She Turned Her Grief Into Wings novel Chapter 55

Seeing that Caden remained stubbornly silent, Dewitt lost the energy to keep lecturing him and delivered his final verdict.

"I don't care what you have to do, but you are not getting a divorce. The Hayes family does not allow such things to happen."

Just like with his mother.

Caden shot his father a deeply resentful look, then turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

Aiken quickly bowed toward Dewitt and scrambled after Caden, practically sprinting out of the estate.

In the car, Caden stared out the window, his brow knitted in a tight scowl.

The things the old man had just lectured him about felt absurdly hypocritical.

He criticized Caden for being cold-blooded and ignorant of what truly mattered, but wasn't Dewitt the exact same way?

Years ago, when his maternal grandfather was framed by a corporate rival, his mother had begged Dewitt to intervene. Dewitt had coldly replied, "The Hayes Group is on an upward trajectory right now. I will not self-sabotage our future over trivial matters."

He had even placed her under house arrest, cutting off all her finances, and threatened that if she dared let the Calloway family's scandal impact the Hayes Group's stock price, he wouldn't hesitate to throw gasoline on the fire.

Later, the Calloway family lost their legal battles and declared bankruptcy. His grandfather couldn't handle the shock and suffered a fatal stroke. His grandmother showed up at the Hayes estate, slapped his mother across the face in front of everyone, and publicly disowned her.

In the end, his mother had to fall to her knees and beg his grandfather. Only then did his grandfather order the company's legal team to investigate the matter, eventually clearing the Calloway family's name.

Though the Calloway family held a decent standing in Aurelia City, they were nothing compared to the Hayes empire.

His parents’ marriage had been a farce from the start. His mother attended a banquet and caught his grandmother's eye. At the time, Dewitt was entangled with a D-list actress. His grandmother despised the actress, deeming her unworthy of the Hayes family, and forced Dewitt into marrying his mother instead.

His father blamed his mother for the entire arrangement. Fueled by resentment, he purposely neglected her, rarely coming home, only fulfilling his "duty" to produce an heir because of the immense pressure from the elders.

When Caden was three, that D-list actress showed up at the door, pregnant, demanding his mother step aside and grant a divorce. His grandmother had the woman thrown out, and shortly after, the woman inexplicably miscarried. His father, of course, blamed his mother for that tragedy as well.

Their already strained marriage devolved into an open warzone, which was why Caden had never been close to his father.

The only thing he could actively help her with right now was this competition.

She had never asked him for a single thing in their marriage. Now that he knew what she desperately wanted, he was going to make sure she got it.

Halfway through the drive, seeing that the tension radiating from the backseat had dialed down a fraction, Aiken finally worked up the nerve to speak.

"Sir, we just got a message from your wife. She... she said you need to be at City Hall at 9 AM on Monday to finalize the papers. And if you don't show up..."

He sucked in a sharp breath, terrified to finish the sentence.

"Spit it out."

"She said if you don't show up, she's going straight to the family estate."

Aiken bit his lip so hard it almost bled. His heart rate was spiking to 150, and his scalp prickled with dread.