Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Compared to Rosita Lockwood, Lorna was a dream come true for him.

He grinned. "Out of all Stewart's women, you're the one who satisfies me most, Lorna. Just remember to always be as clever as you are right now, understood?"

Lorna opened the driver's side door, leaned in, and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Understood, Mr. Lockwood."

That was her special name for Barrie.

Barrie's Adam's apple bobbed as his grip tightened around her waist, clearly intending more—when a car horn blared impatiently behind them.

A frazzled driver stuck her head out the window. "Hey, the cars up front are gone! Could you hurry it up? I have to pick up my kid from school!"

Few things carry more pent-up frustration than a parent on the school run.

Lorna quickly pulled open the back door and nudged Barrie inside, shutting it behind him. She flashed the other driver an apologetic smile. "Sorry, we're moving, thanks for your patience!"

She slid into the driver's seat, pressed the gas, and pulled ahead.

As they passed Briony, Lorna noticed James Delaney had appeared at some point. Through the window, their eyes met for a brief moment.

In that split second, Lorna caught the contempt in James's gaze-sharp and unmistakable.

She arched an eyebrow, then turned away as if unaffected, though her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.

Damn it. Had James just seen her kiss Barrie like that?

James had been nearby when Briony called, so he drove straight over. The moment he parked and got out, he saw Lorna lean in and kiss Barrie.

From where he stood, it looked like her lips were pressed right up against Barrie's. James let out a cold, derisive snort and tore his gaze away, heading over to Briony.noveldrama

Still, a sharp, bitter thought twisted through him: Typical gold-digger-her eyes never stray from power. She'll even kiss a snake like Barrie if it gets her ahead.

Briony had already called the

dealership; the car would be towed for repairs, and the insurance company would handle the rest. She

rest.

didn't have to worry about a thing.

It worked out, because she and James were heading to Elderview for business in

a few days-they wouldn't need the car.

That evening, Cedric Clarke took Stella Joyner and Aster home as well.

After spending over two weeks at Skybreeze Retreat, there wasn't much point in

staying now that both Briony and James would be away.

The next morning, Briony and James set out for Elderview.

This trip had a special purpose: they were heading down into a tomb.

Carney Winslow and several experts from The Antiquarian Society would be joining them.

It was Briony's first official time descending into a burial site since entering the field—a brand new challenge for her.

What was supposed to be a four-day work trip stretched into a full week.

And in that week, a few major events shook Northborough.

The Wentworth family threw a lavish party, where Fred Wentworth, as head of the family, announced that Ferdinand Ellsworth was his only son. He declared that Stewart had no blood relation to him or the Wentworth family, claiming Stewart was the product of an affair between Fiona Clarke and some

nameless lover.

The party had invited all of Northborough's major media outlets. Overnight, Stewart went from prestigious heir to illegitimate nobody.

At the same time, The Wentworth Group's official website posted an announcement: Ferdinand was now the company's new president, and from that moment on, neither the group nor the family would have anything further to do with Stewart.

For three days, Northborough buzzed with gossip and speculation over the major

shake-up within the Wentworth family and their company.

As for Stewart, one of the story's central figures, he vanished without a trace.

By the fourth day, the public frenzy began to die down.

Just as everyone assumed the matter was settled, an anonymous exposé suddenly dropped online in the dead of night—