THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 396

Andrea’s eyes brimmed with worry by the end of the conversation.

After all, they’d signed a bet-on agreement with Caitlin.

If Caitlin really managed to bring Gonzales Holdings up to international standards within six months, what would happen to them? Would they truly have to walk away from Gonzales Holdings with nothing but the clothes on their backs?

Leo let out a sharp laugh. “Webster, you’re overthinking this! Freya? She’s just a nobody from the sticks! You really think she can come up with some breakthrough product in six months? That’s pure fantasy!”

Six months? Even if you gave Caitlin a year, ten years, she’d never get Gonzales Holdings on the global map.

Andrea licked his dry lips. “That may be, but Freya’s still Stuart’s daughter.”

Stuart. The name alone carried weight.

Twenty years ago, he singlehandedly propelled Gonzales Holdings to the pinnacle of the skincare industry. Before Stuart took the helm, Gonzales Holdings was just another obscure, struggling company. After he fell from grace, Keira had kept the business afloat with the formulas and business acumen he left behind.

That alone was a testament to Stuart’s formidable talent. If fate hadn’t cut his life short, the Gonzales family would be more than just the top name in The Capital—they’d be the undisputed kings of Eldermere by now.

But the past had no “what ifs.”

Andrea hesitated, then added, “They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m worried Freya might actually have some real ability. Maybe… maybe we should have a backup plan.”

Leo only laughed harder. “‘Like father, like daughter’? Even if she’s Stuart’s child, so what? She spent nineteen years in some backwater, never touched the cosmetics business, probably didn’t even get a decent chemistry class. How’s she supposed to develop a product? Don’t make me laugh. And if she really inherited even a tenth of Stuart’s talent, would she have already been divorced at her age? That just proves the girl’s an airhead. We don’t need to do anything—once six months are up, we’ll throw her out on her ear.”

Leo had never taken Caitlin seriously. She was just a clueless, naïve girl—he could crush her with a single finger.

Suddenly, Gordon paused. His sharp gaze swept forward, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He didn’t say a word, but the air around him seemed to crackle with authority.

Noticing the shift, Skyler slowed his pace and followed Gordon’s line of sight. In the crowd ahead, he spotted Farrell.

Skyler’s curiosity got the better of him. “Uncle, do you know Farrell?”

“Not really,” Gordon replied, looking away, his expression making it clear he didn’t want to discuss it.

“I thought you two might,” Skyler pressed, then brightened as a thought occurred to him. “Hey, Gordon, I heard the Ryan and Gonzales families once arranged a childhood engagement between their kids!”

“An engagement?” Gordon’s brow furrowed. “Who with who?”