Leopold gently cleaned the tears from her face with a soft cloth.
"He's hardly ever home, right?" asked Leopold "That's true," Mira nodded from the side, "Dad only stays at hfor a day or two each month. I'm used to it." Nina glared at her, "This tit's serious. He's talking about divorce, and soon we might not have a dad anymore." "Why?" Mira looked puzzled as if the idea of Fredric being an indispensable part of their lives was foreign to her.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNina was irked and gave Mira's head a smack, "If Dad divorces Mom, he'll probably bring ha stepmom, and stepmoms are always evil. They feed you poisoned apples and try to kill you." Mira shivered, her eyes wide with fear, "I don't want a stepmom." Aurelia cdownstairs with Kane trailing behind her.
Kane spoke up, "Nina, Mira, don't be scared. If anyone tries to poison you, Dad and | will make sure she pays." Nina turned to him, "Kane, you'll vote against it, right?" "Yep," Kane nodded, "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise." "But that woman is your aunt. What if you change your mind?" Nina fretted.
Kane shook his head, replying firmly, "Jelena is not evil. It's Fredric who's smitten with her and insists on marrying her. If you can convince your dad to drop the idea, then there won't be any divorce." Nina pouted, "Dad never listens to us. He only listens to Jelena." Sheryl loathed Jelena with every fiber of her being, wishing she could flay her skin, draw her sinews, drain her blood, and scatter her ashes to the winds.
"He's always out carousing, and I've turned a blind eye. What more does he want from me?" Leopold poured her a cup of water, "Are you sure you want to continue living like a widow? If the divorce petition is rejected, he's only going to torment you more and neglect you. Are you sure you can handle that?" Chad had treated Jessica the sway, and Leopold remembered every slight, every insult.
On his deathbed, his last words to Chad were, "You should have been dead long ago." Chad had passed without drawing another breath.
Sheryl replied without hesitation, "If Jessica endured it, so can I. | refuse to hand over my position of the Stirling family to anyone else." Leopold sighed deeply. He had supported Jessica's decision to divorce. She shouldn't have wasted her best years on a scoundrel.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe knew all too well that Jessica's enduring silence was for his sake.
"You're not like Mom because you don't have a son. Eventually, when Fredric has a son with someone else, even a bastard, that child will be the heir. He'll inherit all of Fredric's wealth, and you and your daughters will be left with nothing. Even as a mistress, that woman will rise in status through her son, trampling over you. If you choose divorce, you could at least claim half of his fortune." These words hit a nerve, and Sheryl's heart twitched violently.
"Then I'll make sure he has no sons." She said.
"Unless you castrate him, do you dare?" Leopold stated bluntly.
Sheryl fell silent, her lips quivering. Then she asked, "Leopold, are you advisingto divorce?" "I'm just helping you weigh the pros and cons. You're blinded by anger right now, and certainly not in a state to think these things through calmly," Leopold said solemnly, "the Stirling family's rules are very unfavorable to a woman without a son." Sheryl's face drained of color. She was teetering on the edge of despair. Sobbing, she wept, "Then what do you propose | do?" Aurelia sighed inwardly. Even though Sheryl had never extended a hand to help her, Aurelia's compassion wouldn't allow herself to stand by and do nothing.