Haynes'' deep eyes flickered with a shadow of emotion.


    The tensions between Ste, him, and Keen were their own family affair. But now, things had escted to a point where Ste and his mother were at each other''s throats.


    That morning, his mother had called him. She''did it down thick, saying that if he didn''t divorce Ste, he shouldn''t bother reaching out to her again.


    Yesterday, Ste had pped him right in front of his mother, clearly not caring about leaving any room for reconciliation.


    "Ste, what''s gotten into youtely? You weren''t like this before."


    Ste replied coldly, "You think I''ve changed because you''re not getting the benefits you used to."


    "And what about me? In this marriage, what have I got besides an unfaithful husband, a child who looks down on me, and your mother''s insults?"


    Haynes was silent for a few seconds before he spoke, "No matter what, she''s still your elder. You shouldn''t have "


    Ste cut him off with augh before he could finish.


    "Did you enjoy those psst night? Want me to give you a few more so you can enjoy it a bit longer?"


    At the mention of this, Haynes'' expression turned icy.


    "Ste!"


    Ste leaned back, unfazed. "What, it hurts when it''s your face? Where were you when your mother was pping me? Why didn''t you stand up for me?"


    "And you know why your mother always feels she can treat me however she wants?"


    She looked him straight in the eye, enunciating each word.


    "Because she knows, no matter what she does to me, you''ll never stand up for me or fight for what''s right."


    Haynes was momentarily at a loss for words.


    Ste didn''t care for his response, her tone indifferent. "I''ve sent you the divorce papers. Sign them before Ms. Pearce passes away. After all, there''s a cooling-off period for divorce."


    As Ste was about to leave, Haynes'' voice stopped her.


    "Ste, do you know why I married you?"


    Ste''s expression was cold. "Because I was pregnant."


    "Exactly," Haynes'' voice was cool. "Because I wanted our child to have aplete family."


    The O''Brien family seemed simple enough, with Deanna having only Haynes and Callie.


    But it wasplicated, too.


    Haynes was six years older than Callie, yet they were half-siblings, sharing the same mother but different fathers.


    Over the years with Haynes, Ste had learned a thing or two about the O''Brien family.


    Deanna had Haynes out of wedlock, and no one knew who his father was. Back when Deanna was younger, society wasn''t as epting as it is now. Raising a child with an unknown father brought a lot of judgment and disdain.


    Even with her decent background, Deanna and Haynes faced a lot of gossip.


    Deanna''s parents were so upset by the situation that they passed away early, leaving Deanna alone with her son and a struggling O''Brien Corporation.


    In her prime, Deanna was a force of nature. When her parents passed, she seized control of the O''Brien Corporation—not as a caretaker, but as its undisputed ruler. The old guard at thepany tried every trick in the book to undermine her authority.


    As her only son, Deanna had high expectations for Haynes and was extremely strict with him.


    If he came homeining about being bullied, instead offort, Deanna would scold him for being weak and give him a harsh lesson.


    Despite her strength and savvy, Deanna was losing ground to the sly foxes at O''Brien Corporation, and her power was slowly being eroded.