Chapter 44 Damn You, Morgan!
Hearing Elena's name mentioned, Marissa's expression immediately soured. Deep jealousy and irritation were clearly visible in her eyes.
She didn't want their luxurious European vacation to be disrupted just because of the woman she had always considered a walking fundraiser for the Valdez family. Marissa pulled Morgan's arm, forcing him to turn around, then pouted her lips, sulking in an exaggeratedly pitiful manner.
"Go back to New York? But Morgan, we just got to London not long ago! You promised to take me shopping in Paris and Milan this week!" Marissa whined, lightly punching Morgan's chest with her tiny fist.
"Why do you have to bother going back just to deal with a boring woman like Elena? Just let her waste her time with that street man! Isn't that good for us? If she's busy cheating, she won't interfere with our relationship anymore."
"This isn't about feelings, Marissa! This is about reputation!" Morgan snapped, his voice rising, making Marissa flinch back slightly. Morgan gripped Marissa's shoulders with a frustrated expression.
"The Valdez family is ranked third on New York's 'Crown Prince' list. If news spreads that Valdez's daughter-in-law is sleeping with and keeping a gigolo, my father's combined stocks on the exchange could plummet in a single day! I don't care what Elena does in bed, but she cannot ruin my family's name!"
Marissa released Morgan's grip from her shoulders, then crossed her arms with a lazy eye roll.
"If this is just about reputation and name, why do you have to get your own hands dirty, Morgan? You're the main heir of Valdez—your position is too high to visit some rundown apartment and yell at a hired man."
Marissa walked to the table, picked up her juice glass, and looked at Morgan with a cunning smile beginning to form on her lips.
"Just send your father, Old Master Valdez, or your family's trusted people in New York to handle Elena and that gigolo man. You only need to call home from here. Tell your father that his ignorant daughter-in-law is acting up and threatening the family's reputation. Let your father pressure Arthur Vance to discipline his cheap daughter," Marissa said again.
Marissa approached Morgan again, her slender fingers stroking his shirt collar in a teasing motion.
"Your father is much more ruthless and has strong legal authority in New York, doesn't he? Once he snaps his fingers, that little bitch will surely be terrified. That way, you don't have to dirty your hands, and we can continue our trip to Paris this afternoon, darling. What do you think?"
Morgan paused for a moment. Marissa's words slowly seeped into his head, triggering the cunning logic he had always used in the business world. He stared at Elena's photo on his digital tablet once more.
Marissa was right. Why should he waste time and energy flying for over ten hours back to Manhattan just to deal with Elena Vance and her hired man?
If he went home now, Elena might think Morgan still cared about her or was jealous of her affair.
Morgan didn't want to give Elena that kind of emotional satisfaction. To him, Elena was just a chess piece—the key to valuable assets that had to remain in his grasp until the woman turned thirty. He just needed to ensure Elena kept her status as an obedient lawful wife without ruining the Valdez name, while he could continue enjoying his freedom with Marissa in Europe.
A cold, cunning smile finally appeared on Morgan's face. "You're right, Marissa. Sending my father to discipline Elena is a much more effective choice."
Morgan immediately grabbed his phone again, canceling the first-class emergency flight to New York that his personal assistant had just booked at JFK airport. Instead, he searched for the secret contact number that connected directly to his father's office—Bernhard Valdez, the head of the Valdez family, known for being cold-handed and showing no mercy when it came to family dignity.
As soon as the call connected after a few rings, a heavy, authoritative voice of a middle-aged man greeted him from across the ocean. "Morgan. Why are you contacting me from London at this hour? Is there a problem with our investments in England?"
"It's not about investments, Dad," Morgan said, his voice suddenly becoming very formal and calculated. "It's about Elena. My assistant in New York just sent me a report along with photographic evidence that is extremely embarrassing. Last night, at The Grand Gala at Lincoln Center, Elena showed up with an unknown man wearing a dark silver mask. Intelligence reports say that man is a gigolo she hired from a bar in the Meatpacking District."
An eerie silence suddenly crept across the other end of the phone line. Morgan could hear the sound of a heavy, cold sigh from his father. Bernhard Valdez was a man who hated scandal, especially anything involving the institution of marriage that was deliberately designed for business advantage.
"How dare that woman from the Vance family lower my family's dignity in front of New York's public," Bernhard hissed, his voice very low but laden with deadly threat.
"Do you want me to send a legal team to handle their divorce papers, Morgan?"
"Don't, Dad! Don't divorce her now," Morgan cut in quickly, then added, "Did you forget something I told you before? Arthur—yes, what Arthur said to me. Remember, please don't tell me to divorce her right now!"
Morgan paused, his eyes glinting with cunning. "I want you to handle this matter from New York, Dad. Send our people to visit Elena. Give her a stern warning."
"Tell her that if she doesn't immediately end her relationship with that street gigolo and go back to behaving like Mrs. Valdez, we won't hesitate to destroy whatever business property her father Arthur Vance has left until they become homeless. Make her understand her position, but make sure her marital status remains intact for the next three years."
On the other end, Bernhard Valdez smirked slightly, perfectly understanding his son's parasitic plan.
"A good plan, Morgan. I will personally handle my ignorant daughter-in-law tomorrow afternoon. I will make sure that hired man disappears from New York, and Elena will crawl back into her cage obediently. Enjoy your vacation in London."
The phone call ended. Morgan tossed his phone onto the sofa with great satisfaction, then turned to look at Marissa, who was smiling widely, waiting for him with open arms.
"I won't divorce her before the three-year period ends—no way. I have to get something I've been after for a long time, and it has something to do with Elena," Morgan said, a cunning smile hanging on his annoyingly handsome face.