\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the dance, Sienna looped her arm through Clayton\u2019s. With a flawless smile on her face, she accompanied him to greet some important clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded at the right moments and chimed in with a few polite lines when needed. She looked every bit the perfect, supportive wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Hale, you danced wonderfully just now,\u201d praised a man wearing gold\u2013rimmed glasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, hardly. My husband taught me well,\u201d she responded with a gentle smile. Her fingers subconsciously tightened around Clayton\u2019s arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clayton glanced sideways at her and murmured, \u201cEasy! Are you trying to murder your husband in public?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She loosened her grip and forced a sweet smile. \u201cHow could I, darling?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From afar, Rupert watched the affectionate couple with satisfaction as he ran his hand over his beard. He looked in good spirits that day, but given his age, he soon left with the help of the housekeeper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only then did Sienna quietly let out a sigh of relief. She could finally stop putting on an act.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that moment, a business partner approached Clayton. \u201cMr. Hale, I have some questions regarding the project in the eastern district.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clayton instinctively took Sienna\u2019s hand and started toward him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t be joining.\u201d She withdrew her hand with practised ease. \u201cYou go on your own.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paused mid\u2013step before turning around and pinching her cheeks. \u201cNo drinking. The moment you get tipsy, you start bouncing around like a monkey. What trick are you planning to perform if you get drunk tonight? Opening a bottle of champagne with bare hands? Or stuffing napkins into your pocket like cash?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She slapped his hand away and shot him a glare. \u201cI\u2019m not some drunkard who lives on alcohol. Also, my tolerance isn\u2019t that bad. Stop making things up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clayton raised an eyebrow. \u201cIs that so? Then who cried and made a scene after drinking the other night?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust go already!\u201d Sienna pushed him away, terrified that he would continue saying embarrassing things she didn\u2019t want to\u00a0<\/p>\n
hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After he left, she began looking for a quiet corner so she could get some rest. However, Irene called out to her just then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSienna, come sit here.\u201d Irene beckoned her over, surrounded by a circle of elegantly dressed socialites.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Composing herself, Sienna walked over. She took her seat gracefully under the ladies\u2018 collective gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across from her, Julie Ainsworth\u2013Mrs. Larkin\u2013was animatedly recounting her struggle conceiving a third child. \u201cI took herbal remedies for half a year and even made a pilgrimage to pray to a fertility goddess. It finally worked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna\u2019s eyelids started to droop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone knew Julie\u2019s husband was a notorious philanderer. She always had to clean up every scandal he caused. Yet, she persistently pushed for a third child in hopes of tying down the unfaithful man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, I still have a figurine of the fertility goddess at home. It\u2019s very effective. Would you like it?\u201d Julie steered the conversation toward Sienna, casting a meaningful gaze in Clayton\u2019s direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re at the age to consider starting a family of your own. Besides, men settle down much sooner with a child in the equation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
212\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sienna pulled an awkward smile. \u201cWell\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Irene swiftly came to the rescue. \u201cShe\u2019s already gotten a prescription from Dr. Yates to improve her health. These things can\u2019t be rushed. She\u2019s taking it slow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, that\u2019s right,\u201d echoed Cynthia Holloway\u2013Mrs. Jenkinson. \u201cIt took my cousin over a year of treatment before she became pregnant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The conversation finally drifted toward golf and an upcoming art exhibition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, a man in a well\u2013tailored light gray suit walked over. He was handsome and tall, and looked to be in his early 30s. His features were sharp, with hardly a wrinkle to be found.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was Vincent Zeller, the prized son\u2013in\u2013law of Crownmark Properties. Though almost a decade older than her husband, Nora Marlowe was known to rule their household with an iron fist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was infamous in the industry for her strictness. Rumor had it that she checked on him once every hour during business\u00a0<\/p>\n
engagements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent bent down and whispered in his wife\u2019s ear, \u201cSweetheart, I\u2019ve just been discussing a collaboration with Mr. Larkin. I might run quite late. Why don\u2019t you head back to rest first?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nora\u2019s round face tightened with displeasure. \u201cNo. I\u2019ll wait for you, no matter how late it gets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She got the divorce and bolted 77 \u00a0 Chapter 77\u00a0 After the dance, Sienna looped her arm through Clayton\u2019s. With […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-she-got-the-divorce-and-bolted-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20151\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}