A SON IN LAW TURNS BILLIONAIRE AFTER DIVORCE

Chapter 32

After dinner, Leonard drove his sleek truck to the high-end branch of Apex National Bank near his temporary apartment.

Recently, as his stock market investments continued to yield massive returns and his liquid capital exploded, he had been visiting the bank far more frequently. The dedicated representative assigned to personally oversee his multi-million-dollar accounts was none other than Yvonne Quinn, the senior branch manager.

Yvonne had been dropping clear romantic hints to Leonard for quite some time.

At first, it was undeniably about his astronomical wealth—a single man walking around with hundreds of millions in liquid cash was every ambitious woman's dream. But as she handled his private wire transfers and got to know him on a personal level, she gradually realized that Leonard possessed a calm, dangerous composure that seemed far beyond his years.

More importantly, he wasn't like the vulgar nouveau riche snobs who won a bit of cash and walked around wearing a giant "I'm Rich" sign on their foreheads. He was quiet, calculating, and possessed an intense, quiet authority that intrigued her deeply.

Because of that, even when routine account transfers could have easily been passed down to junior relationship managers, Yvonne always insisted on handling Leonard's affairs personally inside her private VIP office.

The only frustrating issue was that no matter how many flirtatious looks or subtle invitations Yvonne dropped over the past week, Leonard had remained completely detached, never making a single move.

Until tonight.

By the time they finished finalizing his latest multi-million-dollar fund allocation, the bank had long been closed, and most of the staff had already gone home for the evening.

Yvonne closed the heavy leather file folder in front of her, leaning back in her executive chair with a soft, lingering smile.

"All right, Leonard. That takes care of everything on the schedule for today."

Leonard glanced at the gold watch on his wrist, then looked up, meeting her dark, smoky eyes.

"Got any plans tonight, Yvonne?"

Yvonne paused for half a second, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing her face, before her lips curved into a breathtaking, confident smile.

"I did," she whispered, her voice dropping into a sultry, inviting register. "Not anymore."

Leonard smiled back. "Want to grab a late bite to eat?"

"I was starting to think you'd never ask, Mr. Buck."

They left the private bank offices together. Instead of driving to a formal, black-tie establishment on the other side of town, Leonard casually led her to an upscale, late-night Grill & Bar located right near his apartment building.

It was only a little past ten in the evening, and the commercial square surrounding the residential complex was still lively. Couples were strolling back from dinner, people were walking their dogs, and several neighbors from the nearby apartment blocks were standing near the courtyard chatting.

Leonard had become something of a local legend lately. Ever since the massive lottery news exploded, almost everyone in the neighborhood recognized his face. And when several sharp-eyed neighbors saw the stunning, high-society bank manager walking arm-in-arm with him toward his building, they immediately understood what was going down.

Inside the vibrant grill, they ordered an array of gourmet skewers, and Leonard deliberately made a point to order a massive, steaming platter of fresh, garlic-butter oysters.

Yvonne's cheeks flushed a delicate shade of crimson when the platter arrived at the table, her dark eyes darting to him with clear, playful realization, making her look even more alluring under the ambient lights.

After they finished their late-night meal and a bottle of wine, Leonard walked Yvonne right back through the main entrance of his apartment building.

Naturally, more than a few nosy neighbors standing in the lobby saw the drop-dead gorgeous woman walking up to his private floor with him.

Leonard couldn't have cared less about the gossip. In fact, he explicitly wanted the whole neighborhood to see it.

They took the private elevator up to the fifteenth floor. The very second the heavy apartment door clicked shut behind them, Yvonne turned around, wrapped her slender arms around his neck, and threw herself completely into his arms.

...

By the time the morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom, they had gone at it more than once.

Lying in the soft sheets, Leonard couldn't help feeling a sudden, bitter realization: the first twenty-eight years of his life in his previous timeline had been a complete, pathetic waste.

