Chapter 129

Lainey rose to her feet, regarding Jonny with a scornful glare.

"Do you even realize the gap between us now?" she taunted. "The sooner you divorce me, the better. If I'm in a good mood, I might even convince my parents to throw a little money into your failing company.But if you keep dragging this on, don't expect a single cent."

Her words cut sharp, and her eyes carried the same contempt one might reserve for a beggar on the street.

Jonny had never been humiliated like this in his life, least of all by the woman he had married.

His whole body trembled with fury until he snapped, grabbing her by the throat. His voice was hoarse with rage. "Lainey, you bitch! I gave up Eleanor for you! I gave you everything you wanted, and this is how you repay me?"

Lainey gasped, choking for air.

She hit his arms with all the strength she had, but it did nothing. The tight grip left her gasping, the air leaving her lungs.

Just when the suffocating pressure seemed unbearable, a voice thundered from the doorway."Let her go!"

Jeff had returned home, and the sight before him sent flames of fury through his eyes. Without hesitation,he charged forward and slammed his foot into Jonny's chest, knocking him to the floor.

Lainey crumpled,coughing violently as she clutched at her throat.

When she finally managed to breathe, her voice cracked with urgency. "Dad! I want a divorce! I can't stay with him anymore. I want a divorce!"

There was no room for hesitation.

If she delayed, Jonny might actually kill her one day. He was a lunatic.

Jonny, shocked back into his senses at Jeff's presence, scrambled to defend himself. "Mr. Benton, no, Jeff,listen to me, I can explain, I-"

His words were cut short when Jeff's fist slammed into his face, knocking the air from his lungs and leaving him doubled over in pain.

Jeff didn't spare him another glance. He bellowed for the security guards at the entrance, and within moments, Jonny was dragged out like trash.

Lainey flung herself into Jeff's arms, sobbing as though her whole world had crumbled."Dad, you saw it yourself! This is how he treats me. Life with him has been nothing but misery..."

She poured everything out in a torrent of tears, stretching and twisting every detail, turning Jonny into the very image of a heartless villain.

Jeff's chest tightened as he listened, his eyes catching the angry red marks circling her neck. The sight pierced him.

His precious daughter was hurt like this, all because of a man who didn't deserve her.

He pulled her close and gently patted her back. "Don't cry, sweetheart. It's my fault for letting you go through this. This marriage ends here. I'll make sure you walk away from it."

Lainey pressed her face into his chest, letting tears roll down her cheeks. Yet, hidden from his view, a victorious smile curled at the edges of her lips.

Jonny was finally out of the picture.

Next came Nolan. Soon, he would be hers.

Outside, Jonny stood before the imposing Benton family's villa.

Was this truly the same Lainey he had known? The woman who once smiled softly, yielded easily, and never raised her voice? But now she was cold, sharp, and calculating.

Or perhaps she had always been this way, and he had been too blind to see it.

Regret crashed over him. He should never have left Eleanor for her.

Eleanor might not have had Lainey's status, but she was Enigma and she had been warm, kind, and sincere.

If he were still with Eleanor, the Todd Group wouldn't be teetering on the edge of collapse.

It was clear now.

Back then, if Todd Group had faced ruin, Eleanor would have stood by him. She would have fought for him,even if it meant saving the company with everything she had. But that was years ago, and time couldn't be rewound.

Eleanor was gone from his life, and there was no going back.

She had only married him out of gratitude, and their debt to each other was already repaid.

Yet deep down, he refused to accept it.

He clung to the fragile hope that if he admitted his mistakes, if he really begged forgiveness, Eleanor might give him another chance.

After all, she had once loved him.

With that desperate thought driving him, he stumbled home.

There was still one person who might help-Sallie. Eleanor always listened to her.

If Sallie spoke on his behalf, maybe, just maybe, she would come back.