Chapter 225: Do You Really Want a Divorce?
Staring at Alaric Blackwood’s name on his phone screen, Joseph Shaw’s expression was grave. He hung up the call with a sullen face.
He was sitting in the luxurious president’s office of the Kane Group.
Bianca Kane sat on the sofa opposite him. They were in the middle of a discussion about the plagiarism accusations against the Nine Stone Series. Bianca’s position was to file a lawsuit immediately, accusing Heart of the Ocean of plagiarism.
Joseph Shaw hadn’t offered his opinion. He hadn’t said a single word since Bianca Kane had entered the office and brought up the subject.
"Joseph, what are your thoughts on this?"
Bianca Kane asked.
"Sophie is sick. I have to go to the hospital in a little while."
Bianca Kane paused. "Sick? What kind of sick?"
"The same thing her mother had."
At his words, the corners of Bianca Kane’s mouth twitched, fighting an irrepressible urge to curl into a smirk.
"Oh, my! What a poor little thing."
Bianca Kane feigned a sigh. "Go, if you must. I assume they want you at the hospital for a tissue-typing test. That girl... she ignores you all the time, but the moment she needs your bone marrow to save her life, she suddenly remembers she has a father."
Hearing her sarcastic tone, Joseph Shaw’s brow furrowed deeply. He stood up to leave, but Bianca Kane stopped him. "Joseph! You know, you and your daughter don’t have to take this to court."
He stopped in his tracks and turned back. "Do you have a solution?"
"Of course. But it all hinges on you being a match. If Sophie Shaw wants to live, she needs you to donate your bone marrow. This is the perfect opportunity. You can use this leverage to make her drop the Nine Stone Series and never go after it again. That way, she gets to live, and your position at the Kane Group isn’t affected. Wouldn’t that make everyone happy?"
"My daughter is sick, and that’s all you can think about?"
"Is there a problem? She’s your daughter, not mine. It’s generous enough of me to let you go to the hospital for the test. What more do you want? Besides, I’m thinking of your well-being. You’re forty-eight years old; donating bone marrow takes a serious toll on the body. And was I wrong? She’s the one coming after you, willing to be branded a plagiarist just to oppose her own father. It’s obvious she’s determined to sue you. The Nine Stone Series is credited to Lynn. If it really goes to court, you won’t win."
Bianca Kane’s expression turned serious. "Joseph, let me be blunt. If you don’t resolve this and you lose the lawsuit, you’re going to go back to being a stay-at-home dad. Don’t even think about meddling in company business ever again."
"Don’t you go too far."
Joseph Shaw gritted his teeth in anger.
Bianca Kane sneered. "This is how far I’ll go. You don’t like it? Fine. Let’s get a divorce."
"What did you just say?"
"If we divorce, our son is mine. A man in your position doesn’t deserve custody of Joel."
Joseph Shaw’s head was BUZZING. ’I never imagined Bianca would bring up divorce so directly. I thought that after ten years together, we had feelings for each other. Now it seems all she wants is our son. As her husband, I’m useless to her. After all, she’s keeping a lover on the side to take care of her physical needs. I’ve known about her relationship with the designer, Lana Rhodes, for a long time; I just never brought it up to save face. I never thought turning a blind eye would make me into someone she could just kick away whenever she pleased.’
"Are you serious about divorcing me?"
The woman slowly lit a slim cigarette, deliberately affecting the air of a chairwoman. "For Joel’s sake, I’d rather not get a divorce, of course. But if you force my hand, I’ll kick you to the curb."
"Bianca Kane, you’re ruthless. Don’t think I don’t know about you and Lana Rhodes..."
"Why are you bringing him up?"
Bianca Kane’s tone sharpened.
Hearing Lana Rhodes’s name was like hitting a nerve. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she glared at Joseph Shaw. "If you weren’t so useless, would I have to find another man outside this marriage?"
"All you care about is your ex-wife’s daughter! Have you ever truly cared about me?"
"Tell me, how long has it been since we’ve had a sex life?"
Ever since Joel started elementary school, Joseph Shaw had rebuffed her advances with all sorts of excuses—he was tired, he wasn’t feeling it, he wasn’t in the mood, or he just plain didn’t want to.
"I have normal physical needs. If you’re going to leave me high and dry and ignore them, you can’t blame me for finding someone else."
Joseph Shaw clenched his jaw. "I’ll ask you one more time. Do you really want a divorce?"
Now that his tone had hardened, Bianca Kane fell silent.
Her eyes rimmed with red, the woman stubbed the slim cigarette out in a crystal ashtray. She crossed her arms, leaned back into the sofa, and began to sulk.
"I asked you a question."
"What do you want me to say?"
"Do you really want a divorce, or are you just trying to piss me off?"
"What do you think?"
"I want to hear it from you. If you don’t want to be married anymore, then we’ll get a divorce. But I will fight you for custody of our son until the very end."
With that, Joseph Shaw stormed out indignantly.
The door slammed shut with a deafening crash.
Bianca Kane was so furious she trembled, tears streaming down her face.
She wiped away a tear when she heard the office door being pushed open. She thought Joseph Shaw had realized his mistake and come back to console her, but to her surprise, it was Lana Rhodes who entered.
The man closed the door, locked it from the inside, and walked over to her with a fawning smile.
"Chairwoman, are you all right?"
He had vaguely overheard the argument between Joseph Shaw and Bianca Kane, something about a divorce. He hadn’t caught the details, but Joseph Shaw’s face was livid when he left. ’This is my chance,’ he thought instinctively.
He knelt on one knee before Bianca Kane, pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket, and began to gently wipe away her tears.
Normally, when Lana Rhodes was this proactive, she would have naturally accepted his advances and let herself become entangled with him.
But today was different. Joseph Shaw had lost his temper, called her out on her affair with Lana Rhodes, and shown a rare flash of spine. Now, surprisingly, she found herself feeling a little reluctant to lose him.
She had fallen for Joseph Shaw at first sight. He wasn’t young even back then, but his gentle, scholarly temperament had completely won her over.
All these years, she’d maintained an air of superiority, constantly pressuring Joseph Shaw. She thought that by lording her position over him, he would obediently stay by her side and protect their family...
When it came down to it, even though Lana Rhodes was younger, she still preferred Joseph Shaw.
"Chairwoman, did you and President Shaw have a fight?"
As he spoke, Lana Rhodes stood up and sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing himself against her.
She pushed him away, annoyed. "Get out."
"Chairwoman, if you’re in a bad mood, I can help you... relax."
Shamelessly, Lana Rhodes began to unbutton her blouse. When he saw her turn her face away in displeasure, he steeled himself, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pinned her to the sofa.
Just as he leaned in to kiss her, Bianca Kane shoved him away in a rage. "I told you to get the hell out."
"Chairwoman..."
"Get out!"
Humiliated, Lana Rhodes scrambled to his feet and scurried out of the room.
The moment he was gone, Bianca Kane couldn’t stop herself from burying her face in her hands and sobbing.
She picked up her phone and dialed Joseph Shaw’s number.
He didn’t answer.
Joseph Shaw drove straight to the hospital where Sophie Shaw was staying. Upon arrival, he first met with the doctor, then had his blood drawn for the tissue-typing test. After that, he went to Sophie Shaw’s room.