Chapter 390

Chapter 390

I got to the office early that morning.

After organizing my files, I had Nola's assistant distribute the upcoming work schedule.

Nola and I exchanged a few words before I left the company.

She mentioned she'd gradually take her own time off, and the company would just maintain operations in the meantime.

I chose not to tell the staff I'd be taking a break. I didn't want the gossip about me to disrupt everyone's work.

In the car, I stared out at the passing scenery, a wave of desolation washing over me.

"Mrs. Morgan, where to?"

The driver glanced at me after I'd finished gathering my things. Unless I said otherwise, he'd assume I was heading home.

"Let's go see Henry."

Henry had reached out yesterday, but with Jessa showing up at my place, my mind had been too scattered to talk properly.

Now I was free. I had all the time in the world to focus on Arabella's situation.

"You've been meeting with Henry quite a bit lately. He's not causing trouble, is he?"

The driver still worried Henry might fumble things. He asked every time his name came up.

"Don't worry. He's excellent."

Henry's performance had exceeded all expectations. I still felt guilty—this move I'd made clearly demanded the most from him.

"I don't really understand business matters. As long as he's not adding to your troubles, that's enough."

The driver was the type who played dumb. He always claimed not to understand anything, but he saw through everything. He just didn't call it out.

"He won't. You don't need to worry about that."

"I'm talking too much."

"Please don't think that. I just don't want you worrying unnecessarily. You know my personality—sometimes I'm not very tactful."

The driver smiled. "Mrs. Morgan, you have a wonderful personality."

I watched the trees blur past the window, my heart churning with anxiety. For the first time in my life, I was manipulating someone, and it made me uneasy.

"Maybe I'm not so wonderful."

"Mrs. Morgan, what did you say?"

"Nothing."

I smiled at my own muttering.

We met at the same coffee shop as last time. Henry had arrived early.

The driver waited in the car while I scanned the area. No familiar faces.

The bodyguards Levi had assigned were all off handling my other tasks. Over time, they'd proven tight-lipped about anything I told them not to report.

I'd asked them about it once. They said Levi only instructed them to keep me safe—he hadn't asked about much else.

So Levi wasn't actually monitoring me.

"Mrs. Morgan, over here."

Henry stood to greet me. I motioned for him to sit.

"Sorry about yesterday. Something came up at home, so I didn't get back to you."

He smiled. "No worries. I ended up spending the whole time with her anyway, so I didn't have time to message."

"How did it go?"

"I did what you suggested—showed up at her place early. She seemed thrilled. Loved the gifts I brought. She looked like she was in great spirits."

Arabella had bounced back that quickly?

Maybe she'd already figured out her next move.

"Did she ask about Jenna again?"

"She did."

Henry pressed his lips together. "I just told her I haven't been in touch with Jenna in ages. She probably doesn't even remember me."

"That was perfect."

He waved it off. "That part was easy. The hard part was when she asked me to spend the night."

"Did she make a move on you?"

"Yes."

"She kept trying to snuggle up to me, but I managed to deflect it."

I took a deep breath. This was a good sign, but it also meant Henry would need even more finesse to keep dodging her.

Still, if he kept refusing and avoiding her, would Arabella lose interest? Then all this effort would be wasted.

"Mrs. Morgan, honestly, I don't mind. I—"

"Don't even think that way."

I cut him off. "If this costs you anything, I'll never forgive myself. This kind of underhanded tactic is despicable."

Henry laughed awkwardly.

"Here's what you do—you can stay over, but insist on separate rooms. You can be a little forward, but pull back at the right moment. I know it's difficult, but that's as far as it should go."

If we didn't give her something, Arabella would pull back. She'd already received plenty of gifts. If she couldn't have Henry, she'd probably give up.

Especially after I'd rattled her with Jenna's story—she might already have a psychological block when it came to him.

"By the way, Mrs. Morgan, I found some information."

"Go ahead."

"When you sent me that photo, I suspected Jenna might be the one who exposed Jessa. Following that lead, I dug into the bad blood between Arabella and Jenna's brother."

"You found that?"

"Yes."

I hadn't wanted him to know too much, to avoid unnecessary complications. But a lawyer's instincts had led him there anyway.

"Arabella's a real piece of work. She went to Jenna's house multiple times to provoke her, seduced Jenna's brother into spending all his money on her."

"And she also set her sights on Jenna's boyfriend."

My mind reeled. This bombshell was too much to process. Arabella was holding onto one man while eyeing another?

She'd drained Jenna's brother dry, then turned around to steal her boyfriend?

My phone buzzed, snapping me back.

The head of my security team had sent proof that Jenna was indeed behind the exposure. Following my instructions, they'd tailed her and discovered she had a friend in entertainment journalism who'd written the post for her.

"That's a blood feud if I ever heard one."

"Jenna's parents got sick over this. Her boyfriend transferred to another city for work—they probably broke up. Now she's supporting the whole family on her salary alone."

I teased, "Are you afraid of Arabella?"

"Mrs. Morgan, what do you mean?"

"Look, she's a vampire. Everyone she sinks her teeth into ends up ruined."

Henry clenched his fists. "Someone like that deserves to be punished. She destroyed someone's entire family."

I sighed. "My mother was killed by her."

"What?"

Henry's face went pale with shock. He knew I couldn't stand Arabella, but he'd assumed our conflict was just about her extorting Natalia.

"It's ancient history. She destroyed my family, stole my father. My mother and I were forced to leave home. My mother endured her abuse and developed depression because of it."

I smiled bitterly. "Sounds like a trashy soap opera plot, doesn't it? But it actually happened to me."

"That's despicable!"

"Sometimes I wonder if what I'm doing is right. Holding onto this obsession only hurts me. But she's so relentless—everywhere, worming her way into everything. Every so often, she pops up to wreck my life all over again."

Henry frowned. "Mrs. Morgan, you can use the law to protect yourself."

I shrugged. "She broke into my house with a knife, threatened to kill me. She's been to the police station before. Didn't you do a background check? Don't you know that victim was me?"