Joke's on Her—My 'Millionaire' Hubby Lives Off Me

Chapter 7

"Mrs. Carter must really be jealous. A little jealousy is normal, but this… this is over the top."

"Look at her, dripping in designer clothes. She probably has no clue what it's like to struggle."

Miss Taylor's crocodile tears were clearly working, but I wasn't about to let her manipulate me.

I looked down at her, unimpressed.

"Miss Taylor, let me make one thing clear. This isn't about you caring too much. This is about you deliberately manipulating my daughter and trying to destroy my family," I said, my voice calm but sharp.

She tried to interrupt, but I didn't let her.

"And don't you dare play the victim. You lost your job because of your own actions. You have no one to blame but yourself."

I turned to Mason, who had been standing there silently, watching the whole scene unfold.

"You're my husband, Mason. Do you really think staying silent while she attacks me is the right thing to do?"

Mason hesitated, his face shifting between guilt and defiance. Finally, he muttered, "Jenna, let's not push things too far. Miss Taylor didn't mean any harm–she's just too kind, and things got misunderstood."

"And honestly, you don't need to be so aggressive all the time. It's... intimidating for people."

I stared at him in disbelief, then, suddenly, I laughed.

Mason, thinking I had finally softened, helped Miss Taylor up off the floor.

"Don't cry anymore. You can go back to work at the preschool tomorrow. My wife just has a bad temper–she wouldn't really do anything to hurt you."

As Miss Taylor stood up, she leaned into Mason's arms, her fragile demeanor making it seem like she might collapse at any moment. She even had the nerve to glance at me with a sly smirk before saying:

"Mr. Carter, you're so considerate. No wonder your wife is always in such a bad mood. She probably can't handle how amazing you are."

The two of them were putting on quite the "hero saves the damsel" act.

It was time to shut this down.

Smiling coldly, I said, "I didn't realize you were the one making decisions for the preschool, Mason. Letting her go back to work? How impressive."

The room fell silent. My words, laced with sarcasm, immediately made Mason freeze. His hand, still supporting Miss Taylor, faltered.

But Miss Taylor, completely oblivious to the tension, kept fanning the flames.

"Mr. Carter, your wife really is something. She doesn't give you any respect in public. A man like you deserves to be the head of the family, don't you think? You should teach her how to behave."

Mason's ego must've been getting a boost from all the flattery, because for the first time, he actually glared at me.

"Enough, Jenna. Just look at yourself–do you even realize how ridiculous you're acting? You're being a complete shrew."

I raised an eyebrow, my voice calm as I replied, "So, you think I'm the unreasonable one?"

Mason nodded. "Yes, I do. If you keep acting like this, are you not afraid Angie and I will start resenting you?"

Ah, so now he was using Angie to threaten me.

Miss Taylor chimed in, uninvited as always, "Mrs. Carter, why don't you just apologize to your husband? If this escalates, Angie is definitely going to choose her dad. She's told me many times that having a mom or not doesn't make much of a difference to her."

The two of them were getting bolder, feeding off each other's arrogance. Mason even shook his head at me like I was a stubborn child.

"Jenna," he said, his tone dripping with condescension, "can't you stop embarrassing me in front of everyone? Even if you don't care about me, at least think about our daughter. You can't just act like the world revolves around you."

I held his gaze, my expression unwavering, and replied, "This is who I've always been. If you think you can't handle it, we can get a divorce."

The color drained from Mason's face. For a moment, he looked genuinely panicked.

Miss Taylor, however, didn't know when to quit. She laughed softly and said, "Mrs. Carter, forgive me for being blunt, but you're not exactly the ideal wife. Throwing around the word 'divorce' so casually–you must make life exhausting for your husband."

"And as a mother," she added smugly, "shouldn't you focus on what's best for Angie?"

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and smiled.

"When did my family's business become your concern? Who do you think you are to involve yourself in our decisions?"

"Is your idea of 'caring for my daughter' filling her head with nonsense, turning her against me, and then trying to break up my marriage so you can slide in as the new Mrs. Carter? Is that what you mean by 'best for Angie'?"

Miss Taylor's face turned bright red, but she still tried to defend herself.

"Mrs. Carter, I think you're being paranoid."

I raised an eyebrow and nodded, then turned back to Mason.

"Divorce it is."

Mason looked like he was being burned alive. On one side stood Miss Taylor, gazing at him with hopeful, adoring eyes. On the other side, the crowd of onlookers was clearly starting to view me as the unreasonable one, while Mason was their poor, beleaguered hero.

If he backed down now, he'd lose face in front of everyone.

Grinding his teeth, he finally said, "Fine, Jenna. But don't think for a second that Angie isn't coming with me. She's my daughter too."

I shrugged, my tone light. "Take her. She's just a spoiled brat at this point. One bad save file doesn't mean I can't start a new game."

I pulled out my phone and called my lawyer, instructing them to draft the divorce papers. Mason's face turned pale as the reality of the situation sank in.

Miss Taylor, on the other hand, looked positively giddy, her lips curling into a smile she couldn't quite suppress. She must've been thinking her dream of becoming Mrs. Carter was finally coming true.

But the moment Mason realized I wasn't bluffing, he panicked. Grabbing my hand, he looked at me with desperation in his eyes, completely forgetting about his "manly pride."

"Jenna, please, let's not rush into this. Angie is still so young–she doesn't need a stepmother. We can work this out, can't we?"

Miss Taylor's triumphant expression froze.

"Mr. Carter," she stammered, clearly blindsided, "why are you begging her? There are so many women better than her. Angie is such a sweet girl–any woman would love her like their own."

Her voice dropped, and she added shyly, "If… if you're willing, I could learn to be a good mom to her. I'd treat her like my own daughter."