THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 564

Gavin took another long swig of alcohol. Jett was right. Ann had never shown him an ounce of respect. He remembered one time when she ran into him and Jett on the street. He had asked her to greet Jett as "Uncle," but she had just rolled her eyes and said, "I don't have an uncle like that."

It was the same every year when they visited his family. Ann considered his relatives beneath her and refused to eat any food they prepared, completely disregarding his feelings. Not only that, she had gone through his phone and deleted all his contacts from his hometown, claiming that a man of his current status shouldn't associate with such common people. Now, whenever Gavin wanted to talk to his family, he had to do it in secret, terrified that Amanda or Ann would find out.

His eyes red-rimmed, Gavin took another drink. "But she's still my daughter."

Jett shook his head in frustration. "Alright, Templeton, I've said my piece. It's up to you what you do. But don't be so down. I've arranged a little fun for you tonight."

Just as he finished speaking, a stunningly beautiful woman sauntered over. "Mr. Templeton," she cooed.

Gavin, who had been on the verge of passing out, sobered up instantly. He shot up from his seat, pushing the woman away. "What is this?" he snapped at Jett. "I'm a married man!"

"I'm leaving."

He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and stormed out.

Jett watched him go, completely baffled. He wrapped an arm around the young woman and kissed her on the cheek. "Some people just don't know how to enjoy themselves."

--

Just as Ann had predicted, the news that she was Miss Palmer's mysterious benefactor, and the recipient of the Palmer family signet, spread like wildfire through the Capital's elite circles. The collective gasp was almost audible. No one could have imagined that Ann, who had fallen so far from grace, would rise from the ashes to become a phoenix once more.

The news instantly elevated Amanda's standing among the society wives. After Keira had kicked her out of the family, Amanda had become a pariah, often cropped out of group photos, a slight she could only rage about in private. But today, not only was she included in the photo, she was invited to stand in the center.

Basking in the attention, Amanda pulled a stack of invitations from her purse. "Tomorrow, my daughter Ann is hosting a tea party," she announced proudly. "I hope you will all honor us with your presence."

The women eagerly accepted the invitations. One of them asked, "Mrs. Templeton, I heard that Miss Palmer herself will be delivering the signet to Miss Templeton tomorrow. Is that true?"

All eyes turned to Amanda, waiting for her confirmation.

Early that morning, Ann, dressed in a designer gown and custom-made boots, made her way to the Gonzales manor. As she arrived, she found Caitlin in the garden, walking her dog.

Seeing Caitlin, Ann's lips curved into a gentle smile. "Freya."

At the sight of Ann, Monday bared his teeth and let out a low growl.

Ann took a step back from the menacing dog. "Freya, Miss Palmer will be attending my tea party today. I heard you're also good friends with her?"

"What's it to you?" Caitlin replied, keeping a firm grip on Monday's leash.

Ann smiled. See? Caitlin was already on the defensive. Because she barely knew Celia, let alone considered her a friend.

Ann covered her mouth, her eyes glinting with provocation. "Freya, don't be so hostile. I only came because I heard you were best friends with Miss Palmer, and everyone is so curious to see if it's true. I came to personally invite you to my tea party. The only question is, do you dare to come?"