But Niamh knew perfectly well she didn’t have a choice.
“I know about your relationship with Mr. Thomas. You’re a married woman, and there shouldn’t be a third party involved in your marriage. Even if one day you get divorced, I could never allow Julian to marry a woman who’s already been married once… Do you understand?”
Cassidy noticed the change in Niamh’s expression and tried to soften her tone. “Don’t take my words the wrong way. Julian is still young and inexperienced, and as parents, we just want to make sure our children don’t make mistakes. Miss Rivers, you’re beautiful and considerate–I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from. Of course, I’m also very grateful that you convinced Julian to come home and take over the family business…”
Niamh watched as Cassidy pulled a bank card from her leather purse.
“Since you’re Mr. Thomas’s wife, Miss Rivers, it wouldn’t do if my gratitude seemed insincere,”
She offered the card to Niamh.
“There’s five million on it. Don’t worry–I’ve already had it notarized as a personal gift to you. It has nothing to do with Mr. Thomas.”
In other words, the money wouldn’t count as marital property.
Niamh would never have guessed that Julian’s mother, who always appeared so composed and gracious, could be so calculating beneath the surface.
What Cassidy feared was that Niamh might try to get back together with Julian
after a divorce.
“Don’t worry. I won’t see Julian again.”
Niamh felt as if she’d swallowed something bitter.
After all, Julian was a genuine friend to her.
“But I don’t need the money,” she protested.
“I insist,” Cassidy replied. “I won’t have peace of mind unless you accept it.”
“Alright, then. I’ll take it.”
If buying Cassidy’s peace of mind was all it took, Niamh wouldn’t argue further.
1/3
14:16
Chapter 96
By the time she and Cassidy returned to the station, Julian had already been taken away by Zack.
Niamh didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. An unexpected sense of loss crept over her.
Nearby, Jonathan’s expression was grim.
But in this small circle, he couldn’t really do anything to Julian in the end.
At the very least, thanks to this incident, Sprague had managed to secure some benefits for The Thomas Group. It wasn’t a total loss.
Jonathan’s gaze lingered on Niamh’s face.
It wasn’t hard to guess what Julian’s mother had spoken to her about.
Seeing how despondent Niamh looked, he turned to Marina and said, “How about a little deep–sea fishing?”
Marina blinked in surprise. “Now?”
“Yeah.”
“But your injury…”
“It’s fine. I’m in a good mood now.”
“In that case, let’s go!”
Marina beamed and slipped her arm through Jonathan’s, the two of them strolling ‘past Niamh without her noticing.
She was still lost in the ache of losing Julian as a friend–possibly forever.
Outside the station, Jonathan drove Marina away in silence, which struck her as unusual.
Meanwhile, after being brought home, Julian’s mother told him that Niamh had accepted five million from their family as compensation for cutting ties with him.
Julian refused to believe it and demanded to see Niamh, but was put on lockdown at home, with bodyguards watching him around the clock.
Though Niamh felt reluctant, she deleted Julian from her WhatsApp contacts of her own accord.
When Lana heard about it, she spent the whole evening cursing out both the Thomas family and the Neville family..
2/3
14:16
“See? Rich people–none of them are any good!”
Niamh thought that was a bit unfair.
“That can’t be true about all of them, right?”
“Oh really? Then name one rich person who’s actually decent.”
Niamh thought of herself.
With a few million in savings and annual dividends in the millions, she definitely counted as wealthy.
After chatting with Lana, her mood improved–until it was promptly ruined by a notice about a transfer at work.
14-16
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Chapter 97
