The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 17

Mathis remained entirely unmoved by her breakdown. Taking a step closer, he leaned in until his lips brushed her ear. "I told you, this marriage ends when I say it does. Even if I have a hundred sons out there, you will endure it. This is what you owe me."

"You sick bastard." Bianca took a step back and swung her hand to slap him.

Mathis caught her wrist with terrifying precision. "Don't push me," he growled. "I'm not as patient as you think."

With that, he turned and stormed off, radiating absolute hostility.

Bianca felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body. Her only thought was getting her phone fixed.

Assuming she had already left, Cillian wrapped up his conversations and drove home.

With her phone destroyed, Bianca had no way to call a cab. As she walked out of the building, she saw Mathis carefully helping Cynthia into his car. Cynthia's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck.

Bianca found it bitterly ironic—Mathis used to tell her they needed to maintain a professional distance in public. Apparently, that rule only applied to his wife.

Mathis completely ignored her. Seething, Bianca marched over. "You smashed my phone. Give me cash so I can get a cab."

She didn't have any cash in her purse.

Mathis simply turned to Quincy. "Call her a car."

Refusing to let them know where she was currently staying, Bianca rejected the offer. "No need. Just give me the cash."

Mathis ignored her and climbed into the back seat.

Quincy, who had always looked down on Bianca as a woman lacking self-respect, asked impatiently, "Where exactly are you going, Ms. Baldwin? Give me an address."

Without a word, Bianca turned on her heel and walked away. She would rather walk the entire way back than let them find out where she lived.

Disgusted, Quincy reached out to yank her back.

At that exact moment, Miles Hollister and a group of tech engineers walked out and stepped in front of Bianca. "What the hell do you think you're doing, grabbing a woman like that?"

The chilling pressure in Mathis's voice made Quincy hate Bianca even more. She was just a prop to ward off bad luck when the boss was sick. So what if he had another woman? What right did she have to throw a tantrum?

Bianca slept terribly that night. She kept dreaming that the phone was completely unfixable, and that she would never hear her mother's voice again.

She sat up and splashed cold water on her face. If only she hadn't insisted on keeping her mother in the ICU all those years ago, perhaps she would never have gotten tangled up with Mathis in the first place.

Now she was carrying his child—though thankfully, he couldn't care less.

She cried for a while before finally lying back down, slipping into a fitful, restless sleep.

Early the next morning, Bianca was greeted by a delivery: a brand new smartphone and an American Express Centurion Black Card.

She stared in shock. Who could afford such extravagance?

It couldn't be Jax; he didn't have this kind of money to throw around. Plus, he didn't even know her phone was broken.