Chapter 13

Nicole stared at Brandon in disbelief. Getting in his face, she spat, "You don't want to? Are you saying you still want to be married to Roxanne? Your marriage to her was a secret from the start. Plus, the Lesterfields and Slewmans are sworn enemies. Don't tell me you've fallen for your enemy's daughter!" Brandon frowned deeply. His resolve always wavered when Nicole provoked him this way. In fact, he took the divorce agreement from her hands, sat down, and was ready to sign it. Nicole watched him expectantly, waiting for him to put pen to paper. However, just as Brandon was about to, Roxanne's smiling face suddenly flashed through his mind. He remembered how she would immediately run into his study upon getting home from work every day. Then, she would wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. And despite his cold and annoyed demeanor, Roxanne would still cheerfully call him "hubby". She was like a puppy in that she could never hold a grudge. Now, Brandon would never see her smile again. A sharp pain shot through his chest at this thought. Retracting his hand, he stood and put the divorce papers away. All he said to Nicole before he left was, "I have work to do. I'll be in the study." Nicole watched as Brandon left. Then, she broke down and screamed hysterically. This time, he didn't look back, nor try to comfort her. He buried himself in meetings over the next few days. Additionally, Brandon often didn't return home until the early hours of the morning. This only upset Nicole even more, and she started destroying things around the house and lashing out at him. So, he stopped going home altogether and began staying at the office. Nicole hounded his phone for days, but Brandon deliberately distanced himself from her. He wanted to avoid another scandal like the last time, where photos of them had ended up online. Then, one day, he saw Nicole leave the house through the surveillance feed on his phone. She was all dressed up and had left in a taxi. Oddly, the car's license plate was covered, as though she was worried about being discovered. Brandon's brows furrowed at this, and he immediately had Joseph look into where Nicole was going. Soon after, Joseph reported, "Ms. Nicole has gone to a discreet private strip club, sir. It's… the same one she was caught in with male strippers previously—the same incident you asked Ms. Roxanne to take the blame for." Brandon's knuckles turned white from how tightly he was clenching his fists. He tried to convince himself that maybe Nicole wasn't doing what he thought, but he couldn't suppress his rage. Hence, he left his office and drove straight to the club. Meanwhile, Nicole was in one of the VIP private rooms in the strip club. She wore only a lace eye mask and sexy lingerie as she rode a male stripper's hips and grinded against him. The ground was littered with 100-dollar bills that she paid for their service, and there were a few other shirtless strippers on the couch awaiting their turn. "Nicole, I heard the man you hired last time is now back in his hometown and building a villa there. So, how about you be as generous with us too? We're all hoping for an early retirement," one of them said. Nicole laughed sensually. "Well then, let's see who can please me best. I'll reward the one who does." The stripper beneath her said, "You must be feeling lonely recently. Isn't that right, Nicole? You're so thirsty that you won't let go of me!" Nicole pouted, clearly annoyed. "It's all Brandon's fault. He's completely ignoring me! He's been giving me the cold shoulder ever since his secret wife ran away. Hmph! I thought he would finally be mine once I'd chased that woman away. And yet, Brandon's ignoring someone as stunning as me! He deserves to be cheated on!" Laughter erupted in the private room. Nicole's movements became wilder, and lewd sounds filled the air until the door was suddenly kicked open. Brandon stood in the doorway with his gaze locked on Nicole. "So, you're the one who drove Roxanne away?" he coldly questioned.