Ch. 1686..1690

Chapter 1686

There was a subtle change in John’s expression which signified his intrigue in seeing Aiden and Caden, but he continued pressing onward and did not pay much further attention to them.

They quickly approached him and cut off his path.

John looked annoyed.

Aiden announced, “We came to see you.”

Caden probed, “You know Sherry, don’t you?”

Although they both wore pleasant smiles and spoke to him politely, it was not difficult to detect the arrogance in their voice.

As far as they were concerned, this handsome man that stood before them was a nobody. Anyone of any significant importance would not associate themselves with Sherry, especially considering that he was her ex-husband.

John asked sharply, “Who are you two?”

Aiden diffused the tension. “We are Sherry’s colleagues. Don’t worry, we're not here to hurt you or anything like that. In fact, | think we can help you.”

John asked, “And what exactly are you going to help me with?”

“We can help you salvage your marriage with her. You want to remarry her, don’t you?” Remarry?

This caught John’s attention. “How are you going to achieve that?”

This was a sign that he was interested, so Caden and Aiden exchanged a faint smile with each other. Their guts were right this entire time. This man was indeed Sherry’s ex- husband! Furthermore, he seemed fully intent on winning Sherry back!

Aiden announced, “This is no place for us to talk. Let's take this somewhere else.”

John agreed, “Alright.”

Shortly after that, they found themselves at a cafe next to the hotel and chose a secluded comer to continue their discussion.

Aiden and Caden were seated shoulder—to-shoulder across from John.

They were gracious enough to order the best coffee the cafe had to offer, which coincidentally was the most expensive selection on the menu. With that, Aiden kicked things off. “Sir, would you mind telling us your name and where you came from?”

John picked up the coffee and took a sip. “John Stockton. | come from Westchester.”

Westchester?

If their memory served them correctly, Sherry was from Westchester as well.

They have never heard of there being any Stocktons in the city of any remarkable stature, so this man was a commoner just like they had suspected.

They exchanged a wry smile with each other once again before continuing, “So, Mr. Stockton, would you mind telling us a little about your past with Sherry?”

John eyed them with a suspicious glare. “First, tell me who you two are.” His voice was calm and held a steady pitch. There was something about the quality of his voice that was rather intimidating.

To their surprise, Aiden and Caden felt slightly uncomfortable and unnerved. No commoner had ever dared to speak to them so presumptuously.

They swallowed their pride and set their sights on their goal.

Aiden began, “My name is Aiden Sager, and this is my younger brother Caden Sager. We are both Sherry’s colleagues.” John eyed them suspiciously. “Why are you helping me?”

Caden asked, “I’m sure you know about Sherry’s engagement with the young master of Sager Corporation?”

John nodded.

Caden announced with a tint of pride in his voice, “You see, we are Carl Sager’s brothers.”

John seemed surprised by this revelation. “I see, so you two are the two eldest sons of the family.”

 

Chapter 1687

Chapter 1687 Aiden and Caden smiled in unison.

Aiden began spinning his tale. “Mr. Stockton, since you're not from Coastrock, you might not know about the true nature of Carl. He’s a good-for—nothing that has his eyes on the family fortune so that he can waste it all away. He’s someone who would let our empire crumble without batting an eye. I’m sure you understand why we can’t have him inheriting the throne.

“And this is where your ex-wife Sherry comes into the picture. We have to admit that she’s very good at her job and is an efficient leader, which is why Carl needs her help if he is going to inherit the corporation. What we want is for you to remarry her and take her back with you. It’s a win-win situation: you have your lover and we have our inheritance.”

As if they had rehearsed the entire monologue ahead of time, Caden immediately added, ” Mr. Stockton, the last thing we want is to have Carl bring our family to ruin.”

John took a breath and expressed, “I admire your loyalty toward your family’s business empire.”

Aiden was flattered by this and said, “You flatter us. We are just common family men. Nobody wants to see their family brought to ruin.”

“And how are you two going to help me?” John asked with an expectant smile. Caden shot a look at Aiden.

Aiden announced on cue, “Sherry and Carl’s engagement ceremony is going to take place this Saturday, and we want you to attend the ceremony along with your daughter.”

John narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “So, the plan is to crash the engagement ceremony?” Aiden hurriedly explained, “We're not going to have you do anything rash to sabotage the ceremony. All you need to do is to attend the ceremony and people will find out that she was married and had a child this entire time. Surely that will have the wedding called off.”

