Chapter 68
Witnessing Maeve’s complete breakdown, a sharp pain pierced Frederick’s chest. He stepped forward, instinctively wanting to pull her into his arms.
But his foot crunched down on the scattered photos. Looking down, he saw an image of himself and Zoe wrapped in an intimate embrace outside an apartment building.
He took a step back, only to reveal another photo: him carefully supporting a heavily pregnant Zoe as they walked into a hospital lobby.
Dozens of photos lay scattered, all depicting similar scenarios.
And every single one practically radiated an undeniable, heavy romantic tension, inviting endless speculation.
Frederick remembered checking the security footage at the apartment complex and seeing a silhouette that looked remarkably like Maeve’s.
Then he recalled what Zoe had told him at the hospital.
He had been suspicious at the time, and as soon as he had settled Zoe, he had gone straight to Yvette’s fragrance studio.
Seeing Maeve there had completely erased his doubts, so he hadn’t investigated further.
He never could have imagined that, just days later, Maeve would deliver such a massive “surprise p>
Frederick ground his molars together, exerting an immense amount of control just to tear his eyes away from the photos on the floor.
He looked up at Maeve, the veins in his neck bulging, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
The fleeting pain in his heart was instantly incinerated by a raging inferno of fury.
“Maeve, why did you take these photos p>
“Do you have any idea how much damage these will do to the Fairchild family and the company if they get out p>
“Are you trying to destroy this family p>
Listening to his rapid-fire accusations, Maeve clenched her fists, her nails digging so deeply into her palms she couldn’t even feel the pain.
“Oh, so you do realize how absurd this is? You know what you and Zoe are doing is shameful, so why are you still doing it p>
Frederick roared back, “There is a reason for everything, and you know that better than anyone p>
“No, I don’t!” Maeve shrieked back at him.
“I only believe what my own eyes see p>
Taking a deep breath, Maeve forced herself to steady her nerves. She grabbed the prenuptial agreement Frederick had signed three years ago from the bed and held it up to his face.
“You signed this yourself three years ago—a prenup stating you’d leave with nothing if you ever cheated. These photos are the ultimate proof! Sign the divorce papers right now, or I will have my lawyer sue you p>
Staring at the agreement and hearing Maeve’s unshakable conviction, all of her recent, baffling behavior suddenly made perfect sense.
His face darkened abruptly, layers of violent gloom pooling in his eyes as a terrifying, glacial gaze pinned Maeve in place.
“So, all your recent meetings with Jonathan Giles were for this p>
His stare felt like a venomous snake coiling tightly around her body, constricting more and more until she could barely breathe, making it difficult to even make a sound.
“I’ll say it again. This divorce is entirely my own decision. Stop dragging Mr. Giles into p>
“Ugh” Maeve was abruptly cut off as Frederick’s large hand locked onto the back of her neck. His wide fingers practically engulfed her throat resting ominously over her wildly beating pulse. It was a menacing, deliberate touch, as if he might tighten his grip and snap her neck at any second.
Maeve’s body went completely rigid. Terrified to move, she stared at Frederick with a deathly pale face.
Frederick leaned in, his predatory eyes practically dripping with dark intimidation.
“Mae, you showed this agreement to Jonathan Giles and conspired with him to drain my net worth, didn’t you p>
That was how Frederick operated. The angrier he was, the calmer he appeared.
Even though the terrifying, freezing aura radiating off him was thick enough to drown her, his free hand nonchalantly lifted a strand of hair resting on her shoulder, toying with it with sickening amusement.
“Everyone knows Jonathan Giles only cares about power and money. For him to go to such lengths for you… what exactly did you offer him p>
The fingers at the nape of her neck felt scalding hot, yet a freezing dread shot up from the soles of Maeve’s feet, radiating through her bones and making her very fingertips tremble.
“Why are you shaking?” Frederick forcefully tilted her neck back, using his massive, commanding frame to pin her against the edge of the bed. His tone was dangerously seductive.
“Tell me, Mae. What kind of reward did you promise him, hmm p>
Maeve’s lips trembled as she shook her head.
“I… I have nothing going on with him. You signed that agreement yourself. Now that I have the evidence, if you refuse to agree, I’ll have no choice but to p>
“Sue me? Do you honestly think this piece of paper holds any legal weight?” Frederick sneered, his hand sliding to caress her luminous cheek.
“Mae, you really are too naive p>
Maeve’s heart plummeted.
“What do you mean p>
Frederick, however, had entirely calmed down. His voice was flat, completely devoid of emotion.
“Maeve, I grew up in an environment where profit is paramount. What made you think I would ever risk my entire empire over a romance p>
Boom—
It was as if lightning had struck Maeve directly. The sheer force of his revelation knocked the strength from her legs. A wave of sickening betrayal washed over her, churning her stomach so violently she gasped. She bit down on her lower lip with such force that the metallic tang of blood flooded her mouth, a thin red line trickling down her chin. She stared at him in utter disbelief.
“So that agreement… was fake p>
Frederick just looked at her in silence, offering a damning confirmation.
The blood in her veins boiled, the metallic taste coating her tongue, highlighting the vibrant crimson now staining her lips.
Frederick’s expression instantly fractured. He lunged toward her.
“Mae p>
Smack p>
Using every ounce of strength left in her body, Maeve slapped him fiercely across the face. Swaying unsteadily on her feet, she fought back the dizzying vertigo clouding her brain. She brutally wiped the blood from her mouth and glared at him with absolute abhorrence.
“Frederick, you absolutely disgust me p>