Chapter 152 - 150: Making Her Leave with Nothing
"Huh?"
John Lawson’s eyes went wide. "Your boyfriend? That police officer from just now?"
Cecilia Sterling nodded, openly admitting it.
"You two... Did you just get together?"
John Lawson thought they had just made it official during the half-hour they were outside. Cecilia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "No, Director Lawson. We’ve known each other for almost a month, but we’ve only been dating for a little while."
"He had to be professional just now. If that woman knew he was my boyfriend, she would have clung to him and never let go, so we pretended not to know each other."
Blair said with an amused smile, "Just now, Mr. Lawson was insisting I go with you to see what was up. I was thinking, ’No way am I going to be a third wheel.’"
"Well, I didn’t know, did I?" John Lawson laughed too, then turned and nodded at Cecilia. "He seems like a sharp young man. Looks reliable, too."
"Well, I have good taste in people."
Cecilia said half-jokingly, pulling up a chair to sit in front of John Lawson. Her expression then turned serious. "Director Lawson, the doctor said that even though you have a rare disease, a lung transplant can cure it. The only thing is, you have to wait for a matching donor lung. This process can be very long, so in the meantime, it needs to be controlled with medication. The targeted drugs from overseas are very effective. So, I believe that as long as you have a professional medical certificate from a doctor, this illness won’t become a vulnerability or a weakness for you during the divorce proceedings."
Hearing the first part, John Lawson thought Cecilia was just trying to comfort him. He didn’t expect the main point to come later—that she was already strategizing for his divorce case.
John Lawson sighed. After a long moment of contemplation, he spoke. "I didn’t want to make things too ugly. Yvette is old enough to remember things now. No matter how wrong her mother is, the harm was done to me alone. I don’t want Yvette’s image of her mother to be tarnished."
"But my daughter has always been my bottom line. I can give up everything else, but not my daughter. If she tries to fight me for custody, I’ll fight her to the bitter end!"
"I originally drew up an agreement for an uncontested divorce, but the court told us to take a one-month cooling-off period. Now that I’ve suddenly fallen ill, it’s given her a chance to back out and exploit the situation."
Blair, who was standing by, added, "Mr. Lawson, you’re a counselor at Lorcain Tech with a stable government position. You have a steady job and income, and you’re a positive influence on a child’s development. The court will definitely lean in your favor."
Cecilia nodded in agreement and added, "But to be completely certain, the most devastating blow would be to prove she’s the party at fault in the marriage. As long as we have evidence to support that, we can fight to make her leave with nothing. Isn’t the house your pre-marital asset anyway?"
John Lawson looked at Cecilia in surprise. "How do you even know about that?"
Cecilia didn’t hide anything. She told John Lawson everything about the phone call from Charlene Miller that she’d overheard earlier today.
John Lawson gave a self-deprecating laugh. "She really can’t wait, can she? She’s probably wishing this illness would just kill me off quickly."
"But I don’t have any proof." John Lawson sighed, looking at Cecilia. "I know she’s seeing someone else. She’s very good at hiding it, but I could still tell. I just never thought of using it against her. I always wanted an amicable split."
Cecilia understood Director Lawson’s character. More accurately, she knew he only wanted to avoid a nasty fight for his daughter’s sake.
"Leave it to me. I’ll find the evidence," Cecilia said, her tone light yet leaving no room for doubt.
John Lawson was taken aback. "You... Don’t do anything reckless, Cecilia. Your boyfriend may be a police officer, but he can’t abuse his power for personal reasons. He’ll be disciplined if he’s found out."
"Don’t worry, Director Lawson. I won’t ask him. I have my own ways."
’When she handled things, relying on a man was never her first thought.’
"You just focus on getting better for now. Leave the rest to me. I will definitely help you win custody of Yvette and make sure your wife leaves with nothing!"
Cecilia and Blair didn’t leave the hospital until noon, when John Lawson’s mother returned.
The two of them texted Estelle Goodman. When they learned she had just woken up and hadn’t eaten, they picked up some takeout from a roadside restaurant to bring back to the dorm.
"That intense?"
After listening to them recount the day’s events, Estelle Goodman slapped the table, looking regretful. "Damn, why didn’t you call me? If I had been there, I would have ripped that woman a new one!"
"And Captain Thorne was the one who responded? Why didn’t he just beat the crap out of those two?"
Cecilia, who was opening a takeout container, laughed out loud. "Are you trying to get him into more trouble? The reason he was demoted from detective to a regular beat cop was because he hit a suspect during a case. If he did it again, he might end up as an auxiliary officer."
"So what’s your plan to help Mr. Lawson?" Estelle’s expression turned serious as she looked at Cecilia. "Need my help? I’d love to get in on this!"
To her surprise, Cecilia actually nodded, and Estelle Goodman’s eyes lit up. "You really have a job for me? Tell me, tell me!"
"You have a lot of connections, right? Do you know any private investigators?"
The profession of private investigator was a real thing, not just something made up for movies and TV. Ordinary people rarely had any reason to encounter them, but wealthy, influential families often made use of their services.
Estelle Goodman thought for a moment, then pouted and shook her head. "I don’t actually have any connections in that area. But I know paparazzi and professional stalkers in the entertainment industry. As long as the price is right, getting some photographic evidence should be simple."
"Are they reliable?" Cecilia asked hesitantly.
Estelle puffed out her chest in a guarantee. "Absolutely reliable."
If Estelle Goodman had known this particular connection would turn out to be a dud, one wonders if she would have been so full of conviction.
"Oh my god, this eggplant is disgusting!" Estelle suddenly exclaimed. "Where did you buy this? It’s so bad, it’s criminal!"
Seeing her over-the-top reaction, Blair picked up a piece and tried it. "It’s mediocre. You’re being a little dramatic."
But Estelle corrected her with a disapproving look. "Only low-fat, low-calorie health food has the right to taste bad. Eggplant is supposed to soak up oil. There’s no excuse for something this greasy and salty to taste this awful. I’m blacklisting this restaurant!"
Cecilia and Blair both knew that Estelle was strict about maintaining her figure and monitoring her daily calorie intake, so her being so particular was understandable.
"Forget about the eggplant for a second," Cecilia said, getting back to the point. "Later, I’ll give you Charlene Miller’s information. I’m leaving the task of investigating her affair to you."
Estelle got excited again, feeling like she had joined some kind of secret intelligence agency. "No problem! I’ll dig up everything there is to know about her!"
Blair looked at Cecilia and asked, "And you?"
A smile played on Cecilia’s lips. "Me? I’m going to hire the best divorce lawyer I can find for Director Lawson!"