Novel Palace
Chapter 219
Watching Jason extend an offer that amounted to a fortune fit for the Forbes list, it was only Estrella’s weathered heart and the icy resolve born from a myriad of trials that kept her from faltering. Had this been a few years earlier, she might have wavered, and brazenly suggested they give it another try.
She took a deep breath, not accepting the share transfer documents and portfolio Jason pushed towards her. “Jason, I don’t take what isn’t mine. What we had, it was never about money.”
As he began to protest, she cut in, “Just get the papers signed, that’s all.”
Jason, ever the businessman, reminded her, “Estrella, you may not fully grasp the worth of Nelson International these days. The shares alone are valued at over three hundred billion. Are you sure you want to walk away?”
Nelson International was a titan of industry with a valuation in the trillions. Jason and his father, Landon, held a sixty-one percent majority, with the remainder spread between various stakeholders and public shares. This divorce wasn’t a petty squabble over chump change. It was a genuine division of wealth.
At Jason’s prod, Estrella chuckled, “I don’t take what isn’t mine.”
Before he could say anything more, she glanced at her watch, “I’ve got someone to meet. Let’s get this done.”
Reluctantly, Jason left the paperwork on the table. He’d hoped she would accept it all, but Estrella didn’t give him the chance.
The legal formalities were swift, a mere ten-minute affair, and they emerged into the bright day, each with their own decree of independence.
At the courthouse steps, Jason, hands buried in his jeans pockets in a familiar gesture, turned to Estrella. She, hands tucked in her charcoal cashmere coat, met hist gaze and slowed her pace.
Jason halted, looking down at her, “If you need anything in the future, I hope you’ll come
to me.”
They had known each other for twenty-six years, beyond the scope of their failed marriage. Once, they had been so close.
With her hands still in her pockets, Estrella simply smiled, “Sure.”
Sensing his hesitation, she glanced at her watch again, “I’ve really got to go.”
With a soft grunt of acknowledgment from Jason, Estrella offered a generous smile and strode toward the parking lot.
As Estrella drove off, Jason, who had intended to apologize for past wrongs and offer consolation, found his intent moot in the face of her indifference.
“Ms. Estrella,” Drew called out as she approached.
Estrella gave a comforting pat on his arm. Her gesture nearly brought Drew to tears, ironic given that she was the one who had just been divorced.
“Ms. Estrella,” he whimpered, his voice laden with a mix of sorrow and admiration.
With a laugh, she replied, “I’ve got things to do, Drew. Can’t coddle you all day.” She climbed into her car and, seeing Drew’s forlorn figure in the rearview mirror, waved before speeding off.
Jason arrived just in time to overhear Drew’s wistful remark about Estrella’s grace in letting go. A cold glance from Jason was enough to silence him, who hurriedly opened
the car door.
Estrella didn’t immediately share the news of her divorce with family or friends like Bryce and Jesse. It wasn’t until a week later, during a family dinner when Autumn inquired about her and Jason, that Estrella nonchalantly revealed that the divorce was finalized.
Autumn, taken aback, eventually sighed, “It’s good the paperwork’s done.”
Yet the thought of the years Estrella and Jason had known each other, and the hope that they could have worked things out, left her lamenting, “It would have been nice if you two could have had a happy ending.”
Everyone had believed that the bond forged over two decades would see them through any conflict, but fate had other plans.
Estrella sensed her mother’s melancholy and reassured her, “Mom, Isaac’s here, and that was my goal all along.”
“Isaac isn’t Jason’s child,” Autumn retorted, then added, “Estrella, you should at least find a father for Isaac. It’s not right. No one even knows who her dad is.”
Isaac watched at Estrella and babbled, “Daddy, daddy.”
Estrella assured, “Isaac will have a daddy when she’s older.” She turned to Autumn, “Don’t worry, Isaac’s got good genes.”
Estrella’s nonchalance left Autumn at a loss. Estrella had known Jason since they were children, and they had even shared meals and clothes. The thought of the awkward encounters that lay ahead, and the nostalgia of Estrella and Jason’s past closeness, weighed heavily on Autumn’s heart.
Fate is beyond our control, indeed.
Autumn’s eyes, misty with the onset of tears, nearly caused Estrella to drop the bowl she was holding. In a quick effort to forestall a breakdown, Estrella blurted out, “Mom, cut it
08:05
out. Isaac’s right here. Don’t start crying. If he picks up that trick from you, I’ll be run ragged.”
Estrella had always dreaded seeing her mother cry. Once Autumn started, like a
faucet that couldn’t be turned off. Estrella still recalled how, as a little girl, she had quickly learned to hand her mother tissues to dab away the tears. One crybaby in the house was quite enough. There was no need for a second,
“Grandma, be good,” Isaac coaxed.
Autumn saw Isaac staring at her without blinking, behaving obediently, and she forcefully held back the tears that were about to fall.
“And so, in a time long, long ago, there was an old man and an old woman…” After dinner, having bathed Isaac, Estrella settled into their bedtime routine, reading a story to lull him to sleep.
It wasn’t long before Isaac’s breathing evened out, signaling he had drifted off. Estrella placed the book on the nightstand and tenderly kissed Isaac’s chubby cheek, her heart aching a bit as she remembered
Isaac’s earlier question about his father. “Sweetie, I’m sorry. Mommy didn’t think everything through,” she whispered, stroking Isaac’s hair.
Just then, Estrella’s phone buzzed on the nightstand, drawing her attention. As she picked it up, her expression shifted subtly.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!