Secretly Married for 4 Years, He Regrets to Tears After the Divorce-Chapter 63: The Check Cannot Be Cashed

Adrian Lancaster took Claire Sterling to the hospital. He was only relieved after an examination confirmed she wasn’t seriously injured.

Maya Marshall accompanied them the entire time, never leaving Claire’s side.

Soon, Claire Sterling woke up. Once she was rested and stable, Adrian Lancaster personally took her home.

Maya Marshall tagged along, attending to Claire Sterling’s every need on the way.

Claire Sterling grew even more partial to Maya Marshall.

"You’re the considerate one. If that other woman were half as good as you, I wouldn’t have to be forcing Adrian to divorce her."

Maya Marshall gave a shy, demure smile.

The only reason she’d gone back with them to the Lancaster residence was to wait for news.

With Claire Sterling on her side, she had no doubt Wren Sutton would be forced to divorce.

She had already secretly messaged her parents abroad, telling them to return to the country as soon as possible to celebrate her impending marriage to Adrian Lancaster.

...

At the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Wren Sutton had been waiting in her car for Adrian Lancaster for three hours, but he never showed up.

The Civil Affairs Bureau would close in an hour. If he didn’t get there soon, they wouldn’t be able to finalize the paperwork today.

Wren Sutton hated people who didn’t keep their word. Annoyed, she pulled out her phone and dialed Adrian Lancaster’s number.

He picked up after a dozen rings.

Before Adrian Lancaster could speak, Wren Sutton asked anxiously, "I’m at the Civil Affairs Bureau. When will you be here?"

"In a meeting."

Her anger flared at his words. "We agreed to meet at the Civil Affairs Bureau this afternoon! How could you—"

Adrian Lancaster cut her off, his voice cold. "I never agreed to go."

Wren was frantic. "If you don’t show up, what are you going to tell your mother?"

"That’s not your concern." A frosty look settled over Adrian Lancaster’s features.

He hadn’t expected Wren Sutton to actually go to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

’Did she really want to divorce him, or was she just being forced to?’

"That’s easy for you to say. When the time comes, your mom—"

"As long as I’m here, what is there to be afraid of?"

Wren Sutton’s chest tightened, and her composure nearly broke. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Adrian Lancaster refused to elaborate.

When Wren tried to ask again, he hung up on her.

"..." Wren Sutton indignantly tossed her phone aside.

’What did "exactly what it sounds like" even mean?’

’It sounded like even if Claire Sterling forced the issue, the divorce couldn’t go through as long as Adrian Lancaster didn’t agree.’

Wren Sutton’s brow furrowed in thought. She understood Adrian Lancaster less and less.

’He loves Maya Marshall so much, and they even have a child together. So why was he dragging his feet on the divorce?’

’Weirdo.’

Stomping on the accelerator, Wren Sutton drove away from the Civil Affairs Bureau, stewing in frustration.

On the way, she received a call from a bank representative.

Only then did Wren Sutton remember that she had an appointment that afternoon to cash a check and handle the transfer.

"I’m so sorry, something came up unexpectedly and I forgot to come in."

"That’s quite all right, Miss Sutton. You can still come in now and take care of it. We haven’t closed for the day yet."

Wren Sutton glanced at the time. She had plenty. It was something that needed to be done sooner or later, and she figured she might as well finish it now while she was out to save herself a trip tomorrow.

"Alright, I’m on my way now."

「Fifteen minutes later.」

Wren Sutton arrived at the bank, where an employee led her to a quiet VIP lounge.

"Miss Sutton, please have some water."

"Thank you."

Cashing a check required information to be verified, and checks for large sums demanded even more thorough scrutiny.

The representative worked diligently while Wren Sutton waited patiently.

「A few minutes later.」

"Miss Sutton, I’m afraid this check can’t be cashed."

Wren Sutton’s heart sank. "Why not?" she asked, surprised.

"The issuer, Brandon Bell, has insufficient funds in his account. The balance is under one hundred million."

The check had bounced.

Wren Sutton was stunned. A terrible premonition began to creep over her.

"But on the day of the transaction, Mr. Bell specifically showed me his account balance. It was over one hundred million. I only felt comfortable letting him write the check after I’d confirmed it."

The bank representative replied, "In a situation like this, you’ll need to contact the issuer to verify the details."

