The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 353

Chapter 353(revised)

Gemma’s POV

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Zina shrugs, as if the answer is obvious. “The child is still a Bernard, isn’t she? Of course they want to find her.”

But I’m not convinced.

“It’s strange, Zina. After more than twenty years of silence, this doesn’t feel like a pending family reunion.”

“Think about it! How many legitimate heirs does the Bernard family have?”

I shake my head; I don’t know the intricate details of their dynasty.

“Just one, Meredith. With this other daughter, that makes two. Total.”

She lets that sink in. “The patriarch’s health is failing, and it’s a miracle he even has two children. And Jeremy said… he heard that Meredith herself has had some… problems

lately.” 1/11

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“Problems?”

My mind flashes to Meredith, polished, powerful, in

control.

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“Apparently, despite being this finance queen, she fell deeply in love with a priest while she was abroad. It ended badly. She was apparently deeply depressed for years and has only just started to recover. So, of course, the old man is hesitant to hand the entire family empire over to her. He wants to find the other daughter, get her married off, and secure a new line of heirs.”

I am genuinely shocked. I saw no hint of depression in Meredith, only a sharp intelligence and a flicker of something sad around the edges.

The bracelet… I suddenly remember the stra..e, antique bracelet on her wrist and her stiff reaction when I complimented it.

“So, he’s digging up a daughter he has never met, just to use her as a broodmare for the bloodline?”

The cynicism of it is breathtaking. Meredith is brilliant, and it’s still not good enough because she does fit the53

< Chapter 353 (revised)

ideal standard?

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“Basically. But from what Jeremy said, they have zero leads. No photos, nothing. It’s been over twenty years. Finding someone under those conditions is like searching for a needle in a universe of haystacks.”

“No birthmark? No keepsake? Nothing?”

I ask, thinking of the classic tropes of such fantasy stories. Zina shakes her head. “Who knows? That kind of detail is probably locked away in some private file. Jeremy wouldn’t know that.”

“And what does Antonios have to do with all this?”

I ask, connecting the threads.

“He’s their top lawyer. Of course he’s involved in finding the heiress. He can use his legal network to help track the girl down, and if the mother puts up a fight, he’s the one who’ll handle the persuasion. Antonios and Meredith came back specifically for this.”

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The pieces click into place with an almost audible snap. 3/11

apter 353(revised)

υπαρι

“By the way, I met our new client today too.”

Zina blinks. “What? Who?”

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“Meredith Bernard has hired Moonlight for a project under the Bernard family’s company. They want a customised system that doesn’t just defend against attacks, but actively counterattacks and cripples the opponent.”

This time, Zina is truly speechless. She just stares at me, her half–eaten spring roll forgotten.

“Gemma! You never fail to amaze me. I was gone

for

one day. One day! And in that time, you landed the biggest client of our life and became the star of a national scandal. I’m honestly impressed!”

Cassian’s POV

The sleek efficiency of my office at Blackwell Industries usually calms me. Today, it feels like a cage. The image Liam sent is burned onto the back of my eyelids: Gemma, sliding into a low–slung luxury car, a man’s hand holding the door open for her.

4/11

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Liam stands before my desk, “I confirmed it. Your ex–wife got into Antonios Voss’s car.”

I close the fountain pen in my hand with a definitive click. The sound is a poor substitute for the satisfaction of punching something.

“She saved his sister’s life,” I state, my voice level, betraying none of the turmoil churning inside me. “It’s logical he would show his gratitude.”

This, at least, is a fact I can cling to. It’s a reason… a safe,

noble reason.

As long as it’s not Mikhail or Jace, I can maintain this fragile composure.

Liam scoffs, like the agent of chaos he is.

“That was months ago! If he wanted to thank her, a fruit basket would have sufficed. He didn’t need to fly back. Antonios doesn’t come back unless it’s serious. He didn’t even come back when his sister was in the hospital! Why show up for Gemma now?”

eleans forward, “You have no sense of crisis. One day;53

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you’re going to wake up and find out your ex–wife is getting married again, and you won’t be the or

at the altar!”

nding

The words “ex–wife” and “remarriage” are a jagged combination, sawing at my insides. But my cold gaze does nothing to deter me.

“I’m serious! The Voss family dotes on their children. If Antonios decides he likes her, she could become a Voss… just like that.”

He snaps his fingers, switching sides just like that. “You remember how it was at the beginning? How easily you doubted her when others whispered in your ear? Don’t make that mistake again.”

One moment the devil, one moment the angel.

But my flippant friend is right about that part, I won’t ever make that mistake again. I believe, I have to believe, that nothing is happening between Gemma and Antonios.

My faith in her, hard–won and fragile, depends on it. 6/11

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“I’ve seen pictures,” Liam continues, a wicked glint in his eye. “Antonios is quite handsome. Not to m distinguished. Maybe that’s the type she likes now…?”

n,

He’s painting a curated collection of every possible male model available, and I feel violently excluded from all of them.

“Are you suggesting that I am not as good–looking as he is?”

The question is absurd, vain, and yet it claws its way out. Antonios, with his polished, gentlemanly air, seems like a sissy to me. Gemma would never go for that. She fell for me, didn’t she? That has to mean something.

e so

Liam throws his hands up in surrender. “Yc handsome! You are the most handsome man in the entire universe, okay? Are you happy now?”

His sarcasm is a bucket of cold water. He’s right. What is the point of any of it if she doesn’t want me? Handsomeness is a currency that has no value if the one you want to spend it on has closed her account.

7dismiss Liam with a curt wave, but the silence of the 7:53

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office amplifies the noise in my head.

I hesitate for a long moment, my pride warring with a panic I refuse to name. Finally, I pick up my phone and make a call I never thought I would make.

The line connects after two rings. “Cassian?” a warm, familiar voice answers. “What a lovely surprise!”

“Hello, Mrs. Voss. I heard a rumor that Antonios is back in the country.”

“Yes, he is! A business trip, I believe. I thought he would have called you, you have always been such a dear friend.”

d

“He hasn’t,” I reply, allowing a hint of wou friendship to color my words. “It’s been years. I was hoping to take him to dinner while he’s here.”

If Liam could hear me now, his jaw would be on the floor. If I am actively pursuing a social engagement, and according to him, the world has truly turned upside down.

A didn’t tell you? That boy! He must be swamped with3

evisea)

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