Chapter 54 I Wont Give Her the Chance
After her brother's warning, Violet immediately ducked behind her parents and kept her head down.
Charles exploded.
"She's nothing but the daughter of a bankrupt family and now she thinks she can defy us? If she wants a divorce, give her one!"
Alexander's face darkened.
"No."
Eleanor stared at him.
"Why not? Are you waiting for Elsa to sue you and turn your divorce into a citywide scandal?"
Alexander rubbed his brow.
"Why does everyone suddenly want me to divorce her?"
Old Mr. Horton, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
"Alexander, you are the only heir of the Horton family. Everything you say and do represents more than yourself. You represent this family and its future. Since things have reached this point, you need to consider the larger picture."
His tone became a command.
"Before the affair scandal is exposed, finish the divorce quickly. Then deal with that woman and the child."
Alexander's spine stiffened.
"I'll handle my own marriage. None of you interfere."
He turned and walked out.
Old Mr. Horton's sharp eyes followed him.
"A bad wife can ruin three generations. That Whitmore woman has nothing respectable about her and would never be accepted in our circle. Even if Alexander divorces Elsa, that woman and her son will never enter the Horton family."
Charles nodded.
"Father is right."
Eleanor stood.
"I know what to do."
At lunchtime, Eleanor knocked on the door of Serena's residence.
When Serena saw the bodyguards behind her, she immediately stepped aside, nervous.
"Auntie, what brings you here?"
Eleanor corrected her coolly.
"Mrs. Horton."
Serena lowered her head in embarrassment.
The first time she had called Elsa "Dr. Winters," Elsa had corrected her with the same proud composure and ordered her to say "Mrs. Horton."
Eleanor crossed the living room in high heels, glancing around.
"Miss Whitmore, tell me honestly. How many things in this apartment did you buy with your own money?"
Serena had not forgotten their first meeting, when Eleanor had secretly recorded her and nearly used the recording against her.
She chose her words carefully.
"Mrs. Horton, did you come here because something happened?"
Eleanor stopped in the center of the room.
"Nothing serious. I was nearby, so I thought I'd help my daughter-in-law reclaim a few of her things."
The strained smile on Serena's face disappeared.
A bedroom door opened behind her.
Serena quickly pulled Ethan forward.
"Ethan, say hello to Grandma."
"Grandma."
Eleanor looked at him with open disdain.
"Miss Whitmore, I told you before. The Horton family does not recognize this child."
Serena placed a protective hand in front of Ethan.
Her words were soft but pointed.
"Mrs. Horton, whether you acknowledge him or not, Ethan is still your grandson. I'll raise him well. When he grows up, I'll make sure he treats you with filial respect."
Coldness flashed in Eleanor's eyes.
"Then perhaps you should pray he lives long enough to grow up first."
Serena looked up sharply.
Meeting Eleanor's gaze sent a chill down her spine.
Eleanor picked up a cartoon cup from the coffee table.
"Tell me, Miss Whitmore. Does this cup belong to a Horton or a Whitmore?"
Serena's eyes shifted.
"Alexander bought that cup for... for our son."
Before she finished, Eleanor opened her fingers.
The glass shattered on the floor.
Her voice remained gentle.
"If my son even has to pay for a drinking cup, I assume very little in this apartment has anything to do with you."
Serena stared at the floor.
Alexander and Elsa were still legally married.
Every dollar she accepted from Alexander belonged, at least in part, to that marriage. She had no legitimate claim to any of it.
Eleanor raised one hand.
Several bodyguards stepped forward.
She gave Serena a disgusted glance.
"Because you have a child with you, I'll be generous. You have thirty minutes to pack your belongings and leave."
Serena stared at her in disbelief.
"Mrs. Horton, you can't treat Ethan and me this cruelly!"
"This is me being polite. If my son and daughter-in-law truly divorce, I'll show you what cruelty looks like."
The look in Eleanor's eyes stopped Serena from lifting her phone.
Alexander's attitude toward her had become uncertain, and he remained deeply reluctant to divorce Elsa.
This was not the moment to provoke his mother.
Serena swallowed her humiliation and took Ethan into the bedroom to pack.
Thirty minutes later, she emerged pulling a suitcase.
A bodyguard stopped her.
One opened the suitcase to inspect it. Another stepped in front of Serena.
"Miss Whitmore, leave the designer bag on your shoulder."
Serena looked at Eleanor, then removed the bag in shame.
The bodyguard brought over a black trash bag, emptied Serena's personal belongings into it, and handed it to her.
Serena bit her lip so hard it hurt.
After the suitcase was checked, it was returned to her.
With red eyes, she asked, "Mrs. Horton, may we leave now?"
Eleanor set down the small succulent she had been examining and slowly walked toward her.
Her gaze dropped to the black trash bag in Serena's hand.
"Smart people know that changing one's circle can change one's life. But only a fine bird can fly beside a phoenix, and only a beast can run with wolves."
She paused and looked Serena up and down.
"Miss Whitmore, what exactly do you have that qualifies you to stand among them?"
With one last contemptuous look, Eleanor turned and left.
Serena watched her elegant figure disappear.
She was trembling from the effort it took not to explode.
Judging by Eleanor's words, Alexander and Elsa really might be close to divorce.
Then Serena had to seize the opportunity.
She would marry Alexander. She would become the lady of the Horton family.
And one day, that old woman would regret humiliating her like this.
At a little after three that afternoon, movers filled Alexander and Elsa's marital home.
Gavin and Carson directed people carrying valuables out of the upstairs master bedroom and study.
In the courtyard, Lucas looked at Alexander and scoffed.
"Elsa doesn't think the house is dirty. She thinks you are. What exactly do you expect moving houses to accomplish?"
Lucas continued, "As long as you refuse to explain the truth, she won't forgive you. You might as well wait for the divorce papers to arrive."
Alexander stood in a black business suit, his expression unreadable.
"Letting her continue her training abroad gives her time to calm down. I won't give her the chance to sue me for divorce."
The words had barely left his mouth when a taxi stopped outside.
Serena climbed out, crying.