Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 264

Celestine offered a pleasant smile to the man across from her. “You must be Mr. Ivan Brady?”

“Yes, Miss Selwyn.”

Malloy Brady settled into the chair opposite, a knowing smile flickering on his lips.

He shared a last name with Ivan Brady.

Whether or not he was the lawyer she was waiting for, well, if he said he was, then that settled it.

After a few cautious questions, he was convinced she didn’t suspect a thing. Malloy decided to cut straight to the chase.

“With the Fordham family’s influence in Portside, if you file for divorce now and your husband decides to fight dirty, the division of assets won’t be in your favor.”

Celestine’s brow tightened with worry. “How much can I expect to get?”

Malloy slid a stack of documents across the table, tapping a section he’d circled. “Somewhere between two and three.”

“Two or three million?” Celestine’s tone climbed with hope.

“Two or three hundred thousand.”

Malloy shook his head, his face growing grave.

Celestine snatched up the paperwork, her shock barely contained. “That can’t be right.”

“With both children living with him, you’d actually owe double the usual child support out of that amount,” Malloy explained, feigning regret while carefully watching for her reaction.

Celestine’s expression turned stony. “I have proof Chester cheated. Doesn't that entitle me to a better settlement?”

Malloy pretended to be surprised, his eyes lighting up. “If you can guarantee that evidence is genuine, then yes, theoretically, it could change everything.”

Celestine gave him a puzzled look. “Mr. Brady, I’m sure we discussed this before.”

Malloy cleared his throat, forcing a sheepish smile. “Apologies, Miss Selwyn. We handle so many cases at the firm, things get mixed up. If you could just send the video evidence to my email, I’ll have my team review it and give you a new assessment.”

“You mean, right now?” Celestine hesitated, her fingers hovering over her phone. “Just send it straight to you?”

He waved a hand dismissively. “Sending it directly is risky—messages get lost all the time.”

He eagerly spun his laptop around, opening up a new email draft for her. “Here, just upload it to this address.”

Celestine nodded.

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