Chapter 282 Scared
This time, Jonathan was determined to break into Nathaniel’s personal computer. However, he had not anticipated that his own father would still be awake at this hour.
Nathaniel was unable to fall asleep, and was instead, working on his computer when he discovered that his computer had been hacked.
He watched as his mouse cursor moved automatically, and clicked through his documents. His eyes narrowed slightly, then he quickly started typing on his keyboard.
Elsewhere, Jonathan was seated in front of his computer. His forehead was slick with a sheen of
sweat.
Elliot leaned over next to him, “Jon, what’s happening?”
“Oh no! I’ve been caught.”
In that final moment, Jonathan’s computer screen abruptly went dark. Unexpectedly, while attempting to infiltrate Nathaniel’s computer, it was his computer system that ended up being compromised instead.
After all, Jonathan was still young, and he was no match for Nathaniel yet. In no time, Nathaniel had managed to locate Jonathan’s IP address.
“So, you’re looking for trouble, huh?”
Nathaniel noted that the IP address was located overseas.
He sent a message to Mason, instructing him to investigate.
Jonathan felt drained, “Damn it!!”
“I really did not expect our good–for–nothing father to have a few tricks up his sleeve,” Elliot admitted thought he himself was not being very savvy with computers.
However, he understood enough to know that they were in serious trouble.
“Before he gets here, we must erase all evidence,” Jonathan said as he shut down his computer.
“Do we have to run?”
Elliot had experienced Nathaniel’s punishments firsthand. Once he caught them, he would lock them up for an extended period.
During his time in the Spring Forest Manor, he had been driven to complete boredom.
“Don’t worry, he only has our general location. He doesn’t know that it’s us.”
“You’re right. After all, we’re just kids! We’re only good at playing computer games,” Elliot said, returning to his bed and pulling his blanket over himself.
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Jonathan was also tired. He, too, went and laid down on his bed.
Elliot hummed a little song to lull himself to sleep.
The days leading up to the divorce hearing seemed to stretch on forever. During that time, Cecilia made a journey to her father’s grave. She cleared away the snow piled on it and gazed at her father’s portrait set into the headstone.
“Hey Dad, it’s been a while.”
Cecilia took a deep breath and lifted her eyes to the distant mountains capped in white. “You once told me that I should always feel free to speak my mind to you. No matter where you are, you promised to always lend me a patient ear. I came here today to let you know that I’ve decided. to file for divorce. To be honest, I never thought things would happen this way. So much has happened since you’ve been gone…”
Cecilia spoke aloud whatever came to her mind, oblivious to the fact that, not too far away, someone in a black sedan was constantly watching her.
The individual in the car was periodically seized by fits of coughing. His complexion was pallid, and his slender pianist’s hands bore the marks of numerous needle pricks.
“Mr. Nicholas, it’s time for us to leave,” the driver said.
Nicholas grunted in acknowledgement. He dragged his gaze away and slowly closed his eyes.
After spending some time at her father’s grave, Cecilia rose to her feet and started to walk away.
At that moment, she received a phone call. It was Sven at the other end of the line.
Ever since he returned with Nathaniel a few days ago, he had taken a flight over, to her.
“Ms. Smith, I’ve just landed. Mr. Reese has asked me to continue looking after you. Where are you now?”
Cecilia gave him her location.
Soon after, Sven arrived by car.
Since Nathaniel had already seen him before, he did not bother hiding. “There are two people each at our two o’clock and six o’clock.”
Cecilia knew without even looking that those were Nathaniel’s men.
“Are you scared?”
Sven was taken aback by her direct question.
“If you’re nervous about Nathaniel, you don’t have to keep watching over me. I’ll talk to Calvin about it,” Cecilia offered graciously.
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That was his answer to Cecilia’s question.
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Chapter 283 Marital Asset
Sven swerved and stopped the car in front of Cecilia. “Get in the car.”
Without any hesitation, Cecilia climbed in.
“There will be trouble.”
After noticing Sven a few days ago, Nathaniel had immediately sent his men to investigate him.
He learned that Sven was Calvin’s personal bodyguard who had been assigned to watch over Cecilia.
Nathaniel had been disturbed to find out from his men that Sven had followed Cecilia to Tudela.
“Are they living together now?”
Nathaniel recalled the bodyguard’s physique. He had delicate, refined features, and strong eyes. He looked unlike the usual bodyguard.
“The woman stayed the night at Vivian’s house, while the man slept in his car,” Nathaniel’s man. replied.
Nathaniel’s furrowed brows finally relaxed. “Understood. Keep watching her.”
“Roger that.”
Their pending divorce remained a secret,
The outside world remained oblivious, and no insider dared to leak the story. After all, it concerned Nathaniel and the entire Rainsworth Group.
