The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Threatening her with divorce papers?

Leila Jennings chuckled softly.

"You want Sean Sinclair to get this divorce more than I do, don’t you? If you insist that Sean and I stay married, fine.

But you can forget about Cecilia’s study abroad tuition. A brother and his wife have no obligation to support his younger sister.

As for supporting the elderly, you already have your housing taken care of, and I’ve been paying your medical insurance every year. For basic living expenses, you’ll no longer be able to use Sean’s supplementary credit card. I’ll give you three thousand a month.

Also, Sean has bought quite a few things for your precious daughter-in-law-to-be, Sarah Lynch, hasn’t he? All those gifts are marital property. If I were to sue her, she’d have to pay back every single cent Sean spent on her.

If that happens, it’s completely over for Sean and Sarah. She’s a high-society belle; would she really be content to be Sean’s mistress for the rest of her life?

Even if she were willing, would the Lynch Family agree to it?

And from now on, whenever President Sinclair of Stellaxis Technologies attends any reception or banquet, he’ll have to have me by his side."

The Sinclair Family looked down on Leila Jennings, always feeling her background and job were not presentable. If she really were to accompany their son to such events, wouldn’t they become a complete laughingstock?

Every word from Leila struck a fatal blow to the Sinclairs’ pride, especially Mrs. Sinclair, who valued her reputation above all else.

Mrs. Sinclair was so furious her chest heaved uncontrollably.

She pointed a trembling finger at Leila’s nose.

"You... you have the heart of a viper."

"Right. And Sarah Lynch is a beautiful, kind-hearted saint," Leila retorted. "So, you really don’t want to finalize the divorce?"

Finalize it!

Of course they had to finalize it!

Mrs. Sinclair wished she could slam the divorce certificate in Leila Jennings’s face right then and there.

Unfortunately, the one-month cooling-off period was only a little more than halfway through.

It was infuriating.

"What will it take for you to let Cecilia go? Nothing will happen to Cecilia. There’s no concrete evidence for this, and Sean will definitely get his sister out. What’s the point of you being so stubborn?"

"If Cecilia is going to be fine in the end anyway, then what’s the point of you coming to see me?" Leila knew Cecilia would ultimately be fine. Capitalists always had ways to protect their own.

The Sinclair Family was trying to persuade her simply because they didn’t want Cecilia to stay in the police station for too long, afraid their daughter would suffer, and they didn’t want her to have a criminal record.

What she wanted was the exact opposite of what the Sinclairs wanted.

"Leila Jennings, what do you want?" Mrs. Sinclair took a deep breath, changing her negotiation tactic. "As long as you let Cecilia go, we’ll give you anything you want."

"There’s nothing I want." In the past, Leila had wanted to have a child with Sean, to truly build her own little family. She’d wanted her parents-in-law to stop looking down on her and for her sister-in-law, Cecilia, to stop targeting her.

Now that she had signed the divorce papers with Sean, she no longer needed any of those things.

Mrs. Sinclair left, defeated.

...

「The Cole Group.」

Sean Sinclair waited in the reception room on the first floor of The Cole Group for the entire morning, but Nathaniel Cole never saw him.

The message was clear: The Cole Crest Hotel would continue to hold Cecilia Sinclair accountable for endangering public safety by introducing a dangerous substance, and they would even pursue damages for harming the hotel’s reputation and interests.

Monetary compensation was just the beginning.

Sean Sinclair was willing to pay compensation, but he also insisted on proving his sister’s innocence.

It wasn’t just Cecilia’s innocence on the line; it was also about how others would see him.

In business, reputation is paramount.

Zachary entered the office to report, "President Cole, President Sinclair is still waiting."

"Let him wait." Nathaniel Cole was already exhausted from his business trip. Then, last night’s incident with Leila Jennings had kept him busy until midnight. When he finally lay in bed, his mind was filled with nothing but Leila.

