Retaliation

Eric’s eyes sank and his face was stormy as he yelled, “Nicole! What are you doing?!”

The man’s voice was cold.

‘He showed up fast enough. Was he so afraid that I’d hurt Wendy?’ Nicole thought.

Wendy pouted and looked panicked. Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears as she covered her cheek and looked behind Nicole. She argued in a loud voice, “I didn’t do anything, Nicole. You misunderstood me.”

‘Is Nicole crazy? How dare she hit me in front of Eric?’

Nicole sneered. “Stop your act. I know it’s you.”

With a seeping cold gaze, Nicole walked to Wendy and took out the printed picture of Eric from her bag, then flung it in front of them.

Eric looked at the photo and had a moment of shock and confusion. Wendy’s face also instantly turned glum and pale.

He had a long day yesterday, so when he visited Wendy at the hospital, he dozed off for a while. It was apparent that this photo was secretly taken at that time.

The only other person in that room then was Wendy Quade.

Thus, Eric knew who had taken this photo. Wendy wanted to use this photo to make Nicole mad, but she did not expect to shoot herself in the foot.

How could Wendy still maintain her image of a pitiful meek woman?

In the past, Nicole would still care about Eric and put up with Wendy, but now, there was no need for that anymore.

Nicole smiled indifferently, and her voice was surprisingly cold. “I told you that I’m here to settle accounts. This is what you owe me. Wendy Quade, you’re the homewrecker in this situation. Are you satisfied now? I wish you all the best in replacing me as Mrs. Ferguson.”

Without much thought, Eric could guess how Nicole got this photo. He suddenly felt a little suffocated. His expression was cold and complex.

Eric’s face was still as cold as ever when he looked at Wendy’s sickly pale face with a stern gaze.

Wendy’s heart trembled. She quickly defended herself. “Eric, Nicole must have misunderstood something. I didn’t do anything or take this picture. She probably found someone to take this so that she could frame me!”

Eric frowned for a moment as Wendy sobbed pitifully and tugged on his sleeve. She said cautiously, “Eric, I can apologize to Nicole. If giving me blood affects your relationship, I won’t ask Nicole for blood in the future. I swear by Hendrick’s name that I don’t know anything about the photo!”

Hearing the name “Hendrick”, Eric’s eyes flickered as he thought of his best friend’s dying wish. The gloom on Eric’s face dissipated a little. “Nicole was too agitated earlier and shouldn’t have hit you. Do you need a doctor to check it out?”

Wendy was still covering her cheek that felt numb from Nicole’s slap and shook her head. “It’s okay.”

Eric nodded and looked at Nicole, who was standing on the side. The corners of her lips curled up mockingly and she had a cold and indifferent look on her face. Seeing her like this, Eric inexplicably felt a strange emotion in his heart.

“You wanted a divorce because of this? Never mind, get your blood drawn first.” Eric wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but it was not an appropriate environment.

An insignificant photo meant nothing compared to Wendy’s health. Eric planned to explain the photo to Nicole afterward as there were still outsiders in the ward.

Wendy felt relieved and knew that she got away with it. ‘Eric still chose me. Nicole lost again!’

Nicole had long guessed this outcome. Wendy was good at acting and Nicole was not bothered to expose her. She no longer wanted to be involved with them. Nicole looked at the doctor on the side and asked in a calm voice, “Are you sure she needs a blood transfusion?”

The doctor froze for a moment. When he received Wendy’s glare, he nodded in panic under Eric’s watchful gaze. “Yes, Ms. Quade fell just now, which caused serious blood loss in her legs, so she needs a blood transfusion.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Eric ordered in a cold voice.

“Yes, sir.” The doctor quickly went to make preparations.

Wendy gave Nicole a smug smile from an angle that no one else could see.

“Wait.”

Nicole did not leave with the doctor obediently. Instead, she went forward and lifted Wendy’s quilt in a domineering and swift motion.

Remarry

Nicole did not care in the slightest whether Wendy was embarrassed or not. She looked at Wendy’s bandaged left leg and ripped off the bandage despite Wendy’s struggle.

Suddenly, the surrounding atmosphere in the ward dropped to freezing point.

Nicole looked at the graze on Wendy’s leg and scoffed.