Two days before the divorce hearing was to take place, an article titled “Daughter–in–Law of a Prominent Family Fakes Death and Files for Divorce, Billions in Assets Potentially Split” trended as the top search result on the internet.
The text clearly stated that the daughter–in–law of the wealthy family was a daughter of the Smith family.
It was obvious that the news were referring to the Rainsworth family, the most prominent family in Tudela.
The writer of the piece had even added a photo of Cecilia.
The news reported that Cecilia, the daughter–in–law of a wealthy family, had not received care and concern from her husband and mother–in–law after marrying into their family. Instead, she faced various forms of harsh criticism.
In the end, Cecilia had fallen gravely ill, and she had no choice but to fake her own death and flee the country.
Chapter 283 Marital Asset
5
+5.Pearls
After recovering from her illness, she returned to her country, determined to divorce Nathaniel and divide their substantial marital wealth.
Upon the release of this report, the stocks of Rainsworth Group hit the floor, causing a significant uproar online.
Comments poured in.
“I’ve always thought that Nathaniel and Stella were together. I didn’t realize he also had a wife!”
“Didn’t you guys know that his wife is disabled?”
“What a jerk!”
“The woman isn’t any better than him! She’s done nothing and yet, she has the audacity to demand for a share of his money!”
All sorts of comments presenting various perspectives were found online.
Vivian was shocked.
“Which irresponsible media outlet exposed this news? Aren’t they afraid of Nathaniel’s wrath?”
She did not dare to show Cecilia the careless report.
“Ceci, right now, the most crucial thing for you is to maintain a calm state of mind,” she said. “All you want is a divorce.”
Cecilia knew there was truth in Vivian’s advice. Yet, how could she find peace when her pain is exposed for the world to judge?
The headlines were everywhere. That was how Elena found out that Nathaniel and Cecilia were heading for divorce.
That evening, she took Cecilia out for dinner.
In the restaurant, Elena spoke, “I saw the news today. Are you really going to divorce Nathaniel?”
“Yes,” Cecilia confirmed.
“Why do you have to make this divorce a public spectacle? Can’t you both handle this privately?” Elena suppressed her rising anger. “Do you realize that this divorce will affect Nathaniel differently? Unlike you, he leads the Rainsworth Group. He’s not just any ordinary man.”
“If he’s willing to settle this privately, I won’t proceed with the lawsuit.”
In an instant, Elena understood and unexpectedly, she found herself holding onto Cecilia’s hand.
“Drop the lawsuit, will you? As long as you’re willing, I won’t interfere with how you and Nathaniel decide to live your lives from now on. I’ll welcome you back to our family.”
Chapter 283 Marital Asset
lawsuit.”
She stood up, ready to leave.
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Seeing her stubbornness, Elena clenched her fists and spat, “Cecilia, Nathaniel worked hard to build Rainsworth Group from ground up. Divorce him all you want, but you won’t receive any part of Rainsworth Group!”
It was then that Cecilia understood why there was such a drastic change in Elena’s behavior.
Turns out, she was afraid of the division of their marital asset.
Chapter 284 First Love
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Suddenly, Cecilia felt a wave of sadness and disappointment wash over her. After all these years of being married and part of the Rainsworth family, she had never once asked them for anything.
Instead, she had given everything she had to Nathaniel.
Yet, in the end, the Rainsworth family were afraid of her taking their wealth.
Should I laugh or cry at this ridiculous notion?
Cecilia glanced at Elena and remarked, “Well, it all depends on the court’s decision.”
She did not want their money, but at that moment, she did want to reassure Elena.
As expected, Elena became anxious and uneasy. As she watched Cecilia walk out of the restaurant,
she immediately pulled out her phone and called Nathaniel.
Nathaniel and Cecilia had been married for eight years.
Over the course of those eight years, the growth of the Rainsworth Group was beyond anyone’s expectations. It evolved from a domestic business, successfully went public, and eventually ranked among the top hundred conglomerates worldwide.
If one were to consider dividing the value of the Rainsworth Group between Nathaniel and Cecilia over the span of eight years, the amount that Cecilia would receive exceeds hundreds of billions.
“Where are you now, Nathaniel?” Elena asked impatiently as soon as the call connected.
“My office.”
Nathaniel had also seen the news report and was having his men find out the person responsible for the information leak.
“I just spoke to Cecilia,” Elena said, her voice trembling with indignation. “The reports are right. She’s really after the Rainsworth Group. That woman is certainly ambitious!”
Nathaniel did not believe what his mother had just told him.
He did not want to prolong the conversation with her, and merely responded by saying, “It’s under control. Don’t worry. I’ll handle this matter.”
He would simply refuse to divorce Cecilia.
