Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love

The two split on bad terms. As soon as she stepped out of the Templeton Group building, she called Louis, "I'm filing for divorce."

Louis had already laid out the pros and cons of filing for divorce to her before, so now he didn't beat around the bush, and just told her what documents to prepare.

After hanging up the phone, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Rosemary never wanted to burn bridges, hoping to just quietly untie the knot like how quietly they had tied it. With a high-profile family like the Templetons, the media was always on the lookout, ready to broadcast any hint of drama far and wide. She wasn't keen on airing her broken marriage for the world to gossip, pity, or throw shade at.

But it had come to the point where she had no choice but to take it to court.

She found a café, ordered a simple meal, and set up a meeting with someone in an hour. At 6:40 p. m., a guy in a black down jacket and a windproof mask walked in, scanned the café, and made a beeline for Rosemary.

"Ms. Chambers."

David took off his mask and, turning to the waiter who'd followed him, ordered, "An Americano."

"I need you to dig up dirt on someone," Rosemary pulled up a photo on her phone and passed it over. All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

David used to be a journalist with some serious chops, exposing scoops that others couldn't touch, and he had a knack for teasing his reveals, leaving those with skeletons in their closets shaking in their boots.

But he got too flashy and someone gave him a beating, left him lying on the ground like a dead one, not moving an inch. Rosemary had saved him by chance, and that life-saving favor was now owed.

Glancing at the photo, David lifted his gaze, "How deep do you want this dig to go?"

He had an inkling. If she was coming to him, it wasn't for the kind of surface-level stuff anyone could find out.

Rosemary stared at the photo of Stacey looking down her nose with that smug look, her lips parting slightly, "Enough to ruin her reputation."

David didn't ask further, snapped a photo of the picture with his phone, and asked for some basic info on the target, "I'll get in touch when I have something."

This kind of business, it was safer to keep it off the records.

"Also, sniff around for anything juicy on Maxwell, especially any women scandals."

David shook his head, "I've trailed him before. Barely got started and got busted red-handed. Plus, the Templeton Group pretty much has a monopoly over Greenwood's media scene. Anything that's come out over the years is only because he allowed it."

Sure, there were some who tried their luck, but their stories were pulled within minutes of going live. Those who risked their necks for a few minutes of fame were few and far between these days.

Despite being braced for this, Rosemary still felt a twinge of disappointment, "Alright, then. Just focus on Stacey."

Business wrapped up, and just as the coffee arrived, David grabbed it and left without lingering.

Rosemary took her time, sipping her coffee. Her phone buzzed twice on the table. It was a text from Larry, attempting to rekindle their connection.

It used to be all about planning their future together, brainwashing her about the importance of family glory. Seeing her unresponsive, he was now strolling down memory lane.

But what he didn't know was that ever since her mother passed away, all her family memories turned into resentment - against him, against Stacey and her mother.

The thought of Stacey soon tumbling from her high horse to become a pariah eased some of the irritation Rosemary felt due to Maxwell.

Different from Rosemary’s content, Victoria was having a meltdown in her apartment! Anything that could be thrown or smashed had met its fate. The place was a mess.

Tracy watched from the couch with an air of detachment, neither intervening nor comforting, until Victoria's tantrum fizzled out. Only then did she speak, "What's the point of breaking stuff in front of me? Hoping I'll go get your justice for you?"

Her icy gaze swept over Victoria's face, which no longer bore the mark of a slap but flushed from the outburst. Paired with her striking looks, she was quite the temptress.

But knowing her temperament, Tracy couldn't help but shake her head. Some people have all the luck and still screw it up. And now she was tied to this hot mess!

"You don't need to worry about the painting; I'll handle it. What you need to do is figure out how to reignite Mr. Templeton's old flame for you. As long as he loves you, whatever you did in the past won't matter." Tracy pondered briefly, "I'll find someone to teach you how to reel in a man tomorrow."

Victoria bit her lip as though insulted, "You want me to seduce him?"

What else? Did she think she was some fairy that could make someone fall head over heels without lifting a finger?

Tracy bit back her sarcasm and coaxed patiently, "Victoria, I know you're above all that, but Mr. Templeton clearly isn't buying what you're selling anymore. Right now, you can still play on some old affections, but what about when those run out? Don't think men are that faithful. They can fall in and out of love, so why can't they go from not caring to forgetting?"

She expected a lightbulb moment for Victoria, but the retort was firm, "That won't happen."

Tracy was perplexed, "What?"

“He won’t refuse seeing me.”

Tracy noticed how certain she was, “Why?”

Victoria dodged a direct answer, "He just won't."

Tracy was speechless. If Victoria was dead set on being foolish, Tracy couldn't force wisdom into her.

In the following days, Rosemary busied herself with gathering documents for the divorce, meeting with Louis once.

"Ms. Chambers, cases handled by Mr. Holiday become textbook examples. Facing him in court, I can't say I'm confident about winning," he was upfront about the outcome.

Harvey had been in the game for years, never taking a hit, yet he was still not cocky enough to crown himself the one and only top dog.

The thing was, civil cases were a different beast compared to criminal ones. There were a lot more personal feelings to juggle.

Rosemary, "Cool."

She had braced herself for a marathon tug-of-war.

A week after filing the lawsuit, court day rolled around. Given Maxwell's rep, they decided to keep the hearing hush-hush.

At the court’s break room.

This was the first face-to-face between Rosemary and Maxwell since they last split on bad terms. He was all suited up, exuding an even chillier and sharper vibe than before. Harvey, standing by his side, seemed overshadowed by his presence.

He didn't even glance at Rosemary, and just strutted over to an empty seat and plopped down. The already cozy lounge instantly felt like a pressure cooker.

Rosemary pressed her lips, slicing through the suffocating silence, "Maxwell, your break room's next door."