Chapter 49: Divorce
"You are nothing except a pretty face. And you think you deserve my son?" Grace rambled as soon as she felt a little better in her throat.
Dylan really wanted to tape her mouth shut right now. He could feel Lawrence watching and hearing everything. Why does this woman have to anger that lord Voldermort on her birthday?
"Deserve or not, I already have him. As for my pretty face - why are you so bothered? It's just a pretty face, isn't it?" Isabella coolly replied back as she leaned back in seat.
Grace fumed. She thought the girl would be docile and scared. But this girl Dylan brought was completely nonchalant. She didn't know from where an orphan like her got this courage to talk back to her.
"Dylan. Come with me. We need to talk." Grace ordered after dinner.
Dylan nodded and gripped Isabella's hand before standing along with her.
"Only Dylan. Leave her here."
"Either you speak to me here in front of everyone, or let my wife come with me." Dylan declared. He wasn't going to let Isabella sit alone with Benjamin and Dennis Barnett.
Grace shut her eyes to clam herself down as she drank some warm milk to soothe her throat. She had invested so much on Dylan. She cannot let him escape her grip.
"There is no danger here. Let the butler give her a house trip. You come with me."
Isabella tugged at Dylan's shirt and nodded. There was no need to rile up Grace at every point. It was just talking.
Dylan pursed his lips. He didn't want to leave Isabella here alone. But Isabella released her hand from his grip and nodded at the butler.
"I want to see the house. You go ahead." Isabella said and pecked on his lips before going with the butler.
Dylan saw her back disappearing into the hall when Grace stood up.
"Let's go to the study." And she left. Dylan glanced at Benjamin and Dennis once before following her.
In the hall the butler was busy telling her the prices of each showpiece decorating the hall and corridors.
"This is imported from France. Made in 1600s. The market price would be around 7.5 million pounds."
"The lady bought this glass set in Greece. Almost 3 lakh pounds."
"This antique chandelier was crafted in Venice in the late 1700s. A masterpiece of Murano glass, its estimated worth is around 4.2 million pounds."
"This grand piano was custom-built in Austria in 1825. Only three of its kind exist, making it valued at nearly 5 million pounds."
The butler went on and on. Isabella listened keenly. This was more museum than a house.
"A rare piece from the Dutch Golden Age, painted in 1653. The last auction price for a similar work exceeded 9 million pounds. This was gifted by the Sanders family during the talks of young master Dylan's and young miss Paige's possible marriage."
The butler said haughtily as he examined Isabella's expression. Isabella simply smiled. Everyone was well prepared for her arrival here.
"Pity there efforts into waste. I will make sure to tell my husband how ungrateful he his." Isabella remarked looking at the butler. The butler couldn't look into those emerald orbs.
Isabella's confident and silent composure made it difficult for him to insult her.
"Let me show you the garden"
"No need. Can I see Dylan's room?" Isabella asked as she eyed the door down the hallway.
The butler nodded. It's not like he can forcefully take her to give a tour.
"This way.." He led her to a room on the first floor.
"Thank you for that informative tour. Please tell Dylan that I am waiting in his room after he is done." And she shut the door. What a lofty mansion.
She decided never to buy anything so costly no matter how rich she becomes. She didn't want to lose her sleep over thieves.
Isabella started looking around the room. Though grand like the rest of the mansion, it lacked any personal touch.
'Everything is so bland. Can't he use some creativity?' she thought as she walked into the closet.
Had she been in Dylan's place, she would have made sure to make a hole in this Barnett family's pocket before leaving.
The entire closet was divided into different sections. Suits, blazers, shirts, t-shirts, trousers, etc.
Thinking about it, Dylan really didn't lack anything in this family. And had he been a little more obedient to Grace, might be she would have really treated her like a son instead of an investment.
While Isabella was scouting his room, Dylan was standing in front of Grace with a red hand prints on his cheeks.
Grace had slapped him as soon as she entered the study. Realizing that one hand print didn't satisfy her, she slapped twice and thrice.
Dylan endured. Better for him to take the beating instead of letting her anger be directed at Isabella.
"I took you out of that orphanage, spent so much on you, gave you every luxury you wouldn't even dream of as an orphan, and yet.. yet, you have to go back to that little orphan crush from that damned orphanage." Grace yelled. Her throat hurt, but she couldn't keep it in anymore.
She wanted to do this downstairs, in front of everyone. But she didn't want to show her misery to that Benjamin and her dear husband.
Dylan stood there silently. He was feeling bad. Neither for himself, nor for Isabella, but for Lawrence, who was still spying. Which father will like to hear these things for their daughter?
"There are so many girls from rich families eager to make an alliance with you, but you.. you.." another slap landed on his cheek as Grace continued "you got carried away by that little vixen."
"The Sanders family is ready to give their only daughter to you, give you support and worthy connections, put at the top of both Barnett and Sanders groups, but you.. " Grace took a deep breathe to soothe her burning lungs.
"Divorce. Divorce her." She ordered.
"No"
"I will not repeat again and again Dylan. You will Divorce her and get engaged to Paige."
Dylan calmly stared back. "No. I would rather die than abandon her."
SMASH
Grace flung a glass paper weight at Dylan, which narrowly missed him and smashed into the wall the behind, breaking into pieces scattered all over the carpeted floor.
"I heard everything you had to say. Now listen to what I have to say."
"First - There is no divorce happening"
"Second - No matter what I achieve in my life, it will all be meaningless without her by my side."
"And here" he put a bunch of documents on the table nearby before explaining. "All the assets you wrote in my name, including the shares. I am returning everything back" He also put his black card on the top.
"You have disrespected my wife enough Mrs Barnett. I will not tolerate this again. Hope we can stop playing this suffocating mother son game now."
Dylan turned around to leave but stopped hearing Grace's words.
"You ungrateful bastard. I raised you for so many years. Whether you like it or not, you cannot deny it."
Dylan nodded. She was right.
"I will repay that kindness. I won't owe you anything..... And also" he walked back to her and took a beautiful velvet ring box from his pocket.
"Don't try to cross me this time. You wouldn't want to provoke few people. A birthday present, on behalf of me, my wife and .. them."
Placing the box in her hands, he left promptly. He hoped his acting was on point. He saw the butler on his way.
"Where is my wife?" Shouldn't he be giving her a tour of this goddamn house?
"S-She.. Young master Benjamin wanted to give the tour instead, so she went with him." The butler lied straight through his teeth.
Dylan didn't have rack his brains to understand what these people were planning. This is why he didn't want to leave her alone. So without wasting anymore time, he went toward Benjamin's room.
"Mmmmm.. Ahh"
His heart shuddered as he heard moans coming out Benjamin's room. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Isabella today.
The door was unlocked, so he easily kicked it open to see two people rolling under the sheets.
Dylan clenched his fists, as his eyes blazed with anger.
"BENJAMIN YOU F*CKER. Leave her" he shouted as he threw him off the bed. His hands searched for the nearest object, the bedside lamp and smashed it on Benjamin's head.
"DYLAN.. What are you doing?" Grace and Dennis along with the butler arrived into the room hearing the loud noises.
Dennis pushed away Dylan and went to his bleeding son who was on verge of blacking out.
"You.. Who are you?" Grace asked looking at the girl on the bed. The butler frowned too.Only then did Dylan remember and turned around to check on Isabella.
"Huh?" He frowned. Where is Isabella?
"What are you doing here?" The butler glared at the naked maid on the bed. The maid hurriedly wore a shirt and wrapped herself in the sheets.
Both Grace and her loyal butler disappointed.
"Did I miss anything?"