Of course he and Susan had maintained a domestic sex life back when they were married, but Susan had always treated intimate moments like a grueling, disgusting chore. The bedroom lights had to be completely off, she wouldn't allow him to kiss her deeply or touch her in certain ways, and most of the time she simply lay flat on her back like a cold corpse, waiting for him to finish.

As the years went by, their intimacy dwindled to almost nothing. Eventually, they didn't even average once a month.

In his past life, Leonard had genuinely believed that Susan simply possessed a naturally low sex drive. It wasn't until after his rebirth that the brutal truth finally hit him between the eyes: Susan had never been cold. She simply hadn't been attracted to him. Her heart had belonged entirely to Jonathan, and sleeping with Leonard had been nothing more than an agonizing marital obligation to keep her cover alive.

Because of that, Leonard had spent years believing that physical passion was thoroughly overrated—just a basic physical itch you dealt with when you went too long without it.

But after last night, he realized just how wildly wrong he had been.

Yvonne was the complete, absolute polar opposite of Susan. She was fiery, passionate, insanely responsive, shameless in her desire, and clearly experienced.

God, Leonard thought, taking a deep breath. He had never known physical intimacy could be this thrilling.

Of course, the fact that Yvonne was so confident and experienced meant she had likely been with plenty of wealthy men before him. But Leonard had zero intention of marrying her or making her a permanent part of his life. Why on earth should he care about her past?

And Yvonne wasn't foolish enough to chase a marriage proposal either. She was a pragmatic, sharp woman who wanted financial security, comfort, and a powerful man. They both entered the bedroom with their eyes wide open, knowing exactly what they were getting out of the arrangement.

"Heh... I honestly thought you were just some cold, clueless workaholic who didn't have a single clue how to have fun," Yvonne teased softly, resting her chin on his chest, her eyes still heavy with complete satisfaction. "Turns out... you're pretty damn incredible, boss."

Leonard smiled faintly, running a hand through her dark hair.

"I'll transfer ten thousand dollars to your private account every month," Leonard said casually. "And I'll buy you that new sports coupe you were looking at at the dealership."

Yvonne's eyes lit up with brilliant, unhidden delight. She leaned up and kissed his jaw. "Thank you, boss."

Become Leonard Buck's official wife? Yvonne wasn't nearly that delusional. She knew her own place and knew how the world worked. If she had been willing to slide into Leonard's bed this easily on their first date, why would a billionaire like him ever believe she wouldn't do the same with someone else? To Leonard, she was an exciting, fiery distraction. To Yvonne, he was an ultra-generous benefactor who just made her life ten times easier.

Ten thousand dollars a month in pocket money plus a brand-new luxury car? That was more than enough to keep her completely satisfied.

Because they had gone wild deep into the night and collapsed the moment they were exhausted, both of them woke up feeling sticky, so they decided to step into the master bathroom to take a hot shower together.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Just as the hot water started running, someone began violently pounding on the front apartment door—fast, loud, and furious, as if the entire building were on fire!

Leonard turned off the faucet, grabbed a dark silk robe, and tied it around his waist. He didn't even need to think to guess who was standing outside.

Susan.

No one else in this city would show up at his doorstep pounding with that exact level of unhinged, hysterical rage.

He walked out of the bathroom, crossed the living room floor, and glanced through the wide optical peephole.

Sure enough, there she stood—her face pale, her lips trembling, her fists hammering against the wood.

Here we go, Leonard thought, a dark, wicked smirk spreading across his lips. Everything was unfolding precisely according to plan.

He unlocked the latch and pulled the heavy door open.

"Leonard!" Susan instantly barked, her eyes wild as she tried to peer past his shoulder into the apartment. "I heard from the neighbors downstairs that you brought a woman home to stay the night! Is that true?!"

Leonard stood casually in the doorway, resting his hand against the frame. He nodded without a second of hesitation.

"It's completely true."