Nathaniel ended the call. His gaze shifted to the man scated not far away from him. Dressed in a bespoke Italian suit that hung perfectly on his frame, the man’s features were strikingly handsome. He wore cool and detached expression on his face.
“Mr. Ernest, this article wasn’t written by you, was it?”
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Chapter 284 First Love
Ernest wore an air of arrogance, “No.”
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Nathaniel pulled away his gaze, and asked casually. “You’ve been here for a week or two now. Haven’t you seen your ex–girlfriend yet?”
He did not want to take Cecilia to court.
Cecilia should not even be going to places like the court.
Moreover, he yearned to see her. He missed her intensely.
Ernest was a perceptive man. He knew what was on Nathaniel’s mind. He replied, “Vivian is a hard–headed woman. Once she makes up her mind, she won’t change it.”
The implication was clear. Even if Ernest went to see her personally, Vivian would not agree to persuade Cecilia to drop the divorce.
Suddenly, Nathaniel realized that being too smart as a man was not always a good thing. No wonder Virion broke up with him.
After Ernest left. Nathaniel pulled out his phone and scrolled through his message history with Cecilia
He wanted to hear her voice, but he was afraid that Cecilia would reject his call..
After much deliberation, he finally made the call. Even though it was not a video call, he still ran a hand through his hair self–consciously.
Beep!
Nathaniel’s heart leapt to his throat.
Finally, the line connected. “What’s up?”
The familiar voice brought an indescribable joy to Nathaniel’s heart.
“Did you see the news?” Nathaniel asked, trying to spark a conversation.
“I saw it, but it wasn’t me,” replied Cecilia.
Nathaniel rose from his seat, moving towards the window. “I know.”
“Is there anything else?”
Cecilia thought that he had called to confront her about what had happened with Elena.
Yet, Nathaniel did not mention a word about it. He simply gazed out at the snow falling outside. his window and murmured, “It’s snowing.”
It had been snowing continuously recently.
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Chapter 284 First Love
“Yeah.”
“Will you come out and meet me?” Nathaniel asked tentatively.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. If there’s nothing else, I’m gonna end the call now.”
Cecilia promptly hung up.
Vivian looked up from the documents that was organizing and asked, “Nathaniel?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did he call?”
Cecilia shook his head, “Just to tell me that it’s snowing.”
“That’s really strange.”
Vivian carried on with her task.
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The divorce case between Nathaniel and Cecilia would draw massive attention. She would have to
be careful for the next few dave
However, what she did not know yet was that tomorrow would not just be the day of the divorce proceedings, but also the day she would once again meet her first love, and face him in court.
Send Gifts
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Chapter 285 How Ruthless Nathaniel Truly Was
Everyone in Tudela was already aware of Nathaniel’s divorce from Cecilia before the court session began.
Zachary, Darren, and the others were all invested in who would win this divorce lawsuit.
“Isn’t it obvious? Of course, Nathaniel will win,” a rich and spoiled brat stated.
They were all ardent fans of Nathaniel, each one of them wishing they could be as close to him as possible.
Darren chuckled. “I bet on Cecilia.”
“Darren always chooses the high–risk stakes.” Everyone was unsurprised.
Their gaze shifted toward the absent–minded Zachary on the side. “Zach, who do you choose?”
“Do you even need to ask? Of course it’s Nathaniel. Mr. Sinclair can’t stand that deaf girl,” someone chimed in.
Suddenly, Zachary turned to look at him, his gaze icy cold as he said, “Don’t you dare call her ‘that deaf girl‘ again.”
Since Nathaniel wasn’t here, he no longer wished to hide it.
When Zachary got serious, everyone else fell silent, not daring to make jokes carelessly.
Darren took a thoughtful sip of his wine, then tactfully interjected, “You’re right. After all, she is still Nathaniel’s wife.”
Everyone else also agreed one by one.
With a forced smile, Zachary raised his glass for a toast. “As if! I just find it a bit odd, that’s all. Why is Cecilia divorcing Nathaniel?”
But he hadn’t yet found a suitable solution when the time came for Cecilia to divorce Nathaniel. How would she manage on her own after leaving Nathaniel?
“Life’s unpredictable, isn’t it? Perhaps Ms. Smith has finally come to her senses. After all, it’s
corners.
Send Gifi.
After speaking, Ernest presented further evidence. “This is the information I’ve gathered. Ms. Smith began to drink heavily two years after her marriage. Her mother, Paula, a renowned. dancer, has undergone a mental evaluation and was diagnosed with a mild mental disorder. Ms. Smith herself has been hard of hearing since birth. From this, it’s clear that Ms. Smith was suffering from depression, which relates to the first, second, and third points I made. It had nothing to do with my client.”
Her eyes turned red as she said, “I need to use the bathroom. Wait here, Ceci.”
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