Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law
Chapter 151: Troublesome

Chapter 151: Troublesome

"I never thought you would turn out to be useless for me, Saira," Sir Robert Collins said coldly, his voice slicing through the silence like a blade. Saira knelt before him, her body trembling as she tried to form the words of an apology.

But it wasn’t for doing something wrong—not in the usual sense. It was for failing him. For failing to bring Adam down.

The plan was supposed to be solid. Every step had been thought through. Every detail accounted for. It should’ve worked. Who would’ve guessed Melanie would be the one to mess it all up? No one expected her to find something like that from the past—something with real weight. Finding and gaining access to the recording that night was truly beyond expectation.

Though Melanie had shared the recent videos from which she had used the still shots to create the buzz, she’d not been too worried because they had already figured out how to handle that. So what if she wanted to get close to her first love and she was seen trying to get close to Adam again? That could’ve been spun. They were ready to argue that it only proved Adam still had feelings for her, that he couldn’t resist her and thus was trying his best to push her away but suffering himself.

Even that would’ve been enough. Enough for Sir Collins to go to court and claim Lady Collins’ will was unfair. Enough to say the will was based on false assumptions. If they could show that Adam and Melanie were only together because of the terms of the will, the judge might’ve thrown it out. They were so close. But the audio clip ruined everything.

Saira lifted her gaze to the man seated across from her. He was silent now, his expression distant, lost in the chaos of his thoughts. Yet there was no sign of remorse, no flicker of concern for her.

She felt her hands tighten on her knees.

She had done everything for this man. Everything. For years, she followed his orders without question, stood by his side through every scheme, and kept his secrets buried deep. Not because she was forced to—but because she loved him.

But over time, the truth had slowly crept in, piece by piece, until it was impossible to ignore—he didn’t love her back. Forget love, he didn’t even have a shred of affection for her. Not a single warm glance. Not a gentle word. Not even when she had given birth to his—

She shook her head sharply. No. She shouldn’t think about tha right now. She couldn’t afford to. That part of her life, those feelings, they needed to stay locked away. She had done all of this out of love, yes—but not to earn his love. Not to buy it. At least, that’s what she told herself.

Still, she wasn’t a fool. She knew now that her dream of being his lawful wife was never going to come true. It had always been out of reach, no matter how close she thought she was. A fantasy she clung to out of desperation. And now, finally, she was ready to let it go.

But not before one last act. One final thing—for him. As a goodbye to her love.

Even if Robert Collins had never truly loved her, he had never been stingy. He had been a generous lover, and because of that, she already had enough—more than enough. With the assets he’d given her over the years, she could live the rest of her life in comfort, without lifting a single finger for anyone ever again. Money was not her problem. As for love? She was still young.

But for now, she would do what needed to be done and then she would leave. No drama. No begging. No more kneeling on cold floors for a man.

She looked up at him slowly, "I know you’re disappointed."

Then, with careful movements, she crawled forward, still on her knees, and rested her forehead lightly on his thigh and whispered, "But I still have one use for you. There’s still one way I can bring Adam down."

Sir Collins didn’t respond right away. He sat still, deep in thought, jaw tight. His gaze was fixed somewhere far beyond her, but she knew he had heard every word.

This time, she had his attention.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Sir Collins moved. His veined hand moved slowly and came to rest under her chin. With a firm grip, he tilted her face up to meet his eyes.

For a moment, just a moment, there was something in his expression that almost looked like affection. The ghost of a smile tugged at his lips as he studied her, and then he patted his thigh, an unspoken command.

Without hesitation, she rose settled herself on his lap. It was instinctual now—like breathing. Like muscle memory from the past and when the old man patted her hip, she wriggled slightly and shifted closer to him.

"Still so eager to please me, aren’t you? Always thinking of ways to handle Adam. Just like you used to when you were a teenager. Even then you were always sitting in my lap and whispering your ideas. So, tell me."

She lowered her eyes, letting the compliment settle in like a balm and a wound all at once. She knew exactly what he was doing—pulling her back in, stroking the part of her that still craved his approval. He always did like to use the carrot and stick method.

"Tell me then. What is your plan this time?"

Slowly, she explained her entire plan and even though she knew that he did not like to talk about that time, she could see that he indeed approved of her plan. Finally, when she had explained everything, he nodded once, sating that it might work and then he brought her face down and kissed her on the lips, indicating his approval of her plan.