Chapter 776
At that moment, Blake Thorne was hiding out in an abandoned high-rise with Daphne and Juliet.
After the thugs took him away that day, he had considered going for a Hail Mary move!
Throw caution to the wind and somehow reach out to the Newsoms for a bailout.
But then, halfway through, someone intercepted them!
This person wasn’t just polite to them but also cleared their massive debt back home.
Blake wasn’t sure what was happening but seized the moment to claim he had an even bigger debt abroad, wondering if his mysterious benefactor could clear that, too.
Turns out, they did!
Clearly, this person was loaded.
That night, they were whisked away to a mansion so lavish it made their heads spin, and Daphne even got a top-notch doctor to come see her.
The staff called them “sir,” “madam,” and “miss,” treating them with the kind of respect reserved for royalty.
The only catch was that no one would spill the beans about who was behind all this or why.
Late at night, Blake received a text message.
It revealed two things.
One, their mysterious benefactor was filthy rich.
Two, this was all a setup; they were being used for some ulterior motive and would be discarded once they’d served their purpose.
Blake didn’t doubt the authenticity of the message.
The wealth was obvious, and as for being used, well, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The care and the clearing of debts had to have a catch. So, Blake figured he might as well get something out of it before they were thrown to the wolves.
That’s why he, along with his wife and daughter, slipped away from the mansion.
Miraculously, they left without anyone noticing a stroke of luck, courtesy of Elliot.
Once settled in their new hideout, Blake used the contact given by Elliot, a stranger, to reach out to Gideon.
And so began a game of cat and mouse, with Blake shamelessly extorting money from the Bradfords time and again!
When the final transfer hit, Blake was ecstatic. Greed got the better of him, and he wanted more. Unfortunately, that’s when the Bradfords tracked them down.
Blake and Juliet played the victims, claiming they had been kidnapped by loan sharks.
The Bradfords, having their plates full with Tarquin and Elysia, didn’t delve into the extortion claim and instead placed them in a villa under heavy guard.
Then, the Bradfords announced a grand banquet, inviting the who’s who of society along with influential media.
The Bradfords were looking to vent, and this banquet was their outlet.
They were itching to see Daphne outshine Elysia, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation in front of everyone, accusing Tarquin of infidelity and fathering a child out of wedlock.
What a daydream!
Tarquin, however, was unfazed when he heard about the banquet. The Bradfords were unusually united, keeping a tight lid on their plans, leaving Tarquin in the dark about their motives.
Under normal circumstances, a family would celebrate new blood with a feast, but the Bradfords clearly had no love for Elliot, Evan, or Emmett. This banquet had a hidden agenda.
That evening, Tarquin received a call from Keaton Huber.
“The Bradfords’ banquet seems ominous, likely bad news for you p>
Smoking in the hallway, Tarquin replied, “I couldn’t care less. Let them play their games and see what comes of it p>
“Tarquin, something just occurred to me. Are you divorced yet p>
“What divorce p>
Keaton was speechless.
“Have you forgotten you’re married? Legally, you have a wife, regardless of whether you’ve met her. If you don’t divorce, doesn’t that make Elysia p>
He left the word “mistress” unsaid, but Tarquin got the message.
Tarquin’s breathing stopped for a moment, his expression rapidly changing.
He had indeed forgotten!
He’d been so focused on Elysia’s husband that he forgot about his own unmet wife!
He had been longing for Elysia to divorce, yet he needed one himself!
“The Bradfords throwing this feast, could it be related? If this gets out, it won’t look good for you, Elysia, or the child,” Keaton said. Tarquin’s expression darkened.
He ended the call and immediately dialed Royal Community, “Any news on that woman who’s been trying to divorce me p>
“She’s still looking for you to sign the papers p>
“Contact her. We divorce p>
“Now? The registry office is closed p>
Tarquin frowned, “Tell her, tomorrow, 8:30 AM, at the registry office. She must be there p>