Lady Warrior's Warth on Divorce Day novel Chapter 114

Before coming here, Jasmine had already suspected Paul might’ve found something. But hearing the words spoken aloud still sent a cold shock through her chest,

“You have proof?” she asked evenly.

“Of course I do,” Paul replied with a smirk. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here saying this. I found the woman who looked after Mr. Mayer that night. The one Ms. Lucero asked to keep an eye on him after pulling him out of

the river.”

At those words, Jasmine knew there was no longer any point in denying it.

“After Zoya pulled Mr. Mayer out of the water, she had to leave in a hurry for an emergency. So after giving him first aid and calling 911, she asked a woman who was watching to keep an eye on him until the ambulance arrived,” Paul explained.

He continued, “That woman remembers everything clear as day. She’d never seen a woman so fearless, diving into those wild waters to save someone, you know? But what really stuck with her was…”

Paul paused and locked eyes with Jasmine. “She could never forget. The woman was dressed in a military uniform, clearly in a rush to head off for some critical mission!”

Jasmine’s expression soured. “And you’re that sure it was Zoya?”

Paul replied, “Mr. Mayer was actually the one who mentioned Zoya’s name, so when I tracked down the witness, I showed her Zoya’s picture. She recognized her instantly, said she could never forget that face. Ms. Lucero is the one who saved him. No doubt about it.”

Jasmine fell silent.

Back then, she’d been at the riverbank too, only by the time she arrived, Zoya was already gone. All Jasmine saw was a man sprawled out on the ground. Curiosity drew her closer. And suddenly, the barely conscious Nicolas reached out and grabbed the hem of her skirt.

When the ambulance came, she had climbed aboard as well. The woman who’d been watching over Nicolas at the time told the paramedics only that he’d been rescued.

And since Jasmine’s clothes and hair were soaked from standing by the tide earlier, the medics assumed she had been the one who saved him.

Jasmine hadn’t corrected them. Her vanity just wouldn’t let her.

But she would’ve thought that Zoya was the one who actually saved Nicolas all those years ago.

After a beat, Jasmine broke the silence and asked quietly, “So, how much does Nicolas know?”

“Mr. Mayer doesn’t know a thing yet.” Paul grinned. “Since you called me first the next day, I promised I’d tell him everything when we meet.”

Jasmine understood right away why Paul had come to her before meeting Nicolas. He was clearly here to cut

Capu

deal.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice tight.

“Ms. Ingram, you’re from the Ingram family, and you’ll soon be Mrs. Mayer. Mr. Mayer is worth a fortune now. But if he finds out you’ve lied to him about something this important, do you really think he’ll still want to be with you?” Paul said, his tone full of meaning.

“Just name your price,” Jasmine said through gritted teeth.

“15 million dollars!” Paul replied bluntly, not even blinking.

“What?!” Jasmine’s eyes widened. “That’s absurd! I don’t have that kind of money. I may be an Ingram, but my family’s the second branch. We only get a few hundred thousand dollars in dividends a year, and I only just made vice captain. My savings are nothing close to that.”

“But didn’t Mr. Mayer shower you with jewelry? Back when he and Zoya announced their divorce at that press conference, Zoya told everyone right there that the jewelry Mr. Mayer had given you in secret over the years was worth about 15 million dollars,” Paul pressed.

It was pretty clear he’d already dug up all the dirt on Jasmine before even showing up to face her.

Jasmine was furious. ‘Damn it, not those jewels again!‘ she cursed inwardly.

Zoya had already made a fuss over those jewels, and now this damn detective wouldn’t let them go either.

“I can’t sell those jewels. Nicolas would definitely get suspicious. I can only give you 150 thousand dollars in cash right now. Once I’m married to Nicolas, you’ll get the rest, no problem,” Jasmine said through clenched teeth.

“You think I’m some beggar you can buy off with a measly 150 grand?” Paul snapped.

Jasmine fought to keep her anger in check and went on the offensive. “Go ahead. Tell Nicolas everything if you want, but then you won’t get a single dime from me. No matter how mad he is, I know how to make him come back to me.”

As expected, Paul wavered after hearing that.

“And honestly, you’re holding all the cards. If I don’t come up with the rest, you can expose me to Nicolas any time you like,” Jasmine pointed out.

Paul said flatly, “Alright then. I expect 150 thousand dollars in my account by tomorrow. And after you marry Nicolas, you’d better hand over the other 14.85 million dollars.”

“Fine,” Jasmine said crisply.

What Jasmine needed most right now was time. As long as she could get Nicolas to marry her, she could handle anything that came her way. Even if Nicolas learned the whole truth somewhere down the line, she was sure she could keep him by her side.

And as for Paul? If he thought he’d ever see the rest of that 14.85 million dollars, he was a fool.

Jasmine smirked to herself at the thought, feeling more than a little pleased.

In the end, the real winner here would be her.

After being discharged from the hospital, Zoya returned to Wren’s villa. But according to him, she would no longer be acting as his bodyguard.

She asked, “Why not? Because I got injured?”

“No,” he said calmly. “Because there’s no need anymore. The military only assigned you to protect me because some in the Richmond family opposed my position. They worried an accident might affect the joint projects. But now… no one in the Richmond family dares oppose me.”

Zoya studied him skeptically.

“I promised you before. I won’t lie to you,” Wren assured her.

Just then, Zoya’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. It was Arthur calling.

“Arthur!” Zoya answered, her voice warm.

“Zozo, I heard you got hurt. You’re already out of the military, and I dragged you back into this mess. I feel really bad about it,” Arthur said, his voice thick with guilt.

“It’s just a scratch. Nothing to worry about!” Zoya replied.

“Still, you need to take care of yourself,” Arthur said firmly. “And from now on, your bodyguard assignment is over. You don’t have to protect Wren anymore.”

Zoya blinked in surprise. Arthur had just given her a direct order to end her mission.

When the call ended, she looked at Wren. “Was this your idea? Did you ask the military to pull me off the job?”

“Yeah,” Wren admitted. He figured a military order would convince her better than anything he could say. “Zozo, you don’t have to protect me anymore. Let me protect you.”

He had to admit, he loved having her watch his back. It made him feel safe in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

But honestly, he’d rather take the hit himself than ever see her get hurt again.

Zoya was just starting to say something when her phone buzzed again, and this time the caller ID flashed Harvey’s name.

Just as she reached for the device, Wren’s hand came down over hers in an instant. As if he was intent on stopping her from picking up the call.