NovelOnlineJessica had retreated to her quarters for srest, leaving Fredric with a clear intention to have a heart-to-heart with Leopold.
He sauntered over and expertly mixed two martinis.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Leopold, out of us four brothers, you and | have always been the closest. You and Arnold have been rivals since we were kids, always at each other's throats, and Raines has spent most of his tabroad. Every twe went out for sfun, it was alwayslooking out for you. When you were just a baby, | used to rock your crib and change your diapers, heck, | even remember joking about how you were... well, let's just say more endowed than the other boys." Leopold choked on his drink, cutting Fredric off mid-sentence, "Haven't you had enough fun outside already, that you're now hell- bent on getting a divorce?" Fredric's arm rested easily on Leopold's shoulder as he continued his persuasion, "Just think about it, if you had married Elowen and after a few bumpy years together, you met Aurelia. Would you want to divorce Elowen to be with Aurelia? Or would you keep Aurelia on the side, with no official status?" Leopold fell silent for a second before asking, "Do you really care for Jelena?" "Absolutely! I'm dead serious this time," Fredric asserted without hesitation, "Helpconvince Sheryl to let it go. I'm willing to give her half of everything. That's more than generous. It's ludicrous for her to expectto divorce with nothing. Look around the high society, who's more magnanimous than me? What's the point of her clinging to a title when she'll end up lonely and with nothing in the end?" "Why don't you persuade her yourself? What good would my words do as an outsider?" Leopold queried.
"If she would listen to me, that would be a miracle. You're the head of the family, and she's bound to take your advice. Why can't we all just take a step back for a broader view and part amicably? There's no need to drag this to family council," Fredric reasoned.
Leopold shrugged, "I've already told Sheryl all this when she cover this morning. As for the division of your assets, that's something you two need to work out between yourselves. | can't really interfere too much in that." Fredric grimaced, "Isn't this the age of marital freedom? Why is divorce such an ordeal when it comes to me?" "The creed in the Stirling family is that a man can’t divorce his first wife. Besides, even common folks have a cooling-off period for divorce now." Fredric looked frustrated as he said, "No matter what, you have to promisenot to veto my decision. I'll be forever grateful." After Fredric left, Aurelia descended the staircase.
"To be honest," Aurelia began, "a man who falls out of love is simply rubbish. He holds nothing worth keeping. Cleansing him from one's life is beneficial for both mental and physical health." Leopold swirled the martini in his hand, replying, "It's not really about falling out of love. He probably never truly loved Sheryl in the first place. They had to marry because of the baby." "We had a shotgun wedding too," Aurelia blurted out unexpectedly.
Leopold choked on his drink, “But...Are we the sas them?" "What's the difference?" She eyed him sideways, challenging him.
He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her fiercely, "You are the woman I've chosen." Those words were music to her ears. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him back.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe passion ignited within him, and he scooped her up, eager to rush to the bedroom.
The next day was Saturday, and Kevin dropped by with important news for Leopold.
Their people hadn't found Elfreda in Goldendell. She wasn't at the sanatorium, nor at Raines' residence.
"We've also uncovered something else. Mr. Raines’ former assistant died in a car accident." Leopold's expression turned grave; there was definitely something fishy about this.
"Put more people on finding Elfreda discreetly, and dig deeper into Mr. Raines and Lisbeth's recent past to see if there's been anything out of the ordinary." "Will do." After Kevin left, Leopold took a sip of his coffee, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, deep in thought.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
