Chapter 20 Concentration
When Ambrose discovered that Scarlett's daughter's surname was Mellon, he was surprised. Logically, given Wesley's dominant personality, he wouldn't have agreed to let the child take her mother's surname. Later, his investigation revealed that the Ross family valued sons over daughters.
The thought of such an angelic little girl like Yara being treated that way made Ambrose's expression suddenly darken.
Chase, noticing this, commented without understanding the reason, "Yara gets along well with Hayden. It's good for him—at least he has someone his age who makes him want to talk. That's a positive thing."
Ambrose nodded in agreement. As their conversation reached this point, he remembered his meeting with Wesley tonight, so he picked up his phone and called Scarlett.
To avoid Wesley, Scarlett had turned off her phone. Ambrose then called her bodyguard, instructing him to find Scarlett and have her take the call.
Seeing this, Chase quietly moved to exit the study. As he reached the door, Ambrose called out to him, "Keep next Friday morning free."
Chase's hand paused on the doorknob as he turned back to ask, "There's a very important meeting that morning. Do you have another crucial engagement?"
"I'm attending a parent-child activity."
Though surprised, Chase simply responded, "Very well," before leaving the study.
Standing outside the door, Chase raised an eyebrow. Was Ambrose genuinely attending a parent-child activity, or was he going because of someone else?
Regardless of his motivation, if it benefited Hayden, Chase would support it.
When the bodyguard found Scarlett with her phone, she was chatting with Briar. After learning that Scarlett had left without waiting for her return, Briar had accused her of being heartless. Scarlett had to give her the address, and Briar rushed over.
Ignoring Briar's curious expression, Scarlett took the phone from the bodyguard and held it to her ear.
"Mr. Boleyn."
"Have you had dinner?" Ambrose's voice came through, casual yet with a subtle intimacy, almost like the everyday tone between a couple.
Scarlett was taken aback for a moment before composing herself and responding politely but distantly, "Just finished. Did you need something?"
After a brief silence, when his voice returned, it had reverted to its typically detached tone.
"I've put pressure on Wesley. If nothing unexpected happens, he should approach you tomorrow about the divorce."
Scarlett's heart leaped with joy, but before she could express her gratitude, Ambrose continued. "Stand firm on your conditions. He's now desperate to end your marriage."
Although Scarlett didn't know what Ambrose had done, his confidence reassured her.
"I understand. Thank you. If you ever need anything I can help with, I won't hesitate."
"I'll hold you to that."
Throughout the call, Ambrose's tone remained calm, without crossing any boundaries. After finishing, he hung up.
Scarlett handed the phone back to the bodyguard, who accepted it respectfully and left. Only then did she turn to smile at Briar.
Seeing this, Briar's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Seeing you smile so smugly, what sweet nothings did Ambrose share?"
Scarlett glared at her. "Can't your mind contain anything normal? We truly just have a business arrangement."
"Haven't you watched TV or read novels? Any deal between a man and woman is actually laying the groundwork for future developments."
Scarlett didn't absorb this, firmly believing Ambrose had no interest in her. All that echoed in her mind were his words from the phone call. She exhaled deeply, sinking into the sofa, gazing at the light, seeing a bright path ahead.
"Wesley and I can divorce soon."
Briar froze for two seconds before squealing and hugging her. "I've waited too long for this day! You'll soon live as a wealthy single mother with freedom!"
Feeling dizzy from Briar's excitement, Scarlett urged her to calm down. "Don't get too excited yet. Save your screaming for when I have the divorce papers in hand."
Briar remained undeterred, as thrilled as if she'd won the lottery. After exchanging a few more words with Scarlett, she reflected thoughtfully.
"Ambrose's approach is quite unique—completely different from the male leads in novels I've read."
With her intense work schedule, Briar's escape was reading novels, particularly those where the male protagonist competes with a rival for the female lead.
Some even featured plots where the male lead helped the female lead against her antagonist, which Briar had recommended to Scarlett.
Seeing her circle back to this topic, Scarlett scoffed without hesitation. "Stop projecting novel plots onto my situation. We have a purely professional relationship."
Briar raised a finger, wagging it. "Drama comes from real life. Let's wait until after the divorce to draw conclusions!"
"Mom, are you playing a game? I want to play too!" A sweet, childlike voice suddenly interrupted.
They turned to see Yara, wrapped in a bath towel, joyfully running over and diving between them.
Scarlett reached out to hug Yara, noticing her arms were slippery. She frowned.
"Yara, you haven't rinsed off the body wash."
Yara pouted her pink lips, protesting, "You're playing games. I want to play too. By the time I finish washing, you'll be done playing."
Briar dismissed this concern, taking Yara into her arms affectionately. "Let's play together, then wash later."
Hearing she could join, Yara happily stood up on Briar's lap, clapping her little hands and bouncing. As she jumped, her towel suddenly slipped off.
At first, Yara didn't notice, until Briar burst out laughing. Only then did she realize, hurriedly picking up the towel and wrapping it around herself with embarrassment. Her expression was utterly adorable.
Briar and Scarlett laughed heartily.
The room filled with laughter, making the night warm and joyful.
The next day, Scarlett turned on her phone to find over a dozen missed calls from Wesley and just as many messages.
She checked the messages first. Most demanded that she returned his calls or came to the office. The final message from Wesley read.
[I'll give you thirty percent of the shares. I promise not to reveal Yara's parentage, and my parents won't harass you. This is my maximum concession. If you disagree, we'll both go down together!]
Reading this message and recalling Ambrose's advice, she replied: [Forty percent, not a share less. I don't mind waiting.]
Within two seconds of sending her message, Wesley called.
"Scarlett, giving you forty percent would create cash flow problems for the company," Wesley said through gritted teeth.
While Scarlett couldn't claim complete knowledge of the Ross Group's operations, she understood enough. Given the company's current trajectory, there would be no issues.
"You think I don't know the Ross Group's situation?" With Scarlett's single statement, Wesley fell silent. After a long moment, he lowered his voice.
"Don't be too greedy. You might not live to enjoy it."
"That's not your concern. I said forty percent and won't budge. I'm already being merciful asking for just forty percent. Rightfully, I deserve half."
Scarlett paused for two seconds, pressuring him with a forceful tone.
"Yesterday, I had Ambrose blacklist your company. Tomorrow, I could make you trend on Silverlight City's social media. Don't think you can bully me just because my father's in prison. When I secured those projects initially, it wasn't just my skills—my connections helped too."
Wesley couldn't refute this. Those projects had indeed received assistance from Owen's contacts.
Seeing Scarlett's unyielding stance, Wesley had no options left. Finally, he cursed through clenched teeth.
"I never imagined you'd be this ruthless, determined to drain my resources. I must have been blind to choose a woman like you. Fine, I'll accept it. Come to the office today to finalize both work matters and the divorce. This offer expires today."