Chapter 79 No Need to Use This Trick
He took long strides and stepped out of The Hughes Manor.
Rocking a dark suit, he dialed up Alvin.
He gave him the lowdown on what went down.
On the other end, Alvin sounded iffy. "Mr. Howard, if you pull this, Mrs. Howard's gonna get the wrong idea again. Why not just talk to her straight up? No need for these games."
Raymond held the phone and smirked coldly. "If you don't wanna do it, then quit."
Alvin caved. "I'll get on it." But he couldn't even imagine how Margaret would react when she found out.
Margaret didn't catch a wink all night.
She read the divorce papers over and over, staring at his signature.
His handwriting was sharp and cold, just like him.
It was done; everything was wrapping up.
The good, the bad, all of it was coming to an end.
Next morning, at 8 AM, Margaret got up and washed up. She picked out a red down jacket she’d only worn once.
It was from when she first met Raymond.
Later, when they started dating, he said red wasn’t her color, too flashy, and he didn’t like it.
So, she never wore it again.
Since it was the end, it needed a proper send-off. From today on, she’d eat what she wanted and wear what she wanted.
No more worrying about anyone else’s feelings.
After changing, she tied her hair up high.
She sat at the vanity, slapped on a face mask, and did her makeup.
Her pale face instantly lit up with the makeup.
She’d always been good at makeup and loved dressing up. She was a campus beauty back in college.
She had tons of admirers, and Sarah always envied her makeup skills.
But Raymond didn’t like girls with makeup. He’d say, "You’re beautiful without it, naturally beautiful. No need for all that extra stuff."
To keep him happy, she stopped wearing makeup after they got together.
All those cosmetics just sat there, unused.
She still wore a sparkling diamond ring on her finger, the wedding ring Raymond gave her.
Her eyes fell on the ring. He didn’t even want to buy it; she had to coax him into it.
The ring was cheap, just ten grand.
The jewelry store owner tried to push the priciest ones, the ones costing millions.
She could afford it, but she didn’t want to hurt Raymond’s pride.
She picked the cheapest, most low-key diamond ring.
She’d worn it for years, through showers, sleep, even when he treated her coldly for a year, even on the day she was diagnosed with cancer and found out he’d taken wedding photos with Sarah, she never took it off.
But today, it had to come off.
Warm tears welled up and fell on the wedding ring.
She couldn’t bear to part with it, but she couldn’t accept Raymond’s intent to harm her and his attitude towards her family.
The ring was easy to put on but hard to take off, maybe because her fingers had gotten a bit chubby.
She struggled to remove the ring, and her finger instantly turned red and swollen.
Margaret tossed the ring into the trash can.
She walked to the closet, grabbed a black handbag from a shelf full of luxury bags, and picked a pair of khaki snow boots from the shoe rack.
She headed out.
At the Family Court, she checked her watch; it was only nine-thirty.
The Family Court was already buzzing.
Inside, it was like a supermarket, people everywhere.
Most of them were there for divorces.
A long row of tables was already packed.
Men and women of all ages were busy filling out forms.
No extra seats.
She walked out, thinking of calling Raymond, but then remembered he’d blocked her on WhatsApp and phone.
Even if she called, he probably wouldn’t pick up.
Margaret took a selfie at the entrance of the Family Court and sent it to him, telling him to hurry up.
No response.
Margaret called Alvin.
Alvin picked up right away. "Mrs. Howard, what can I do for you?"
He was always super respectful, using very polite language.
Margaret pursed her lips. "Where's Raymond? I sent him a message, but he didn't reply."
"Mr. Howard's in a meeting," Alvin said, "He might not have seen your message."
"Alvin, can you please get him to the Family Court? I've been here for a while," Margaret said.
Alvin's eyelid twitched. "Family Court? Mrs. Howard, what are you doing there?"
"He knows what's up. Just remind him," Margaret said.
Alvin sighed. "Hold on, Mrs. Howard. I'll go check."
"Thanks, Alvin."
"No worries." Alvin hung up.
Margaret exhaled. What was going on? He said he'd be at the Family Court by ten, and now he was still in a meeting? Was he messing with her?
At the entrance of The Hughes Group's meeting room, Alvin, holding his phone, walked to the meeting room door. Today's meeting was pretty private, so he wasn't in it.
Raymond hated being interrupted while working.
Barging in could get him into trouble.
But Alvin thought about Margaret waiting at the Family Court and knew he had to do something.
Margaret had always been kind to him; she even introduced him to his wife.
Getting scolded didn't matter.
Alvin was about to push the door open when someone inside did it first.
Shareholders and execs filed out of the room.
Soon, only Raymond was left inside.
Raymond picked up the phone on the table, pressed a button, and the screen lit up.
There was a new message from an unknown number: [Raymond, what are you doing? I'm already at the Family Court. Hurry up and come.]
Alvin's voice rang out. "Mr. Howard."
Raymond turned off the phone and placed it back on the desk. "Let me finish this cigarette first."
Raymond's cold lips interrupted, pulling a cigarette from the pack on the table. The lighter clicked, and the flame licked the cigarette tip.
The tobacco glowed as Raymond took a deep drag, turning bright red.
White smoke rolled in his lungs before he slowly exhaled.
Through the fragmented smoke, Alvin's hesitant face appeared.
Raymond, through the swirling smoke, looked at him expressionlessly. "Shoot."
Alvin felt a chill down his spine under Raymond's gaze but kept his cool. "Mr. Howard, Mrs. Howard just called me. She's waiting for you at the Family Court."
"That tie, you picked it, right?" Raymond's hand holding the cigarette trembled, and ash fell into the large, round ashtray.
Alvin was momentarily surprised but quickly got it. He lowered his head and said, "Mr. Howard, I lied to you."
Raymond smiled at him, smoking with an air of nobility, his tone full of warning and coldness. "Alvin, this is the last time I warn you. Think carefully about who your boss is and who you should be loyal to. If you ever make decisions on your own and help her deceive me again, you know the consequences."
Alvin nodded. "It won't happen again."
Raymond said, extinguishing the cigarette in the ashtray, "Your salary for this year is docked."
Alvin said, "Understood."
Alvin dared not object. Raymond was always decisive and ruthless. Not firing him was already a mercy.
Raymond added, "Notify all department managers and supervisors of The Hughes Group to come to the meeting room for a report."
Alvin's eyelid twitched. Raymond never dealt with lower-level departments.
That was always handled by other execs.
Today, it was clear he was using this as an excuse.
But Margaret was still waiting at the Family Court.
Seeing Alvin's hesitation, Raymond touched his chin and sneered, "Can't I give you orders anymore?"
Alvin replied, "I'll get right on it."
Alvin turned to leave, and Raymond added, "If she calls you again, you know what to say."
"Yes, Mr. Howard," Alvin said, pushing open the glass door and leaving the meeting room.
Many of the department heads were unfamiliar faces to Alvin.
One by one, they entered, and the sound of folders slamming on the desk echoed from the meeting room, along with Raymond's scolding.
Alvin didn't go in; he knew Raymond was furious.
His phone suddenly vibrated in his hand, making Alvin jump.
He glanced at the screen and rubbed his forehead. It was Margaret calling.
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