The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 216

Seraphina scowled deeply.

Her current state of mind was an absolute mess.

Having the person she despised witness her at her most vulnerable felt infinitely more humiliating than the betrayal of a trusted subordinate.

To be fair, she and Nora weren't exactly sworn enemies.

Seraphina put on her manipulative acts, and Nora simply rolled with the punches.

They had never actually engaged in an open screaming match.

But the hostility was definitely there.

And yet, Nora had been entirely unfazed.

She had handed over the wrap without a second thought, her expression genuine and completely devoid of any mocking pity.

Holding that wrap now felt like holding a blistering hot coal.

The luxurious mink still retained Nora's body heat.

It burned.

Wearing it felt sickening, but tossing it away would make her a heartless bitch. So she could only clutch it to her chest, letting pride and guilt wage war in her mind.

This tangled web of emotions magnified a thousandfold the second she faced Diana.

Nora was weak—harmless, really. Seraphina looked down on her, viewing her as an annoyance rather than a genuine threat.

But Diana was a whole different animal.

The first thing Seraphina had done upon entering the business world as Vice President Sinclair was to march into Diana's office. She had arrogantly demanded that the Dodge family stop clinging to Maloney.

In return, she had been ruthlessly verbally eviscerated.

She had never been so humiliated in her entire life.

For a long time after that, Seraphina obsessed over finding a way to crush Diana.

She desperately wanted to wipe away that stain of defeat.

The need for vengeance had even temporarily eclipsed her desire to steal Maloney.

And now, Diana had just rescued her.

Well, maybe "rescue" was too strong a word.

But she remained silent, too.

Usually, she never shut up. This quietness was rare.

She was too busy plotting the agonizing demise of the subordinate who had set her up tonight.

Diana finally broke the silence. "I have two things to say to you."

She didn't sugarcoat it. "First, give up on Maloney."

"I don't care what history you think you have with him. Whether you dated or had some arranged engagement, it's ancient history. He is a married man now."

"And he loves Nora."

Seraphina couldn't stop herself from letting out a scoff.

Diana continued, unfazed. "You grew up in The Gated Community, too. I'm sure you know exactly who Bella Monroe is, and I'm positive you've dug into the real reason Maloney married Nora."

"But there's a piece of the puzzle you're missing."

"Bella had heavy political backing. To get justice for Nora, Maloney handed over the rights to his three most lucrative patents to the authorities. It was a trade—a three-billion-dollar bribe to buy the political leverage needed to drag Bella's backer down."