The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 54

Daniel scoffed with a grin. "What, do I really look like the kind of ruthless capitalist who exploits his employees?"

"Of course not," Jillian replied instantly.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she fell into a heavy silence.

The one who was truly ruthless and cold-blooded was Killian.

A complicated swirl of emotions twisted in Jillian's chest. She could understand why Killian treated her the way he did. After all, as a man, being forced to marry a woman he despised—especially due to the humiliating circumstance of being drugged—was a bitter pill to swallow.

His hatred for her was entirely justifiable.

But Jillian had always assumed Killian was merely emotionally distant, not inherently cruel.

At the very least, she never thought he would target innocent children.

Now, it was glaringly obvious that she had severely overestimated his character.

He was just like any other ordinary man—capable of being blinded by love, reduced to something vulgar, petty, and vindictive.

The man who once seemed so untouchable and above the grime of the world was, in reality, nothing special at all.

An overwhelming emptiness hollowed out Jillian's chest; she desperately didn't want to admit that she had loved the wrong man.

Upon arriving at the apartment, Jillian immediately tidied up the spare bedroom for Stella.

"Stella" was the name given to her by the orphanage. Because she had been confined to the hospital waiting for surgery ever since her rescue, she had never attended school or experienced any normal socialization.

As a result, she had no last name—just a first name.

Jillian carefully smoothed out her bedsheets and placed her stuffed animals on either side of the pillow.

She then pulled out her phone and started placing orders online.

An eye-care reading lamp, clothes, shoes, pajamas, body wash, shampoo, a toothbrush, and toothpaste—she stocked up on all the essentials.

Noticing how frail and malnourished Stella looked, she also added a bunch of nutritional snacks and milk to the cart.

Once she finished ordering, she guided Stella into the bathroom for a warm shower.

Tomorrow was Saturday, so she could stay home and look after her, but she had to be back at the office on Monday.

Stella simply couldn't be left alone in the apartment.

Ultimately, she needed to buy her own house and her own car.

After coaxing Stella to sleep, Jillian pulled up her banking app to check her balance.

She still had over three million dollars.

While she supposedly received a generous monthly allowance on paper during her marriage, she had never actually seen a single cent of it; Mrs. Zeller maintained a vice grip on all household expenses, down to the food and clothing.

This three million was entirely self-earned. She had sold the rights to an app she designed for a total of seven hundred thousand dollars.

She had never breathed a word of this to anyone. It was her own closely guarded secret.

All of her personal expenses over the years had been funded exclusively from this nest egg.

Now, she fully intended to buy herself a house and a car.

From here on out, she would pour all her energy into her career. She was going to make even more money.

Once she was absolutely certain Stella was fast asleep, she crept back to her own room and pulled an all-nighter catching up on work. When she woke up early the next morning, she was startled to find Stella curled up in the corner of her bedroom, tightly clutching her blanket.