The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 145: See You in Court

Chapter 145: See You in Court

Their eyes met.

For a moment, the air stood still.

A faint smile played on Julian Jennings’s lips as he naturally averted his gaze back to his computer screen, responding to what she had said.

It was almost nine o’clock.

Rachel Royce took Melissa upstairs to rest.

"I’ll send you the documents in a bit. You can look them over," Julian said.

"Okay," Rachel replied.

Melissa waved goodbye to them.

June Jennings reminded her, "Remember to bring Melissa upstairs for breakfast tomorrow morning."

Rachel nodded. "Okay, I will."

Rachel took Melissa back upstairs.

Although she didn’t live here often, a cleaning lady came by regularly, so the apartment was spotless and didn’t need any extra tidying.

Just as Rachel had run the bathwater and was about to give Melissa a bath... 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She heard a voice from the living room say, "Daddy."

Startled, Rachel hurried out of the bathroom.

Melissa had walked to the entrance and opened the door for Tristan Sterling.

Rachel stood frozen in place, watching in stunned disbelief.

Melissa came in, holding her father’s hand.

Tristan was carrying a bag that seemed to contain Melissa’s things.

Rachel walked over, her brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?"

Tristan saw the displeasure in her eyes, but before he could answer...

Melissa spoke up. "Aunt Evelynn, Daddy called me. I told him I was staying here with you, so he brought my clothes over." Her voice was soft, like a child who had done something wrong, guiltily afraid that Rachel would be angry.

In an instant.

Rachel’s heart completely melted.

She bent down, reached out to hug Melissa, and said, "Melissa, let’s go take our bath first!"

Seeing that Rachel wasn’t angry, Melissa’s tense little face instantly relaxed, and she nodded obediently.

Tristan held the bag out to her. "These are Melissa’s clothes."

Rachel glanced at it, took it, and then carried Melissa into the bathroom.

「Half an hour later.」

Melissa finished her bath.

She stepped out of the bathroom.

"Daddy!"

Melissa ran toward her father and happily threw herself into his arms.

Rachel watched the man sitting on the sofa.

The father and daughter played for a little while.

"Alright, go to sleep with Aunt Evelynn now."

Melissa ran to Rachel’s side. "Aunt Evelynn, can Daddy stay here tonight?"

Rachel said, "Your daddy has to go home. There’s no room for him here."

Melissa said "Oh," then turned to Tristan. "Daddy, take out the present for Aunt Evelynn."

Rachel was taken aback.

Tristan then pulled a velvet box from the bag.

Melissa took it from him, opened it, and presented it to Rachel with both hands. "Aunt Evelynn, this is for you. I picked out this necklace for you. Do you like it?"

The necklace had a pink diamond pendant. The craftsmanship and design were clearly the work of a top master.

While Tristan was in the United States, he had video-called Melissa to pick out a gift. He let her choose, and Melissa said she wanted to pick a necklace for Aunt Evelynn.

Tristan let her choose, but the necklace was a global limited edition that had to be shipped from France. It had only just arrived in the country today.

Rachel looked at the pink necklace, then at the happy, expectant smile in Melissa’s eyes.

A faint smile touched her lips. "I love it!"

Hearing Rachel’s words, Melissa beamed happily.

"Alright, time for bed."

"Okay."

Rachel took the necklace.

She led Melissa back to her bedroom.

Even though it was a completely unfamiliar environment...

With Aunt Evelynn by her side, Melissa slept soundly and peacefully.

After she had lulled Melissa to sleep...

Rachel prepared to take a shower, get ready, and then deal with some work.

Then she remembered Tristan.

She quietly left the bedroom and saw the man sitting on the sofa. Walking over, she held the velvet box out to him and said coolly, "Take this back. I don’t need the necklace."

Tristan’s cold eyes swept over the box on the coffee table before landing on her. "If you don’t need it or don’t like it, you can tell Melissa directly. You don’t need me to do it for you."

Rachel’s eyes darkened as she stared at him. ’This is just like his malicious way of doing things.’

She sat down on the adjacent sofa, took out her phone, and said, "Fine, then. How much was it? I’ll transfer you the money right now."

Tristan said, "Wait until you’ve explained it clearly to Melissa tomorrow. If she agrees, then you can transfer the money to me."

Rachel: "..."

’The bastard was doing this on purpose just to spite her.’

"Tristan, don’t you bring Melissa into this. We’re about to get a divorce. I don’t need anything you’ve spent a single cent on." Rachel really didn’t want to fight with him or let it ruin her mood, but at this moment, she was exceptionally irritated.

Tristan’s deep, dark eyes watched her, his handsome face calm. A cool, faint smile touched his lips. "Then wait until the day of the divorce to transfer me the money."

Rachel stared at him, her brows tightly knitted, feeling as if she couldn’t breathe properly.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, leaned back against the sofa, and looked at him. "Your lawyer said you were open to a private settlement. What kind of settlement did you have in mind?"

Tristan’s gaze was fixed on his tablet, his profile cold and stern. "You chose to refuse. The window for mediation has already passed."

His attitude was one of complete refusal to negotiate.

Rachel’s face hardened. "Fine. Then I’ll see you in court. Can you leave now?"

Without lifting his eyes, Tristan said unhurriedly, "I have to take Melissa for a medical check-up tomorrow morning."

So, he had no intention of leaving.

Rachel couldn’t help but frown. "You can come pick her up tomorrow morning."

Tristan looked up, a mocking curve on his lips. "What are you afraid of? I’m not interested in you."

"You..."

Rachel clenched her fists, her face flushing with anger.

Melissa was sleeping in the other room, and she remembered the scene from last time when Melissa had woken up startled.

She snatched the documents from his hand, threw them in the trash, and turned back to her room. Besides the master bedroom, all the other rooms were empty anyway.

The man watched the woman’s fuming back as she left.

He just let out a soft laugh.

「The next morning.」

When Rachel got up and went to the kitchen for some water, she saw the tall, imposing figure of the man standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone. The first rays of morning light fell on him, casting a faint halo.

Seeing the documents laid out on the coffee table, it was obvious he had worked all night.

Yet, despite the long night, he was still in the same dress shirt and trousers from yesterday, his clothes still neat and unrumpled. He didn’t look the least bit tired.

The man finished his call.

He put down his phone, turned, and saw the woman standing not far away. She was in a long nightgown that revealed only a small section of her slender calves, her hair was messy, and she exuded the languid air of someone who had just woken up.

Rachel coolly averted her gaze and went into the kitchen to get a glass of warm water.

After that, she went to the bathroom to wash up.

The entire time, she didn’t spare him a single glance.

By the time she was dressed and ready...

Melissa was also awake.

Having just woken up, Melissa was especially clingy.

Rachel held Melissa and cuddled with her for a while before changing her clothes.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Tristan glanced toward the door, put down his phone and documents, got up, and walked over to open it.

The moment Julian Jennings saw Tristan, his brow tightened slightly, a clear look of surprise in his eyes.

When Tristan looked at Julian, his handsome face was devoid of emotion, as if he wasn’t surprised at all.

For a few seconds, they faced off.

Neither of them spoke.

The air around them seemed to freeze in an instant.