Chapter 153

Lainey waited until Norwood had dozed off before slipping out of the hospital room.

The moment the door closed behind her, the sweet,gentle look she wore disappeared completely,replaced by the hungry ambition burning inside her.

It was only a matter of time before she became Nolan's wife.

Her top priority was to get rid of Jonny.

Her current marriage would only drag her down.Even if she managed to push Eleanor out of the picture,being married to a man like Jonny would ruin her chances.

With that thought, she pulled out her phone and quietly removed Jonny from her block list. Days later, Jonny nearly thought he was hallucinating when a message from Lainey popped up, inviting him out.

Overjoyed, he took extra care in dressing that day,even stopping by a florist to pick up a bouquet of fresh roses before heading to the café she had chosen.

"Lainey, you finally agreed to see me," he said, voice thick with longing.

For a brief second, Lainey's gaze flicked to the flowers. Then, with a sneer, she pulled a folder from her bag and tossed it across the table. "Sign it."

Jonny froze, staring down at the papers.

When his eyes landed on the bold words at the top,anger instantly flashed across his face. "Lainey, are you kidding me?"

She had texted him saying she missed him, but what she gave him was a divorce agreement.

Lainey reclined lazily in her seat, her expression laced with ridicule. She lifted her cup gracefully,sipping with deliberate poise.

"lf I hadn't said that, do you think you'd be sitting here now? Let's not drag this out. It's pointless. If you sign now, you'll still walk away with something. But if you wait until my father steps in, neither you nor Todd Group will have a way out," she said.

His pride, already hanging by a thread, snapped in that instant.

His hands shook as he clenched his teeth. "Keep dreaming!"

Lainey laughed softly, as though his defiance amused her. "Don't be so hasty. Look at the terms first."

Of course, she had come prepared. She wouldn't have staged this meeting otherwise.

And sure enough, when Jonny's eyes landed on the figures written in black and white, his confidence wavered. A billion dollars.

The agreement offered him a billion.

With that money, Todd Group could rise again from the ashes.

But then the other side of the scale tipped into his mind-Lainey's new position as the Benton family's daughter. That identity alone was worth far more than the billion sitting on the table.

Even just ten percent of the Benton Group's shares wouuld amount to tens of billions.

With Jeff's doting nature, Lainey could easily gain such a share, and as long as they remained married,it would all count as marital assets.

One billion might have tempted him for a moment,but compared to tens of billions? The choice was a no-brainer.

And on top of that, he still had a bit of dirt on Lainey he could use against her. He leaned forward, his lips curving into a threatening grin. "Lainey, what do you suppose your parents or Norwood would say if I let slip what you did abroad?"

The color drained from her face in an instant. Her fingers trembled as she snatched up the coffee cup,ready to hurl it at him in a blind burst of rage.

But Jonny was quicker. He caught her wrist firmly, his voice cutting like ice. "Face it, sweetheart. You're never getting rid of me. Not in this lifetime."

He released her with a shove, adjusted the collar of his suit, and walked away wearing the smug air of a man who believed he had already won.

Lainey's body gave out, and she crumpled against the chair, her chest heaving with fury and terror.

Damn him.

If she had to, she would make him pay with his life.

By the time she got back to the Benton family's estate, Lainey had already put on her act. She messed up her hair, smudged her makeup a little, and made herself look weak and pitiful before walking in.

The moment Jeff saw her, his chest tightened in pain.

"Lainey!" he called out, rushing toward her. "Tell me,who did this to you?"

Lainey flinched at his tone, shrinking back like a frightened child. Her lips trembled as she whispered,"Dad, l-I'm fine. I just... I just fell. That's all."