Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 146

They glanced at each other, both seeing raw fear in the other's eyes. Ines raised her voice, biting out, “What, you planning to off us now? Don’t think I’ll get scared just because you’ve hired a bunch of actors. This is a country with laws, you know. I have people who’ll stand up for me.”

Her palms were slick with cold sweat. She was bluffing, and she knew it.

Laura spoke up, trying to keep things calm. “Ma’am, please, there’s no need to get worked up. We just want to talk things through.”

She paused, taking a breath. “From what we found out, your son’s death benefit should’ve been two million. Right now, I have five million to offer you as compensation. If you’re willing, let’s let this whole thing end here. What do you say?”

Odom’s eyes went wide at the offer, but Ines shot him a quick look, silencing him before he could say anything. She turned back, her tone bitter. “Unbelievable. Rich people, huh? My son hasn’t even been dead that long, and now Davina’s pregnant with your family’s kid. How do we settle that?”

She let out a shaky breath. “And my granddaughter, the only one left in our family, got taken away by that woman. Who am I supposed to turn to now?”

A flash of irritation flickered in Calvin’s eyes. He glared at Barnard, then finally spoke. “You can have the kid. Just tell me, what will it take to put an end to this?”

Ines’s eyes darted around, her face twisted with scheming. “Looks like money’s not a problem for you. Davina’s carrying your family’s baby, so here’s what I want: I want a big house, and another million on top. Take that as the price for Davina. Once that’s done, I won’t ever bother you again. It’s a fair deal, isn’t it?”

Calvin’s face went pale.

Six million and a big, fancy house—that was enough to get Barnard a high-society bride. Now he was being forced to throw it all at a divorced woman from the countryside. The thought made Calvin’s stomach turn.

But Davina was carrying his family’s child now.

He didn’t have a real way out. If this got any messier, the fallout would only get worse.

There was nothing for him to do but grit his teeth and give in.

“Sign the papers, take the money, and never show up here again,” Calvin said coldly.

Ines and Odom agreed before he’d even finished. Just like that, it seemed settled. Off to the side, Camilla watched, her expression unreadable, heart twisting with bitter irony.

She was his wife, after all. Learning about Davina’s pregnancy like this, anyone would be upset and lose it.

“Of course that’s not how it is, Camilla. I—”

Barnard never finished. The operating room doors swung open.

Davina was wheeled out on a hospital bed. Her face had gone pale, her whole body frail. Her eyes swept the crowd before landing on the empty spot where the old couple had been. She let out a shaky, silent sigh of relief.

Seeing her, worry flickered in Barnard’s eyes. He moved as if to go to her, but with Camilla still there, he stopped short, frozen in place.

The doctor broke the silence. “Luckily, you brought her in soon enough. Both mom and baby are okay now, but you need to be more careful. No more accidents, understand?”

Nobody answered. The hallway was full of people, but not a single one seemed happy about the new life growing inside Davina.