Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 490

He re-evaluated the young woman before him, and this time, his gaze held something new—not respect, but a recalculation of her worth.

He had seen countless women choose between marriage and profit. Some did it for money, some for titles, and others strictly out of sheer spite.

But Madeline was entirely different from anyone he had ever met.

She didn't want titles or petty cash. She wanted resources.

She wanted a ladder that would let her climb higher and stand firmer long after she left Quentin.

This kind of woman actually put him at ease.

Because ambitious people were predictable, whereas those who wanted nothing were the most dangerous.

"Fine," Xavier closed the folder and pushed it back toward Madeline.

"I can pull some strings for the government grants, and I can open a green channel for your tech approvals. But only on one condition—"

"On the condition that Quentin and I divorce," Madeline finished for him.

Her smile remained unwavering. "Mr. York, I brought you here today to confirm my decision."

Xavier narrowed his eyes slightly, waiting for her to continue.

"Tomorrow, Quentin and I will go to The Department of Civil Records to submit our divorce application." She paused, leaving enough time for Xavier to digest her words.

"According to the legal procedures, there is a thirty-day cooling-off period. Once the thirty days are up, we will finalize the paperwork, and the divorce will be complete."

Xavier's hand paused mid-air as he reached for his tea.

"There's no need for a cooling-off period." He lowered his hand and leaned forward, his voice dripping with absolute certainty.

"Tomorrow, when you two arrive at The Department of Civil Records, I will have my people bypass the system. Your divorce will be finalized immediately. You will walk out single that very day."

Madeline's smile didn't waver, but her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her teacup.

Her original plan was to use the thirty-day cooling-off period until the paternity test results came out.

If Quentin was telling the truth and the baby wasn't his, then in thirty days, they could simply withdraw the application, and everything would return to normal.

But Xavier wasn't giving her that opportunity.

He wanted her legally severed from Quentin immediately, permanently, and without a shred of hesitation.

This was because of Xavier's desperate desire to protect his daughter and clear Penelope's name of the mistress label instantly.