7
After resting in the hospital for a day, Jada completed her discharge procedures the very next morning.
She hailed a cab back to the villa. There were some things she had to take with her.
But as soon as she pushed open the front door, she froze.
On the couch, Daisybelle and Kenton were leaning close together, chatting and laughing softly about something Jada couldn’t hear.
The sound of the door made them both turn their heads at the same time.
When his gaze landed on Jada standing at the entrance, Kenton visibly stiffened. Almost instinctively, he put a little more space between himself and Daisybelle.
“I told you to rest well in the hospital,” he said, rising quickly to his feet. His brows knitted as he walked toward her. “Why did you come home after just one day?”
He reached out to take her hand, but Jada sidestepped him without hesitation.
“I can’t stand the smell of hospitals,” she replied faintly, not even sparing him a glance. Turning her back to him, she walked straight upstairs.
Watching her frail yet resolute figure disappear up the staircase, Kenton froze mid-gesture, his hand suspended awkwardly in the air.
For the first time, something like panic flickered in his heart when he saw the look in her eyes.
His frown deepened, and in two long strides he was chasing after her.
“Jada, what’s wrong?”
Inside the bedroom, he found her seated at the vanity, carefully applying makeup. He stepped closer and reached out to smooth the loose strands of her hair.
“I’m fine. Just tired.”
Once again, Jada evaded his touch.
“Really fine?” he pressed.
“Mm.”
He exhaled in resignation. “Alright then.”
A moment later, he added, “Daisybelle’s been in low spirits because of Dapper’s situation. I want to take her to France for a while and help her clear her mind.”
His tone softened, coaxing, “You be good and stay home to recover. When you’re better, I’ll take you and Jodie on a trip, too.”
As he spoke, he finally pulled her into his embrace, patting her back with a gentleness that might have touched her once.
“Alright,” Jada answered. But nestled in his arms, her heart was utterly still.
All she wanted now was for him to leave quickly, so she could leave as well, taking what she came for.
“Kenton, are you ready? If we don’t go now, we’ll miss the flight!” Daisybelle’s voice rang out from downstairs.
“I know. I’m coming,” Kenton replied, his voice carrying back.
Before leaving, he touched Jada’s hair one last time. “Jada, wait for me here, okay?”
With that, he grabbed his suitcase and left the room.
The sound of the heavy door closing echoed through the villa. At the same time, it shut the last fragile thread of affection Jada had once held for him.
She rose, packed up her own suitcase, and went to the study. From the innermost part of the drawer, she easily retrieved the item she had been looking for.
On the desk, she left behind the divorce papers she had long since prepared, along with a thick folder—an investigation report on Daisybelle.
Then, dragging her suitcase behind her, she walked out.
Sliding into the car that Cortey Yusson had sent to pick her up, she gazed out the window at the shrinking silhouette of the Hyness’ villa.
Pulling out her phone, she began calling major media outlets one by one.
“Hello. I have new developments regarding the suicide of Jodie McNamee, the younger sister of Kenton Hynes’s wife.”
When the call ended, she clenched her phone tightly, watching the scenery blur past in reverse.
At the airport, Kenton had his arm around Daisybelle, chatting and laughing as they planned their little escape abroad.
Neither of them noticed the woman in dark sunglasses who brushed past them in the crowd.
That woman was Jada.
In her mind, she swore, ‘Kenton… I helped you build your company from the ground up. This time, I will be the one to take it back!’
