Goodbye, Ex-husband! I’m Pregnant with Your Uncle’s Child!
Chapter 402: Selfishness, Self-Interest

Chapter 402: Chapter 402: Selfishness, Self-Interest

Julia Land listened to Madame Bell expose the scam.

She was speechless and felt like laughing mockingly.

Lyra Gunn was the type who loved people indulging her, humoring her—even being deceived suits her.

Madame Bell nervously watched Julia Land, waiting for her reply.

"Julia, I just want you to inherit the shares and the property, that’s all."

"You could sell the shares, then donate all the property to charity," Julia calmly suggested.

Madame Bell was visibly disappointed by Julia’s response, "Do you really despise everything from the Bell family that much?"

Julia’s gaze fell onto Madame Bell’s face, and she answered earnestly, "It’s not that I despise the Bell family’s possessions, but that I don’t want to be entangled with you in any way."

These words were blunt and hurtful.

Madame Bell let out a bitter chuckle, her voice filled with helplessness and sorrow, "Julia, when the time comes and I’ve already passed away, it won’t be possible for you to be tangled up with me anymore. Can you allow me a little dignity when I go to meet your father?"

There was a brief silence in the office.

Julia suddenly laughed lightly, "Madame Bell, stop acting—you’re a very selfish person. Let me guess your real intentions for wanting me to inherit the shares and property... Oh, are you hoping I’d fight with Maxwell Bell and Celeste Lewis over them?"

Madame Bell’s expression shifted slightly, a trace of helplessness and sorrow flickering in her eyes, "How can you think that? I just... I only hope those things don’t fall into the wrong hands."

"Then you can sell them," Julia said with an unwavering expression. "Madame Bell, whatever your reasons may be, I’m not interested. Please don’t come to Dale Group again in the future."

Julia’s indifference finally shattered Madame Bell’s façade of sorrow.

With cold, piercing eyes, Madame Bell glared at Julia, "Ungrateful daughter! I risked my life to bring you into this world, and now you won’t even agree to inherit property!"

Julia was not surprised at all by Madame Bell’s sudden outburst. She smiled faintly, "Your entire life, you’ve loved only yourself—selfish, self-centered, and always full of hubris."

Madame Bell stormed out of the office.

Dale Land entered the room right afterward. She noticed a fleeting sadness in her mother’s expression.

"Mom."

"Dale, get back to work; I’m fine," Julia smiled a little. "Your father is waiting for me outside. I’m heading off now."

Dale nodded.

Julia stood up and lightly pinched her daughter’s cheek. "Don’t worry, Mom’s fine. Focus on work."

With that, she turned and walked out of the office.

James Thompson was waiting for Julia just outside. Seeing her emerge, he walked over and took her hand.

The couple left the company together.

They got into the car, and it drove away.

Julia leaned against James, telling him about her meeting with Madame Bell.

After hearing her out, James casually remarked, "Mr. Thompson permits you to eat spicy hotpot today."

**

Half an hour later, James and Julia were standing at the entrance of a hotpot restaurant.

Julia clung tightly to her husband’s arm, giving him a sidelong, threatening look. "You already promised me—you said I could eat."

James replied, "...As long as it’s not spicy."

Julia scoffed, "You dare go back on your word? Don’t forget how many of the six boxes you bought are still unused."

"...Fine, let’s head in already," James sighed, catching Julia’s hand where she was pinching his waist, "Stop pinching."

Julia’s lips curled into a grin, "Alright, let’s go in."

James’s health meant he couldn’t eat hotpot.

Julia ordered a table full of vegetarian dishes.

She was soon sweating profusely while eating, thoroughly enjoying herself.

James took charge of blanching vegetables and serving her food. He even grabbed a napkin to wipe her reddened lips, "Do you remember the first time we ate hotpot together?"

Julia nodded mid-bite, "Of course—when I was worth a billion dollars, I treated you to spicy hotpot at Skewer Aroma."

Their eyes met, and they both laughed.

James chuckled, "It’s impressive you still remember how stingy you used to be."

Even with her billion-dollar fortune, she had only treated him to a hotpot meal costing under three hundred bucks.

Julia suddenly stopped chewing her food, her eyes fixed on a couple outside the hotpot restaurant. "James, turn and look outside."

James turned his head and looked outside the restaurant, just in time to see Carson Dunn opening the car door for a young woman wearing a white dress.

Once Carson’s car drove away, the couple turned their eyes back to each other.

James smiled faintly, "I told you he’s quite the gentleman."

Julia had lost her appetite. She set down her chopsticks, "He certainly is—very gentlemanly."

That, too, was a mark of good upbringing.

*

Meanwhile, in the car—

Snowlyn Winters apologized to Carson Dunn, "Mr. Dunn, thank you so much for going out of your way to pick me up."

Carson responded politely yet distantly, "No need to thank me."

Snowlyn was moving house today, but her left hand was injured.

Lorenzo Thornton had found out about Snowlyn’s move and sent Carson to offer her help.

The two didn’t say much more.

Snowlyn gazed at the passing scenery through the window. She could sense Carson’s emotional distance. If she wanted to create some romantic tension with him, it seemed like a challenging endeavor.

The car arrived at her new place quickly.

Snowlyn got out of the car, and Carson followed suit, opening the trunk to retrieve her luggage.

The two went upstairs, and Snowlyn unlocked her door while Carson set the suitcase down by the entrance.

Not stepping inside, Carson stood at the door, "Miss Winters, I’ll head out now."

Snowlyn glanced at her luggage and then at Carson, who was leaving already. "..."

This man was avoiding even helping her carry the suitcase into the apartment to avoid any misunderstandings.

Snowlyn bit her lip bitterly. With one hand, she pushed her suitcase into the apartment. Once inside, she pulled out her phone to call Eleanor Thompson, hoping to update her on the day’s events.

"How did it go?" Eleanor’s voice carried an air of impatience mixed with expectation.

Snowlyn hesitated before saying, "Carson Dunn only helped me carry my luggage to the door and then left. He has absolutely no interest in me, won’t give me any chance."

On the other end of the line, Eleanor’s voice dripped with sarcasm, "Useless—you’re supposed to be good at making men feel sorry for you, aren’t you?"

Snowlyn’s heart tightened at Eleanor’s cutting tone, "Miss Thompson, he really has no interest. Maybe we need a different approach..."

Interrupting her, Eleanor scoffed coldly, "A different approach? If all else fails, you can drug him and knock him out. If you don’t make progress in a week, just use that method—it’s simple enough."

A surge of dread churned in Snowlyn’s chest.

If she resorted to drugging Carson, he would undoubtedly retaliate.

While Snowlyn was shrewd enough to plot and scheme, this was a line she wouldn’t cross.

Carson Dunn may appear warm and gentlemanly on the surface, but her intuition told her he was not someone to provoke lightly.

Eleanor hung up the call with a snort of contempt.

Turning to Bella Quarter, Eleanor complained, "Sister Bella, I sent this woman to seduce Carson Dunn, yet there’s been zero progress so far."

Bella glanced at Eleanor with amusement, offering a faint smile, "Carson isn’t someone easily swayed, Eleanor. Maybe you should stop wasting your energy."

Eleanor pouted in dissatisfaction, "Sister Bella, don’t you think Dale Land is ridiculously lucky? How does she have everything—a fat girl like her, and yet her boyfriend cherishes her so much."

"I refuse to believe it. No matter what, I’ll keep making things difficult for Dale Land—after all, she’s Julia Land’s daughter."