A SON IN LAW TURNS BILLIONAIRE AFTER DIVORCE

Chapter 15

After standing around fuming in the middle of the sidewalk, the Millers finally ran out of steam, gave up, and headed down the street toward the commercial square.

Ever since Leonard had walked out on them, meals had suddenly become a massive, agonizing inconvenience that none of them were used to dealing with.

For nine long years, Magret had been the one who bought the basic groceries, but that was strictly where her involvement ended. Every single evening, Leonard would come home exhausted from work, step straight into the hot kitchen, and handle all the cooking while the rest of them simply sat on their asses, watched television, and waited to be served. Not a single person in the Miller household had ever seen a reason to learn how to boil an egg when there was always an obedient fool willing to do it for them.

Besides, as far as the Millers were concerned right now, they were going to be multi-millionaires in a matter of weeks. What was the point of pinching pennies on cheap diner food when a fortune was waiting for them?

They headed straight into Maison Arden, an extremely upscale, white-cloth restaurant near the entrance of Maple Grove where a single lunch could easily cost several hundred dollars per person.

From a short distance away across the boulevard, Leonard stood near the shadow of a tree and watched all four of them strut inside like royalty.

His eyes narrowed into thin, icy slits. A dark, wicked idea suddenly bloomed in his mind.

He had dealt the Millers blow after bitter blow over the past forty-eight hours, but in his heart, he knew it still wasn't anywhere near enough. Not after what they had done to him in his previous life. Not after the nine years of quiet humiliation, the horrific domestic betrayal, and the lingering, nightmarish memory of being carved apart for meat while he was still bleeding and alive in the frozen dark.

He pulled his phone out of his coat, tapped the screen, and placed a quick call.

"Mr. Stone," Leonard said softly into the receiver. "It's time to drop the first rumor."

A short while later, Leonard pushed open the heavy glass doors of Maison Arden himself. He casually walked up the carpeted stairs to the second-floor dining area, his eyes sweeping the room until he spotted the Millers seated by the grand chandelier. Acting completely unbothered, Leonard chose a private table just three rows away from them.

When the waiter approached, Leonard didn't even look at the prices. He ordered eight of the most expensive signature dishes on the menu, along with a bottle of sparkling water.

Naturally, it didn't take long for the Millers to notice him.

Michael’s face darkened into a furious, muddy shade of purple the second he looked over his shoulder. Of all the high-end restaurants in the entire district, Leonard just happened to walk into this exact one?

"Is that bastard following us?!" Michael growled through his teeth, slamming his water glass onto the table. "Coincidence? Not a damn chance!"

"He's doing it on purpose," Joseph snarled, glaring across the room with burning hatred. "He's showing off!"

But before Michael or Joseph could jump up from their seats to start another scene, a loud, sharp ring tone shattered the tension at their table.

Susan’s phone was vibrating violently against the tablecloth.

She glanced at the glowing screen. It was Kitty, one of her closest coworkers from the hospital.

Susan clicked the call open and put the phone to her ear. "Kitty? What's wrong?"

"Susan! Oh my god, get on the Sydvale City Forum right now!" Kitty blurted out, her voice frantic and breathless before Susan could even say hello. "There's a massive, trending post blowing up everywhere! It says you and Jonathan Brad have been having a secret affair for nine years and that Mark is actually his biological son! It's going viral!"

Susan’s face drained of every drop of color. Her hand went completely numb.

"W-What...?" she stammered, her voice cracking.

"Just look at the front page!" Kitty gasped, and the line went dead.

Susan frantically tapped her fingers against her screen, opening the city's main public forum app. And there it was, pinned right at the very top of the trending page in bright red lettering:

[SHOCKING EXPOSÉ] Senior City Hall Official Allegedly Maintained 9-Year Secret Affair With Married Nurse—Fathered Her Child To Cover Up Scandal!

The thread already had over fifteen hundred chaotic replies, and the number was rising by the second.

Susan’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She nearly dropped the phone onto her plate as cold sweat broke out across her forehead. Her eyes darted wildly across the text, skimming through the aggressive paragraphs.