The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 232

232 Chapter 232 A Lover A Mother

Blanche’s POV

Vincent’s words hit me like a bolt from nowhere.

I dropped my gaze to meet his eyes.

Nothing but raw, open honesty stared back at me.

For just a second, I felt that familiar dizziness creeping

1. in.

The thought crossed my mind: ‘Maybe I could actually go with him. Maybe I could finally have the life I’ve been wanting.‘

But that impossible dream lasted barely a heartbeat before reality crashed back in.

‘Vincent’s being good to me, sure, but isn’t he just protecting his own interests?‘ The thought made my chest tighten with a familiar chill.

I didn’t call him out on his motives. Instead, I watched him for a long moment before answering, “Vincent, everything that matters to me is here in Oakwood. I

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don’t think I could ever walk away from this place.”

Vincent didn’t look shocked by my response. He just kept spooning porridge into my mouth.

I started to tell him I could handle it myself, but he seemed to read my thoughts. “Let me,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Something in his tone made me stop arguing.

Vincent fed me another spoonful, his voice calm and steady. “It doesn’t matter if you won’t leave. I’ve already claimed my place right here with you.”

I blinked, confusion washing over me. “What are you talking about?”

Vincent locked eyes with me, his expression dead

serious. “Your lover.”

My face went hot as the pieces clicked together. I rushed to explain, “Vincent, I was just talking without thinking. Obviously I had my reasons—I wanted to use your reputation to knock Ophelia down a peg. I just—”

He cut me off. “Blanche, I meant every word.”

The words died in my throat.

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Vincent’s intensity always left me questioning

everything I thought I knew.

‘Which Vincent is real?‘ The question gnawed at me. “This one who treats me like I’m precious? Or the Vincent who kissed Joanna?‘

‘Maybe neither of them is who he really is.’

‘Or maybe they both are!’

I pulled myself back from the spiral and looked at him directly. “I really didn’t mean what I said before. Don’t make it into something it’s not.”

Vincent said nothing, but I caught the way his knuckles went white around the spoon handle.

After storming out of the hospital, Ophelia felt like she was suffocating, like something heavy was pressing down on her chest and she couldn’t catch her breath.

Vincent wielded the kind of influence she couldn’t dare cross, but Zain? With Zain, Ophelia felt bold enough to go head–to–head.

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She barked orders at her driver to take her straight to

Zain’s office.

Once she arrived at the building, Ophelia dialed

Desmond’s number.

Within minutes, Desmond appeared in the lobby to greet her.

“Ms. Barth,” Desmond said with practiced politeness, “what can I do for you today?”

Ophelia lifted her chin, cutting straight to the point. “I

need to see Zain.”

Desmond’s face tightened. “Ms. Barth, Mr. Jacob isn’t in the office today. Please don’t make this difficult for

me.”

Ophelia’s eyes flashed with irritation. “He’s not here? Then where the hell is he?”

Desmond shook his head helplessly. “He mentioned some personal business. I didn’t think it was appropriate to pry.”

Ophelia waved him off dismissively. “Fine. Go back to whatever you were doing. I’ll call him directly.”

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Once Desmond disappeared, Ophelia pulled out her phone and hit Zain’s contact.

Being Zain’s mother didn’t exactly come with special

treatment.

More often than not, Zain would let her calls go straight to voicemail.

That’s why Ophelia had waited until Desmond left before trying to reach him.

What caught her off guard was that Zain picked up on the first ring.

“What do you want?” His voice came through crystal

clear.

Hearing him only stoked her anger higher, but she bit back her first instinct and kept her voice level. “What are you up to right now?”

“Shopping with someone,” Zain said casually.

Ophelia’s temper flared. “Zain, you have the balls to go shopping while your wife is out there with some young stud? Do you have any idea what’s happening?”

Zain stretched out his response: “Hmm?”

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Ophelia snapped back, “Don’t give me that bullshit ‘hmm.’ You need to divorce her immediately. I already talked to the doctors–there’s virtually zero chance she’ll ever get pregnant again. The Jacob family doesn’t need some barren woman dragging us down. Get rid of her, and I’ll set you up with someone who’s actually worth your time.”

After Ophelia finished her rant, Zain replied in a monotone, “I’ll consider it.”

He kept quiet about the mandatory divorce

cooling–off period they were already in.

Ophelia had more venom to spill, but Zain ended the call before she could get another word out.

Zain’s POV

After hanging up, I casually picked up a magazine from the coffee table.

I was stretched out on a plush sofa in some high–end boutique, slowly sipping my coffee, completely unbothered by anything Ophelia had just thrown at

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1. me.

If Blanche really did have a “young stud,” I could only think of two possibilities: Vincent or Demetrius.

While I was weighing whether Blanche’s supposed new guy was Vincent or Demetrius, the fitting room door opened.

I looked up automatically and saw Joanna emerge, draped in a deep crimson coat over a flowing white lace dress. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, giving off this perfect mix of elegance and warmth.

Joanna caught my eye and smiled softly. “Zain, what do you think?”

I nodded approvingly. “You look stunning.”

Under the boutique’s lighting, Joanna was absolutely radiant–she commanded every bit of attention in the

room.

She did a playful spin in front of the mirror, clearly thrilled with how the coat fit her.

Seeing her joy, I glanced at the sales clerk and said, “We’ll take it.”

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Joanna looked flustered and lowered her voice. “Zain, you don’t need to spend this much on me.”

I just smiled. “For you, it’s money well spent.”

Joanna’s cheeks turned pink, and the sales clerk, picking up on our dynamic, said, “Mr. Jacob, you’re such a thoughtful boyfriend.”

Most people assumed I had a girlfriend, barely anyone knew I was married with a child.

I didn’t bother setting the record straight.

Joanna glanced my way and said quietly, “Zain, let me change back into my clothes.”

I nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll handle the payment.”

I set the magazine down and stood up. While I was settling the bill, I heard Joanna call out from the fitting room, sounding slightly panicked, “Zain, could you help me? My hair’s caught in the zipper.”

I didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

I walked over to the fitting room and positioned myself behind Joanna, carefully working her hair free from the zipper.

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Joanna’s bare back was smooth and flawless under the

soft lighting.

As my fingers brushed against her skin, she couldn’t help but giggle. “That tickles, Zain.”

Inside the fitting room, Joanna kept stealing glances at my reflection in the mirror.

Every now and then, she’d bite her lip and smile, looking absolutely adorable.

Catching her little expressions, I suddenly met her gaze in the mirror and asked quietly, “Joanna, do you want to be Carry’s mom?”

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