Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 519 If the Montgomery family's wealth had becchains to shackle Mila, then so be it-she would break them herself.

Whatever the Montgomerys could offer, she could match, and more.

"And as for Adrian," Jade said, her expression cool and steady, "if the child truly needs his mother, then let's draft an agreement. Send him back to England. After all, Mila gave birth to him-he belongs with the Sutherlands." As long as Adrian was officially Mila's son, she would devote every resource, every ounce of energy, to raising him-and welchim into the Sutherland family. Otherwise, he might as well not exist.

If it cto that, they could always have another child. Mila was still young, after all.

Jade's determination was clear in her voice, and Lysander's grandfather's smile faded ever so slightly. He restrained himself from outright refusal, keeping his tone conciliatory. "Shouldn't we ask Mila what she wants? And even if she's willing, shouldn't we consider Adrian's wishes as well? Perhaps we could-" "She'll do as I say." Jade's interruption was icy, dismissing Adrian's opinion entirely. "Of course, if you refuse to return the boy, that's your prerogative. But there's a condition." Her gaze was sharp as she continued, "If the Montgomerys insist on keeping him, then Adrian is your responsibility-he'll have nothing more to do with Mila. We'll provide the required support, visit every few months at most, and when he comes of age, all ties are severed. He'll be your child, and yours alone." She spat out the last sentence, her tone clipped and biting.

Lysander's grandfather felt his chest tighten-a rush of anger at his useless grandson for creating this mess and pushing the old man out to bear the shame.

But there was no backing out now.

Despite his fury, years of self-restraint kept his demeanor pleasant. He launched into a stream of platitudes about how Adrian was still young, how he'd been raised by the Montgomerys, how deep the family bonds were, and how such drastic change would harm the child.

Jade's patience wore thin.

She shot back with a cold laugh, "So what's the point? His father's been dead a year-why does he still belong with you? The mother's alive; just return the boy to her!" She didn't bother to soften her words.

A heavy silence fell.

Across the video call, both butlers sensed the tension in their respective rooms; neither dared say a word. Jade remained calm. If negotiations crumbled, so be it—she'd lose nothing important. She already had other plans: Find Mila a good man, let her start anew, and if need be, have another child.

And if this plan worked, it wouldn't matter how much the Montgomerys protested.

None of this should have been so complicated; once her husband died, the two families should have gone their separate ways. But the Montgomerys had refused to let Mila go, clinging on shamelessly.

As far as Jade was concerned-marrying into the Montgomerys didn't mean marrying the whole dysfunctional clan.

They were all mad.

She was about to prompt the old man, who'd fallen silent on the other end of the call, when his face suddenly lost all warmth. He spoke, flat and measured: "Lady Jade, let's set this aside for now. Whatever happens, Mila is Adrian's legal guardian. Given what's happened, she has a responsibility to deal with this." "What do you mean by that?" Jade's expression hardened instantly.

Lysander's grandfather said nothing more. He simply signaled to Marshall, the butler, to send over a file, then ended the call without another word.

If civility wouldn't get them anywhere, it was tto play hardball.

In the Montgomery study, Butler Marshall hesitated. "Sir, hanging up on Lady Jade will only make her furious. Will Madam really come?" "She has no choice if she wants to save Adrian from disaster." Lysander's grandfather pinched the bridge of his nose, weariness clear in his voice. "And tell that brat this is the last time. If he gets into trouble again, I won't be cleaning up after him. Not ever." Just then, the phone buzzed again-Lady Jade calling. Marshall looked uneasy. "Should I answer?" "Why bother? Just looking for a fight?" The old man waved him away. "Take the phone and the computer-get them out of here. I've made my point." Though his anger still simmered.

At Rose Manor, in the study:

"They're not answering." The butler, sweating nervously, addressed Jade, who was glaring at a stack of M documentson her screen, close to losing her temper. No one had expected Adrian to cause such a scandal. Seeing her struggle to breathe, the butler quickly offered her medicine.

"No point calling again," Jade said, accepting the pills. She took several deep breaths before wiping her brow with a handkerchief, her voice faint.

The butler took away the computer, anxious not to let her see more. "Should we tell Miss Mila, or keep it from her?" As far as he was concerned, the more they could shield Mila from the Montgomerys' scheming, the better.

Jade shook her head. "There's no hiding this."

The Montgomerys were never careless. With relations so strained, they'd surely guessed her intentions. By now, the news had certainly reached Mila-there'd be no stopping her.

Meanwhile, across the garden ballroom, Miranda dashed in with her phone in hand. She spotted the two e figures standing close together in the center of the dance floor, deep in conversation, and waved her phone urgently. "Mila!" "Your son is calling!"