The Ugly Wife’s Stunning Comeback novel Chapter 314

There were strings attached. A closer look at the contract revealed Max’s demand for a specific rate of return, a target the company had to hit.

Felicia glanced up at him. “What is this supposed to mean?”

He didn’t bother to hide his impatience. “Don’t tell me you can’t figure it out.”

Their exchange felt more like a standoff than any kind of negotiation. Any other company would have celebrated an investment this size, considered it a win worth toasting. But with Max, Felicia couldn’t tell what game he was playing.

She set the contract aside and met his gaze, refusing to back down. “Mr. Hawthorne, if you can’t give me a real explanation, I’m not signing anything.”

She expected him to launch into one of his lectures, but instead, he answered her straight. “If you love your job so much, then focus on working. Really working.”

Her heart clenched. Right now, the company was stable. She didn’t need to handle every little thing herself. But if she took his money, peace would go out the window. He was ready to throw a fortune at her just to make things harder.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not a good enough reason. If that’s how it is, Mr. Hawthorne, you can pull your investment.”

He smirked. “You sound pretty sure of yourself. Planning to have Jeremy take over for you?”

Felicia’s jaw tightened. “Max, just say what you really want.”

He stared at her, his voice dropping. “Move back to Oakridge Estate. Take care of Anne.”

She froze, then let out a bitter laugh. “So you want to build Anne a picture-perfect family that’s nothing but a lie. Max, don’t you see how selfish that is? You say you love her, you want her to have everything, but you can’t break up with Andrea.

“Anne’s going to grow up. One day, she’ll realize her father cheated on her mother, that he didn’t care about her at all in the beginning. Even when she was in danger, you didn’t bother…”

“That’s enough!” His voice was ice-cold, slicing through her words.

Felicia flinched under his furious glare. She forced herself to breathe, steadying her nerves. “Max, I’m not letting you pull my strings. Do whatever you want.”

She wanted to say something, but lost her nerve and left in silence.

Downstairs, Felicia climbed into her car and sank back into the seat, completely drained. She pressed a hand to her forehead, suddenly dizzy, her breaths coming rough and uneven.

Tommy, her driver, noticed right away. “Ms. Ross, are you alright? Should I drive you to the hospital?”

Felicia didn’t answer right away. She just stared out the window, lost in thought.

After a long pause, she finally muttered, “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Tommy wasn’t convinced. “I really think you should get checked out. You don’t look well. If something happens to your health, it won’t be good for anyone.”

In the end, Tommy drove her to the hospital anyway. The doctor gave Felicia something to help calm her nerves.