The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 482

That night, Jillian slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, snapped a photo, and sent it to Mallory. "Take a look at this. How much do you think it's worth?"

The moment Mallory saw the picture, a string of exclamation marks flooded the screen. "Damn! That is top-tier antique emerald. Flawless clarity and vibrant color. Quality like this belongs in a museum—it has to be worth millions of dollars."

"That expensive?" Jillian was genuinely surprised.

"Absolutely! You're a tech guru, you don't keep up with luxury jewelry." Mallory immediately switched to gossip mode. "Who gave it to you? Don't tell me it was Bash? He's the only one who'd drop that kind of cash on gems."

"No, Sienna gave it to me."

"Sienna?!" Mallory was floored. "If you told me Killian gave it to you, I wouldn't even blink, but her?"

"She said it's a family heirloom passed down to the daughter-in-law," Jillian explained. "When I got married, tradition dictated she hand it over to me. But you know she always looked down on me, so she gave me nothing. Now that we are getting a divorce, she's suddenly trying to play the generous mother-in-law."

"What does she want by giving it to you now?"

"Compensation for the divorce, I suppose," Jillian noted, seeing right through the facade. "This way, they can claim they treated me with the utmost generosity and never forced me out empty-handed."

Mallory scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. "I told you, these so-called elite families are the biggest hypocrites. Obsessed with their image, calculating every move, all while pretending to be magnanimous and dignified."

Jillian laughed. "Aren't you dragging yourself into that insult too, Ms. Vaughn?"

"I'm not wrong!" Mallory declared bluntly. "I grew up in this circle; I know exactly how these people think. Anyway, are you going to keep it?"

"Of course not," Jillian said firmly. "Nothing comes for free, and accepting gifts only ties my hands. I can buy whatever I want with my own money. Why should I take advantage of them?"

"Exactly!" Mallory cheered. "Do not accept it. The second you do, if there's ever a dispute, they'll swear they compensated you for the divorce. They'll wash their hands of any wrongdoing and make you look like a greedy gold digger!"

Jillian smiled faintly, her mind already made up.

Early the next morning, Jillian drove straight to Quincy Tech.

She had a project to coordinate anyway, making it the perfect excuse to personally hand the bracelet back to Killian.

Upon arriving, the secretarial desk informed her that Killian was in a meeting and currently out of his office.

Jillian went to handle her work first. When she returned, Killian's meeting still hadn't ended.

"I'll just wait for him in his office," Jillian said.

Nate stepped forward to block her path, wearing a rehearsed, corporate smile. "I apologize, Ms. Jarrett. Protocol dictates that no one is allowed to enter Mr. Quincy's office unescorted while he is absent."

"No one?" Jillian countered flatly.

Nate was sharp and immediately caught the underlying meaning. He scrambled to clarify, "Well... there are exceptions. Previously, only Sylvia had Mr. Quincy's explicit permission to enter."

Jillian smiled knowingly. Typical.

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