A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 261

"Check the dashcam and delete that footage."

Madeleine was both disappointed and devastated.

Iris shot her a cold look.

Seeing her hesitate, Madeleine snapped, "There are some things even your closest confidants shouldn't know. Being thorough and leaving no leverage is how you stay on top."

Iris scoffed, "You sure know everything! If your methods are so foolproof, why are you the one getting dumped?"

"Because Roland Lockwood is a bastard!" Madeleine glared.

Outside the car, Holden could be heard talking to the gas station attendant.

Iris shut her mouth and quickly wiped the dashcam footage. Bickering over the past was one thing, but she knew where her best interests lay.

The footage was scrubbed clean just as Holden approached the door.

"Thirsty?" He smiled, holding up a case of sparkling water. "They threw it in for signing up for a gas card."

"No, thanks."

"I'm good."

Iris and Madeleine spoke in unison.

It was early morning, and freezing out. Holden didn't say anything else, just tossed the water into the trunk.

He started the car, heading toward the lawyers to finalize the divorce.

Madeleine was still seething over Iris's mockery. After driving for a bit, Holden glanced sympathetically in the rearview mirror.

"Mom, what are you thinking about?"

Madeleine's voice was hollow. "I'm thinking about whether I'll end up in a nursing home once this is done."

No one in the Lockwood family pitied her. She would never set foot in the Lockwood Mansion again. Of the daughters she'd raised, they were either dead, estranged, or despised her. Relying on them for her golden years was a pipe dream.

Only Jasmine Miller was loyal to the bitter end, but Jasmine had been arrested for perjury and framing Winifred. She was useless now.

Heather would have to do. The girl had worked for the Lockwood family for three years and knew Madeleine's habits. It would be comfortable enough.

Still, Madeleine felt she deserved her fair share of the wealth.

"How much is your father giving me?"

"His assets are locked in trusts. The bulk of it is in corporate shares, and marital property gets divided evenly among the children's inheritance funds. There isn't much liquid left. You'll get a property and a hundred million in cash."

The so-called 'marital property' was just compounded corporate stock, all firmly held in Roland's name. Madeleine couldn't touch a dime of it.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but she had no choice. Given Roland's ruthless nature, if she threw a fit, he might give her nothing and push the divorce through anyway.

The car drove slowly down the narrow street near the hospital. The morning mist clung to the pedestrians, the elderly hunched over against the cold on their way to appointments.

Iris pulled her gaze from the window and hooked her arm through Madeleine's. "Mom, you're so rich!"