Tangled Hearts: Chased by Another Tycoon after Divorce-Chapter 162: I Lost My Wife and Daughter, You Deserve to Die Without a Grave!
Amidst the howling sea wind, a figure in white leaped off the cliff.
"No! Victoria!"
Julian Fordham jolted awake from his dream.
Ever since Victoria Monroe jumped into the sea, this nightmare has haunted his midnight hours.
Waking up in a cold sweat, he looked around the empty room that was now filled only by him.
In a hoarse whisper, Julian murmured, "Victoria..."
He looked pale and haggard, relying on medication to sleep; only in sleep could he see Victoria Monroe.
Even though every dream was either blood-soaked or dark, at least he could talk to her and see her.
What he feared most was the desolation after waking, where he was alone with no Victoria Monroe by his side.
Corbin Prescott walked in and saw Julian Fordham’s weary face, "Boss, it’s still early, you should rest a bit more."
Julian glanced at the still dim sky, "Counting the days, it’s been three days since Victoria and I went our separate ways, hasn’t she come back to the country?"
"No."
Looking at the wedding ring on his finger, Julian softly said, "Corbin, I regret it, I regret letting her go."
After a series of bloody incidents on that island, the tension between them was too high.
Julian was genuinely afraid that if he used tricks to make her stay, Victoria Monroe would follow in her grandmother’s footsteps.
Helplessly, he had to temporarily let go to ease the situation, assuming that Victoria Monroe and Rhys Hawthorne would quickly return to bury her grandmother.
Her grandmother specifically mentioned returning to one’s roots; Victoria Monroe would definitely come back.
Because of this, Julian had calculated everything, thinking it would only be a day or two before he could meet Victoria Monroe again.
But three days had passed, and there was no sign of Victoria Monroe and Rhys Hawthorne.
Julian began to panic.
Seeing his obsessive and unhealthy expression, Corbin Prescott felt a bit helpless. Besides Lana Jameson drugging him, his genes were naturally obsessive, likely due to a family history of mental illness.
Victoria Monroe had become his greatest mental block, something that medication could only momentarily ease but not cure.
"Boss, maybe Madam couldn’t accept the lady’s passing and doesn’t want to return to Kenton for now, fearing the emotional stress."
Julian’s eyes sharpened, "It’s Rhys Hawthorne. He’s deliberately keeping Victoria from seeing me; he wants to take advantage of the situation."
He had considered all possibilities except for Victoria Monroe not rushing back this time.
"Go and track Rhys Hawthorne’s whereabouts!"
Julian became anxious again. If Victoria Monroe shifted her affections now, there would be no chance for them.
Before Prescott returned, a woman’s voice echoed from the yard.
"Brother, I’m back!"
Julian’s eyes flickered with a cold light upon hearing the voice. He was fully aware that Autumn Fordham was deceived into prostitution at the airport, but he didn’t help her, allowing her to face the consequences.
By all logic, she had no money and shouldn’t have been able to return.
Julian draped on his coat and went downstairs, seeing Autumn Fordham still in summer clothes in the yard.
She looked neither human nor ghostly, with no trace of the past socialite aura.
Her face and body bore marks of abuse.
In the midst of the heavy snow, Autumn Fordham looked at the man walking out in pajamas and a black coat.
His neck was wrapped in a white bandage, his handsome face drained of color, shadowed with stubble, and his hair ungroomed and messy.
Autumn Fordham froze, wondering if this was the brother she knew?
She remembered that even in their poorest days, he cared about his appearance, never letting his school uniform look worn out, unlike his current disheveled state, beard unshaven.
"Brother, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me..."
Autumn Fordham tried to approach and wrap his arm like she used to, seeking to sweet-talk Julian.
Before she reached him, his cold voice stopped her, "Don’t touch me."
Only then did Autumn Fordham realize the icy animosity in Julian’s gaze, devoid of any emotion.
While her brother had always been cold, he never treated her like this.
He had shouldered family responsibilities early on, respecting elders, and cherishing his sister, being the best brother in the world.
But now, her brother’s unfamiliar gaze terrified her, shaking she said:
"Brother, it’s only now that I realize how foolish I’ve been. I should have listened to my sister-in-law, stayed away from Caleb Spencer, and not been swayed by Rachel Hayes, causing your divorce."
Autumn Fordham wept bitterly, "Please give me another chance, I’ll help you win back sister-in-law."
Watching the woman before him cry like this, Julian would have been heartbroken before.
He thought the poor family conditions had made Autumn suffer much, so he strived to fulfill her demands once things improved.
In the end, both his sister and mother were frauds, causing him to lose his wife and children.
Now, faced with Autumn’s foolish tears, his heart was completely devoid of compassion, filled only with icy cold.
Standing high on the steps, he was unmoved by her tears, as snowfall danced between them.
Once Autumn Fordham uttered her last word, he impassively asked, "Are you done speaking?"
Autumn Fordham just found this version of Julian Fordham absolutely terrifying.
"Brother, I’m cold and hungry. Can you let me inside to warm up? I’m about to freeze to death."
"Then why aren’t you dead yet?" Julian Fordham said directly.
