Chapter 10 A Good Ex Should Act Dead
“Come with me, Brayden.” Barry stood up, still holding his cane.
Then, Brayden glanced at Alison and followed his grandfather out of the room to the study to continue their discussion.
Meanwhile, Sylvia chatted with her about family matters. It was mostly about how if one day Alison found that Brayden was worth being with for a lifetime, the Cornell Family would always welcome her in this home.
After hearing that, Alison felt the warmth of having a family again, like the cozy days before her mother passed away.
Half an hour later, Brayden and Barry returned after their discussions. Brayden looked as usual, while Barry had a gloomy face. It was evident to everyone that he was not very happy.
“Go away, and don’t let me see you again.” It was unclear what the two had discussed, but Barry’s emotions were slightly out of control. “I will take care of Aly for the remaining month, and if she suffers any grievances, I’ll give all your money to her!”
With his outstanding temperament, Brayden slightly parted his thin lips in response. “I understand.”
As he and Alison were about to leave, Sylvia suddenly said, “Wait a minute.”
At that moment, the moonlight illuminated them as they turned their heads in unison. Although it created the illusion of closeness between them, it was only a trick of the light.
“Have you settled the division of assets in the divorce?” She was afraid that Alison would be at a disadvantage.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be unjust to her.” He didn’t elaborate, not wanting to leave the impression that Alison was greedy. “I’ll give her property and money.”
“In addition to the property and money, you should also give Aly some of your stocks and bonds.” Sylvia’s words were not meant in jest.
Brayden was surprised upon hearing that. Is she my biological mother?
“Your mother is right,” Barry agreed.
Then, Nathan added, “Listen to my wife. Don’t let her worry about you.”
“I understand.” Brayden held back his anger and got in the car with Alison.
Since they had already mentioned the divorce, they didn’t need to pretend to be intimate anymore.
As Sylvia and Barry watched the car drive away, they had worried looks on their faces. However, they only turned their gazes away after the car’s tail lights disappeared from view.
“Let the child handle his own affairs. Don’t worry about it,” Nathan said with a steady and warm voice while holding his wife’s hand.
She sighed in response, and her husband patted her shoulder.
“Shouldn’t you explain what you meant by ‘substitute’ earlier? What secrets do you two share between you?” she asked as she looked at her handsome husband, still wanting to get an answer to her question.
Nathan was speechless by that question.
“Are you going to tell me?” Sylvia asked again.
“I promised my son not to say anything,” he replied.
“Zoe invited me to go on a trip. I heard there will be many young people—” She threatened her husband.
“Let’s go back to the room.” He squeezed her hand and gazed at her with indulgence. “We’ll talk slowly in there.”
…
In the meantime, Brayden and Alison were in the backseat of the car as it drove towards Emperor Gardens. He had glanced at her for the twenty-third time and had a vague desire to ask her something but had refrained for specific reasons.
“Say what you need to say.” She couldn’t ignore the glances that he kept throwing her way.
“Have you studied medicine before?” he asked curiously. Once again, he realized clearly that he had never truly understood her.
“No.” She gave a short response while resting in the backseat with her eyes closed. “I just read some books out of interest.”
After hearing that, Brayden’s eyes became even more profound. He felt that Alison might be lying to him. “We’ll go back and sign a new divorce agreement later, according to what my mom said. Then, we’ll split our assets evenly,” he said, grateful to her for being there for his family.
“No need,” she refused. “The previous agreement is fine.”
After hearing that, he looked at her with scrutiny. Isn’t she a bit all over the place? One minute she’s all about the money, and the next, she’s acting like it’s unimportant.
“I’ll also compile a list of my assets acquired since our marriage.” Alison hesitated before reluctantly speaking up. “We’ll split evenly between us.” While it makes me uneasy to think that this b*stard will be using my assets to prop up Julia, considering how much this b*stard is offering, I couldn’t just keep all of the money to myself.
“No need,” Brayden refused decisively. “I can earn your money back in one minute.”
She was speechless upon hearing his remark. Prove it to me.
After they returned home, she took out the previously signed divorce agreement and redid the division of assets according to their previous agreement. Since the b*stard doesn’t want my money, I won’t force it on him.
At 11.00PM, the divorce agreement was placed on the table again, and Alison pushed it toward him. “It’s your turn to sign. We’ll apply for the divorce the day after tomorrow.”
Brayden took the pen and looked at her elegant handwriting on the paper. He couldn’t help but wonder what her mood was when she signed this agreement. He was the one who wanted to get married, and he was also the one who wanted a divorce. “Alison.” It was as if he had found his conscience.
Meanwhile, she stared at her phone while waiting for Charles’ reply. However, when she heard Brayden call her, she replied indifferently, “What’s up?”
“If you have difficulties after the divorce, you can come to me.” His voice was pleasant, and he gave a reason for his words. “My grandpa and my parents really like you. Even though we’re not married, we can still be friends.”
“There’s a saying online.” Alison put down her phone and spoke softly.
As soon as he heard that, he asked, “What is it?”
“A good ex should be treated like they’re dead.”
He was speechless by that.
Then, she added, “Especially an ex-husband.”
At that, Brayden’s anger rose immediately, and he signed his name on the paper vigorously without further reflection. I must have been crazy to have wanted to be nice to this person earlier. However, given her skill at infuriating others, she could earn a lot of money by facilitating the scolding of others. “Then, remember this.” He was inexplicably angry, and he couldn’t even find the source of his anger. “Ex-wife!”
After that, Alison took the divorce agreement from him and felt relieved that she didn’t have to give her money to him to support Julia. “Don’t worry, I am a good ex-wife.”
Brayden became even angrier upon hearing her reply. So, he grabbed his jacket from the side and went upstairs with his long legs. If he stayed any longer, he felt like he would be driven crazy.
On the other hand, she didn’t intend to calm him down. Hence, she took the divorce agreement and went upstairs with her phone. Since the phone call six months ago, they had been sleeping in separate rooms. In addition, she was relieved that they slept in different rooms because had they not, she feared she would become pregnant after the divorce.
After returning to the room, she set down the divorce papers, and her phone beeped. It was a message from Charles. ‘I’m here.’
Alison then replied to the text, ‘Shall we meet tomorrow?’
After sending the message, her phone rang, and she answered, “Hello.”
“Did you really marry Brayden?” A teasing yet gentle and deep voice came from the other side of the line.
“Yes.”
“Now you’re planning to divorce him?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Charles didn’t gossip like James. Sitting in a private car, he had a slight smile, and with his glasses, he gave off a cultured impression. “Send me the location and time. We’ll meet tomorrow and talk.”