Mr Melendez Your Wife Wants Divorce Long Ago novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Conrad jabbed a finger toward his son, his voice sharp as he barked at the butler, Oliver Caldwell, “Move faster!”

Oliver hurried away without hesitation.

Tabitha watched the situation spiral dangerously close to violence, realizing they were about to punish Jayceon harshly. She quickly stepped forward, trying to stop the impending cruelty. “Chester, Arabella wants to build a career, and that’s something worth supporting. Please, let’s not go through with this…”

“Enough!” Conrad snapped at her, cutting her off before she could say more. “You’re just a housewife. What could you possibly understand about this?”

Tabitha had no words left; she fell silent under his scorn.

Arabella stood quietly, rooted to the spot, saying nothing as she endured the tension. After three years of marriage to Jayceon, she had come to understand the harsh realities of the Melendez family dynamic all too well.

Chester, though aged, still held an iron grip over the family. His word was law, and no one dared to challenge him.

Conrad, ever the dutiful son, never questioned Chester and was mercilessly strict with Jayceon.

Tabitha was the only one who showed any compassion, but her influence was minimal here.

Outside the house, Jayceon and Kimberly could be bold and defiant, but once inside these walls, they became obedient, bending to the will of their elders.

As for Arabella, coming from a bankrupt family, she had always been careful never to offend anyone.

Jayceon was the heir, carefully shaped and molded by Chester and Conrad.

In many ways, they were cut from the same cloth.

If Jayceon hadn’t cheated on her, if he hadn’t needed to keep her quiet, he never would have allowed her to work in the first place—only agreeing to it to prevent a scandal.

Oliver returned, carrying the whip, but hesitated before raising it. “Mr. Jayceon, please—just apologize and say something gentle to him,” he pleaded softly.

Jayceon glanced at Arabella, then gently moved her aside before kneeling before his grandfather.

Chester barked, “Hit him until he bows his head.”

With no choice but to obey, Oliver tightened his grip on the whip and prepared to strike.

Arabella turned her gaze away, unable to watch.

His face was pale, his eyes warning as he stared at her. “You can act out all you want at home—yell at me, fight me, whatever. But Grandpa, Mom, and Dad are here. Don’t say it.”

Arabella lowered her gaze, falling silent.

She knew Jayceon wasn’t afraid of her asking for a divorce in front of their elders; he feared the involvement of Georgina and Leandro.

Tabitha hurried to Arabella’s side, trying to calm the situation. “Chester, he’s been punished enough. The two of them know they were wrong. Let Jayceon go upstairs, and Arabella can help tend to his wounds. We can’t afford any delays with the shareholders’ meeting next Monday.”

Still, Chester was unyielding. “I’ll give you one week to quit that job. If you don’t, I’ll call the dean myself.”

Arabella’s anger flickered beneath her calm exterior. “Chester, I married into the Melendez family, not sold myself. What I choose to do, what work I take—that’s my freedom.”

Chester snorted coldly, his words cutting deep as he dredged up old wounds. “When the Palmer family went bankrupt, you, your parents, and your brother were so poor you nearly lived in a shanty. If Jayceon hadn’t paid off your family’s debts, where do you think you’d be now?”

Arabella’s jaw clenched tightly. “I owe that to your grandson, not to you.”

Chester shot back fiercely, “Admit it or not, everything Jayceon has comes from the Melendez family!”

Arabella opened her mouth to retort, but Jayceon grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her upstairs.