Caden supplied, “Yes, as long as they don’t get married, Carl won’t be able to inherit the family fortune, then we can continue protecting the corporation like we have been doing this entire time.”

John looked at them sharply. “But if | get in the way of their engagement, that’s only going to make her hate me more. What makes you think she will remarry me?”

Aiden and Caden were struck speechless. John was several steps ahead of them and had thought everything through before they could.

Aiden chuckled dryly and tried to play it down. “Don’t worry about that. Sherry only took an interest in Carl because of his wealth and status. Even if Carl doesn’t inherit the

corporation, we can still give her the exact thing we want since we can promote her to a higher position in the corporation. We can hire you and put you in a respectable position as well. That way, you two can be together at all times.”

Caden chimed in, “That's right Excuse me for putting this too bluntly, but she divorced you because you were not wealthy enough for her standards, is that it?”

John nodded gravely and remained silent.

Aiden and Caden took this as an answer and went with it.

Caden remarked with a smile, “I promise you that once we make you her equal, she will gain a newfound respect for you.” Aiden agreed, “Yes! And besides, you’re a very handsome man, so | wouldn't be surprised if she falls for you all over again.” Become her equal? Handsome?

If only it was so simple to win her over.

Emotions boiled inside John, but he suppressed the conflict in his mind and turned to them with a smile. “I appreciate your genuine offer and kindness, but you'll have to give me some time to think about it.”

Caden expressed impatiently, “She’s going to get engaged to Carl. What do you still need to think about?”

Aiden gently tugged Caden back and said courteously, “Mr. Stockton, there are only five days left before their engagement. We can give you time to think about it, but | must

don’t have much time.” remind you that you

John nodded stoutly. “Alright.”

“Well, we'll stop taking your time.” John smiled and thanked them. “See you. Have a safe trip home.” Aiden and Caden departed quickly.

After leaving the cafe, Caden immediately voiced his grievances, “What the hell was that? We wasted so much time explaining everything and giving him clear solutions and he says he wants to think about it? What a nutcase!”

Aiden was just as irritated. He could not believe they had spent so much time trying to sucker up to a mere commoner. Still, he realized that as long as they could get John to

to attend the engagement ceremony with their daughter, there was a surefire chance that it was going to ruin the ceremony entirely.

agree

Aiden took a deep breath and said, “Let's be patient. We can get rid of him after everything is done.” “Heh, good point.”

After the dust had settled, they could come up with some way to boot Sherry out of Sager Corporation.

Meanwhile, if the stinking and cocky commoner who dared to act all high and mighty around them knew what was good for him, he would get out of Coastrock by himself, or

else!

Chapter 1688

Chapter 1688 The night passed without incident.

Sherry was woken up in the morning by Caprice. The child had gone to bed too early last night and ended up waking up earlier than usual.

Lying in bed with nothing to entertain her, she decided to play with her mother’s hair to amuse herself.

When Sherry woke up to Caprice fiddling with her hair, she was not upset in the slightest. It was a dream to wake up to see her daughter's adorable face.

She smiled and kissed her, then they crawled out of bed together. She helped Caprice wash up before stepping into the shower herself.

By the time they were done, the breakfast delivery had just arrived.

Sherry went to get the door and was surprised to see John instead of the employee from the delivery company. He leaned against the door frame nonchalantly and acted as if he had every right to be there.

He smiled politely. “Good morning.”

Sherry shot him an unimpressed look, then she snatched the food from his hands before trotting back into the house. The door was left open, so John walked inside.

“Daddy!” Caprice jumped at him immediately.

John took her into his arms and sat down at the table.

Sherry barely acknowledged him as she unpackaged the food and began eating.

Caprice went to get her portion as well and did not forget about John being there. “Daddy, eat some as well.”

John looked at Sherry as if seeking permission.

Sherry did not even look at him. She was going to continue ignoring him.

John picked up the cutlery and began eating.

After breakfast, Sherry put on her jacket and got her handbag. She then turned to address Caprice who was in John’s arms, “Caprice, Mommy needs to go to work, I'll see you this evening after | finish work, alright?”

Caprice chirped cheerfully, “Okay, have fun with work, Mommy! | will wait for you here with Daddy.” Sherry smiled and gently patted Caprice’s head before heading off to work. It was Monday, which was usually the busiest day of the week.

Sherry usually had lunch at her table, not allowing herself any break time. She had several meetings throughout the afternoon and finally wrapped up her tasks for the day when evening rolled around.

