Chapter 512 Pulling Out All the Stops
"So you finally got cold feet?" Garrett teased Caleb.
"That's called respecting women—being a gentleman, not picking fights with ladies," Caleb defended himself.
Garrett rolled his eyes. "Keep telling yourself that."
With Audrey's push, things between Lila and Owen accelerated rapidly. What was supposed to be Owen's grandfather's birthday celebration somehow transformed into an engagement party for the two families.
Owen's grandfather, caught up in the excitement, announced right then and there that the wedding would take place in May.
Lila froze on the spot. It was already early April, meaning they had barely a month to prepare.
Victoria and the others just smiled at her, encouraging her to accept the inevitable. What choice did she have? All of Ridgewood now knew she was marrying Owen. If she objected now, she'd be tarnishing both the Scott and Rodriguez family reputations.
She couldn't believe how quickly things had spiraled—how had she gone from single to engaged in just a few days?
Gradually, as the wedding date approached, Lila resigned herself to marrying Owen. She stopped fighting it, mainly because resistance seemed futile.
Then, a week before the wedding, Marlowe returned—something neither Victoria nor Lila had anticipated. She'd arrived without any warning.
"Marlowe, what are you doing back? Did Grant force you to come?" Lila asked, furrowing her brow.
Previously, Marlowe had missed Victoria's wedding due to pregnancy complications.
"No, I wanted to come back myself," Marlowe explained. "I missed Victoria's wedding, but I couldn't miss yours too. I didn't tell you in advance—wanted to surprise you."
"Thank goodness it's a nice surprise, not a shock," Lila sighed with relief. "You're so precious right now—if anything happened to you, we'd never forgive ourselves."
"Don't worry," Marlowe assured them. "Elliot escorted me the whole way."
Both women looked curious.
"Grant doesn't know you're here, does he?" Lila guessed.
At the mention of Grant, Marlowe maintained perfect composure, as if he were merely a stranger. She didn't answer, just offered a faint smile.
The women immediately understood.
Meanwhile, back in Sunset Town in the Kingdom of Serenia, Grant eagerly went to find Marlowe, only to discover she was gone.
"Mr. Scott, they say Mrs. Scott has left and taken her luggage," Kevin reported nervously, taking a step back in anticipation of his boss's reaction. "She didn't tell them where she was going."
Grant froze momentarily. His handsome, chiseled face instantly hardened with frost-like coldness.
"Find her," he commanded icily.
"Right away, sir." Kevin turned to make calls.
Grant had thought she wouldn't run again, but clearly he was wrong.
Back with the three women, the conversation flowed easily.
"So Marlowe, are you back for good this time? Or...?" Lila inquired.
Marlowe paused before answering. "After your wedding, I'll visit my parents. I'll probably stay with them."
For years, because of Grant, she had neglected her parents and hurt them. Now she wanted to live for herself.
Hearing this, Lila realized Grant's journey to win back his wife would be a long one. He'd found Marlowe weeks ago but made zero progress.
Victoria gently patted Marlowe's shoulder. "Do whatever makes you comfortable. Don't worry about anything else."
Marlowe understood her meaning and nodded.
Meanwhile, Kevin quickly discovered Marlowe's whereabouts. She hadn't tried to hide her tracks—she didn't want to live in hiding anymore. She wasn't a criminal; she hadn't killed anyone or broken any laws. Why should she hide?
She'd realized that running wouldn't solve anything. Why couldn't she live openly and happily?
When Grant learned she'd returned to Ridgewood, he couldn't wait to leave. "We're going back to Ridgewood immediately!"
He wondered if her willingness to return meant she'd changed her mind about the divorce. The thought brightened his mood considerably, something Kevin couldn't help but notice.
They arrived in Ridgewood the next day. The moment they landed, Grant asked, "Where is she now?"
Kevin hesitated before answering. "Mrs. Scott is currently staying in an apartment owned by Mr. Sullivan."
