The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 286

Xanthe interrupted her. 'Chloe, the two of you are divorced, and that bastard has a new woman. Stop dwelling on the past.'

Chloe finally shut her mouth, looking embarrassed.

She had invited her ex-husband and kid to dinner today, but they hadn't shown up.

Daphne quickly went back to her room and brought out a generous welcome gift of cash for Aveline. 'It's the child's first time visiting; you have to accept this.'

Bianca didn't decline and handed the envelope directly to Aveline.

The toddler showed signs of being quite the little money-lover. She clumsily opened it, saw the cash inside, and beamed. 'Thank you, Grandma!'

She then tucked it into her little crossbody bag.

Xanthe had thoughtfully prepared a whack-a-mole toy for the baby, and the little one happily played with it by herself.

Soon after, Cillian Calder, Simon, and Hailey arrived. Cillian hadn't brought a physical gift but handed Xanthe an envelope with two thousand dollars.

'Happy housewarming.'

Simon brought two boxes of premium tea, while Hailey bought her a robot vacuum.

Xanthe happily accepted everyone's gifts.

Chloe's eyes darted across the faces of the men in the room. Ultimately, she locked onto Cillian as her target.

Since he was her sister's boss, he definitely wasn't poor.

Cillian, however, was completely oblivious that he was being targeted.

Bianca asked Xanthe why she hadn't invited her extended relatives. Xanthe explained that her relatives were quite toxic; if they knew she had bought a house outright, they'd die of jealousy.

She didn't want irrelevant people ruining her big day, so she only invited friends.

'And your parents agreed to that?' Bianca asked, puzzled.

Xanthe looped her arm through hers. 'My name is on the deed, so of course my parents agreed. My sister wanted to invite her trash ex-husband, but he completely ignored her.'

Bianca glanced at Chloe. 'Is your sister still not over him? He's already remarried.'

'Her brain just doesn't work like normal people's,' Xanthe sighed. 'If it weren't for my parents, I honestly wouldn't want her living here.'

'Don't let it get to you,' Bianca comforted. 'Who knows, maybe she'll get remarried soon too.'

'I hope so!'

While they were chatting, the meal was ready—ten dishes and a soup, symbolizing perfection and completeness.

Everyone gathered around the table. Bianca looked around but didn't see Hector Goodwin, so she whispered to Xanthe, 'Why isn't Hector here?'

'He wanted to come, but I wouldn't let him,' Xanthe whispered back. 'We just started dating; it's too soon to meet the parents. I'm still observing him.'

'How far along are you two?' Bianca asked with a smile.

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