I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 14

I’ll Marry His Rival and Burn His Empire to Ash Chapter 14

Savannah-Claire knelt in the mess on the rug, broken china digging into her knees. She crawled forward and grabbed Jackson’s pant leg like a drowning woman clutching a vine.

“Jack, I was wrong! I really was wrong!” She lifted her tear-streaked face, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. “I was just… I was just so jealous. I lost my mind! I never meant to hurt anyone. I only wanted to scare them, to make Ava leave you. That was all!”

Her crying confession was shrill and sincere, the weapon she had always used to her advantage.

But this time, Jackson didn’t even look down. He just let her cling to him, his empty gaze fixed on the dim lamp on the desk.

For a woman like this, who only knew how to use tears and lies, he had destroyed everything.

“Get up,” he finally said, his voice devoid of warmth. “We’re going to the hospital.”

Savannah-Claire’s sobs stopped. Her eyes widened in terror. “The hospital? Why?”

“To apologize to Chloe.”

“No!” she screamed, clutching his pant leg tighter. “We can’t go! They’ll call the police! Jack, I’ll be arrested! What about our son? He can’t lose his mother!”

The word “son” finally pierced Jackson’s numb state. His stiff body relaxed slightly.

Yes. He still had a son. A son who had just lost his legal inheritance and might soon lose his mother.

At the exact moment he hesitated, there was a knock on the study door. The butler’s steady voice sounded from outside.

“Sir, two police officers are here. They say they need to see you and Miss Savannah-Claire.”

The door opened, and two uniformed officers followed the butler in. Their expressions were serious, their gazes sharp. They took in the mess on the floor, then their eyes landed on Jackson and Savannah-Claire.

The lead officer showed his badge.

“Mr. Jackson Devereaux, Miss Savannah-Claire. We’ve received a report. You are suspected of multiple felony charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon. Please come with us to assist in the investigation.”

The word “felony” struck Savannah-Claire like thunder. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the floor.

No. It shouldn’t be like this.

She suddenly lifted her head. Like a cornered animal, she dug her nails into the expensive rug and screamed with all her might.

“It wasn’t me! I don’t know anything! It was him! Everything was Jackson’s idea! He was the one who locked Ava up! He was the one who sicced the dogs on them! I’m just a mistress who didn’t know anything!”

Her shrill accusation echoed through the dead-still study.

Jackson looked at her twisted, hysterical face. He looked at this woman he had spoiled for years, this woman he’d believed was weak and obedient, as she threw all the blame onto him without a moment’s hesitation.

He suddenly laughed.

It was not an angry laugh, nor a sad one, but a light, self-mocking laugh born from utter absurdity. At last, he saw her clearly.

He didn’t look at her again. Calmly, he turned to the police, straightened his rumpled collar, and recovered the last trace of dignity belonging to a Devereaux.

“I’ll go with you.” He didn’t resist. He only asked one final question. “Who filed the report?”

The officer’s gaze was steady.

“Miss Ava Monroe. Your ex-wife.”