"Wren and I have known each other since we were children. We know each other inside and out," Kaden Xavier interrupted Helen Sawyer.

Wren was very surprised.

Doesn’t he want to take care of Seraphina? Isn’t he in love with her now? Shouldn’t he take this chance to divorce her and marry Seraphina?

He has Helen Sawyer’s support, after all. Even if Grandma Xavier disagrees, the two of them could get married without any trouble.

"You! You’re going to be the death of me!"

"Ms. Sawyer, a friendly reminder: Miss Seraphina Sutton is already married and pregnant. This should perfectly fulfill your wish to be a grandmother." Wren’s words were devastatingly cruel.

When Helen Sawyer heard Seraphina was already married, her eyes widened. She immediately flung Seraphina’s hand away, glaring at her in a rage. "You! You’re already married!"

"Ma’am, I..." Seraphina tried to explain.

"Pah! Someone like you wants to marry my son and become Mrs. Xavier? Dream on! And don’t expect my son to raise another man’s child!"

Wren was well aware of Helen Sawyer’s vitriol, but she never expected to enjoy hearing it so much when it was aimed at someone else.

In contrast, Seraphina’s face turned pale. She subconsciously stumbled back, her knees feeling weak, a look of hurt on her face. "Ma’am, I wasn’t thinking that..."

"Kaden, Mrs. Chandler and her daughter came to see me a few days ago. I’ve already checked her out for you. The girl is beautiful, studied overseas, has a good family background, and is gentle and kind—an excellent wife material. Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to meet them."

Without sparing Seraphina another glance, Helen Sawyer addressed Kaden directly. Nor did she pay any mind to Wren, her still-legal daughter-in-law.

Seraphina clenched her fists, seething as she swallowed her bitter resentment. The image she worked so hard to build with Helen Sawyer was destroyed by Wren just like that!

"I’m not going." Kaden refused without a second thought. "My wife can only be Wren."

Wren wasn’t moved by his declaration. Right now, no one could be as magnanimous as her. His mistress shows up at her door, and she was the one who let her in.

Besides, now that Helen Sawyer knows Seraphina is pregnant, there’s no way she’ll let her in the door. Isn’t she just the perfect fig leaf for them?

As if anyone else would be so accommodating.

"You! How can you be so dense!" Helen Sawyer felt a surge of disappointed frustration.

How did she end up with a son like this? A complete blockhead with no social grace! A woman who can’t even have children, what’s the point of keeping her around?

"Lee, take my mother back to the family estate. Without my permission, you are not to bring her here again," Kaden commanded, his gaze darkening.

Startled by his glare, the driver quickly and respectfully complied.

Helen Sawyer flinched resentfully. Though inwardly fuming, she said no more. She shot Wren one last vicious glare and turned to leave.

Not wanting to press her luck, Seraphina quickly followed Helen Sawyer out.

Once they were all gone, Kaden turned around and said lightly, "Don’t mind what my mom said. I’m not going to meet that woman, either."

"Go if you want to. If you two hit it off, we can get this divorce over with sooner."

"Wren," Kaden warned, his brow furrowing.

"Kaden Xavier, there are fifteen days left on our bet. I hope you’ll honor it in fifteen days."

Knowing they wouldn’t get anywhere, Wren couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath. She turned and headed for her room.

Meanwhile, Seraphina Sutton quickly caught up with Helen Sawyer. Even though she was four months pregnant, she ran with surprising ease.

If it weren’t for the leverage it gave her over Kaden, she wouldn’t be keeping this burden.

"Ma’am," Seraphina called out, stopping Helen Sawyer.

Helen Sawyer stopped in front of the car, turned, and shot Seraphina a look of disgust. "What do you want?" she asked in an unfriendly tone.

"Ma’am, you must have misunderstood. Kaden and I have been good friends for many years. My husband was Asher Lynch, Kaden’s comrade-in-arms. You’ve met him."

Asher Lynch and Kaden Xavier shared an iron-clad bond as comrades-in-arms. Asher’s family background wasn’t great, and Seraphina had only settled for him after failing to seduce Kaden.

Asher doted on her, and at the time, Seraphina had resigned herself to spending the rest of her life with him.

Unfortunately for him, Asher was ill-fated and didn’t live long enough to enjoy it. In a way, his death was a blessing for her.

"Oh! So you’re Asher’s wife! Well, what a misunderstanding. That was my mistake, my dear. I do apologize." Helen’s demeanor changed in an instant, and she warmly took Seraphina’s hand to chat.

"After Asher passed away, Kaden has been the one looking after me. I have no one else in this city, and I’m carrying Asher’s only child. I’m so grateful to Kaden."

Seraphina looked ready to burst into tears, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. As she reached the most emotional part of her story, she made sure to look as pitiful as possible.

Hearing about how Kaden had been caring for Seraphina while Wren shunned her, Helen’s disgust for Wren grew, as did her sympathy for Seraphina’s suffering.

"Don’t you worry. As long as I’m here, you’ll be an honored guest of the Xavier Family, and Wren won’t dare to drive you away." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Helen Sawyer gently patted the back of Seraphina’s hand, then took an invitation from her purse and placed it in Seraphina’s hand.

"Tomorrow is my mother-in-law’s birthday. Asher saved Kaden’s life back then. As his widow, you must come. I still haven’t properly thanked you and Asher for what happened."

"But Ma’am, Dr. Wynter doesn’t seem to like me very much. She’ll be angry if I go, won’t she?"

"She doesn’t get a say in the Xavier family."

Seraphina Sutton nodded emphatically.

After comforting Seraphina for a moment, Helen Sawyer got into the car.

—

Wren finished typing her resignation letter and stretched. She was heading downstairs to get a glass of water when she was surprised to find Kaden Xavier still in the living room, casually watching television.

"Why haven’t you left yet?"

"Starting today, I’m moving back in," Kaden announced unhurriedly, his expression relaxed.

Wren was livid. They had a clear agreement to live apart and only meet when work required it. How dare he break his promise!

"You’re breaking our agreement! Go back to Azure Dragon Bay!"

Wren marched up to Kaden, grabbing his shirt to try to haul him off the couch. A hint of a smile flashed in Kaden’s eyes. He grabbed Wren’s wrist and gave it a gentle tug.

The villa had tile floors, and Wren’s slippers weren’t slip-resistant. Losing her footing, she fell right into Kaden’s embrace.

"Well, you’re the one who fell into my arms. You can’t blame me."

Wren shot up, pulling away from Kaden, her face flushed with humiliation and anger. "What do you think you’re doing!?"

"I’ve already let Seraphina move into the apartment at Azure Dragon Bay. If you want Grandma to worry, or to have a relapse, then I can keep living separately," Kaden said with a nonchalant expression. He was clearly exploiting Wren’s weakness, knowing exactly what mattered most to her.

Wren gritted her teeth in fury. She can ignore everyone else, but not Grandma Xavier. She’s getting on in years. If she found out they were getting a divorce, the shock could make her pass out.

"Wren, you’re so kindhearted. You wouldn’t want her to worry, would you?" Kaden loosened his tie, smiling as he looked at Wren. He waited for her answer with rare patience, seemingly certain she wouldn’t kick him out.

Seeing his nonchalant expression, Wren was so frustrated that she wanted to slap him again. How had she never realized how shameless he could be!

"You can sleep in the guest room. And we’ll stay out of each other’s way," Wren said through gritted teeth.