’Leila, her wrists bound by his tie. Leila, blindfolded. Leila, her eyes filled with passion as they met his. And Leila in the bathtub, drenched in sweat, biting her lip, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.’

The force she exerted with her hands gripping the wooden tub revealed the lean muscles in her arms.

She looked so frail, yet...

Especially when she was dressed in simple, loose white clothes, sitting in a pear wood chair, she had the grace of a delicate willow. But her eyes held a deep, unyielding resilience.

No matter which version of Leila it was, images of her had raced through his mind for most of the night. He had taken several cold showers, but he couldn’t quell the heat rising within him.

As a result, he hadn’t slept a wink.

Having to see that ungrateful fool Sean Sinclair now would only make him more irritable.

Zachary turned and left the office.

Secretary Gwen was still vividly describing the details of last night to Secretary Caine, especially the part where President Cole played the hero saving the damsel in distress.

Caine listened with great interest as she ate.

She was snacking on the local specialty that Leila Jennings had brought for her.

Gwen’s hand kept reaching over for a share.

Seeing Zachary approach, Caine offered him the snack as well. "Have some, but don’t eat it all. How long is Secretary Jennings on leave for?"

"Just the morning," Zachary said. "She’ll be in this afternoon."

Caine asked with concern, "Why not take a couple more days off?"

Gwen said, "Secretary Jennings is resigning in two weeks anyway. She’ll have plenty of time to rest then."

"True." Caine nodded, a glint of gossip in her eyes. She whispered, "What will President Cole do after Secretary Jennings leaves?"

Gwen pressed her lips together. "I don’t know."

Zachary saw President Cole stand up inside his office and reminded them, "Stop gossiping. It’s time for lunch."

The two women headed to the cafeteria to continue their chat.

Zachary, meanwhile, accompanied President Cole to the cafeteria, where they ate in silence.

In the middle of the meal, President Cole asked, "What time does Leila Jennings get in?"

Zachary replied, "President Cole, the afternoon shift starts at two-thirty."

Nathaniel Cole frowned slightly, but his brow quickly smoothed out. He just gave a faint, "Mm."

He was impossible to read.

After returning to the office from lunch, Zachary suddenly received a message: "President Sinclair has left."

"Mm." Nathaniel Cole thought nothing of it. As long as he didn’t yield, Lyle Cole would keep the pressure on Cecilia Sinclair. If necessary, the fallout could even extend to Stellaxis Technologies.

However, at two o’clock that afternoon, Zachary received another update.

"The Sinclair Family has already picked Cecilia Sinclair up from the police station."

Nathaniel Cole’s expression turned cold.

’Did Leila Jennings get all sentimental and let Cecilia go?’

’What a waste of my help last night.’

’Whatever.’

’Leila might have been threatened.’

"Even if she lets it go, Lyle Cole won’t."

"President Cole, I have some bad news." Zachary’s expression was complicated. "It was Lyle Cole who let Cecilia Sinclair go."

Nathaniel Cole’s head snapped up.

His voice was suddenly as sharp as ice.

"Who gave Ross the nerve?"

"The Chairman." Zachary lowered his head. "It was your father’s decision."

CLANG.

Nathaniel Cole dropped the pen in his hand, and it hit the desk with a sharp noise.

A muscle in Zachary’s brow twitched.

"So, Sean Sinclair still has the connections to get a message to my father." Nathaniel Cole picked up his phone and dialed his father’s number.

But it was his mother who answered.

"Your father knew you were going to call and ask about this, so he didn’t dare pick up," Ms. Neville said. "We heard all about you flying into a rage for a beautiful woman."

Nathaniel Cole said in a low voice, "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interfere in the affairs of The Cole Group?"

"You weren’t doing this entirely for The Cole Group, and I’ve already scolded your father. The person who put in the word this time is a big deal, so we have to show them some respect." After explaining, Ms. Neville immediately asked, "About that thing I asked you last time... do you have an answer yet, Nathaniel?"