Chapter 77
"Jeffrey, I'm begging you, please divorce Freya!" Phoenix grabbed Jeffrey's hand, her tone pleading. "A woman like that will tear this family apart sooner or later. I can't take this anymore!"
Jeffrey frowned, his emotions in turmoil.
He felt sorry for Phoenix and knew Freya had gone too far this time. Those famous paintings were Wesley's treasures, and now they were ruined. Anyone would be angry.
But he hesitated—after all, Freya was the woman he loved most.
"Mom, please focus on getting better. I understand the situation, and I'll talk things through with Freya," Jeffrey said soothingly. "Please don't be angry anymore. Your health is what matters."
"Talk things through? How?" Phoenix wouldn't let it go. "She's completely unreasonable! Today she ruins paintings, tomorrow she'll do something even worse!"
"Jeffrey, you have to choose between her and me! Either divorce her, or I'm moving out and never coming back to this house!"
Phoenix's attitude was firm.
Jeffrey looked at Phoenix's determined eyes, feeling even more conflicted. "Mom, please don't force me. Give me some time, and I'll handle this."
After much persuading, he finally calmed Phoenix down, promising to give her an answer soon.
Leaving Phoenix's room, Jeffrey returned to his and Freya's place with a dark expression.
As soon as he walked in, he saw the living room in complete disarray.
Kaida was holding scissors, randomly cutting the expensive cashmere carpet in the living room. Several holes had already appeared in it.
"Kaida! What are you doing!" Jeffrey shouted.
Kaida jumped, dropping the scissors. She looked up at Jeffrey's dark face with some fear in her eyes, but still said stubbornly, "I thought it was fun."
Freya came out of the bedroom. Seeing this scene, she said casually, "Jeffrey, you're back? Kaida was just curious, playing around."
"Playing around?" Jeffrey looked at the carpet cut to pieces, then thought of the paintings Phoenix mentioned. His anger flared instantly. "Do you have any idea how much this carpet costs? And earlier today, you let Kaida draw on Grandpa's collection of paintings. What are you trying to do?"
"Those paintings are all ruined, and you made my mom so angry she fainted. She's still lying in bed!"
The smile froze on Freya's face. "I didn't know those paintings were so valuable. Besides, I didn't do it on purpose. Kaida was bored at home—I couldn't just let her play."
"Being bored means she can ruin things?" Jeffrey looked at Freya, utterly disappointed. "When Ophelia was here, she never let Kaida be this spoiled. She taught Kaida what she could and couldn't do. Look at you—all you do is indulge her!"
At the mention of Ophelia, Freya's expression changed instantly. "Jeffrey, what are you saying? Are you comparing me to Ophelia? If she's so great, why don't you go find her!"
"What's wrong with indulging my child? Kaida is an Adams family child—what's wrong with spoiling her a little? Those things are meant to be used. If they're ruined, just buy new ones. Do you really need to get this angry?"
Jeffrey looked at her unreasonable attitude, his anger growing. "Buy? Can those famous paintings be bought back with money? My mom's high blood pressure flared up, and she fainted because of this. Don't you feel guilty at all?"
"What do I have to feel guilty about?" Freya lost her temper too. "Your mom is just petty, getting upset over nothing. What does that have to do with me?"
"Jeffrey, you're deliberately picking a fight today, aren't you? You've been looking down on me for a while now, haven't you?"
They argued more and more fiercely. Kaida stood to the side, too scared to speak.
Jeffrey looked at Freya, his disappointment deepening.
"I don't want to argue with you." Jeffrey took a deep breath and pointed at Kaida. "Kaida, go stand in the corner. Think about what you did wrong!"
"And from now on, no more ruining things randomly, or you won't be allowed to play with toys anymore!"
Kaida pouted, not wanting to obey.
"Go now!" Jeffrey's tone became more severe.
Freya immediately stepped in front of Kaida. "Jeffrey, don't go too far! Kaida is still young—don't scare her!"
"I'm going too far?" Jeffrey laughed coldly. "It's because you keep indulging her like this that she has no manners! She's standing in the corner today!"
They argued again, and finally, Jeffrey, despite Freya's objections, insisted on making Kaida stand in the corner.
Freya cried in anger. "Jeffrey, you're a jerk! You don't care about Kaida and me at all!"
Jeffrey looked at her, crying and making a scene, feeling extremely annoyed. "I don't want to talk to you right now. I'm sleeping in the guest room."
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Freya watched his back, feeling both angry and panicked. She quickly shouted, "Jeffrey, if you dare leave, I'm taking Kaida and leaving tomorrow! I'll let everyone know how you treat Kaida!"
Jeffrey's steps paused, and he hesitated.
The company was at a critical stage right now. If Freya really left with Kaida and made it public knowledge, it would be bad for the company.
He finally stopped, but still looked upset. "Stop making a scene. I'll stay, but we're sleeping in separate rooms."
Though Freya wasn't satisfied, she knew when to quit and didn't continue making trouble, though she felt even more resentful toward Jeffrey.
Late at night, Jeffrey lay in the guest room bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Phoenix's demands, Freya's unreasonableness, Kaida's spoiled behavior, and the mess at the company—it all weighed on him until he could barely breathe.
He got up and grabbed a bottle of alcohol, drinking gulp after gulp. The alcohol quickly numbed his nerves, but his irritation didn't decrease at all.
In his daze, he thought of Ophelia.
He remembered how, when Ophelia was home, everything was always orderly, never chaotic like now.
He remembered how Ophelia was gentle and caring—no matter how late he came home, there was always hot food waiting for him.
He remembered how Ophelia taught Kaida to read and paint, raising her to be well-behaved and sensible.
If Ophelia were still here, would everything be different?
He unconsciously called out that name: "Ophelia..."
The voice was especially clear in the quiet room, carrying a trace of barely noticeable longing and regret.
Meanwhile, Ophelia's phone rang.
She groggily opened her eyes and saw it was an unknown number. After hesitating, she answered.
"Hello, is this Ms. Blake?" A gentle female voice came from the other end.
"Yes, who is this?" Ophelia's voice was hoarse from just waking up.
"This is Scarlett."
Ophelia paused, surprised it was her, feeling somewhat puzzled. "Ms. Lewis, what can I do for you?"