The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 80

"You definitely played with his heart and ran off with his money. He's famous in the investment world for holding absolute grudges. If you two had no history, why would he go out of his way to target you?"

I was a massive failure as his wife, Bianca thought. Not only does he not love me, he actively despises me.

A sudden wave of profound sadness washed over her, and she had to force it down just to keep from crying.

She looked Milo up and down. Today, he looked even more aggressively casual than the last time they met, sporting flip-flops and an oversized t-shirt.

"Do the cops not pull you over for driving in flip-flops?"

"Don't try to change the subject," Milo deflected. "Spill the tragic romance between you and Mathis Jagger."

She couldn't easily brush off the expectant looks from the two of them.

Bianca had to curate what she shared. "His girlfriend, Cynthia Quinn, is my cousin. Her dad, Neville Quinn, stole my father's company. Back when I was working on a project at Progenix, I chewed Cynthia out. Mathis has been holding a grudge against me ever since."

The story sounded logical enough, but it also felt slightly off, leaving both of them somewhat skeptical.

Bianca added, "Mathis is madly in love with Cynthia. Cynthia hates me, so he hates me by association."

The two gossips exchanged a look. Given how highly publicized and obnoxious Mathis's recent public displays of affection had been, it actually fit his current persona.

Milo dropped his usual sarcastic smirk and said, "Well, then I feel sorry for you. No wonder you barely smile."

Bianca asked him point-blank, "Did your dad send you here? You look like someone who doesn't normally wake up until the afternoon, yet you're up pretty early today."

Milo grinned. "Oh, you've got a crush on me, don't you? We've only met once, and you already know my habits."

Bianca was left utterly speechless.

Milo added, "How about you call Mathis? Let me make sure he isn't going to throw a tantrum. My dad wants to finalize this deal ASAP."

She rattled off her lines in rapid succession and instantly hung up. There was no way Milo couldn't tell she had just been acting out a one-woman play.

It was obvious that Bianca's relationship with Mathis was far more complicated than she had claimed.

"Alright, I'll go tell my dad right now," Milo said.

He called Marcus immediately. "Dad, it's sorted!"

"Tell them to come over at two this afternoon. I'll be waiting in the conference room. You come sit in on it, too."

"Got it!"

When Milo relayed his father's message, Bianca and Mia practically jumped out of their seats and hugged each other in pure excitement.

Watching Bianca, Milo teased, "I just ran interference for you. Don't I get a hug too?"