The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 117

Maloney had gone back to his parents' house that evening.

He needed to confirm something.

After his second deep conversation with Nora regarding the Seraphina Sinclair situation, Maloney felt increasingly certain that something was wrong.

He had previously suspected that his mother was the one secretly fueling the rumors within their social circles.

That included Seraphina's unwavering confidence that she could win him over.

Eleanor Jameson had clearly fed Seraphina that delusion.

But lately, Maloney couldn't shake a dark premonition.

The situation was not that simple.

He needed to confront his mother and verify his suspicions directly.

Furthermore, he needed to hear his mother's version of whatever she had said to Nora two years ago.

Nora's mouth was incredibly sweet when he was kissing it, but she had a terrible habit of twisting the truth when discussing topics she wanted to avoid. She would offer half-truths, leaving the most crucial information entirely unspoken. It was genuinely terrifying.

However, the moment Maloney arrived, before he could even bring up the real issue, Eleanor had brought up Seraphina.

"Since Seraphina returned, she's been working alongside her brother and successfully closed several massive deals. The Sinclair Group's profits are projected to double this year."

"She truly is exceptional. Brilliant, capable, and absolutely stunning. You genuinely can't find a single flaw in her."

"Don't you agree, Maloney?"

Did he agree?

He didn't want to agree.

He wanted to flip the dining table over.

Eleanor didn't actively hate Nora.

She just despised the fact that Nora's family background wasn't prestigious enough and that her personality wasn't aggressive enough. Yet, she would happily brag to their relatives that Nora was a top-tier scholar and point at actresses on television, boasting that her daughter-in-law had designed their dresses.

Eleanor's disdain for Nora only existed in comparison to Seraphina.

Seraphina was pampered and elevated by her family's wealth and status—a privilege Nora could never match, no matter how hard she worked.

But being a top scholar and winning international design championships were achievements Seraphina could never buy.

Why compare them at all?

Everyone was a unique individual; there was no objective metric to compare two completely different people.

Yet now, the second Seraphina achieved the slightest bit of success, Eleanor was desperate for Maloney to validate it.

That guaranteed her ceiling wouldn't be very high.

Did she think the corporate world was just an extension of their childhood playground?

The business world would eat her alive.

Being a female executive was already an incredibly difficult path.

Look at Diana Dodge, Bridget Quincy, and even Eleanor herself. Which of them hadn't crawled through fire and blood to reach their current positions?

Currently, Seraphina was reveling in the attention of men, riding a wave of superficial success. Given her personality, this initial triumph wouldn't make her more careful; it would breed massive arrogance. She would become overly self-righteous, and a catastrophic fall was inevitable.

The Sinclair family's blind indulgence was just elevating her to a height she couldn't maintain.

And the higher they pushed her, the harder she would shatter when she hit the ground.

Maloney looked at Eleanor, his tone freezing over. "Do you genuinely believe Seraphina secured those deals because of her business acumen?"

Eleanor froze.

Maloney continued, "Are you aware of what people in our circle are saying about her right now?"

"A million-dollar deal gets the client a private drink poured by Ms. Sinclair. A five-million-dollar deal gets them an intimate toast. A ten-million-dollar deal gets them a night in her bed."