Chapter 273: She Won’t Wait Forever

I had originally planned to tell my mother about Monica and her lover, but just as I was about to speak, Bill caught up with me, and I swallowed my words. Now was not the time to tell Bill. Like the Sanders before him, he had raised Sadie for years and developed real feelings. He could walk away from Monica, but Sadie was a different story; he wouldn’t ignore his daughter. If I told him, all he’d do was question it.

How could that compare to the undeniable proof, the solid evidence I had when I caught Monica in the act? I needed him to see how the woman he had protected for twenty years had given herself to another man, to shatter his perception of everything.

“Darling, are you alright?” Bill hurried into the room.

I patted my mother’s hand and said, “Don’t go out for a while. Stay safe.” She had guessed something was wrong, nodding obediently. “I understand.” Since learning about my situation with Zoey, my mother had grown more protective of the baby she was carrying, worried that one of the children might be Zoey reincarnated.

Then, I turned to Bill and said, “If you really care about Mom, stop wavering. She wouldn’t wait forever for you.” I left without waiting for his response. After all, the Hudsons had just been through a huge scandal; the drama was far from over.

When I arrived at the hospital, I spotted Sadie and Ashley in the hallway, all lovey-dovey. “Ashley, you finally see what kind of woman she is, right? I told you, she’s no saint.”

“Of course, I am aware of your good intentions; I simply fell into her scheme. No one will be able to separate us anymore.”

“Ashley…”

Sadie leaned in and kissed Ashley. Watching her, I couldn’t help but feel speechless at her cheap, desperate display of affection. If only she weren’t so caught up in her feelings and had done some digging, she’d know just how wild Ashley had been around the nightclubs.

“You two sure get along well,” I said, crossing my arms and watching them with interest. Sadie quickly pulled Ashley behind her. “What are you staring at? Just because you helped me this time doesn’t mean you have a chance to be back with Ashley. He’s mine now, so stay in your lane, Mrs. Bolton.”

I was stunned by her words. Did she really think I teamed up with her to stop Anna and Ashley from getting married because I still had feelings for Ashley? Her logic was shocking.

I stepped closer to Sadie. She eyed me warily. “What are you doing?”

“Want to give your brain a shake? See if there’s anything rattling around in there?” I mocked, pointing at my head.

“Zoey!” She stomped her foot in frustration and chided, “Our goal is achieved. From now on, we’re enemies.”

“Fine by me,” I replied coldly.

“Don’t get too smug. If it weren’t for me stepping in, could you have gotten Anna to back down? Your peaceful life is almost over. Soon enough, Dad will come back to me.” She pulled out a black card to show off how much Bill cared for her. “Do you recognize this card?” she asked.

It had Bill’s name on it, and even a blind person could see it clearly. Sadie waved it in front of me, looking proud. “This is Dad’s black card, and now it’s mine. Do you have one?”

Though Bill had given my mother and me some shares and assets, he had clearly promised to keep the boundaries clear between us and his mistress. He broke that promise. I had already told him that the dream of a happy, unified family with two wives was over. It was always going to be one or the other.

Less than a month later, and he was already showing Sadie special treatment again. Seeing me deep in thought and silent, Sadie became even more smug, waving the black card in my face.

“So what if you’re the first wife’s daughter? He doesn’t care about you. He watched me grow up, and I’m his most beloved daughter. Even when it comes to marriage, if I say I don’t want to marry, he’ll make you go. Zoey, you’re just pathetic! With a selfish mother like yours, if she hadn’t always acted so high and mighty, would your life really have turned out this badly? You have a father who doesn’t love you, and now you’ve married a crippled husband. Tsk, tsk, how tragic for you. If I were you, I’d be better off dead. Just find a rope and hang yourself.”

This was her favorite form of emotional manipulation, and it had been the method that drove Zoey to suicide after years of abuse from her. Did she really think I was still the old Zoey? That her words could make me take my own life?

I smiled slyly and said, “The black card, huh? Bill sure is generous with you. But… I wonder, how many shares did he give you?” Although Bill pampered Sadie, it was mostly with material things. He wasn’t foolish when it came to business—he hadn’t given her or her mother any shares.

“Turns out you don’t have any, huh? I thought Dad was so good to you. You don’t even have one percent, do you? He gave Mom and me 5% each. With Mom’s original 5%, that means we hold 15% of Gardner Group’s shares.”

After I said this, Ashley shot me a surprised look. He hadn’t expected that. Despite how Bill seemed to favor Sadie, he had actually given us far more. His effort to win Sadie over was just an empty gesture.

Sadie exclaimed, “No way. Dad would never give you that many shares. You’re lying!”

“Go ask him yourself. Didn’t you say he’s very fond of you? Let’s see how fond he really is.”

Sadie declared, “Zoey, as long as I ask Dad, he’ll give me whatever I want.”

“Good luck with that,” I said coldly, watching her run off. If she hadn’t caused such a scene, how could Bill and my mother divorce quickly? From today’s events, I was even more certain about who was truly a good match for my mother. Bill might like her, but his affection wasn’t pure. He cared more about work and profit than about my mother. But Nicholas had spent twenty years proving that he only loved my mother. Comparing the two, I certainly preferred Nicholas and my mother together.

As Sadie left, Ashley approached me shamelessly. He said, “Zoey, I knew something was going on with Sadie for making those smart moves. You’ve been helping her behind the scenes, haven’t you? I knew you couldn’t let go of me. You didn’t want me to marry Anna.”

I gave him a disgusted look. “You don’t even have a mirror at home? Take a good look at yourself. What makes you think I care about you? You’re a failure at the Hudsons, and you’re good at beating women. Is that it?”

Ashley’s expression changed dramatically; he asked, “And yet you were ready to die for me, even tried to slit your wrists. Aren’t you pathetic?” That’s how Ashley saw Zoey. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Zoey. I didn’t want to waste another word on this trash and walked into the hospital room. Anna’s wounds had been treated, but her face was still swollen.

All three families were gathered in the room. Ashley and I entered separately, and Carter’s eyes briefly… Ashley flinched instinctively. Then Carter reached out to me and said, “Zoey, come here…”

Chapter 274: Who Is the Father of Anna’s Child?