Chapter 208
Barnard hadn’t even answered yet when his phone started ringing. Aaron was on the other end, sounding breathless and frantic. “Barnard, something’s happened again p>
Barnard pinched the bridge of his nose. “What now p>
Aaron lowered his voice, obviously embarrassed. “It’s Davina’s mom. She went straight to a lawyer, tried to get them to help her file a police report. She’s saying you got Davina pregnant and are refusing to take responsibility p>
Even as he explained, Aaron sounded mortified. But there was no way to make the news sound any better.
Davina was right there at Barnard’s side, hearing the anxiety in Aaron’s voice over the phone. There was a strange glint in her eyes, as if she was almost… hopeful.
Camilla was right—she could let the greedy ones pick a fight for her. Once the Carters finally caved and gave her the title of Mrs. Carter, she’d push all these people out of her life.
Aaron kept going, “Luckily, Apex Law Firm works with us, so we were able to intercept things for now, but Davina’s mother is still there causing trouble, and we have no idea how to deal with her. Barnard, you need to make a call on this p>
When the call ended, Barnard felt like his brain was about to short-circuit. Carmen had been quiet lately, so much so that he’d almost forgotten about her entirely. He never imagined she’d throw herself into the mix at a time like this.
He turned to Davina, studying her face.
Davina’s eyes flickered with guilt, but she quickly covered it up, biting her lip and sounding confused. “Barnard, why are you looking at me like that? Did something happen p>
“Did you know your mother went to a lawyer?” Barnard asked evenly.
Davina’s heart jumped. She tucked her phone under the blanket, keeping her movements casual, then shook her head. “How would I know? I always avoid them. They don’t include me in their mess. Why would they suddenly go to a lawyer p>
Barnard stared at her a moment longer, his expression unreadable, then finally just said, “Get some rest. I’ll handle it p>
Davina’s voice trembled, soft and apologetic. “I’m really sorry, Barnard. I didn’t mean to drag you into another mess. My mom… she’s still my mom. I just hope p>
He cut her off, his tone gentle. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything to her. I’ll just find a way to send her home p>
As soon as Barnard walked out, Davina snatched her phone from under the covers. Frustration clouded her face. Idiots. Absolutely useless.
She hated dealing with the Green family. She’d hoped Carmen could manage it for her this time, but that woman was hopeless. Davina had told her precisely what to do—just copy Camilla, go to a lawyer, file a complaint, pressure the Carters. Who could have guessed Carmen would make a scene and get caught before even getting out of the building?
Counting on Carmen was out of the question now, but her pregnancy wasn’t going to wait. Davina clenched her teeth and, after sending Daisy to stand guard at the door, dialed the Green family.
This time, she was taking no chances. She pressed them to use some tiny, unheard-of law firm—absolutely no connections to big companies—so Barnard wouldn’t find out before things even got started. No matter what, she was determined to get the case registered in court.
When she was done, she deleted the call logs, checked everything twice, then sank back into her bed, completely convinced she’d done everything perfectly. She waited for good news, feeling smug and invincible.
Camilla only found out about the whole mess over dinner, scrolling through her phone. Carmen, after failing to file her complaint, had thrown a fit at the law office. Passersby, thinking they’d stumbled onto some legal drama, recorded it and posted it online. In no time, everyone figured out she was just a mom trying to help her daughter become the official wife after wrecking someone else’s marriage. The internet blew up, and soon there were endless posts about Carmen’s terrible morals.
At first, the videos didn’t have names or trending tags, so the Carter family’s PR people missed them. It was only when the clip hit the local trending charts that someone realized it was connected to the Carters. Calvin’s first move was to scrub the story from the internet as quickly as possible.
Right then, Camilla called to “check in p>
“Calvin, the internet’s blowing up,” she said, sounding casual. “My marriage with Barnard was never going to stay a secret forever, right? Why don’t we just get the divorce over and done with now? It would save everyone so much trouble and let Davina step in. Isn’t that easier for everyone p>
Calvin’s anger was immediate, his voice booming through the phone. “Don’t get cocky. I’ll never let that troublemaker set foot in the Carter family p>
“Whether you let her in or not, that’s up to you. But as long as I have the title of Mrs. Carter, this isn’t great for your family, is it? You p>
Calvin hung up before she could finish.
Camilla tossed her phone onto the table, annoyed. Davina really was hopeless. She’d laid everything out, made it so easy, and still Davina found a way to mess it up. What, was she supposed to go hire a lawyer herself and drag them over personally?