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Harley thought ditching Lenora would be a game–changer for him, but boy, was he mistaken. As soon as the rumor mill started churning about their split, his phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with calls from his crew.
Each conversation kicked off with, “Harley, dude, are you seriously done with Lenora?”
It was not like he was keeping the breakup hush–hush, especially not after the drama that unfolded that morning.
When asked, Harley replied with a mix of sarcasm and honesty, It’s over.”
Devon Valentine, on the other end, gasped. “Wow, Lenora finally gave up on you? Man, Harley, I’m torn between high–fiving you and giving you a pity pat. Lenora’s pretty unique for our group. Totally obsessed with you. Sure, she’s a bit naive, not the strongest, kinda broke, leans a bit towards the gold–digger side, but really, if you think about it, she’s not that bad.”
Harley, expecting some congrats, was perplexed. And he calls himself my friend?”
After fielding three such calls, Harley ended up feeling as downcast as the sky on the verge of a thunderstorm.
And that was not the only thing that sucked about divorcing Lenora. Just as he was starting to get over his pals‘ teasing and non–stop calls, Matthew told him Gwen was here.
With the whole internet buzzing about his breakup with Lenora, it was pretty obvious why Gwen was there, and Harley totally got it.
When Gwen found out that Lenora and Harley had really split, she couldn’t hide her glee on her way in. But her smile dimmed a bit when she spotted Lenora’s name hitting the trend list online.
She started wondering how Aran ended up in the mix with Lenora.
The report pointed out that Aran had been sweet on Lenora for the longest time, even though he figured it was a no–go. He always clung to this hope that she’d ditch the whole Brandt family saga. And now that she did, Aran was ecstatic, moving from being a long–time suitor to just good friends.
Gwen was piecing together all kinds of insights, reading between the lines from just a few sentences.
The joy quickly faded from her face, and she made a beeline for Harley’s office. “Harley, just tell me the real deal. Did Lenora split because she was seeing someone else?”
Three years
down the drain, No guy could be cool with being cheated on. Harley just froze. “Mum, what’s all this about?” Gwen couldn’t calm down, considering Lenora had nearly throttled her the other day. And now, there was this buzz online painting the Brandt family as the bad guys and spinning a tale about Lenora playing Harley.
“Just take a look! You were barely out of the city hall when some guy showed up to whisk Lenora away. Makes you wonder if there’s been a thing going on between them for ages. We can’t be pushed around like this!” Gwen barked
Harley had a bunch of meetings to hit up and papers to sign after swinging by the lawyer’s office. He kinda expected the buzz about his and Lenora’s divorce to hit the internet, but he didn’t think it’d blow up like it did.
Then he stumbled across the phrase “Aran’s crush for many years,” and it felt like a punch to the gut. For a second, he wondered if Lenora, who seemed so keen on the divorce, had long decided to jump ship to be with Aran.
But that thought was short–lived. Despite not being Lenora’s biggest fan, Harley knew the truth. Lenora was way too wrapped up in dealing with Gwen’s demands all day, every day, to even think about stepping out on him.
“Mum, Lenora and I are officially divorced, and it was chill. She didn’t want anything, and from here on out, we’re gonna act like she’s a ghost. Honestly, diving into all that gossip isn’t worth your time,” Harley told Gwen.
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Gwen was ticked off, and not just about the whole trending mess. She figured Lenora must have taken a chunk out of the Brandt family one way or another to bolt like that. But Harley quickly chilled her out, letting her know Lenora walked away with nothing.
She seemed a bit surprised. “She didn’t ask for anything? After being part of our family for three years, you’d think she was in it for the money. And now, with the divorce, how can she walk away with nothing?”
Harley, tired of the conversation with Gwen, simply picked up the intercom and called Matthew. “Show my mum the divorce papers,” he said crisply. Then, grabbing his jacket, he stood up to leave.
Gwen watched him go and called out, “Harley, are you gonna be home for dinner?”
“Nah, got plans,” he tossed back.
Harley hardly ever made it back to the Brandt mansion. Part of it was because Lenora was there, and part of it was the strained vibes with his mom.
Back at his apartment, Harley finally got some peace. A hectic day at work meant he barely had time to dwell on his divorce from Lenora.
This morning, he’d only popped over to see what Lenora was plotting. He was still in disbelief about the divorce. According to Devon, Lenora was somewhat of a gold–digger, yet Harley couldn’t deny her feelings for him.
Harley figured Lenora was after money and his attention, so she would never let the divorce happen without a fight.
With that thought in mind, he ended up hitting the law firm without the agreement she gave him earlier. But the moment she saw him, Lenora handed him another copy of that same agreement.
Honestly, Harley was pretty confused at that moment. He just went along with what Lenora wanted, and before he knew it, he had signed the divorce papers.
And now, they were sitting in his briefcase. Harley pulled out the divorce papers, and seeing their signatures together like that felt like a sarcastic slap.
Out of nowhere, he felt this sting of emotion, and on impulse, he chucked them into the wastebasket nearby.
Harley’s phone buzzed next to him, and he gave it a side–eye, not really planning to pick it up. But the caller was relentless, ringing him up again.
Annoyed, he checked who it was, his cheeks coloring a bit when he saw the name. “What’s up?”
It was Devon calling. He’d been teasing him earlier, and now, not even two hours later, he was at it again. Harley could only imagine he was calling to continue his teasing.
“What? You got divorced, and now you’re skipping stag parties?” said Devon.
“Fuck off.” Harley really wasn’t in the mood for Devon’s games and muttered a curse.
Harley was about to disconnect when Devon blurted out, “Hey, just so you know, I’m at Lenora’s bachelorette party right now. Your ex is going all out and covering the drinks tab on the first floor of the Night’s Dance. That’s gotta sting, right? All that money you worked for?”
Harley scowled, “She didn’t ask for a dime from me.”
A
Devon was totally gobsmacked this time. It was Devon’s turn to be hit with a shocker. Pretty much everyone in Hobart City had pegged Lenora as a gold–digger.
When Gwen fainted from not eating enough, Lenora just happened to be the one to find her and rushed her to the hospital.
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Chapter 5
Harley asked Lenora what she wanted in return, and she blurted out “3 million dollars,” but then, without skipping a beat, she upped it to “30 million dollars.”
Right in the middle of this exchange, someone caught the moment on video and blasted it all over the internet. Harley was visibly upset, but then Lenora dropped a bombshell. She said, “Forget the money. I want to marry you.”
It turned out that 30 million dollars wasn’t enough for Lenora. She was after something more valuable – Harley himself.
Their shell marriage had lasted for three years, and everyone else snickered behind Lenora’s back. Everyone thought that if they ever split, Lenora would try to walk away with at least 30 million dollars of Harley’s money.
But now, Harley was out here saying she didn’t take a single penny. Devon was perplexed.
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Harley asked Lenora what she wanted in return, and she blurted out “3 million dollars,” but then, without skipping a beat, she upped it to “30 million dollars.”
45
Right in the middle of this exchange, someone caught the moment on video and blasted it all over the internet. Harley was visibly upset, but then Lenora dropped a bombshell. She said, “Forget the money. I want to marry you.”
It turned out that 30 million dollars wasn’t enough for Lenora. She was after something more valuable – Harley himself.
Their shell marriage had lasted for three years, and everyone else snickered behind Lenora’s back. Everyone thought that if they ever split, Lenora would try to walk away with at least 30 million dollars of Harley’s money.
But now, Harley was out here saying she didn’t take a single penny. Devon was perplexed.
