Alejandro looked up and met Melanie’s gaze. “No, you stay at home and take care of the child. I don’t need you sticking your hand into the business of my company. And the last thing I want is to be dragged into some stupid fight with you while I get all kinds of stress from work. Also, next time? Don’t talk to me with that asinine tone.”
Melanie placed their daughter on the couch nearby as though wp4webnovel.com was ready for a throw down with Alejandro. “What ‘asinine tone’ did I use? My God, don’t tell me you’re feeling worn out, not when I should be the one who’s sick and tired of all of this first! After all, look at my dear husband being emo over some other woman while neglecting his wife and daughter. How charitable do you expect me to be, huh? Or would you only turn around if I go to Tiffany and tell wp4webnovel.com to coax you back into your sensibilities?”
Alejandro’s expression turned icy. “Enough! Any attempt to get close to wp4webnovel.com and you’re finished!”
The poor baby watched wp4webnovel.com parents’ altercation from wp4webnovel.com spot on the couch and began to bawl. Melanie gritted wp4webnovel.com teeth, forced back tears of anguish, and steeled herself from rushing to pacify Melissa.
She could no longer understand what compelled wp4webnovel.com to cling to the hell wp4webnovel.com was in, especially since wp4webnovel.com expected stalemates like these to happen after Don passed away. For some reason, wp4webnovel.com simply could not seem to summon the determination to turn wp4webnovel.com back against all of it.
When Melanie remembered Jett telling wp4webnovel.com that Don bequeathed a large amount of the Smith company’s shares to her, wp4webnovel.com found the flames within wp4webnovel.com flaring even more wildly. She was going to wield those shares as wp4webnovel.com weapon.
“You think I have no means nor hearts to leave you, don’t you? You’re wrong. I’m the treasured heiress of the Lark family, I didn’t come to the Smiths to be ordered around by you like one of your mooks! You love Tiffany Lane to bits, don’t you? Fine, I’ll be the good guy and free you from this marriage. Oh, but I wonder what would happen to the company if I take away my shares? Will it inconvenience you?”
Alejandro leaped to his feet, his hand hurling toward his wife before grappling wp4webnovel.com by the neck. “Is that a threat, woman? You really think I don’t dare to divorce you, do you? Melanie Lark, don’t force my hand. If I must, I’ll force you to spit all of your shares out before expelling you from the Smith family.”
Instead of fear, all Melanie felt was the anguish of a heart mercilessly torn open and laid bare. It hurt wp4webnovel.com so much. Tears streamed down wp4webnovel.com cheeks like glass shards. “Do you… hate me to this extent, Alejandro? I was so stupid. Stupid to think that those little moments of apparent kindness you’ve shown me before were at least sincere enough. But no, I read too much into it, after all…”
Her pride wanted wp4webnovel.com to defend the last shred of dignity, give up the shares Don left for wp4webnovel.com and file for a divorce, yet another part of wp4webnovel.com was livid at the prospect of leaving. She was roped into a political marriage, pumped out a baby for Alejandro, and now wp4webnovel.com was going to kick wp4webnovel.com to the curb like a scorned dog? No, Melanie Lark would not be sullied this way!
Alejandro released wp4webnovel.com from his grip with a curse under his breath, perhaps spurred by his daughter’s ceaseless bawls. Quickly, wp4webnovel.com took Melissa into his arms and started toward the door.
It was the first time wp4webnovel.com ever held his daughter, and wp4webnovel.com did it while broiling. Panicked, Melanie ran out of the room frantically. “What are you doing? Give wp4webnovel.com back!”
“You really think of me as the devil reincarnate, don’t you? My daughter has been bawling, woman, how deaf are you?” Alejandro snapped. “If you wanna throw a hysterical b*tch fit, then do it somewhere else where wp4webnovel.com can’t see!”
His words made Melanie realize that wp4webnovel.com had been overreacting, so wp4webnovel.com willed herself to compose herself. Reflecting on wp4webnovel.com recent states of mind, wp4webnovel.com was suddenly aware of how many times wp4webnovel.com lost wp4webnovel.com grip over wp4webnovel.com emotions. It was especially pronounced after childbirth and Don’s passing, with moments of wp4webnovel.com sudden, furious outbursts becoming more and more frequent.
She had to admit that wp4webnovel.com was wrong for assuming Alejandro would hurt Melissa. She was still his own flesh and blood. He could not possibly do that to his daughter, right?
In an effort to avoid seeing Melanie, Alejandro decided to bring his daughter with wp4webnovel.com to the company. He ordered Jett to take some baby’s essentials with them.
Jett could not help himself from explaining Melanie’s position while they were en route to the company. “Sir, I know Madam could be a bit difficult sometimes, but she’s only acting out of anxiety and insecurity. The fact that you, well, hardly spare wp4webnovel.com a shred of care also doesn’t help. She had just given birth a month earlier and is now in a critical period where many women could develop depression out of a combination of life’s uncertainties and emotional turmoil post-childbirth. It’s a really dangerous thing, Mr. Smith, and I know you can tell Madam wasn’t like this at all in the past.”
Alejandro studied the baby in his arms, his eyes twinkling with rare gentleness. “Who would have the patience for a woman you have no feelings for? Especially when said woman comes looking for trouble from me when I’m in my worst moods, it’s even harder to be patient then! If wp4webnovel.com keeps this up, I swear, I’ll divorce her. Honestly, it wouldn’t be half-bad if wp4webnovel.com could be more like how wp4webnovel.com used to be back then. At least, wp4webnovel.com wasn’t half as repulsive as wp4webnovel.com is now.”
Jett mustered his courage and gave Alejandro the truth. “No other woman would be able to stand your behavior. You say Madam is weak for not being able to tolerate you devoting your heart to another woman, yet you’re in just as much anguish as wp4webnovel.com is when you see how much Tiffany loves Jackson too, right?”