Chapter 5 Have You Ever Felt Bad For Me?
Julia looked at Brayden and blurted, “I’ll listen to Brayden.”
“Would you care to show me, Brad?” Alison raised her pretty almond-shaped eyes.
Brayden watched her pretentious facade without uttering a word. Grabbing the phone from the table, he turned on WhatsApp and entered one of the chat boxes before showing the screen to her.
Alison took the phone and read the conversation.
Mrs. Cornell, ‘As long as you kill Julia Shaw, I will pay off your debts and pay you one hundred and fifty thousand additionally.’
Driver, ‘Why should I trust you?’
Mrs. Cornell, ‘I’m Brayden Cornell’s wife, so a hundred and fifty thousand doesn’t matter to me.’
Driver, ‘I’ll believe you this time, but if you dare to break your promise, I’ll cause a huge fuss at Cornell Corporation! I have nothing to lose anyway!’
Driver, ‘Send me the photo.’
Mrs. Cornell sent an image.
Mrs. Cornell, ‘Don’t leave any clue.’
After reading that, Alison raised a brow. “That’s it?”
Brayden looked down at her with his towering height, trying to find a hint of panic on her face, but he couldn’t. “That’s it.”
“I didn’t do it.” Alison returned the phone and analyzed it rationally, “I believe that you’re capable of running an investigation on who the real owner of the number is, Mr. Cornell.”
“It’s a new number, so it has not been authenticated yet,” he answered coldly.
“You can check the IP address.”
Furrowing his brows, he looked at her skeptically.
Based on his impression of Alison, he had never recalled that she was smart.
Back then, he used to resolve every problem that she faced.
Why did she turn into a completely different person all of a sudden?
“Don’t tell me that the IP address has been hidden!” Seeing how he remained silent for quite a long time, she commented.
Instead of replying to her, he ordered, “Conner, tell the tech team to check the IP addresses this number has logged into.”
“Yes, boss.”
With that, Conner scrambled away with the phone in hand. He feared for his life that Alison might suddenly drag him into the mess again!
“Is it really not you?” Brayden’s voice was a little cold, his dark orbs as deep as an abyss.
As soon as he read the conversation, he immediately blamed Alison because everything she had done in the past two days had crumpled his entire impression of her.
Someone who wasn’t materialistic before was bold enough to make demands on him; someone who had a tender personality suddenly went against him. Perhaps, her kindness and her carefree attitude toward the divorce were also part of her act.
“Rather than wasting time here, shouldn’t you check how the driver found out about Miss Shaw’s route today?” Alison was alert, so she didn’t argue with him.
Before he could even speak, she added, “One more thing.”
“What?”
“You should’ve immediately reported to the police about this,” Alison reminded as she looked at his handsome face. “Not accuse someone as insignificant as me.”
Brayden’s eyes turned dark.
Somehow, as soon as he knew it was Alison, the first thing he did was find her instead of reporting it to the police.
Their eyes met all of a sudden and a strange atmosphere was exchanged between them.
Her reflection was the only thing in his eyes. When her smiley eyes blinked, her curly lashes fluttered like butterfly wings.
The two continued staring at each other.
When Julia’s voice sounded, Brayden was pulled back from his thoughts. “Brayden.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like to rest.”
Her simple sentence was obvious that she wanted the guest in the room to leave.
However, Alison had no intention to let her rest. Getting up from her seat and then walking to the bed, she smirked. “Shouldn’t you be apologizing to me before that?”
“What?” Julia pulled a blank expression.
However, Brayden understood her. Carrying a hint of warning, he growled, “Alison!”
“I won’t settle accounts with you right now for seducing my husband. After all, it takes two to tango.” As if not affected by him, she continued, “Let’s talk about you falsely accusing me.”
“I’m sorry.” Julia hurriedly apologized guiltily. Due to anxiousness, she clenched her fists tightly. “When I saw the name Mrs. Cornell appearing in the conversation, I thought it was you.”
“I see,” Alison replied to her the same way how she was blamed. “I thought you didn’t want Brayden to go shopping with me. That’s why you purposely set up the whole act.”
“No, I didn’t!” Julia immediately denied it.
“Alison!” Brayden was irritated by her statement.
“Why are you so mad? Can’t I crack a joke?” Alison tried to speak as nonchalantly as possible.
“Who would call that a joke?” Brayden subconsciously defended his first love. “I know you don’t like her, but you didn’t have to lash out at her. Direct your anger at me instead.”
Alison smirked at that. Staring at him, she questioned, “Why are you so worked up with a joke? When she told you that I hired someone to hit her with a car, did you get enraged on behalf of me?”
Brayden paused, and the look in his eyes was unfathomable.
“Brayden Cornell,” Alison called out to him formally.
Even though it was just a form of address he heard plenty of times, he couldn’t help feeling confused all of a sudden.
Knitting his brows together, he put the weird emotions aside.
“Do I have to remind you that we are still legally husband and wife?” Emotions started clouding Alison’s head. If it hadn’t been for her pride, she would’ve told him that she would also get emotionally affected when he defended another woman in front of her.
“Brayden,” Julia called out to him at the right time. As if being considerate, she said, “I was the one at fault here. Don’t lash it out at Miss Lambert.”
Alison went speechless.
Initially, she didn’t bother entertaining an innocent-looking young lady, but it didn’t mean that she could bear getting trampled on again and again.
“Since when are you allowed to get involved in our family matters, Miss Shaw?” Her tone was light and indifferent.
“I don’t want to see you quarrel.”
“We’re not quarreling because of you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Save it.”
“Enough!” Brayden was slightly irritated, so he dragged Alison out of the ward. This time, however, his grip on her was lighter. “Come with me.”
Anyway, Alison didn’t intend to stay any longer.
Grabbing her bag, she left the ward with him.
Brayden brought her to the end of the corridor, recollected himself, and presented an indifferent expression. “What are you trying to do?”
“Just dissing her.”
Brayden went speechless.
“That’s for being a homewrecker.”
“She isn’t one.”
“Am I the mistress, then?”
“No.”
“Who is, then?”
Facing Alison’s confrontation, Brayden couldn’t utter a word.
The atmosphere was tense, but just as he was about to explain, he noticed her disgusted expression as well as the lack of tenderness in her eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he blurted, “You weren’t like this before.”