“Wow, it’s so serious that there’s not even a drop of blood flowing out. If I came a little later, I’m afraid your ‘wound’ will heal completely…”

“Nicole! You... Eric, it’s not like that… It’s just that I’m feeling weak right now and will recover better with a blood transfusion…”

Wendy Quade met the man’s dark gaze. Her heart trembled as she explained in a panic.

“You get ‘injured’ four to five times a month. I think you’re just trying to drain my blood!” Nicole’s voice was cold as she continued, “Too bad, you won’t have this opportunity again in the future. Get Eric to marry another fool to be your new mobile blood bank.”

After that, Nicole sneered and left the ward without looking back.

The moment Nicole slammed the door to the ward shut, she slumped on a bench in the corridor. At that moment, she felt dejected like she had been abandoned by the whole world.

Nicole felt extremely aggrieved. Tears slid down the corners of her eyes as she took out her phone and mustered her strength to make a call. Her voice choked with fatigue.

“Big Brother…”

The other party only heard her voice and sighed silently. His voice was indulgent. “Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

A few minutes later, a noble and elegant man leading a group of mysterious men in black carried the unconscious woman out of the hospital and left quietly.

......

Eric Ferguson dragged the attending doctor out of the ward with a gloomy face. His dark eyes were filled with anger.

“A serious leg injury?! Is a blood transfusion even needed for grazed skin? Is this the standard of professionalism in your hospital?!”

Eric exuded a terrifying chill. When he thought of Nicole’s weak condition every time after she donated blood, the guilt in his heart deepened, and that strange feeling in his heart became more intense.

The doctor shuddered and did not dare to hide the truth from him anymore.

“It was Ms. Quade’s order. It has nothing to do with our hospital. Ms. Quade said you agreed to all of the blood transfusions. Every time Ms. Nicole donated blood, you were also there, so we thought that we’re just following orders. Mr. Ferguson, we will never dare to do this again…”

‘Wendy Quade… Did I indulge her too much? Nicole insisted on divorce just because of that photo. Did she misunderstand my relationship with Wendy?’

In that case, Eric thought that he could just explain it to her. Although he did not have much affection for his wife, he had always been faithful to their marriage and was satisfied with their status quo. Thus, he did not mind living like this for the rest of their lives.

At least, he had never thought about getting a divorce since they got married.

If Nicole was just not satisfied with his relationship with Wendy, he could keep his distance from her.

Eric thought that their marriage could be saved if they sorted out this tiny problem.

He took out his phone to call Nicole, but her phone was turned off.

Eric’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed as he summoned the bodyguard that was at the entrance. A few minutes later, the bodyguard stood in front of him with trepidation.

“Mr. Ferguson, we can’t find the Young Madam anywhere. The hospital’s surveillance footage was suddenly hacked ten minutes ago. We can’t find any clues to where the Young Madam went even if we searched the entire hospital.”

Eric frowned deeper and his thin lips were pressed into a taut line. When he thought back to the way Nicole did not hesitate to sign her name on the divorce agreement, he felt an indescribable emotion surging in his chest. His deep dark eyes seemed bottomless and inscrutable.

‘Where can she go after the divorce? She doesn’t have any money…’

The thought of her leaving so abruptly made that irritable feeling that constantly haunted him more intense. His heart just felt extremely uncomfortable.

“Get someone to search for her and notify me immediately when you’ve found her.”

‘How dare she turn off her phone like this?! She’s really out of line!’

“Yes, sir.”

Eric did not want to admit that he felt a twinge of panic because of this woman who was no longer his wife.

......

The Italian limited-edition luxury furniture in the lavishly decorated room was incredibly familiar to Nicole. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw the opulent room that she had not seen in a long time, her tears instantly streamed down her face.

‘This is my room…’

“What are you crying for? It’s just a divorce. Do you think the Stanton family can’t support you?”

A mature and tough voice rang in her ears. When Nicole looked over, her eyes felt sore and she cried even more.

Floyd Stanton, the legendary Chairman of Stanton Corporation who could influence the entire West City’s business world, stood in Nicole’s room looking imposing and majestic.

