"Mr. Myers, the terms of Ms. Lewis's divorce settlement were flawless—no loopholes at all. You gave up voluntarily, so there's no going back." "You were hired to find a loophole, not to run away! What happened to all that confidence? You told me this would be easy, and now you back out?" Arthur's hand twitched, the urge to strike flashing through him. But he held back. "Don't you have any professional integrity?" He was boiling with rage, wanting to trash the whole place. But his eyes fell on the romantic setup and that bright bouquet. He had prepared all this for Chloe. Now, it just seemed pathetic. "Mr. Myers, please find someone more capable. This case is way beyond us. I'm sorry!" The lawyer bowed deeply, then scrambled for the exit before Arthur could even reply. He was in such a hurry that he nearly tripped at the door—a ridiculous sight.Watching him flee, Arthur felt nothing but irritation. He slumped back into his chair, fists clenched, the anger inside him so intense he almost flipped the table. Who were these incompetent fools he had hired? He called the head of the law firm. He said money was no object—just handle the case. The moment they heard his name, the reply was a flat, "Sorry, we can't help you." He refused to give up. He kept dialing, one firm after another, even reaching out to lawyers in the next city. Almost all of them rejected him the second they understood the situation. One firm hung up as soon as he said his name. Finally, a friend called him and laid it out plainly. "Stop wasting your time." He had no chance of winning a case against Chloe. The divorce agreement was ironclad, and he had signed away his rights willingly. He had thrown away his best shot. The only way he could get custody was if his ex-wife went along with it—or if the kid chose to acknowledge him once he turned 18.The odds were practically zero. His friend advised him to just let it go. On that call, his friend spelled out the real reason—Chloe was being represented by the most feared top-tier lawyer in the industry. Nobody dared to go up against him. "Don't be so stubborn," his friend said. Arthur's grip on the phone tightened. In that moment, the truth finally sank in—Chloe had well and truly cut him off. Using Robert was a dead end. Wait until Robert turned 18? Impossible. Robert was still young and already hated him. So how did things get this bad? "Sir, your meal and the wine are ready. Shall we serve you now?" a waiter asked respectfully, bowing his head. Arthur looked at the waiter's subservient posture, then at his own miserable state. The irony was bitter. "Get out," he snarled. "All of you, get out!" Arthur lost it. In a blind rage, he drank every single bottle of wine he had ordered. He hurled that custom-made bouquet of roses at the restaurant entrance, then stumbled out into the street. The crowd flowed past him like a relentless river, and suddenly, he had no idea where he was supposed to go. "What have I done?" he mumbled to the empty air. There was no answer. He hailed a car and headed to the nearest hotel. His head was pounding from a night of heavy drinking. He fumbled his way into a top-floor suite, collapsed onto the bed, and drifted in and out of a hazy consciousness. Jennifer had been watching Arthur all along, a sharp flicker of annoyance in her eyes. Had he really fallen for Chloe? Look at him now—a complete wreck, falling apart. Was he really in so much pain over that woman? She was supposed to have left town, but she had found a way to stay. Now she and Jenarth were hiding out in this very hotel, lying low, terrified that Arthur would discover she was still in Capaville.But now, she saw her chance—a perfect opportunity to bind Arthur to her side for good. Jennifer quietly turned the lock on the door. For tonight, she had even changed into an outfit identical to one Chloe often wore. She walked over to the bed and looked down at the drunken man sprawled across it. Arthur was still in his suit, his tie hanging loose. "Arthur, you should take your clothes off before you sleep," Jennifer whispered softly, moving closer. She reached out and started tugging at his jacket, trying to undress him. Half-conscious, Arthur heard a woman's voice. His mind stirred. He cracked his eyes open. A bright, blurry figure filled his vision. The familiar style of the outfit made him freeze for a second. "Chloe!" Hearing him call out her name, Jennifer felt a sharp stab of disgust. She almost shoved him away right then and there.This useless man... Drunk out of his mind, the only person he could think of was Chloe. Where was all this devotion back when it mattered? Well, if he had gotten himself involved with her, he shouldn't think he could just walk away clean. "Just hurry up and take your clothes off," she snapped, reaching for him again to undress him. Hearing her voice, Arthur, in his drunken stupor, believed Chloe was really there, annoyed that he was drunk. His heart jolted. He grabbed her wrist, his grip tightening instantly.