"How... how could you do something so disgusting?!" Susan's face turned a violent, blotchy red, her chest heaving as if she were a faithful wife who had just caught her husband red-handed in a hotel room.

Leonard let out a short, mocking laugh. "Why couldn't I?"

He stepped closer, looking down at her frantic eyes. "I'm a single, divorced man, Susan. Since when is a single man not legally or morally allowed to bring women back to his own apartment?"

The cold, logical truth hit her like a physical slap to the face.

Susan opened her mouth, her lips working silently, but she froze—suddenly completely unable to construct a single logical sentence to refute him. They were divorced. He was a billionaire. He owed her nothing.

"Leonard, honey, who's at the door?"

A smooth, sultry voice echoed from the hallway inside. Yvonne stepped out of the master bathroom, casually tying the belt of a matching white silk robe around her waist. Since she had heard another woman's screaming voice out front, she saw zero reason to waste time putting on full clothes.

The two women's eyes instantly locked in the doorway.

It's not the lawyer!

Susan's mind practically blew a fuse right then and there!

Leonard, you ungrateful, lying bastard! Just yesterday, he had stood in this exact hallway telling her that Sophia Dean was his official girlfriend! And now, less than twelve hours later, he had brought an entirely different, breathtaking woman into his bed?!

But as Susan's frantic eyes thoroughly scanned the woman standing behind Leonard, a sudden, agonizing stab of deep insecurity pierced straight through her chest.

Yvonne was noticeably prettier than her. She was younger, radiating an effortless, sophisticated elegance. And her figure—tall, toned, with a breathtakingly full chest and curving hips—was something Susan couldn't match even on her best day.

More importantly, Yvonne had clearly just stepped out of the shower. Her face was completely bare, devoid of a single drop of makeup—yet her flawless skin and natural beauty still made Susan look plain and tired by comparison.

"Oh," Leonard said casually, waving a hand between them. "Yvonne, meet my ex-wife."

Susan gripped her purse so hard her knuckles turned white. She couldn't just turn around and walk away! How could she?! As far as she was concerned, Leonard was a walking four-hundred-million-dollar goldmine that rightfully belonged to her family!

She hurriedly stepped forward, pointing a shaking finger at Leonard. "Leonard! Aren't you terrified that Sophia will find out about this side-chick?! If your lawyer girlfriend finds out you're sleeping around behind her back, she'll dump you instantly!"

Before Leonard could even bother responding, Yvonne let out a soft, melodic laugh, leaning her shoulder against Leonard's arm.

"A multi-millionaire having other beautiful women around isn't exactly shocking news to anyone with a brain, sweetie," Yvonne said, casting a cool, deeply mocking gaze down at Susan.

She smirked, her voice dripping with condescending pity. "What's really hilarious is that you're officially divorced, yet you actually think you still have the right to control who your ex-husband sleeps with? That's beyond pathetic, ma'am."

"YOU—!"

Susan flew into a sudden, unhinged rage! Overcome by humiliation, she reared her hand back and swung a wild, vicious slap straight toward Yvonne's face!

SWIPE!

Yvonne didn't even flinch. She wasn't a professional fighter, but she attended high-end Pilates and strength-training classes three times a week. She was taller, faster, and significantly stronger than a frail, stressed-out nurse like Susan.

Yvonne raised her arm with smooth precision, catching Susan's wrist firm mid-air!

Holding Susan's wrist in a iron grip, Yvonne looked down her nose at her, her eyes flashing with sharp disdain.

"Physical assault is a felony, ma'am," Yvonne said coldly. "Don't make me call security to drag you out."

Ma'am?!

The word hit Susan like a hot iron! Was this young bitch practically calling her an old, washed-up hag to her face?!

Yvonne gave a firm, dismissive shove, releasing her wrist and forcing Susan to stumble back several awkward steps down the concrete hallway floor.

