Chapter 9 Using Daughter Against Him
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Yuna froze in place. This was the first time I had ever seen my parents argue. In the past, no matter how tense things got, I was always the one to apologize first, smoothing things over before a real fight could start.
But today was different. I didn’t apologize, and I didn’t back down.
“Daddy, Mommy, please don’t fight.” Yuna suddenly burst into tears, clinging to Shawn’s arm as she wiped her face. “I don’t want you two to argue. Please, don’t be like this.”
Shawn’s voice remained cold and firm. “There’s nothing to discuss about work. You can have your hobbies, but you can’t abandon this family.”
Then, he bent down, picked up Yuna, grabbed her school bag, and walked out the door.
There were no tears in my eyes, not even anger. I had already expected this outcome.
“Mrs. Hartwell, are you alright?” Mona and Beata asked, their voices filled with concern.
I smiled at them. “I’m fine. Sorry for the trouble, but could you clean up for me?”
Then, I picked up my bag and car keys and headed out.
I drove aimlessly through the streets, the wind rushing in through the open window, lifting my scarf. Beneath my sunglasses, the corners of my eyes slowly turned red.
To outsiders, I seemed to have married a wealthy man and was living a glamorous life–without worries and full of happiness.
At first, that was true. But I soon found myself trapped in a cage, slowly withering away.
I thought that after the argument with Shawn, he wouldn’t ask me to join the lunch gathering.
It was a little past eleven when I sat in a café, savoring the bitterness of my coffee, and a message from Shawn popped up, asking where I was.
I snapped a photo and sent it to him. Not long after, he told me to meet him at a restaurant below his office
at noon.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, fixing my makeup. If Shawn wanted me to be a trophy wife, then I might as well perfect the role.
As expected, the moment I walked in, the once lively atmosphere fell silent,
When those men saw me, they couldn’t even look me in the eye. They suddenly turned into perfect gentlemen, speaking softly. Some greeted me, and I smiled in return; others complimented me, and I nodded politely.
I walked over to Shawn’s side. Dressed in a sharp suit and standing well over six feet tall, he exuded confidence. With me beside him–radiant and composed–we undoubtedly made a striking pair.
That’s when I noticed Queena sitting on his other side. She wore a gray business suit and had short hair, looking chorn and profeccional Though she didn’t flaunt it her 800 000–dollar watch and 100 000–dollar
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conversation and dining resume. Throughout the meal, people took turns toasting him.
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Shawn seemed to be in a great mood today with a beautiful wife on one side and a capable, elegant mistress on the other. He was enjoying a privilege many men in the room wish they had but never would.
I spared Shawn embarrassment by acting unaware of Queena’s position, elegantly managing the social interactions for him. I caught the lustful glances from several men but chose to ignore them.
Shawn was quite tipsy, his handsome face flushed. When someone came to toast him, Queena intervened smoothly. “Mr. Hartwell shouldn’t drink anymore he has a meeting this afternoon.”
The person immediately said something nice and didn’t try to toast again.
I could see it–Queena had a real influence in the company, and everyone respected her authority.
This was her silent way of challenging me, but I pretended not to notice. After all, I didn’t even want Shawn anymore–why would I care about someone fighting over this piece of trash?
Queena didn’t seem happy today; her face remained blank throughout lunch. When the meal ended and I was about to leave, Shawn, drunk, swayed toward me and briefly hugged me.
I noticed Queena instinctively raising her hand to steady him, only to freeze midair.
In my past life, I would have longed for Shawn’s touch, but now, as he held me, I felt nothing. If anything, I had the urge to push him away.
With so many executives present, I didn’t want to embarrass him. So after gently pushing him off, I let one of his assistants take over and support him.
Shawn’s deep, bloodshot eyes lingered on me for a moment before he asked, “Where are you going this afternoon?”
“I have class. Send someone to pick up Yuna,” I replied.
Shawn frowned, as if my refusal to pick up our child was some kind of unforgivable offense.
“Yuna specifically wants you to go,” he said, clearly displeased.
“I really don’t have time.” I shook my head lightly, my tone indifferent. “Why don’t you find someone she likes instead? Ms. Tackman seems like a great choice.”
Beside us, Queena’s expression tightened, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Shawn turned to glance at her, and with a hint of deliberation in his voice, he asked, “Ms. Tackman, are you available?”
Queena immediately replied, “Of course, Mr. Hartwell. I’ll pick up Yuna and take her out for dinner.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you,” Shawn said before striding away without giving me another glance.
After leaving the restaurant, I got in my car and drove off. Since I hadn’t had any alcohol during lunch, I met with my violin instructor in the afternoon to finalize my lesson schedule.
