THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 1181

"Oh, sweetie, your father and I don't need anything." After a moment, as if a thought struck her, Elsa's mother added, "By the way, where's Xander? Where did he go?"

Elsa hadn't told her parents that Xander wanted a divorce. She was afraid they would worry, afraid of the gossip from relatives and friends.

For the past several days, she had been living alone in a rented apartment.

Hearing the question, Elsa forced a smile. "Xander's been so busy with his new startup. He's out before dawn and back late at night. I barely even see him."

Her mother nodded. "It's good for young men to be busy. I knew from the moment I met him that Xander was a reliable one!"

Elsa's mother was quite pleased with her son-in-law. He wasn't just handsome and well-educated with a decent family background; most importantly, he was ambitious and treated her daughter well. A son-in-law like him was a rare find.

Reliable?

Elsa's smile remained plastered on her face, but a bitter taste filled her mouth.

Once upon a time, she too had thought Xander was one of the good ones.

But the reality?

He was the lowest of the low, a scumbag beyond redemption.

Before Elsa could say anything, her mother continued, "Elsa, starting a business is incredibly hard work. It takes time before anything pays off. You need to cut Xander some slack and have his back, okay? Don't turn everything into a fight. Keeping your marriage solid matters more than winning every argument."

As a woman with life experience, Elsa's mother knew when newlyweds were most likely to argue. She worried more about her daughter being unsupportive than her son-in-law mistreating her because everything she had seen of Xander convinced her he was a responsible, upstanding man. In her eyes, as long as her daughter cherished the marriage, their happiness was guaranteed.

Elsa just nodded. "I know, Mom."

Her mother was about to say more, but Elsa pulled a new blouse from the bag. "Mom, why don't you go try this on?"

"Alright, I'll go try it." Her mother took the blouse and went happily into her room to change.

A few minutes later, she emerged, beaming.

It was Elsa's father.

"Dad." Elsa quickly hid the complicated emotions in her eyes. "I bought you some new clothes. Come and try them on."

"Elsa, you're back! Where's Xander? Didn't he come with you? It's been ages since I had a drink with him." Her father's reaction was identical to her mother's; his first question was about Xander.

Before Elsa could answer, her mother chimed in. "Xander's busy with his startup, so Elsa came back by herself."

"Oh, I see." Her father nodded, changing his shoes at the entrance, and didn't press the matter.

Elsa handed the new clothes to him.

Her father went to change with a smile.

When he came out, something seemed to occur to him. "By the way, Elsa, have Miss Kensington and Gertrude returned from their trip yet? I feel like I haven't heard you mention them in a long time."