3: 3
Over the next few days, I went on living at home like nothing was wrong.
I just had to make a few trips to the agency now and then.
Vivien thought I couldn't bear to divorce her, and her tone started to sound a little like her mother's.
"Duke, since you don't want the divorce either, go kneel and apologize to my mom. She's not unreasonable. Just transfer the house to Miles and put up a million dollars as bride money, and she'll forgive you for sure."
I lifted my eyes and looked at Vivien like she was an idiot, said nothing, and walked straight out the door with the contract I'd just signed.
Once I'd finished the last of the paperwork, I came home to find several trucks parked outside the house.
Workers of every kind were carrying things out nonstop.
My mother-in-law stood off to the side with a crowd of what looked like Cobb relatives, barking orders at them.
The second he saw me, Miles strutted over and shoved a delivery slip at me.
"I'm getting married soon. All this secondhand junk looks like bad luck. For my wedding I only want the best!"
"Oh, and I ordered a whole set of brand-new custom handmade furniture. It'll be here any minute. Cash on delivery, so don't forget to pay!"
I looked at the row after row of zeros on the slip.
"You sure you want to throw out all that furniture and buy something this expensive?"
Just one chair in that order was worth a few hundred thousand.
The whole set together came to more than five million dollars.
Miles raised an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I want the best for my wedding. You think I'm like you, whining and whining over handing me one house for my marriage?"
"You go transfer the house into my name tomorrow, or I really will make my sister divorce you!"
Hearing that, the Cobb relatives turned and heaped praise on my mother-in-law.
"Your Miles really has what it takes. He's got his big-city brother-in-law trained to heel!"
"Miles gets to live in a mansion this size from now on. Your family's really coming into the good life!"
My mother-in-law couldn't hide the smugness in her eyes.
"This is nothing. Our Miles is going to take over his brother-in-law's company too. Once he's running it, he'll be a big boss. He can buy as many mansions as he wants!"
The relatives still seemed to doubt her a little, and glanced at me.
"Your son-in-law's really willing to hand a mansion this expensive to Miles? A place like this has to be worth over ten million!"
My mother-in-law waved a scornful hand.
"So what if it's ten million? Duke's an orphan with no father or mother. When he's old he'll have to lean on our Miles anyway. One mansion is just the interest he's paying to get on Miles's good side!"
The relatives around her were green with envy.
"A mansion this big must've cost a fortune! And this furniture looks pretty new to me. Isn't it a shame to just toss it?"
Miles waved a careless hand.
"Whatever you see in this house, haul it off. My new furniture's coming any minute anyway!"
The doubt in their eyes vanished on the spot, and they turned to Miles, excited.
"Miles, can we really take this furniture? It all looks like it's worth a lot!"
Miles gave a smug little smile.
"When Miles Cobb gets married, he uses the best. This is all secondhand, beneath a man like me. Consider it a gift to all of you!"
With that, Miles turned and looked at me.
"You just going to stand there instead of helping? You really want me to make my sister divorce you?"
I lowered my eyes to the secondhand property sale contract I'd just signed, and gave a calm little smile.
"No problem."
