"Ricardo, you''ve disappointed me greatly today."


    Mr. Briggs looked at Ricardo, his eyes filled with disappointment. However, only Ricardo knew that this so-called disappointment was nothing but Mr. Briggs'' desire to sever ties with himpletely.


    "Mr. Briggs, I''ve got other matters to attend to, so I''ll be leaving. Instead of being disappointed in me, you should take care of Ms. Rowena and Mr. Burke."


    Ricardo''s tone was cold, and he turned to leave without a nce at Mr. Briggs.


    Booker hurriedly followed Ricardo, saying, "Mr. Ricardo, are we just leaving like this?"


    "What? Should we stay here to watch the show?" Ricardo''s face was grim.


    "Even though Ms. Rowena fainted, we could still push for a DNA test. Once Mr. Briggs finds out..."


    "Fool! Haven''t you realized? Briggs knew all along that Nichole wasn''t his daughter! Unfortunately, the old man refused to acknowledge his real daughter in front of everyone!"


    "What?" Booker was incredulous.


    How could that be?


    Ricardo angrily said, "This old fox is much shrewder than me! He would never publicly acknowledge a daughter who was jailed for prostitution!"


    Booker had never imagined Mr. Briggs, who had always hoped to find his daughter, would remain indifferent to his biological daughter''s suffering over the years.


    Ricardo had thought Mr. Briggs would be easy to manipte, but he was wrong. A big business mogul who had been fighting in Devonport for so many years wouldn''t be so easily yed. When it came to a conflict between kinship and interests, Mr. Briggs could decisively abandon kinship.


    However, this time, perhaps Mr. Briggs didn''t expect that James would y him. James not only didn''t announce his engagement with Nichole but also chose to remarry Sophie. Because of the Nichole issue, Mr. Briggs'' rtionship with Ricardo had already soured. Once Rowena was out, Mr. Briggs simply used the opportunity to sever ties with him as well. In the end, Mr. Briggs broke off their rtionship without clinging to James'' coattails.


    "Check what''s really going on with James and Sophie! Why is there no whisper of their reconciliation? There must be a problem."


    "Yes, Mr. Ricardo."


    "Come back!"


    "Mr. Ricardo, is there anything else?"


    "Take good care of Rowena. She still has her uses."


    "But... Mr. Briggs has no intention of acknowledging this daughter. What use could she possibly have?"


    "Blood is thicker than water. Keeping her around. She will be useful in the future."


    "Yes, I''ll see to it."


    Ricardo looked back at the Burke family''s gate and said coldly, "James, you''ve given me such a grand gift. I''ll be sure to return the favor one day!"


    Inside the Burke family''s house, Mr. Briggs took Nichole upstairs to find James.


    Sophie said indifferently, "Handle your own issues. I''ll be downstairs."


    "Okay," James responded.


    Sophie walked down the stairs, and Reece and Julian immediately approached. Reece asked, "What''s going on? Why did you reconcile with James? Weren''t you..." "It was fake, just for show."


    Relieved by Sophie''s words, Reece breathed a sigh of relief. "Was this voluntary?"


    "What else? The divorce papers have already been signed."


    Reece frowned, asking, "James agreed to the divorce?"


    "With a condition. I have to cooperate with him for six months, acting as his wife in public. After that, we''ll have nothing to do with each other."


    "He wants this six months for Burker International?"


    "Likely. S Corporation recently hit the Burke family hard. Although they''ve resumed normal operations on the surface, Eve noticed that their stock is much lower than before. It''s going to be tough for them to make any profit this year. These six months are crucial for the Burke family."


    "James is clever. He''s even nning to recoup some losses before the divorce."


    "Profit above all. He''s always been like that."Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Sophie had grown ustomed to all this. In her past life, James married her for the Russell family''s connections.


    Julian chimed in from the side, "Well, it''s good that you divorced."


    "That''s why I agreed."


    She wouldn''t turn down the divorce settlement.


    "Mrs. Burke, I''ve always thought highly of you and Mr. Burke. I didn''t expect you to reconcile so quickly. Congrattions."


    "Yes, Mrs. Burke, with the Russell


    family facing such troubles recently,


    we haven''t been able to visit. Now


    that you''re with Mr. Burke again, the Russell family will surely improve."


    The group of people who had previously ttered Nichole immediately came over, some faces familiar from the business scene.


    Ever since the Russell family fell into trouble, these people had vanished without a trace. Now that she had reconciled with James, they all crowded around again.


    Out of courtesy, Sophie smiled and clinked sses with thedies.


    Upstairs in the study, Mr. Briggs sat on a sofa chair, discontentedly saying, Mr. Burke, what exactly did you mean by announcing your reconciliation with that woman from the Russell family today?"


    "Exactly what it sounds like. I believe I''ve already made myself very clear."