“Dad…”

Ridiculed

As soon as Floyd Stanton walked over, Nicole jumped into his arms and cried hysterically.

Floyd sighed, heartbroken and angry at his daughter. She had never suffered the slightest bit since she was a child, yet she acted so lowly in front of Eric Ferguson. To make things worse, Eric Ferguson never once appreciated his darling daughter.

If not for their prior agreement, Floyd Stanton would have crushed the Fergusons and beat that bastard to death to avenge his daughter!

“Nikki, remember our agreement? If that bastard doesn’t fall in love with you within three years, you’ll come back to succeed me in the company. Now, you have to abide by our agreement, okay?”

Floyd lovingly stroked his daughter’s hair while she bawled. After a while, Nicole sobbed and spoke intermittently.

“Don’t worry, Dad… I… Won’t be… That stupid again…”

To chase after her so-called “true love”, Nicole abandoned her family and friends despite their advice. She gave up her identity, elite status, and luxury lifestyle to fly into her own self-destruction, like a moth to a flame.

Now, Nicole finally erased the man from her heart, bit by bit, despite enduring unforgettable pain because of that.

“Good. Daddy will get your big brother to accompany you. Familiarize yourself with the company first, then we’ll choose a nice day to host a welcome banquet to announce your identity.”

Floyd was excited because his precious baby daughter was finally going to start a career!

Although news of Nicole’s return to the Stanton family had not been announced yet, Nicole’s best friend, Yvette Quimbey, could not wait to come to her house to meet her.

As soon as Yvette saw Nicole, she gave Nicole a big bear hug and said, “Baby, I’ve missed you so much! Congrats on your divorce!”

When Nicole first told them that she would conceal her identity to get married, Yvette was the first to stand up against it, but Nicole still stubbornly married into the Ferguson family and gradually lost contact with Yvette. Now that she saw her best friend after all these years, Nicole’s eyes brimmed with tears again.

The two ladies chatted for a long time about everything under the sun. Finally, Yvette pestered Nicole wanting to see her divorce certificate, so Nicole had no other option but took it out and showed her. When Yvette saw it, she sighed with relief.

“Eric Ferguson, that stupid blind son of a b*tch! He’s gonna regret this!”

Nicole lowered her eyes. “Even if he does regret it, it doesn’t have anything to do with me anymore. He’s a stranger to me now.”

“Well done, Baby! You just need to wave your hand, and your admirers will be lining up from your doorstep to the outskirts of West City! That bastard can’t even get in line!” Yvette scoffed in disdain.

Nicole suddenly remembered that she left some important documents at Eric’s house, so she had to go back to take them. Yvette volunteered to go with her, which Nicole agreed to after some thought.

What Nicole did not expect was to see Eric’s mother, Quinn, as soon as she went back. Quinn always went to their house without notice and walked around like she was the master of the house.

Quinn was very displeased when she saw Nicole return with a stranger. She held her head up high and looked at Nicole and her friend with scorn.

“Nicole, didn’t I tell you that we have a lot of confidential documents in the house? You can’t just bring randos back here. Do you have a goldfish memory?”

Yvette was stunned and spoke up in dissatisfaction. “Who are you calling a rando? Don’t you think you’re too old to be calling people names?”

She grew up with love and care from her parents, so how could she endure Quinn’s ridicule like this?

Now, Yvette could already tell what kind of life Nicole had while she lived here and felt infuriated.

Quinn coldly snorted and gave Yvette a once-over. “Don’t think you can pretend to be elite just by wearing this fake outfit. I’ve seen a lot of low-class people like you who dream of marrying into a rich family!”

Yvette sneered in anger. Nicole’s face sank as she said, “She’s my friend. Please show some respect.”

Nicole had always been submissive in the Ferguson family and never talked back to Quinn.

‘Now, she dares to reprimand me in front of outsiders? This lowly woman with an unknown background dares to speak to me like this?!’ Quinn thought.

She was furious and yelled, “Respect? Do people of your background even deserve respect? Nicole, you should count your blessings that our family accepts you to be our daughter-in-law. You’ve been living so well in our house for the past three years. Did you forget your lowly background? This girl you brought home is probably just like you. You both smell of poverty, so get the hell out of my house and don’t stain my floors!”