Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love

Bright and early the next day, Rosemary got a ring from Maxwell’s lawyer, and they decided to catch up at a coffee joint nearby. Just to play it safe, she also buzzed Louis.

Given Maxwell's agreeable mood about the divorce last night, she had this nagging feeling that today's rendezvous wouldn't be a walk in the park.

When Rosemary arrived, the legal eagle from the Templeton Group was already there. She recognized the face. Harvey Holiday, the big cheese of the Templeton Group’s legal squad, but he was always wrangling big-ticket corporate cases. Divorce gigs? Not his usual turf.

But it didn’t take long for Rosemary to realize this was no small potatoes. 'Cause when it came to splitting the assets, a whopping amount was north of 300 million!

"Mr. Holiday, what's the deal here?"

Harvey was all business, no sharp edges to his words, "The hefty 350 million debt Mr. Templeton cleared for you was your personal debt from before you tied the knot. Legally speaking, post- divorce, he's entitled to claw that back."

He flipped to the last page, "Here's the breakdown of the marital assets. After the split, you're still on the hook for 300 mil to Mr. Templeton."

Rosemary scrunched her brows, "But I only married Maxwell to clear that debt. We had an understanding."

If she hadn't been cornered back then, she wouldn't have married Maxwell.

"Do you have any proof that the money was a gift from Mr. Templeton to you?"

Faced with Harvey's question, Rosemary clammed up. Of course, she didn't have a shred of evidence.

Seeing her face, Harvey guessed the answer and said with a smile, "No proof means no gift."

Right then, Louis showed up, taken aback at the sight of Harvey, "Mr. Holiday?"

Harvey was a legend among lawyers, the kind many would bend over backwards to have in their corner. Yet here he was, on a divorce case.

Louis stepped forward, "Mr. Holiday, I'm Ms. Chambers' legal rep."

Harvey gave a nod and glanced at his watch. He had other fish to fry and couldn’t stick around, "Ms. Chambers, gotta run. Mr. Templeton has signed off on the divorce papers. If you're cool with it, you can finalize the paperwork anytime."

Five minutes later, Louis closed the divorce papers, looking dead serious, "Ms. Chambers, my two cents? You should have a heart-to-heart with Mr. Templeton. Taking this to court is not looking good for you. No evidence means no gift, and with Harvey on his side. An out-of-court settlement would be golden."

Rosemary's face was a picture that said a thousand words. She pocketed the divorce papers and gave a faint nod, "Thanks for today, Louis. I'll give you a buzz once I've made up my mind."

Stepping out of the café, she called Maxwell. He was in a meeting, phone on silent, but the screen lit up and he swept a glance.

“Rosemary” was flashing on it. He didn't pick up.

By now, Harvey should've had the talk with her. If she'd all fired up about divorcing, she’d gotta face the music. He knew what the call was about - divorce and a 300 million debt hanging over her head;

or stay married and keep living the high life as Mrs. Templeton.

It was a no-brainer, unless she was off her rocker. But he wasn't in the mood to entertain her just yet. Let her stew a bit, learn her lesson, so she wouldn't think of pulling the divorce card over every little thing again.

The call rang out to voicemail, and he half-expected her to ring back, but nada.

The meeting wrapped up, everybody else cleared out, and then Christ walked in, "Mr. Templeton, Ms. Chambers' call got redirected to me."

Maxwell looked indifferent, with a mocking chill in his eyes. He had things to do, no time to waste on Rosemary.

"Tell her to move her stuff back and if she throws another divorce tantrum, I'll grant her wish."

Christ checked his boss' vibe, hesitated, and then bit the bullet, "Ms. Chambers said she agrees to your terms. She's signed the divorce papers, asking you to find time to wrap it up at City Hall."

Rosemary's actual words were way saltier, something about Mr. Templeton being a sticky plaster! But Christ didn't have the guts to repeat it verbatim!

Maxwell's eyes narrowed suddenly, "She agreed to divorce?"

"Yeah, that's what Ms. Chambers said."

The man stared at his phone, silent for a long beat.

Christ, unable to read him, asked cautiously, "Mr. Templeton, you want me to get back to Ms. Chambers?"

Next thing, Maxwell shot up and strode out of the conference room, an indescribable chill emanating from him. Christ scrambled after him, nearly getting pancaked by the slamming glass door!

Maxwell was swiping his phone, making a call.

"Christ tells me you agreed to divorce?"

"Yeah."

Right then, Rosemary was at the curbside, hailing a cab, drenched in sweat from the scorching sun, just wanting to get home for a cool shower.

But Maxwell's voice on the phone was ice-cold, "When are you planning to pay it back?"

Rosemary frowned; was he in that much of a hurry?

"Let's get the formalities done first. I'll pay you back in installments." All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"Installments? How long?" Maxwell's voice dripped with sarcasm, "With the peanuts you earn from your job, how many lifetimes will it take to scrape together 300 million? I finalize the papers, and you back out, what then?"

Bearing the heat and irritation, Rosemary shot back, "I can write you an IOU."

"Pfft, banks loan money based on assets. What kind of assets do you have that make me believe you can pay back 300 million?