Chapter 498

Leonard Lefèvre stood in the center of the living room, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

Exhaustion weighed on him like never before.

The sound of his son slamming the door still echoed in his ears.

Vanessa Kalmien sat on the couch, her crimson-painted nails digging into the leather armrest.

"Vanessa, what should I do?" Leonard's voice was hoarse.

She looked up sharply, fury burning in her eyes.

"How dare you ask? There's only three million left in the company account! We can't even pay next month's salaries!"

Leonard collapsed into the armchair.

Sophia Lefèvre's warning before their divorce flashed through his mind.

"You think Vanessa really loves you? She only loves your money!"

Back then, he'd dismissed it as his ex-wife's jealousy.

"It's not too late to beg Sophia to take you back," Vanessa suddenly softened her tone.

Leonard stared at her in shock.

"You want me to remarry her?"

She rose and knelt before him, gripping his hands.

"Leonard, we're not young anymore. What's pride worth?"

Her nails bit into his skin.

"Without money, we can't even afford the maintenance fees for this apartment."

Evelyn Roland stood outside the door, her empty soy milk cup in hand.

She hadn't expected to overhear such a bombshell conversation.

A hand reached from behind and took the empty cup from her.

"Did you enjoy it?" A deep male voice murmured by her ear.

Evelyn nearly jumped out of her skin.

Leonard's voice drifted through the door crack. "I'll go see Sophia tomorrow."

Vanessa smiled in satisfaction.

"That's more like it. Remember, you must convince her to take over the company finances again."

Cunning glinted in her eyes.

"With money, we can live anywhere. You only need to visit me once a week."

Leonard studied the stranger before him.

Suddenly he remembered Vanessa twenty years ago, standing in the rain in her faded dress waiting for him.

"Vanessa, you've changed."

She lit a cigarette with a cold laugh.

"You're just naive, Leonard."

Her face blurred behind the curling smoke.

"There's no such thing as true love in this world. Only mutual benefit."

Evelyn gasped audibly outside.

The man behind her shushed her softly.

Leonard buried his face in his hands.

"I must have been blind..."

Vanessa exhaled a smoke ring, her voice icy.

"Too late for regrets now. Either remarry her, or we'll be sleeping on the streets together."

She strode toward the bedroom, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.

"I want to see money in that account by tomorrow."

The door slammed shut.

Leonard lay sprawled on the couch like an empty husk.

Evelyn took two silent steps back, bumping into a solid chest.

"Seen enough?" The man's deep voice held amusement.

Sophia Lefèvre stood at the stairwell corner, having witnessed everything.

Her red lips curved upward as she turned to leave.