THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 147

"Come on, let's go inside and talk," Keira said, wiping her tears and linking arms with Hannah as they walked into the house together.

The housekeeper had already set out tea and a tray of pastries—specialties from the city.

Hannah and Stephanie hadn't been back to the city in years, so it only made sense to let them sample the local treats.

After a while, once the two older women seemed to have calmed down, Stephanie suggested, "Mom, why don't you ask Keira to take us to see Stuart?"

The real reason for their visit, aside from seeing Keira, was to check in on Stuart.

Hannah nodded.

Keira rose from her chair. "Come on, Stephanie, Hannah, let's head this way."

Stuart lived alone in a separate wing.

His room had once been the newlyweds'—the very place he and Carey shared after their wedding.

Framed photos of their wedding still hung on the walls, alongside a picture of Freya as an infant, and the little crib Freya had slept in was still tucked in the corner.

Even Freya's favorite stuffed bear was still nestled in there.

The room was full of warmth and memories.

As soon as Hannah and Stephanie stepped inside, it was as if the happy scenes of Stuart, Carey, and little Freya together played vividly before their eyes.

Both women felt a heavy ache in their chests.

Their eyes stung again, and the composure they'd struggled to regain began to falter.

Keira walked over to the bed. "Stuart, your mother and Stephanie have come to see you."

Stuart lay there, unresponsive.

Tears welled in Hannah's eyes. She reached for Stuart's hand. "Stuart, you have to get better. Only when you wake up can we find out who really hurt your family. I swear, I'll see that those who wronged you pay for what they've done. I won't let them get away with this!"

Just as Keira had suspected, Hannah had always believed the accident that killed her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter wasn't just a random tragedy.

Stuart was the only one who'd survived.

Only he could reveal the truth—if he ever woke up.

Once they were outside, Ann glanced back over her shoulder, curiosity getting the better of her. "Mom, do you really think Uncle Stuart's accident was no accident?"

Amanda narrowed her eyes. "Even the police couldn't prove foul play. Honestly, it's just something they tell themselves to feel better."

Ann clung to her mother's arm, grinning. "Well, I'm just glad you and Dad couldn't make it that day. If you'd been in that car, it would've been us instead."

Amanda's face gave nothing away as she replied, "Everyone has their fate. Maybe that was just Stuart and Carey's family's destiny—to come into this world, leave nothing behind, and take nothing with them."

Whereas their own family, Amanda thought to herself, was destined for fortune and power. No one was going to take that away from them.

"Yes, that's just how life is. You never know what fate has in store until the very end." Ann tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Freya was supposed to inherit the Gonzales estate, but now everything's changed."

Now she was the heir, the chosen one of the Gonzales family.

Freya was just a memory—a dead girl.

Once Keira was gone, she would waste no time changing Gonzales Holdings into Templeton Group.

She'd once thought, out of respect for her mother, she might keep the old name. But not anymore.