Selene’s smile was light and breezy. “Mr. Vaughn, you’re not having second
thoughts about divorcing me, are you?”
Harrison scoffed, his tone sharp. “It’s worse to be hounded by you after the divorce. Now that would be truly unbearable.”
Mimicking his disdain, Selene shot back, “You worry too much!”
An official handed them.each a divorce certificate.
Selene glanced down at her photo on the document and broke into a radiant smile.
She curled her lips, satisfied.
Harrison took his certificate without even looking at it. He stood up to leave.
“Mr. Vaughn, wait a moment.”
Selene called after him, and he paused.
One hand in his tailored pocket, he turned with a cold smirk. “Already regretting it?”
Selene told him plainly, “You need to stay and sign something for Daph–she’s taking my last name now.”
His handsome expression froze in an instant.
Selene left the reception room and found Luke Holloway with Daph in the lobby.
Luke nearly failed to hide his amusement when he saw Harrison. He’d just sold his shops in Harmony Square and Celestia Plaza to Harrison for a tidy sum.
“Mommy!”
Daph hopped off her chair and ran to Selene’s side.
She looked up at Harrison. “Uncle.”
She didn’t really understand what divorce meant, but she knew from today, she had to call him something new.
Harrison’s emotions churned. His throat felt tight, as if stuffed with paper–unable to swallow, unable to spit it out.
He told Daph, “When you turn eighteen, you’ll have the right to make your own decisions. You’ll have one chance to change your last name back, if you want.”
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Chapter 62
Daph shook her head. “I like the new name Mommy gave me.”
Harrison’s face changed. “You’re not going to be Daphne anymore?”
She nodded, serious. “No, I’ll be Dafina now. Dafina Thompson. Dafina isn’t just a name–it’s a promise of unseen brilliance.”
Harrison murmured, “But… Daphne was such a good name…”
He remembered: Daph and Dames‘ names had been chosen early by his own father. Damien–the name meant to shoulder the Vaughn family legacy, to hope their son would travel far, overcome trials, return victorious, and never forget his roots.
The boys were expected to fight and conquer. The girls, to be gentle and sweet, to find a man they could depend on.
But Daph looked up at him and said, “Just being gentle isn’t enough. I want to be strong. I want to become a big ship, to sail the sea, and ride the waves!”
Harrison stared at his daughter, bewildered. Why would she choose the tough road with Selene, when she could have stayed the pampered Vaughn heiress?
But she was still his daughter. If she wanted to change her name, so be it.
When she grew up, she’d understand how much the Vaughn name meant.
He looked at Selene, his tone edged with warning. “If she ever wants her old name back, don’t you dare stand in her way.”
Selene smiled. “If Daph wants to be a Vaughn again, she’ll let you know herself.”
Selene took Daph to update her registration papers. From now on, Selene was listed as head of household. Daphne became Dafina’s former name.
Harrison stepped out of city hall, divorce certificate in hand. Selene walked behind him, holding Daph’s hand.
That’s when they saw Felicity, dressed in a black leather fringe jacket, arms crossed, leaning against a Mercedes G–Wagon.
Next to the big black G–Wagon, several souped–up motorcycles and sports cars were parked in a row.
Felicity straightened, throwing her arms wide: “Alright, everyone, listen up! Eyes
over here!”
Chapter 62
Her shout made people stop and turn.
All eyes landed on the windshield of the G–Wagon.
Across the glass, someone had scrawled “Just Married” in broad letters.
Felicity snapped her fingers. The driver hit a button; the wipers swept back and forth, erasing the words.
Then, Felicity hopped onto the hood, crouched down, and with a can of spray paint, boldly wrote:
“Divorced” in big, dramatic letters.
She tossed the can aside, stood tall on the hood, and shouted:
Chapter 63
Chapter 63