Autumn Fordham sobbed in disbelief, "What did you say?"
"Autumn Fordham, you and I are not siblings by blood. I have no blood relation to the Fordham Family."
Autumn Fordham couldn’t believe it. "Brother, you’re lying to me. We grew up together. How can we not be related by blood? Even if I did something wrong, you don’t need to make up such ridiculous and absurd lies."
"If you’re not sure, you can ask that woman with the last name Jameson. Autumn Fordham, I’m not joking with you. I made it very clear on the phone; from now on, we have no ties. Please leave my home before I get angry."
If not for the bond they shared growing up together, Autumn Fordham would never have had a chance to show up in front of him.
"Brother, you can’t treat me like this. How will I live without you? I have no money, I..."
"That’s your problem. Do you know, Autumn Fordham? I’ve lost my wife and daughter, and I wish nothing more than for you all to die with no burial ground!"
But he knew that even if he killed Autumn Fordham, his daughter would not be brought back to life.
He showed some mercy to the two members of the Fordham Family and didn’t kick them while they were down.
Julian Fordham turned and went back to his room. Autumn Fordham tried to follow, but Corbin Prescott blocked her way, "Miss Fordham, please stop."
While on the plane, Autumn Fordham had considered countless possibilities, but she never took Julian Fordham’s words seriously.
She always thought she had just made him angry; as long as she acted cute and apologized, Julian Fordham would forgive her.
But now she realized everything had changed.
All her money had been taken by that man, and if Julian Fordham didn’t care for her, she couldn’t survive in this city.
She was so scared that she knelt on the ground, "Brother Prescott, please put in a good word for me. I really know I was wrong."
"Miss Fordham, the boss has made it very clear. If you keep pestering, you will bear the consequences when he gets angry."
Tears rolled down Autumn Fordham’s face one by one, and at this moment, she was truly afraid.
"Brother Prescott, how did it come to this..."
"Miss Fordham, you should know better than anyone how important the lady is to the boss. You’re not realizing you’re wrong; you’re just scared."
"That’s not it! I just wanted to teach my sister-in-law a little lesson. She always held onto my brother’s money and wouldn’t give it to me. I never really intended to cause their divorce."
"No matter what you say now, it’s too late. There’s no winner in this situation. Miss Fordham, from now on, take care of yourself."
With that, Corbin Prescott turned and left, and Autumn Fordham’s voice came through, "Brother, don’t you want to know where my sister-in-law is right now?"
The man climbing the stairs suddenly stopped, and Julian Fordham turned back, "What did you say?"
"I saw my sister-in-law in Mirada," Autumn Fordham said.
Only then did a glimmer of light return to Julian Fordham’s eyes. "You saw Victoria? Is she doing okay now?"
Not seeing her for three days felt like three years to him.
He’s deeply afraid that Victoria Monroe wouldn’t recover and would remain in despair.
Autumn Fordham licked her lips, "Brother, I’m so hungry. Can you get me something to eat, let me take a shower, and change my clothes?"
Julian Fordham glanced at her current state, full of disdain in his eyes. He didn’t want anyone to dirty the marital home he shared with Victoria Monroe.
When Victoria Monroe returned, they still had to live a good life.
If she didn’t like this place, he’d buy a better, bigger villa.
He had money now, not as financially strained as before.
But since Autumn Fordham could bring news about Victoria Monroe, he instructed with a frown, "Go freshen up in the guest bathroom on the first floor. Corbin, have someone bring over a set of clothes."
Autumn Fordham instinctively said, "It’s not such a hassle. My sister-in-law and I have similar figures. I can wear hers."
"How dare you?" Julian Fordham retorted mercilessly.
Autumn Fordham couldn’t believe these words were coming from her brother’s mouth.
Corbin Prescott warmed up some food for her, and Julian Fordham sat in the living room smoking, with one hand bandaged. He coughed with every puff, and Corbin advised him a few words.
Seeing Julian Fordham like this, Autumn Fordham felt as if he had been through death.
When he wasn’t talking or smoking, he quietly watched the heavy snow outside, his eyes devoid of any sparkle.
Only then did Autumn Fordham realize what she and her mother had done to him.
After finishing her meal, taking a bath, and changing her clothes, Julian Fordham finally glanced at her. "How is Victoria?"
"Brother, sister-in-law looks a bit thinner, but she seems to be in good spirits. When I saw her, she was with...Rhys Hawthorne."
Autumn Fordham cautiously added, "Uh, sister-in-law seems very dependent on him. Rhys Hawthorne had his arms around her waist, and she had her arms around his chest. We grew up together, and I’m very familiar with her character. She usually ignores most men, but she seemed completely at ease with Rhys Hawthorne and hugged him actively."
"Brother... do you think sister-in-law has fallen for Rhys Hawthorne?"
"Bang!"
Julian Fordham smashed the ashtray on the table, rage boiling on his face like a furious beast, saying word by word:
"Impossible. Victoria and I have been together for eighteen years. She can’t move on so quickly."
"She is mine! She can only be mine!"
"My Victoria could never betray me!"
