Chapter 71
Sebastian Cole remained silent for a moment.
He picked up the glass from the table, took a slow sip, and spoke in a flat tone.
“Setting you up was just a front. What she really wanted was to divorce you, right p>
Frederick Fairchild’s head snapped toward him, his eyes completely bloodshot.
“She loves me so much. Why would she actually want to divorce me p>
Sebastian countered, “Then why do you think she set you up p>
“She must have been manipulated by Jonathan Giles!” Frederick declared with absolute certainty.
“Exactly, that has to be it. She’s too pure-hearted to come up with something like that. Jonathan must have lured her into doing it p>
Sebastian’s expression twisted into one of sheer disbelief.
“Frederick, Maeve isn’t a child. Do you honestly think she doesn’t know what she’s doing p>
His words were painfully clear—he was practically begging Frederick to stop lying to himself.
He let out a heavy sigh and continued.
“You and Maeve have been together for five solid years. If you don’t love her anymore, just let her go. Stop hurting her p>
Frederick genuinely couldn’t understand why his friend would say something like that.
“I don’t love her? Even knowing she teamed up with Jonathan to set me up, knowing she crossed my absolute bottom line, I still haven’t done anything to retaliate. How is that not love? Who could possibly love her more than I do p>
“If you love her,” Sebastian asked, “how could you just stand there and let that champagne tower crash down on her? How could you leave a fragile girl standing there all alone, letting everyone mock and humiliate her p>
“Zoe is pregnant. I had no choice but to protect her,” Frederick muttered, dropping his head into his hands.
“Besides, didn’t I tell you to go help her? I’ve always kept her situation in mind p>
“Do you even realize that the person she needed in that moment was you, not me?” Sebastian’s voice rose, laced with mounting frustration.
“You make it sound so noble, but at the end of the day, you still put her second to Zoe Zane. What kind of love is that p>
The more Frederick listened, the more defensive he felt. He lifted his head, his sharp gaze locking onto his friend.
“Why are you so angry p>
“Sebastian, I don’t remember you ever being the type to meddle in other people’s business, especially when it comes to relationships p>
Sebastian’s face stiffened for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovered his composure.
“I’m just calling it like I see it p>
Frederick’s lips curled into a smirk, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“You’d better be p>
Sebastian tilted his head back and downed the rest of his drink in one go.
A tense silence fell over the private room for several long seconds.
Setting his glass down, Sebastian naturally shifted the topic.
“We have a lead on Felix’s case p>
Frederick sat up straighter, his expression instantly sobering.
“What did you find p>
Sebastian looked at him. “Word is, before Felix and Zoe went out on that yacht, Zoe brought her stepbrother on board too p>
“Tristan Kingsley?” Frederick’s brows furrowed deeply.
“When Zoe lived with the Kingsleys, Tristan couldn’t stand her. He found new ways to make her life miserable every single day. Do you think he forced her to take him along p>
Sebastian rolled his eyes so hard it physically hurt. He didn’t even know where to begin.
“Why would he force Zoe to take him on a yacht? Just to catch a breeze because he was bored? Or did he want to be a third wheel on her date with Felix p>
Frederick looked equally exasperated. “You’re the one who investigated it, and now you’re asking me p>
Sebastian rubbed his temples, letting out an irritated breath.
“My point is, you shouldn’t blindly trust Zoe. Sometimes you need to look at her situation with a little rationality p>
Frederick retorted, “I’ve always been completely rational when it comes to Zoe p>
Sebastian threw his hands up in defeat, completely out of words.