Chapter 97 Demand an Apology From Melody
Chapter 97 Demand an Apology From Melody
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“He never meant to do anything worse. You were just too frightened, that’s why your exaggerated the seriousness of it. Since you weren’t hurt, why make a fuss? Dragging this out will only damage your reputation. Or do you want people pointing fingers at you everywhere you go, just like four years ago?”
Four years ago–that single incident had upended Anneliese’s entire life. The trauma it left on her body and mind had been devastating. No one knew that better than Zacharias, who had been there through it all. Yet now he audaciously tore open that old wound with his words.
Her eyes burned with hatred. She swung her hand hard across his face. “Zacharias, you b*stard!”
This time, he didn’t dodge. Red bloomed instantly on his fair cheek. His head tilted slightly from the blow, his tongue pressing against the numbed flesh before he turned back to her. His gaze was complicated as he asked quietly, “Feel better now? Sign the settlement.”
He shoved a pen into her hand. She gripped it and aimed straight for his face. Zacharias caught her wrist, stopping the pen just inches from his skin.
“Calm down! We need to resolve this, not make a scene.”
His eyes darkened as he pressed down harder on her wrist, leaning forward until she was pinned against the leather seat of the Bentley.
Both her hands were trapped above her head, her whole body restrained. She glared at him, her eyes filled with nothing but loathing. “Who’s making a scene? I’m protecting my rights!
“Zacharias Shaw, the only reason nothing happened to me is because I was lucky enough to be saved in time–not because they let me go. And you? You’re defending a man who tried to rape your wife. What a saint you are!”
Her words sliced through him. His chest felt as if it were being scraped raw with blades, his face pale with pain. His voice dropped low and hoarse. “Anne, don’t look at me like that. I told you–my mother only wanted to scare you. She’s your mother–in–law. Do you really think she’d want to see me humiliated like that?”
Just because his mother said it was only to scare me, he believed her?
Anneliese’s lips curved in bitter mockery. She didn’t bother to argue anymore. It was useless- he would never believe her. He would always choose to believe Melody, even against evidence.
Her silence only deepened the sting. His face burned, though whether from her slap or from
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14:29 Fri, Sep 5
Chapter 97 Demand an Apology From Melody
80
+20 Free Coins
his own shame, he couldn’t tell. He forced down his anger, speaking slowly. “Attempted rape is difficult to prove.
“You went to the private room with Jameson willingly that night and even poured him drinks. He insists you were interested in him, and since it ties into family disputes, conviction will be nearly impossible.
“That’s just the truth. Anne, we’re supposed to spend our lives together. Since a conviction won’t happen, signing this settlement is the best outcome. The Tates will be grateful, and you’ll get along better with my mother.”
He seemed to convince himself with those words, his expression calming, almost self–assured. Taking her hand, he guided it toward the signature line. In his mind, he was doing this for her.
Anneliese didn’t resist. He thought she had finally relented–until she drove the pen hard, stabbing two deep holes into the page.
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“I’ll have another copy brought over,” Zacharias muttered after a pause, his brow furrowed in frustration. His determination was clear: if she refused to sign, he would sit here with her all day.
But Anneliese had calmed now. Leaning back, she regarded him with cold eyes. “I’ll sign, but on one condition.”
His gaze flickered, then relief softened his lips into a faint smile. He had known she would give in eventually. She wouldn’t let her marriage to him reach a dead end with his mother. She loved him too much for that.
His chest swelled with guilty gratitude, his eyes tender as he promised, “Anne, whatever condition you set, I’ll agree.”
Her lips curved faintly, her voice soft yet cutting. “Sign the divorce papers, and I want one billion.”
Zacharias froze. The words were nothing like what he had expected. He had assumed her condition would be something as simple as demanding Melody apologize.
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