Blizzard First Love and a Wife Who Finally Snaps novel Chapter 435

Daniel had thought that ever since Adrian figured out his own feelings, he had been humble enough in his dealings with Isabel.

He never expected to see an even more humbled version.

“Let me think, it won’t take long…”

Adrian, afraid she would hang up, softened his tone, all his previous arrogance gone.

“Are you talking about… that time when we were first discussing the partnership, when I took you to meet Richard?”

“The time you gave me the fake divorce certificate,” Isabel stated flatly.

He was at a loss for words.

Adrian was, after all, consumed by guilt. “I’m sorry…”

Isabel didn’t want to waste time with him. “Just tell me what you two said when you were alone.”

Adrian didn’t dare provoke her now, but he was also afraid of saying the wrong thing. He had no idea why she was suddenly asking about this.

After a moment of thought, he decided to tell the truth.

“I can’t recall his exact words, but the gist was that unlike some men who didn’t love their wives, he certainly did.”

“But Isabel, men understand men. At the time, I was focused on the partnership, so the real state of his relationship with your friend didn't matter to me. Looking back now, it was most likely an act. I wasn't interested, so I didn't pay much attention or mention it.”

“Did something happen to your friend?”

“Yes,” Isabel said, then hung up.

A sense of dread hit Adrian. He looked at Daniel. “What did I say wrong?”

Daniel couldn’t figure Isabel out either. “She’s probably in a hurry to deal with her friend’s situation,” was all he could say.

“Mr. Blackwell, Mr. Reed’s people already looked into it. They’ve known for a while that Richard has an illegitimate child. The boy is four years old, born before Richard even married his wife’s friend.”

“Why didn’t you find this out before?” The thought that he had once again failed to satisfy Isabel gave Adrian a headache. “This is a big deal. He needed a good marriage to partner with the Blackwell Group, and all the while he was pulling a fast one.”

“It was my oversight.” Daniel hadn’t expected it either; Richard’s performance had been so convincing that it had fooled everyone, including him. “He gave Ms. Caldwell a fortune. It would be hard for anyone to doubt his feelings.”

“A fortune is nothing to him,” Adrian said. “When did the act fall apart?”

“There were signs near the end of last year,” Daniel explained. “The child is older now, probably started calling him ‘daddy,’ so he couldn’t keep it under wraps anymore.”

He handed Adrian a tablet. “He played the part for so many years that he couldn’t get a divorce right away, which is why it dragged on.”

Adrian scrolled through the photos. “When did Julian find out?”

“He knew around the end of last year, maybe even earlier, but he never said anything,” Daniel replied. “During that time, Ms. Caldwell was always with your wife, which gave Richard more opportunities to be with his child. If you hadn’t insisted on keeping Ms. Caldwell busy in Fiorhaven Principality back then, Richard might not have let his guard down.”