Wren Sutton calmed herself down, her mind racing.

"So, is it possible that after writing the check, Brandon Bell secretly transferred the money out of the account, which is why there are insufficient funds now?"

The representative nodded. "That’s highly likely."

Wren Sutton grew pensive.

’Maya Marshall said Adrian Lancaster gave her that necklace.’

The image of Brandon Bell walking into The Lancaster Group flashed through her mind.

’Could it be...’

Wren Sutton had a theory, but now she needed proof.

"Could you please check Brandon Bell’s transaction history for the past week?"

The representative agreed and quickly pulled up the results.

"A week ago, one hundred million was deposited into Brandon Bell’s account. Today, one hundred million was transferred out."

"Who was it transferred to?"

"Adrian Lancaster."

"When was the transfer made?"

"At four in the morning."

"And the one hundred million deposited a week ago—that came from Adrian Lancaster’s account too, didn’t it?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

Wren’s heart ached as she stared at the check in her hand.

She understood the whole story now.

’The money was Adrian’s. Brandon Bell acted as the frontman, writing the check. After they got the necklace, Adrian pulled the money back, leaving her unable to cash it.’

’The one hundred million she’d had in her grasp was gone, just like that.’

It was only then that Wren Sutton understood the meaningful look Adrian Lancaster had given her that morning before he left. This was what he’d meant.

The more Wren Sutton thought about it, the angrier she became. ’How is this any different from just taking it for free?’ She refused to accept this.

...

「The Lancaster Group.」

The executive meeting was still in progress.

Kevin Dawson pushed the door open, stepped into the conference room, and whispered something in Adrian Lancaster’s ear.

Adrian Lancaster’s expression remained impassive, his face cold. "Let her wait."

Kevin Dawson knew better than to say more, so he turned and left.

「Half an hour later.」

Adrian Lancaster declared the meeting adjourned. He rose from his chair, left the conference room, and casually unbuttoned his suit jacket.

"That meeting ended really abruptly today."

"Didn’t President Lancaster say we’ll continue tomorrow?"

"That’s not like President Lancaster’s style at all."

"Hey, no overtime meeting. We should be celebrating."

In the president’s office, Wren Sutton sat alone on the sofa. A glass of warm fruit juice, brought in by Kevin Dawson, sat before her. She had drunk half of it.

The sky gradually darkened outside, and the city’s neon lights began to flicker on.

Wren Sutton checked the time, wondering how much longer she would have to wait.

Adrian Lancaster had a habit when it came to meetings: he wouldn’t adjourn until the problem was completely resolved. The most memorable executive meeting she could recall had lasted for over nine hours straight.

She was starting to regret her decision. She shouldn’t have come looking for him at the office while he was in a meeting.

’What if the meeting lasted until midnight? Was she supposed to just sit here like an idiot and wait for him?’

’Not a chance.’

Wren Sutton grabbed her bag, stood up, and immediately walked toward the door.

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, the door was pushed open from the outside. Adrian Lancaster walked in, his tall, imposing figure completely blocking her path.

Their eyes met.

Wren Sutton froze for a second. "Your meeting’s over?"

Adrian Lancaster nonchalantly broke eye contact, his peripheral vision catching sight of the bag in her hand.

"Leaving?"

Wren thought quickly on her feet. "I was about to, but I’ve changed my mind."

Adrian Lancaster didn’t press the issue and stepped past her into the office.

"Close the door and come here."

Wren Sutton did as she was told, turning back and returning to her original seat on the sofa.

With his back to her, Adrian Lancaster stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down on the city’s nightscape. A sharp, cold light glinted in his long, dark eyes.

After a moment of silence.

"You wouldn’t come all this way to the office for no reason. What is it?"

Wren Sutton took the check from her bag and placed it on the table.

"Brandon Bell acted on your behalf to buy that blue diamond necklace from me. The check can’t be cashed now. The bank discovered that the issuer transferred all the money to your personal account."

"And?"

"You did this on purpose."

Adrian Lancaster neither admitted nor denied it.

His cold, disdainful attitude stung Wren Sutton’s heart.

One hundred million was not a small sum. She couldn’t just remain indifferent.

She shot up from the sofa, staring indignantly at Adrian Lancaster’s back.

"If you’re not going to pay, then give me back the necklace."