Sebastian''s lips curved, his smile softening slightly. "That''s another reason I don''t want a divorce. Because I''ve discovered that Natalie doesn''t need my protection. She can y you for a fool and make your life a living hell all on her own."


    "Without a divorce, she was always hovering around me, and I never saw her true capabilities. But after leaving me, she''s be more and more captivating. It makes me even less willing to let her go. You pride yourself on being such a brilliant actress, always calling Natalie a country bumpkin, but you never realized that you''re nothing but a useful fool."


    Everything overseas was settled. There was no need for him to hold back any longer.


    If he didn''t make a move, his opponent would just keep hiding like a coward.


    Now that the truth was out, that person would have to act.


    He had suspected something, but he never thought it would be another one of Sebastian''s sons.


    It seemed the woman he proposed to with fireworks across the city wasn''t the love of his life after all. Perhaps that too was a facade, a way to evade his uncle.


    That man looked exactly like him.


    He needed to resolve things with Joanna quickly. He couldn''t let their drama get in the way of winning his wife back.


    Hearing the truth, Joanna was ovee with despair, standing frozen, the color draining from her face.


    Her eyes widened in disbelief and terror. She had thought their scheme was wless, that they could pull off their grand deception.


    But she never imagined that everything she had so carefully nned had been seen through by him from the start.


    His deep eyes held no pity, only the cold, mocking expression of someone who understood everything.


    Her lips trembled. She wanted to say something, to defend herself, but any words felt pale and powerless.


    Her body began to shake uncontrobly, as if her entire world had just copsed.


    "Sebastian, you''re terrifying. To think you could hide it so well, that even your kindness to me was just an act."


    Panic gripped Joanna. Did Sebastian also know about Maxwell?


    Sebastian''s lips curled upwards as he gazed at her terrified face. From this moment on, she would live every day in fear. "Joanna, if I hadn''t gone to such lengths to be good to your would Timothy have ever


    let his guard down? After all, he needed you to get what he wanted."


    "Hurting Natalie during the time I was pretending to dote on you is something I''ll regret for the rest of my life."


    "But do you know why you both failed?"


    Sebastian answered his own question. "Because of Timothy. He was never subtle about his affection for you, which is how I knew your purpose."


    "I''m just a better actor than you are. All these years, you never suspected a thing."


    "Heh..." Joanna sneered, her vicious


    nature finally on full disy. "Sebastian, you''ll never have Natalie. You got what you wanted, but got what wanted, too. Do you have any idea how much she hates you?"


    A tremor ran through Sebastian''s body, his gaze darkening. "That''s not your concern. Joanna, your and Timothy''s n has failed. You


    should probably go find him. His.


    building overseas... it copsed!


    "What?" Joanna didn''t even bother with the gift she had dropped. She bolted from


    the mansion.


    She had to know if Maxwell was okay!


    Sebastian watched her retreating back with a faint, mocking smile.


    "Joanna, what do you think is waiting for you now?"


    Sebastian looked at his phone and sent a message to Sean.


    [Joanna is going to find Timothy. Keep an eye on her. I need you to find that person before the end of the year.]


    Sean: [Yes, sir.]


    Only then did Sebastian open the door and go inside.