Jezebel |h.s|

Forty Seven

Harry

The apartment is quiet when I get home from spending the morning with Isabella and her team of lawyers. We've started getting a case together against Christian, a really good one.

I had Melissa take Ottilie out of the house for the day, not wanting her to witness her parents fighting. That's the one thing I'm proud about over these last few months. Ottie has relatively no idea that Adriana and I are in the midst of this war. It's not her responsibility to worry about us, and our feelings toward each other shouldn't have an effect on how Ottilie sees either one of us.

If someday down the road, Ottilie decides she wants to have a relationship with her mother, who am I to stop her? Sure, I hate Adriana and the fact that she abandoned her newborn daughter, but that's not up for me to decide. I'm not going to force her one way or the other.

Adriana hasn't figured out yet that I've been seeing Isabella. I let Melissa in on what was going on with her, as well as Warren. When I'm not able to check up on her, he'll go and see if she needs anything. I've been playing my cards right, trying to make sure that Adriana is as unsuspecting as possible before I make any big moves.

I wanted to get the divorce in order. Since the prenup is expired and there would be too much litigation to fight against it, we've come up with an alternate plan. A settlement, where she takes one hundred million dollars to sign the divorce papers and leaves us alone for good. Of course, there are other stipulations and compromises written in, such as properties I'd give to her should she want them. It's the best offer she is going to get from me, and she'd be stupid not to take it.

If she doesn't though, that's just going to be years and years of litigation. Years that I could be spending with Isabella and Ottilie. Years that we will never get back. She'd keep it going just to make the three of us miserable. Just to spite me.

I think I have the upper hand, though. She's not the only one with tricks up her sleeve.

Since I'm not seeing Isabella again until tomorrow, I walk over to my office. Lately I've kept a bottle of scotch in my desk hidden should Isabella randomly drop by. I don't want her to feel tempted in any way. I don't even drink too often, but tonight, I'm gonna need some liquid courage.

Pouring myself a small glass of scotch, I put the bottle away and pick up the glass to take a sip. And as if on cue, I hear the elevator ding as the doors open.

I walk to the door of the office, holding the top of my glass as I lean against the frame with my arms crossed. It doesn't take long for Adriana to come into view with a new designer shopping bag in her hand.

She smirks when she sees me, pushing her sunglasses up on her face. "Well, didn't expect for you to be home. I thought you would still be at work. Where's Ottie?"

"Ottilie is still out with Melissa. We need to talk, Adriana."

As she puts the bag down, her smirk stays plastered on her face. "Do we? I see you're drinking so is talk code word for something else?" She approaches me, ready to make an attempt to seduce me but my jaw sets as I look down at her.

"That isn't happening again, you know that."

"I knew you'd come around eventually. I had thought it would've been sooner but I'm glad you came to your senses." She tries to put her hands on my hips but I step back.

"Have a seat in my office, Adriana. I have some things we need to discuss." My voice is serious, making sure that she understands that I'm not playing around.

With a roll of her eyes, she walks past me into the office. I take another sip from my glass before following her in. She watches as I sit on the opposite side of the desk from her and open a folder. Without a word, I place the divorce papers and settlement contract in front of her with a pen.