Chapter 38

38 38. The Divorce Papers

William and Danica were tongue-tied in the sudden presence of William’s father. There were no words left in their mouths. They could only see Alex entering the room without questioning his behavior.

The man wearing a designer gray suit approached his son’s table, bringing along his party invitation letter. His emerald green eyes stared intently at the room owner, letting people know clearly who William inherited those beautiful eyes from.

The man, whose dark hair was already partly white, pulled up a chair in front of his son’s desk, then sat cross-legged proudly. He looked at his son’s gloomy face with a domineering gaze, like a boss who was about to scold his employee.

The handsome middle-aged man turned his gaze at Danica and said, “Dear, could you please leave us for a moment? I want to say hi to my only son since he rarely visits me at home. You know, I missed him a lot.”

A light smile plastered on Danica’s face. She knew what was the real meaning behind the chairman’s sweet words. He was about to discuss private matters with his son. There was a possibility that the discussion would turn into a war. That was why she should not stay in the room.

When William’s assistant left the room, Alex turned to face his son again. His smiling face turned cold and stern. It had no expression at all.

“That’s an important party. I don’t know how you manage to get along with that unapproachable Mark Stevens but I am glad you made it. That’s why you need to attend his invitation,” Alex explained. His tone sounded cold, even colder than his usual self.

“I was lucky enough to meet his illegitimate son. That boy wanted to meet his biological father so badly. He moved my heart and I was more than willing to help him,” William explained unenthusiastically. He glanced at his father to see his response. He wasn’t sure his old man would praise him after he revealed the true story. It was pure luck.

“So, I have a kind-hearted son who helps a business tycoon unite with his bastard child,” Alex said, nodding in understanding. “Okay, I guess, your kindness and luck are your advantages. Your hard work finally paid off.”

.....

William sneered. “As I said, I didn’t do anything big. Don’t say it as if I was working hard. It was Danica and the private investigator who did the task.”

“That’s what the leader does, Will!” Alex lifted his eyes, making his appearance look even more arrogant. “The next task is easy. Attend the party, mingle with him and his colleagues, and make him invest his money in our business. If you add more investors, it will be even better.”

“But Paula and I-”

“No buts,” Alex cut his son’s sentence and said, “you can bring Lea instead. Consider this as your redemption for your failure to persuade Martin a month ago.”

William didn’t believe his father’s sudden change in attitude. He knew that his father was into business matters. However, this was too much for him. He didn’t have an ill intention to use Alan from the beginning. He felt like he was betraying that boy’s innocent faith. The boy thought that he would be able to solve any problems. That’s why William bothered to help him.

William shook his head, refusing his father’s request. Of course, Alex didn’t let his son take his order lightly. “Don’t waste such a good opportunity or you will pay the price!” he yelled, wide-eyeing his only son.

“No, I don’t want it. I also can not bring Lea to the party. We ... aren’t married yet,” William objected, throwing an intense glare at his father.

“She is your soon-to-be wife. What’s the problem with bringing her along?” Alex insisted.

“I didn’t have a chance to discuss things with Paula. Don’t talk about ‘marrying Lea’ lightly because Paula and I aren’t divorced yet,” William replied, complaining that his father still didn’t learn his lesson. His father should never dictate to him what to do and what not to do.

“Lisa and I will also attend the party because we are invited and I don’t care about your problems. You need to come along with us,” Alex concluded. “But, I don’t think your mom is willing to see Paula anymore.”

Of course, Alex’s last sentence made William curious. He didn’t like it when his parents talked badly about Paula. His mom was always fond of Paula.

“Why?” William’s brows furrowed in disbelief. “Paula is nice. She always helps us with many things.”

“Yeah, Paula was like a queen in my eyes,” Alex smirked in disgust, “but now, I think that she is even lower than a whore.”

“Get out of my office!” William snapped, infuriated.

“How dare you!”

“Do you think I will let you belittle Paula?” William threw a glare at his father. He is in the middle of a cold war with Paula. However, he did not want anyone to look down on his wife. His wife, his pride. That was how he treated Paula all the time. “I don’t care who you are, but you have no right to judge her ... even if you are my father.”

“Huh, I expected you to be like this. If only you knew what she was doing behind your back, you’d be disgusted.” Alex sneered, chuckling lightly. He recalled how shocked he was when Samuel told him about the affair. “But, that’s just an example of what people call ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” Alex said, referring to William’s affair with Lea. Unlike his wife, he didn’t deny that his son was also at fault.

“Don’t interfere in my household affairs,” William snapped again.

Alex just laughed at his son’s behavior. He rose from his seat and said, “Your mother invited you to dinner at home tonight. Don’t try to ignore her this time! You will know the consequences.”

Without saying another word, Alex stomped out of William’s office. He wasn’t interested in talking about Paula’s pregnancy with Samuel’s baby at Lea’s request. According to his future daughter-in-law, William would be furious if he found out about Paula’s affair ... and it turned out to be true. Just saying a little bad thing about Paula, William was infuriating.

After Alex left, Danica gave William’s schedule for the next day. She also provided a stack of documents for William to sign. Danica didn’t say anything else unnecessarily. She knew her boss was not in the mood to listen to unimportant ramblings.

“And ... this is your divorce papers,” Danica said hesitantly, afraid of William’s condition. “Paula’s lawyer dropped the papers and left. You can check with your lawyer before signing the papers.”

William stared blankly at the papers, saying nothing. He was about to say something-cursing. But his heart was hurt. No! Hurt was an understatement.

“Do you need anything else?” Danica asked, trying to professionally understand the situation.

William shook his head and then cleared his throat before saying, “You can leave, Dani. Thanks!” His voice was low and sad. Danica could feel it.

However, what was the point of saying her opinion or suggestion? Although William was still unsure, Paula was ready for the divorce. All she could do was do her best to support William at work.

But before Danica left, William suddenly held her back. Danica stopped and turned to her boss.

“Dani, if you had two things that you thought were both important and you could only choose one, which one would you choose? How would you make the decision?” William said in an awkward gesture. He tightened his lips, feeling embarrassed. He didn’t expect to experience this kind of feeling.

Danica paused for a moment. Squeezing the signed paperwork in her hand, “I will ask myself .... Which one do you need more in life? Which one needs you more?”

William fell silent again. He knew Lea needed him. Especially if Dave is not willing to take responsibility for her baby. She must have been in a lot of pain. Yet, for some reason, his desire to stay with Paula was so great, far greater than his desire to be with Lea.

“Why do you think anyone would want to throw someone out of their life so much?” William asked again, staring blankly at the documents on his desk.

“It must be because that person’s existence is not very valuable, he or she can easily be replaced by someone else,” Danica answered doubtfully. She was afraid of giving the wrong answer.

William sighed deeply. He knew Paula could live well without him. But was he not the least bit special to her?

What William didn’t understand even more, why did he feel so uneasy when he found out that Paula didn’t want him? Wasn’t this a good thing? He could start a new life with Lea.

“Dani, someone used to be madly in love with a girl, but now, that person can not feel it.”

Danica shook her head. “I don’t know about that. However, it could be because that person is already in love with someone else.”