She immediately went back to her place.

She had just parked her car and stepped outside when she heard Caprice’s sweet voice coming from a car parked adjacent to hers.

“Mommy!” Caprice was leaning out the window and calling out for Sherry.

Sherry immediately went over and took her into her arms through the car window. She began marching back into the house. That was when Caprice stopped her and cried out urgently, “Wait for Daddy! He’s still inside the car!”

Sherry frowned and reluctantly slowed down.

When she noticed John’s slender figure appearing from the corner of her eyes, she immediately quickened her pace again. They entered the house together.

Immediately after that, Caprice’s tummy began growling with hunger.

Sherry looked at her with a grin.

Caprice clutched her stomach with a tint of embarrassment. “Mommy, I’m a little hungry.” Sherry was very attentive and immediately produced some snacks for her.

It was John who bought the snacks.

Caprice immediately began munching away happily.

Meanwhile, Sherry took her phone and began browsing the food delivery selection. She was trying to decide what they were going to have for dinner. However, most of the options provided were fast food and were not suitable for a child like Caprice.

They had been eating plenty of takeout over the past few days. It was a rather unhealthy diet and she would rather opt for something healthier. It was a tough decision to make.

“What's wrong?” John asked in a gentle tone, “Can't figure out what to eat?”

Sherry shot him a daggered stare.

John smiled softly and asked, “Do you need me to order something for you?”

“No need,” Sherry declared crossly, then she selected the supermarket section and began browning.

John glanced at her suspiciously. He watched her silently as her fingers tapped repeatedly against the screen.

After a while, she stopped tapping at last.

 

Chapter 1689

Sherry turned to Caprice and announced, “Caprice, hang in there just a little longer, alright? Once the ingredients get here, Mommy will make something nice for you to eat.”

Caprice nodded while munching her snacks.” John raised an eyebrow and asked tauntingly, “Can you cook?”

Back then when they were living in the rented place nearly a decade ago, Sherry had only tried to cook once and nearly burned down the kitchen in the process of doing so, which explained why that was her only episode in the kitchen. Ever since then, John was put in charge of cooking whenever he had time.

Sherry glared at him sharply. “Keep your mouth shut, will you?”

If this man was not going to keep his mouth shut, she would kick him out!

John noticed the sharp glare in her eyes and zipped his lips. He decided to not get on her

nerves anymore.

The doorbell rang in no time, and the ingredients Sherry ordered from the supermarket had arrived. She shot a look at John. John took the hint and went to get the door. Shortly after that, he returned with a plastic bag filled with cooking ingredients. Sherry ordered authoritatively, “Put it in the kitchen.”

John did as he was told. After completing the task, he tried to offer his help, “Do you need any help?”

Sherry hissed, “No need.”

She rose and went into the kitchen.

John took Caprice who was still busily munching away and stood outside the kitchen to

observe Sherry at work.

Sherry tied an apron around her waist and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt.

She searched for some cooking guides online. All she needed to do was follow the simple

instructions.

She washed the vegetables, poured a measured amount of oil into the pan, and cranked up the heat. After that, she cracked an egg into the pan.

Hiss!

The egg sizzled in the pan.

Sherry stared at the solution in the pan as if transfixed by it. She stared at it for what seemed like forever, until at one point the egg began to burn and a charred smell filled the air.

It was only at that point that she realize that something had gone wrong. She hurriedly grabbed a spatula and tried to pry the egg out of the pan the way one would shovel mounds of dirt from the ground and ended up flinging the egg into the distance.

Splat! It landed at her feet. She nearly shrieked.

Another situation that required her immediate attention had come up. Smoke was rising from the pan. She frantically filled a bowl with water and splashed it into the pan.

Splash! That only made things worse as a spout of flame shot out of the pan. She backed away in fright.

Fortunately, the fire immediately sizzled out like a magic trick. She breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced in the direction of the kitchen entrance.

John stood calmly with Caprice in her arms.

Caprice was still biting on a couple of pieces of snack. She stared at the brilliant spectacle inside the kitchen with her eyes wide open and her jaw dropped. She seemed baffled by what she was seeing.

Meanwhile, John seemed completely expressionless as he witnessed the disaster in the kitchen. If one looked closer, one could see that the corner of his eyes was creased with

laughter.

He was doing his best to stifle his laughter.

Sherry glared at him.