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The next afternoon, Yuna had an equestrian lesson that required a parent’s presence. I was just thinking about how to get out of it when Shawn called me. “Why did you cancel Yuna’s riding lesson
1 replied calmly. “I have class this afternoon. I don’t have time to go?
“Tiffany, your behavior has been getting more and more reasonable lately. What exactly are you so dissatisfied about?” Shawn finally lost his temper. His daughter was his bottom line if I didn’t treat her well. I was crossing a line he wouldn’t tolerate.
I had expected his outburst, so I remained composed as I countered, “Alright, I’ll hire a nanny tomorrow to accompany Yuna during her lessons and handle her school drop–offs and pick–ups. That way, her studies won’t be affected.”
“You’re her mother,” Shawn snapped, his voice rising.
“Being related by blood doesn’t always mean being the best choice. I knew this all too well. In my past life. I poured my heart into raising my daughter, giving her all my love–only for her to devote herself to Queena instead. When Queena had a minor surgery, she stayed by her side the entire time. And yet, when i was dying, she still felt sorry for Queena. What was the point of raising a daughter like that? Just to break my own heart?
“Are you protesting against me?” Shawn’s voice grew colder.
I remained silent.
“So, just because I won’t let you go out and work, you’re going to keep treating Yuna with this cold and indifferent attitude? Tiffany, do you even deserve to be a mother? You’re completely ignoring your own daughter, only thinking about yourself.” He had seen right through me, and that only fueled his anger further.
I didn’t care how angry he got. My focus was on my own happiness–everyone else’s problems were none of
my concern.
“Fine. Your degree is in hotel management, right? I’ll have you take charge of two hotels under the company. You’ll get half of the profits, but if either one goes bankrupt, you’re coming home to take care of Yuna and forget about anything else,” Shawn said, finally giving in. Not only was he allowing me to work, but he was also handing over two hotels for me to manage. Had I actually won?
“Really?” I suddenly became more interested in the conversation. “Then I’ll go with Yuna to her riding lesson this afternoon.”
“Tiffany, a woman being too smart isn’t always a good thing. Using your daughter to blackmail me isn’t very wise,” Shawn said coldly before hanging up.
I calmly replied, “Oh, thanks for the advice, Hubby. With such an amazing husband like you, it’s hard for your wife to be so bad. I’ll make sure to learn from you.”
“Tiffany-” Shawn almost lost his temper, angrily snapping at me.
“I need to go now, or I’ll be late for the riding lesson. Bye,” I said, hanging up before he could say another
word.
I drove to the lesson and found Yuna sitting by herself, her eyes puffy and red from crying, her lips pouted. A teacher was sitting with her while the other kids happily rode their horses.
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Yuna shot me a look full of resentment. “I don’t want you here. I want Daddy to come?
I crouched down to her level, meeting her gaze directly. “Oh, really? Did your dad way he’d come?
The teacher beside me quickly spoke up, “Mrs. Hartwell, Mr. Hartwell said he couldn’t make it, but he mentioned you’d come. But Yuna seems upset–maybe you can try to calm her down?”
“Calm her down? She’s not a baby anymore,” I said, sitting down next to her, “She’s old enough, no need for all that coddling”
Yuna glared at me even harder, as if I were some cruel stepmother.
The teacher awkwardly chuckled, “Yuna, why don’t you talk with your mommy for a bit? I’ll come get you to ride in a little while.”
Yuna glared at me, her tiny fists clenched so tightly that if she were older, she might’ve really hit me.
I quietly raised my hand.
But as soon as I did, Yuna’s fists relaxed, and with a sudden burst of emotion, she threw herself into my lap, crying, “Mommy, how could you not care about me? How could you be late?”
I patted her shoulder, without any maternal warmth, just going through the motions. “Stop crying, go ride your horse.”
Yuna wiped her tears and, still sniffling, followed the teacher to her lesson.
I sat nearby, surrounded by a group of wealthy wives. A few had better backgrounds than mine, but most came from less prestigious families. There were also a couple of madams from political families, and they were quite popular.
Women, especially the rich wives, were all inherently proud in their own way. Apart from a few who indulged in flattering conversations and trying to win favor, most of them preferred not to speak.
One of the other parents asked me, “Mrs. Hartwell, we were planning to organize a baking class tonight. Would you and your child like to join?”
I smiled and said, “I don’t have the time.”
“My husband is close with Mr. Hartwell. You should bring him along too!”
I shook my head. “I really don’t have the time.”
Later that evening, I saw this woman’s Instagram post. In one photo, a group of men sat on the sofa, sipping tea, with Shawn among them. In another picture, there was a screenshot of Yuna seriously working on a cake batter, with Queena sitting next to her.
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