"You didn't say this to me before!" Mr. Briggs slammed the table in anger.

James leaned back in his chair and said, "I merely promised to look after Ms. Rowena's well-being in the past. I never said I would marry her."

Mr. Briggs thought their engagement was a done deal when James had spoken to him and planned a dinner party the next day. But to his shock, this grand occasion was for James to announce that he had reconciled with Sophie!

"James, I lost a child for you, and you promised to make it up to me, so why are you doing this?"

Tears streamed down Nichole's face.

That day at the hospital, when James suddenly changed his attitude toward her, she thought she had touched his heart. But now it seemed James had just been acting all along!

James remained silent while Colt, standing beside him, stepped forward with a smile and said, "Mr. Burke was just sharing a little joke with you two."

Mr. Briggs frowned, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Ms. Sophie and Mr. Burke are already divorced. What happened just now was merely to stabilize the recent developments at Burker International. You know, S Corporation has been pushing us hard and causing financial strain at Burker International. Reconciling with Ms. Sophie now can stabilize our public reputation, especially since Russell Entertainment has gone bankrupt. If they divorced now, people would criticize the Burke family for being heartless and James for abandoning a loyal wife. Besides, Ms. Rowena's child... wasn't conceived under the most glorious circumstances, so it would have affected the Burke family's reputation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nichole's face soured. "Colt, what do you mean? What do you mean the child wasn't conceived under the most glorious circumstances?"

The thing Nichole detested most was others mentioning her past affair. Although Colt's words were veiled, their meaning was clear.

James couldn't marry a woman who had just lost a child from an affair. He had to maintain his family's image with his original spouse, relying on their marital love to improve Burke International's finances. When Mr. Briggs heard this, he stopped Nichole from speaking further, saying, "Rowena, you must understand the situation."

"Dad..."

"I understand your concerns, Mr. Burke, and I know you're doing this for Burker International. Since you and Sophie have already divorced, when do you plan to marry my daughter?" James remained silent, but Colt replied, "In six months. Mr. Burke and Ms. Sophie's agreement ends in six months, so we ask Ms. Rowena to kindly wait another half a year."

"Why should I? Mrs. Burke's place was supposed to be mine!"

"Shut up!" Mr. Briggs interrupted Nichole furiously.

Facing Mr. Briggs' anger, Nichole could not speak further and stepped aside.

Mr. Briggs stood up and said, "Fine, six months it is. I hope, Mr. Burke, you won't disappoint me."

James nodded, saying, "Of course."

James signaled Colt, who then handed over a partnership document to Mr. Briggs, saying, "Although Mr. Burke isn't engaged to Ms. Rowena, this partnership agreement is still signed. The Freeman and Burke families will have business dealings in the future. Mr. Briggs, you can rest assured."

Mr. Briggs nodded in satisfaction at the partnership document.

Partnering with the Burke family was difficult. With their protection, he wouldn't need to seek help from others like Ricardo.

"Rest assured, Mr. Burke, I will educate my daughter properly at home. We won't cause any trouble."

"That would be best."

Mr. Briggs pulled Nichole and walked outside. Nichole was reluctant but had no choice but to follow.

"Dad! Why are you making me leave? I want to ask him for an explanation!"

Nichole wanted to confront James, but Mr. Briggs pushed her hand away. "Explanation? The situation is clear and unchangeable. Can't you think?"

"But..." Nichole's face turned ugly. James had made a promise to her, and now he was reneging and even getting back with Sophie! How could she bear it?

"Dad, I can't stand by and watch Sophie take the position of Mrs. Burke without doing anything. Please help me!"

"I warn you. Don't do anything rash. This matter is settled! If you sabotage this, I won't show you any mercy!"

Mr. Briggs' eyes no longer held the fatherly affection of before. Nichole's face turned pale as Mr. Briggs threatened her. "If you want to remain Miss Freeman, do as I say, or else..."

"Dad..."

"Don't call me dad!" Mr. Briggs coldly said, "In front of others, you are my daughter, but when we're alone, remember your place!"

Nichole saw a cold and ruthless side of Mr. Briggs, chilling her heart. She regretted revealing her identity to Mr. Briggs at James' behest.

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report
Do you like this site? Donate here:
Your donations will go towards maintaining / hosting the site!