Chapter 167 Catching the Mistress!
Arabella said those words, but in her heart, she kept thinking about what Gabriel had told her that day. That even if she had betrayed their marriage, he could accept it, considering it tit for tat. That had genuinely surprised her.
For someone of Gabriel's status and position to actually accept such humiliation seemed truly incredible.
But then she wondered—could it be that he really had been intimate with Emily? Maybe he felt guilty, which is why he could convince himself to accept his wife's betrayal too?
A way to call it even?
With this suspicion, any remaining trust between them crumbled once again.
Sophia had originally wanted to offer more encouragement, but seeing her troubled expression, knowing she was already suffering and conflicted enough, she decided against it.
"Forget it. Since you've made up your mind, there's no point dwelling on it. Besides, you can live just fine without a man—maybe even more brilliantly and freely!"
Listening to Sophia's comfort, Arabella managed a forced smile and sighed with a nod. "I hope so..."
For some reason, she had a bad feeling about everything.
Even if she could divorce successfully, she felt like her future wouldn't be brilliant or carefree.
These past few days, whenever she thought about her birth mother returning, she felt unsettled.
Jenny had called a few days ago saying the woman had left, but whether she'd returned to her current city of residence or was still searching somewhere else remained unknown.
————
On the eve of the court hearing, Manuel brought the lawyer to meet with Arabella again.
It was during rush hour, so the three of them dined together.
But shortly after sitting , they unexpectedly encountered someone familiar!
Emily had been shopping with friends and, feeling tired, was looking for a place to eat. Who would have thought she'd walk into the restaurant and immediately spot Arabella?
"What a coincidence! Looks like you've latched onto another wealthy man—you can actually afford to eat at a place like this now." Emily's typical sarcasm flowed as her gaze moved back and forth between Manuel and the lawyer.
Manuel was handsome and refined, impeccably dressed—clearly an elite professional with social standing.
The lawyer, though older, was also expensively attired, especially the watch on his wrist, which was worth hundreds of thousands.
Emily was confused, unable to determine which one was her "new lover." After sizing them up, she made a shocking comment, "Are you playing both sides of the field now? But even combined, they can't compare to my Gabriel, can they?"
The implication was clear: why insist on divorce just to end up with men like these?
"Emily, watch your mouth! This gentleman is a lawyer—slander him carelessly and you might find yourself in legal trouble!" Arabella wasn't having any of it. Her face darkened as she issued a cold warning.
While Emily had indeed helped her before, that small favor wasn't enough to offset the grudges between them.
Besides, she had only helped because it benefited her too.
Hearing the word "lawyer," Emily suddenly understood, though she still seemed skeptical. "So you're certain then—you're really going through with divorcing Gabriel?"
As she asked this, her tone and expression carried notes of joy and excitement.
Although divorce talk had been going on for months, as long as it wasn't finalized, she'd always worried about complications, thinking Arabella was just making a fuss to get benefits.
Arabella replied coolly, "Absolutely certain. The hearing is tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Emily's eyes lit up. "You're really willing to give up the Mrs. Sterling title!"
"Isn't that making way for you? Come to think of it, you should thank me." Seeing Emily's eager, excited expression, Arabella's hesitation completely vanished.
With Emily's attitude like this, she and Gabriel would definitely continue their endless entanglement in the future.
Divorce was the right choice. From now on, however they chose to tangle with each other would have nothing to do with her.
"Thank you? You should be thanking Gabriel instead. Even after divorce, your value will skyrocket forever—you'll live comfortably. This marriage was way too good a deal for you."
Seeing that she'd hired a lawyer, Emily assumed she was figuring out how to maximize her property settlement.
Arabella didn't want to explain. She fired back directly, "You'd better leave now, or I'll shout 'catch the homewrecker' and you won't be able to leave even if you want to."
"You!" Emily choked on her breath, about to retort when her friend beside her tugged at her. "Come on, let's go eat. Everyone's waiting."
"Hmph!" Emily suppressed her temper, snorted coldly, and left in a huff.
Manuel hadn't interfered. After Emily and her friend left, he asked Arabella, "She's the one who had those rumors with Gabriel?"
During this time, he and the lawyer had been collecting evidence unfavorable to Gabriel, and they'd found some things online, including photos of Emily.
He hadn't expected to encounter her at the restaurant today.
Lawyer Lily had also recognized Emily early on and quietly activated her phone's video recording function, capturing the scene.
Arabella was startled and asked in confusion, "This could be useful?"
Lawyer smiled, "Better safe than sorry."
————
After leaving, Emily had no appetite for dinner and immediately dismissed her friends to call Gabriel.
Unsurprisingly, he didn't pick up.
But she wasn't giving up and sent a video call.
This time, he hung up.
But after a while, Gabriel called back, his tone flat, "Emily, did you need something?"
Emily heard his coldness and was slightly displeased. "Gabriel, are you avoiding my calls now?"
Gabriel was still at the office working late and didn't have much patience. Moreover, because of the awkward relationship with Emily, he really didn't want too much contact between them.
But then, thinking about how Dominic had hurt her, if he ignored her too, her situation would indeed be quite pitiful.
"No, I'm busy. Still at the office."
Emily didn't care whether he actually disliked her or not and launched into her story, "I just ran into Arabella. She was eating with two men—one quite young and handsome, the other older but obviously wealthy."
Before she'd even finished speaking, Gabriel, sitting in his distant office, visibly darkened and stiffened.
"Guess what they were doing?" Emily even had the nerve to tease.
Gabriel was already irritated, thinking about that woman being with Manuel again, feeling both suffocated and inevitably jealous.
"Gabriel, are you listening?" Seeing his continued silence, Emily asked curiously.
Gabriel responded coldly, "Yeah, what were they doing?"
Surely she wasn't showing affection with Manuel in broad daylight?
"They were discussing the divorce case!" Emily seemed to have a screw loose—clearly knowing Gabriel didn't want the divorce and wasn't happy discussing the topic, yet she spoke with obvious enthusiasm. "Arabella said your divorce hearing is tomorrow, right? She hired a lawyer obviously to get more property. She's clearly just vain and money-hungry! Gabriel, you really should see her for what she is and stop being—"
"Emily, my affairs aren't your concern. Also, she's the one who proposed leaving with nothing—not taking a single penny." Though Gabriel resented Arabella for betraying him, when he heard her being slandered and misunderstood, he couldn't help but defend her.
"When Grandfather passed away, he left her part of his estate, which she still hasn't accepted. As for my money... she looks down on it even more."
When he said that last sentence, Gabriel's tone was clearly self-deprecating and ironic.