The Heir Maker's Exit

During the month of the divorce cooling-off period, Jack lived a comfortable life.

He had signed the billion-dollar development project in the suburbs of Kin City.

When the media interviewed him, he sat in front of the camera in a perfectly tailored suit, saying that Schuyler Group's success was a team effort, and it had nothing to do with superstition or fate.

He said it with complete confidence.

Bianca sat beside him, smiling along.

Later, she posted a cropped photo of a medical report on social media with the caption, [Looking forward to welcoming a new life.]

The comments flooded in with congratulations.

[Mr. Schuyler has been doubly blessed! What a lucky man!]

[It seems that the fertility luck has changed hands! Ms. Chance had only just entered the family, and she immediately got pregnant.]

Bianca even deliberately called me to mock me, "Thea, did you hear? I'm pregnant, too. Jack said that this was the baby that he was hoping for. He doesn't want anything to do with your burdensome children. You can have custody of the children. He doesn't care about them at all."

I said nothing, which made Biance even more smug.

"By the way, Jack told me to tell you that he's giving me the mansion that you used to live in as my maternity house. If you have any belongings there, get them out, or I'll get them thrown out tonight."

I replied calmly, "Congratulations. I hope you can keep the Schuyler family bloodline alive."

With that, I hung up.

I sat by the window, looking at the skies turning dark. Luke slept soundly, breathing lightly.

Jack did not want custody. To him, the children were a burden. They were not worth the effort of fighting over.

Fine.

He was going to get exactly what he wanted.

On the day that the divorce was finally finalized, the Fenton family sent a message, saying that the patriarch of the family, Henry Fenton, wanted to treat me to dinner.

I agreed.

I did not expect news to leak, of course.

That night, I had just sat down in the private room when the doors were opened. Jack and Bianca entered.

He gave a casual greeting to the others present, took a seat nearby, and simply stayed.

The dishes were served. Wine was poured.

Bianca picked up a glass of wine and raised it to me.

"Thea, care for a drink?"

"No." I place my cutlery down. "It has just been a month since my C-section. The incision hasn't healed. Alcohol might reopen it."

Jack said without looking up, "Refusing to drink at an occasion like this? How rude."

Bianca poured a glass for me and pushed it toward me.

"It's only one glass. If you don't drink, everyone will think that you don't respect them."

I pushed the glass away and said nothing.

Bianca stopped smiling. She turned to the other side and said to the others, "Ms. Summers always had a lot of rules. Back when she was in the Schuyler family, she was always like this–what she could touch, what she couldn't. Honestly, it was exhausting taking care of her."

She paused for a while before continuing, "I mean, it's understandable. She had three children. Her body's probably wrecked."

Some lowered their heads and drank in silence, while others looked away.

Jack placed his glass down and said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Thea, let's be honest. Whether that fate of yours is true or not, people in this circle know the truth. You might be able to fool one family, but you won't fool another."