Mission: From Divorcee to Millionaire

Mateo sat quietly for a moment before glancing up at his dad. "Are you trying to make Aunt Joy my new mom?" he asked bluntly.

Everett raised an eyebrow and countered with a question, "Do you not like her?" He hadn't noticed any signs of Mateo disliking Joy; they seemed to have hit it off that afternoon.

But Mateo wasn't having it. He lost his cool, clattering his knife and fork onto the table without a care for manners. "I already have a mom. I don't need a new one. If you have to get remarried, why can't it be with my mom? She cries at night because of you, you heartless jerk!"

His small fists were balled up in anger, and the words tumbled out until he upset himself. He hopped off his chair and bolted upstairs, leaving Everett with a stormy expression.

Everett's handsome face turned icy. It was his first taste of being called out so directly, and by his own son, no less! He couldn't even be mad at him!

Seething, he glanced over to see Ava laughing unabashedly. His eyes narrowed. "Did you teach him this, or was it Selena?"

His words were practically hissed through clenched teeth. Mateo was too young to come up with such words on his own, that much was clear.

Ava, unfazed by his glare, stood her ground. When the boss messes up, you've got to speak up! Besides, her paycheck came from the lady of the house, so she wasn't worried at all. With her hands on her hips, she shot back, "Sir, you can be careless with your eating, but not with your words. There's a saying: 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' If Mateo is saying these things, he's only reflecting what he's seen and heard."

"You've been acting like a jerk, and Mateo's picked up on it. Who else can you blame for the way he sees you?"

"If you can't keep yourself in line and be a decent husband, then you deserve every bit of scolding you get!"

Ava spun around and marched upstairs to comfort Mateo, leaving Everett with no dignity intact.

Everett was fuming, his face a shade of green from anger. He couldn't help but wonder if Selena had sent Ava and their son to get under his skin deliberately. Both of them had fiery tempers! Was he raising a son or a little tyrant?

Upstairs, Mateo was clutching a smartphone, video-chatting with Selena, his voice

full of complaint. He told her his dad was off on another date, looking for a new mom again.

Ava chimed in, "Ma'am, you wouldn't believe it! This time, Mr. Everett's considering Miss Joy! I can't figure out what she's thinking; she knows how you

feel about him, yet she's still barging in!"

"What kind of friend does that?"

Over at the Irwin Estate in

Northtown, Selena sat on the couch, listening to her son and Ava with a blank stare, her hands slowly clenching into fists. She had

previously asked Blaine to dig

whether anyone was pullingo

into

Yasmine's strings. They had started piecing things together, but

everything came to a halt withnoveldrama

Yasmine's sudden death.

Hints from Alex had given her suspicions, yet no concrete proof. Now it seemed like her fears might be true-Joy could be the one behind it all.

Her face turned a bit pale. Being stabbed in the back by a good friend hurt just as much as being betrayed by a lover. She still hoped it wasn't true.

After the call ended, Selena briefly considered calling Joy to clear the air. But she knew there was no going back once she did. Without solid evidence, she didn't want to accuse her friend or ruin their friendship.

The next day at Bennett Corporation,

in the President's Office, Everett wrapped up. a video meeting and leaned back in his leather chair, massaging his temples. His eyes drifted to his phone on the desk, which had been eerily silent since last night.