THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 744

He began a serious self-assessment.

A bad reputation? He didn't think so. Gordon wracked his brain but couldn't recall any scandals or ill-rumors attached to his name. To be sure, he sent a quick text to his assistant.

[Are you there?]

The reply was instantaneous: [Yes, Master Ninth. How may I assist you?]

[Do I have a bad reputation?]

The assistant stared at the message, certain he was seeing things. Why would Master Ninth ask such a strange question? Even if there were rumors about him being a bit frugal, it wouldn't affect him in the slightest. After rereading the text several times, the assistant typed back: [Master Ninth, your reputation has always been stellar. You have never had any negative press.]

Gordon breathed a sigh of relief. Step one, cleared.

Now for step two. Character, appearance, family background, education, career, experience, and finances. On these points, Gordon was quietly confident.

That left the final step. Cater to his interests. It seemed he had some research to do on his future father-in-law.

That night, the light in Gordon's study stayed on until the early hours of the morning.

—

Valerium.

Inside a luxurious old castle, a noblewoman in her forties woke from a nightmare, her forehead slick with sweat.

"Ah!" she screamed, clutching her head as a splitting pain shot through her skull. It took several long moments for the pain to subside and for her breathing to return to normal.

For twenty years, she had been haunted by the same dream: a horrific car crash and the sound of a baby's wailing, a piercing, heartbroken cry. They were strangers, events that had nothing to do with her, yet every time she woke, tears streamed down her face, soaking her pillow. Flavia couldn't understand why the dream left her with such a profound sense of grief.

Flavia nodded. She was a widow and an orphan, with no family in Valerium other than the Dowager. Twenty years ago, while traveling in Eldermere, she and her husband, Quinton Vance, had been in an accident. Quinton had died in the ensuing fire while protecting her. The trauma had caused her to lose her memory. She couldn't recall anything about her past, not even how the fire had started. By the time she awoke, her husband had been dead for over a year. To avoid painful memories, her mother-in-law had moved the entire family to Valerium.

Flavia had a small appetite. After finishing a small sandwich, she looked at the Dowager and spoke hesitantly. "Mother, I've been having that nightmare again. The car crash, the baby crying… I… I was wondering if I could go back for a visit?"

Flavia didn't know why she wanted to return to Eldermere, but the urge was overwhelming. An instinct deep within her told her that the answers she sought were there.

The car crash. The crying baby.

At these words, the Dowager's face went pale. "No," she said, her voice like ice.

"Mother…"

"You wretched girl! Don't you dare look at me with that pathetic expression!" The Dowager suddenly stood up and hurled her fork at Flavia. Flavia couldn't dodge in time, and the tines raked across her cheek, leaving a deep gash that immediately began to bleed. "You shameless harlot! I know what you're really after! You're desperate to go back and find some man, aren't you? Well, let me tell you, it will never happen! My son died because of you! You owe it to him to remain a widow. You were born into the Vance family, and you will die a ghost of the Vance family!"