Susan stood there trembling, her face burning like fire. What else could she possibly say?!

Her frantic, desperate eyes involuntarily dropped straight down to Yvonne's chest beneath the silk robe. At least a full D cup, Susan thought bitterly.

Then her mind flashed back to Sophia Dean at the restaurant—Sophia had an incredible, full bust line as well!

In a single, terrifying instant, something clicked inside Susan's desperate brain.

So that's it!

Leonard didn't just want any woman—he had developed a obsession with heavily busty, curvy, supermodel-like women! Well, what rich man didn't?!

Susan had still been hesitating last night, terrified of the pain and the heavy cost of going under the plastic surgeon's knife. But looking at Yvonne's glowing face and perfect body, every trace of doubt in her mind evaporated into thin air!

She gritted her teeth, glaring at Leonard with a look of manic, desperate determination.

"Leonard! I am NOT giving up on us!" Susan yelled, her voice echoing down the corridor. "Just you wait! I'll prove to you who the real woman in your life is!"

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her high heels and practically sprinted down the hallway toward the elevators.

Yvonne blinked, watching her frantic retreat, before looking up at Leonard in confusion. "Why did she run off all of a sudden? Was she expecting an invitation for breakfast?"

Leonard leaned against the door frame, watching Susan's disappearing figure with a slow, dark smile spreading across his face.

"She's probably running off to book a consultation at a cosmetic surgery clinic," Leonard said lazily. "Probably getting massive breast implants, too."

Yvonne looked down at her own natural chest, then recalled Susan's flat, mediocre build, and let out a snort of pure amusement. "With what she's starting with? Pfft. Even the best plastic surgeon in the city couldn't get her past a C cup."

Leonard burst into a loud, genuine laugh, a dark glint of pure satisfaction burning in his eyes.

He knew that exact look on Susan's face before she ran away.

Insecurity. Pure, toxic resentment. And an obsessive, pathological need to prove that she wasn't inferior to any other woman on earth.

Having spent nine long years under the same roof with her in his previous life, Leonard understood the inner mechanics of her twisted mind better than anyone alive. Once Susan convinced herself that she had lost Leonard's favor to Sophia and Yvonne simply because of her looks, she would do everything in her power to bridge the physical gap.

Not pretty enough? Get facial sculpting.

Not curvy enough? Get heavy implants.

And that was precisely what Leonard wanted her to do.

He had calculated her remaining financial assets down to the exact dollar. She had recently received a one-million-dollar cash payout from Jonathan's family, paid him four hundred and ten thousand for the court settlement, and had some small personal savings left. She was sitting on roughly six hundred thousand dollars.

To a regular person, six hundred thousand dollars sounded like a comfortable fortune.

But once a desperate woman starts throwing cash into high-end cosmetic procedures, facial revisions, body sculpting, and recovery clinics—how long would that money really last?

And knowing Susan's relentless vanity, once she started, she would never be satisfied with just one simple procedure. She would want to be prettier than Sophia. Sexier than Yvonne. She would keep obsessively comparing herself to every gorgeous woman around Leonard, upgrading procedures, fixing complications, and spending tens of thousands of dollars at a time.

And the absolute best, most delicious part of the trap was—she would fully convince herself that every single dollar she burned was a brilliant, necessary investment to win back her four-hundred-million-dollar ex-husband.

A cold, merciless smile spread across Leonard's face as he stepped back inside his apartment and closed the door.

Go right ahead, Susan. Spend every dime.

He had never held a single grain of intention to take her back into his life. What he truly wanted—what he was patiently waiting to see—was the moment Susan blew through the very last dollar of her settlement money, endured weeks of physical agony under the surgeon's knife, and finally walked back to his gate full of supreme confidence, convinced she had finally transformed into the dream woman he desired...

Only for him to look her dead in the eye and tell her—

That no matter what monster she turned herself into...

He still wouldn't take her back if she were the last creature on earth.