissively called “little bastard” regularly.
Alarmed by the conversation, Doreen panicked. “Mom, I can’t comply with Jarrod’s plans to send me away. It feels like he’s trying to get rid of me.”
“Relax, I’ll figure out something. I’ll try to talk some sense into Jarrod,” Hallie soothed Doreen, trying to alleviate the tension.
Holding her mother’s hand firmly, Doreen pleaded, “You have to convince Jarrod to let me stay. I don’t care about anything else. I just don’t want to leave.”
Hallie scolded, “If you had just listened to me and avoided meddling with that woman, you wouldn’t have been in this mess.”
Doreen replied with frustration, “It was Vicki’s idea. You know how much I despise Jarrod’s wife. I couldn’t resist stepping on her. How were we to know Jarrod wouldn’t hand over the original video of that night to the Hamptons, giving that woman a chance to hurt us? It’s infuriating!”
“Listen up, Doreen, you need to keep your distance from Vicki. She might appear friendly, but she’s cunning. You’re likely to become her pawn without even realizing it,” Hallie cautioned.
Hallie, more insightful, harbored a dislike for both Nicole and Vicki, finding all of Jarrod’s associates difficult to handle.
“Vicki has never wronged me. She understands my situation better than anyone,” Doreen asserted, convinced of Vicki’s empathy toward her anguish over Roscoe’s indifference, which fueled her resentment toward Nicole.
Doreen truly believed Vicki was on her side, offering outlets for her frustrations.
Exasperated and disappointed, Hallie tapped Doreen on the forehead. “You’re so naive. You’d be exploited and wouldn’t even notice you were helping them benefit!”
Doreen countered defiantly, “Vicki hasn’t betrayed me. Enough. I know what I’m doing.”
Hallie, frustrated, retorted sharply, “You don’t understand anything. I’m warning you. While I try to negotiate with Jarrod, don’t stir up any more trouble. Understand?”
Doreen offered a superficial nod, masking her bubbling resentment toward Nicole. Despite her anger, she was at a loss, unable to devise a scheme against Nicole.
She knew she needed advice, and Vicki was the only person she could turn to.
Hallie never expected Doreen’s foolishness to extend to the point of unwittingly reducing herself to a pawn in Vicki’s schemes again, even after having suffered in detention for half a month.
It was as if Doreen had a death wish, only satisfied if she met her demise at Vicki’s hands.
Meanwhile, in the Schultz family’s villa, Nicole hadn’t anticipated that Jarrod would be gone for quite some time after that night. She kept track of the days, realizing it had been roughly ten days—an incredibly uncommon occurrence.
Though Nicole dreaded facing Jarrod, her unease deepened with each passing hour he failed to return. This was due to her disconnection from the outside world.
Despite being confined to the mansion, Nicole found solace in her interactions with Austin.
They spent their time engaging in chess matches and reading books. Life seemed to have taken on an unsettling silence.
Nicole’s anxiety grew, as she had no clue when Jarrod planned to release her from this captivity. She felt a pressing need to establish contact with the outside world.
Lost in thought, Nicole was interrupted by a message from Jarrod’s new assistant.
“Madam, Mr. Schultz wants you to get dressed and join him for dinner,” the assistant said, handing her a shimmering silver-sequined fishtail dress.