As expected, Grant's expression darkened instantly.
Marlowe had just finished breakfast and was about to go for a walk to help with her mild foot swelling when she opened the door and found the last person she wanted to see standing there.
Grant was equally surprised by her sudden appearance. They both froze momentarily.
Marlowe recovered first and tried to close the door, but Grant quickly placed his hand on the doorknob.
She startled and stopped pushing, realizing she could have injured his hand.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly, clearly irritated. "I've told you many times—if you're here to sign divorce papers, I'm all for it. Otherwise, I'm not interested."
Grant's intense gaze fixed on her. "Come home with me."
Marlowe let out a cold laugh. "Home?"
Faced with her coldness and contempt, Grant felt powerless for the first time in his life.
"Mr. Scott, you seem to have forgotten that we're in the process of divorcing. That's your home, not mine," she said.
"Marlowe, I've told you, we're not getting divorced," he insisted.
"But I want a divorce!" Marlowe raised her voice. "Mr. Scott, you said you wanted to make things right. Fine. I don't want your compensation. I just want a divorce. That's all I want."
Grant was too angry to speak. His facial muscles tensed as he said, "Marlowe, if you want a divorce, give me the child after it's born, and I'll agree."
Hearing this, Marlowe grew even angrier. "Grant, this is my child. What right do you have to take my baby? I won't give the child to you!"
"This child is mine too!"
"I told you this child has nothing to do with you!"
Grant smirked confidently. "That's not for you to decide. Once the baby is born, I'll get a paternity test."
Marlowe fell silent, her chest heaving with anger.
Kevin, standing in the hallway listening to their argument, grew increasingly anxious. Why couldn't Grant just let it go? What if Marlowe had pregnancy complications again?
"Don't be upset. I just don't want you staying here," Grant said, his tone suddenly softening.
But Marlowe, caught up in her anger, didn't notice the change.
She stubbornly looked at him. "Grant, once this child is born and proven not to be yours, you must agree to divorce me!"
Though reluctant to accept such an outrageous demand, Grant nodded. "I can agree to that, but I have one condition."
Marlowe was willing to negotiate as long as he agreed to the divorce. She had her ways to prove the child wasn't his.
"What is it?"
"Come home with me. I'm not comfortable with you living alone here."
"Absolutely not." Marlowe rejected the idea without a second's consideration.
Living with him was out of the question.
"Then forget about the divorce—forever," Grant countered.
Marlowe stared at him in disbelief. "You..."
She increasingly couldn't understand what he wanted. He seemed like a completely different person now.
Even her repeated insistence that the child wasn't his didn't faze him.
"Mr. Scott, you're not usually this stubborn," she said through gritted teeth. "I have no value to you anymore. Why are you clinging to me? I've already repaid my debt with five years of my life. Isn't that enough?"
Grant looked at her and calmly uttered one word, "You."
"What?"
Marlowe froze, not understanding.
Seeing her intense gaze, he continued, "Don't worry. If you come home, I won't do anything to you. I just want to see you every day. You can go wherever you want—as long as you're safe, I won't interfere."
His words and gentle tone frightened Marlowe. They suggested this wasn't the Grant she knew.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and asked, "What if I refuse to go with you?"
Grant glanced inside the apartment and said stubbornly, "Then I'll stay here with you."
Marlowe fell silent. She was exasperated.
What game was he playing now?
"I won't go back to Jakarda City with you," she finally refused.
"That's fine," he said. "We can stay in Ridgewood, but in my house."
Marlowe eventually gave in, mainly because she wanted peace. She couldn't handle him showing up at her door constantly.
She agreed to live under the same roof, but that didn't mean she was giving up on the divorce. That was non-negotiable.
She informed Victoria and Lila of the arrangement. Neither offered much opinion.
Lila, however, was curious about Grant's outrageous tactics. Where had he learned to be so shameless and persistent? This wasn't his usual style at all.
He was truly using every trick in the book.
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