John noticed her desperation and said, “Take Caprice. I'll handle it.”

Sherry frowned.

John added, “If we wait for you to finish cooking, Caprice is probably going to fall asleep.”

There was no guarantee of the quality of the food she made either.

Sherry reluctantly put away the spatula and took off the apron before walking out, her head hung low in defeat. John handed Caprice over and stepped into the kitchen.

He put on the apron and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, imitating what Sherry had just done. He picked up the egg from the floor, evidence of Sherry’s ineptitude in the kitchen, and threw it into the trashcan. Then, he cleaned the pan before thoroughly cleaning the

ingredients again. He filled two pots of water and set them to boil while he prepared the meat.

After all the ingredients were ready, he turned on the stove. There were many complicated steps involved, but his approach was very methodical and he was in control the entire time. The sweet fragrance of food filled the air in no time.

“Wow... Daddy is so cool!” Caprice remarked, her eyes filled with amusement.

John glanced at her with a soft smile, then cast a look at Sherry.

Sherry turned away immediately and refuse to look at him.

John smiled and did not think much of it. He diverted his attention back to the kitchen.

L

Chapter 1690

Within an hour, John had prepared two vegetable dishes and two meat dishes with an additional topping of soup to boot. Dinner was served.

As if that was not enough, he even went out of his way to make some noodles for Caprice. Every dish was mouth-watering.

Sherry gulped as she sat Caprice at the table. She wanted to feed Caprice but the child was a step ahead of her and was already hungrily devouring the bowl of noodles as soon as she sat at the table.

Sherry was astounded.

John took off his apron and joined them at the table, sitting across the pair. He smiled at the sight of Caprice enjoying the food, then he looked at Sherry.

Just like previously, Sherry turned cold and avoided his gaze.

He merely smiled and announced, “Come on, dig in.”

Sherry did not budge.

John asked coyly, “You're the one who bought these ingredients. Are you not going to eat?” This drew a response out of Sherry.

He had a point. Even though he was the one who did the cooking, she was the one who paid for these ingredients, so there was no reason she should not eat!

She shot him a grumpy look, then picked up a spoon and began eating.

Every single dish was just as tasty, if not tastier than the takeout she usually ate, with the added benefit of having less artificial seasoning mixed in, thus making it healthier.

Caprice had already finished her bowl of noodles. Bits of eggs were splattered around the corners of her lips, and she was eyeing the other dish on the table like a wolf.

Sherry was enamored by how adorable the child look and proceeded to prepare a plate of food for her.

That was when an arm reached over out of nowhere and handed Caprice a plate filled with food.

Then came another bow! of soup that came with an endearing note of caution, “Caprice, eat slowly. No need to rush.” “Hm, hm!” Caprice nodded, then she drank the soup and began devouring the rest of the food.

John looked at Sherry who frowned in response. He glanced at the plate set in front of her

and suddenly grinned.

The look in Sherry’s eyes sharpened.

The plate set in front of her was filled with bones. She had picked off every scrap of meat she could off them. The rice in the bowl was almost finished as well. She did manage to eat a sizable portion, but what was that look supposed to mean?

Sherry yelled without warning, “What are you looking at? | was the one who bought these ingredients.”

She could eat as much as she wanted!

John chuckled. “You're right.”

Sherry glared at him and continued her meal.

By the time they finished dinner, there was not a scrap of food remaining.

Caprice was so full that her stomach became bloated.

Sherry picked up Caprice and cast a look at John, then at the rest of the dishes on the table. The message was clear: he was in charge of doing the dishes.

John smiled. “Sure, take Caprice to rest. I’ll clean up here and go back to the hotel.” Sherry held back a smile. At least, the man was clever enough.

4

She took Caprice to the bedroom. The child had stuffed herself to the brim with food.

Sherry did not,want Caprice to sleep right away with a bloated stomach, so she took her time reading some of her favorite short stories to allow time for digestion. After that, she brought Caprice to the bathroom for a quick shower.

By the time they stepped out of the shower and Caprice had changed into a set of

pajamas, she had already dozed off on Sherry’s shoulders.

Sherry kissed her chubby cheeks and put her on the bed.

Then, she left the bedroom.

There was only a lightbulb left on in the living room, so she could spot the speckless

dining table upon approaching. She peeked into the kitchen and saw that it was cleaned entirely as well. There was no sign of John.

She took in the eerily silent living room, then turned and went back to the bedroom.