Chapter 323: Scum!
The normal reaction everyone expected to see was Teddy being nervous, and desperate to explain himself. Instead, he remained calm like a refined scholar, facing Sienna and Elias.
The lawyers pressed their arguments. Teddy’s lawyer claimed the marriage could not be salvaged, citing social ridicule and personal fear. Gene’s lawyer argued that she had given her strength, her loyalty, her labor and now being discarded because she did not fit the city’s image of a noble wife.
Sienna shook her head.
"I have never undermined the sacrifices Gene made for me and my family." Teddy chimed in, "I had no idea that she was the reason for the exoneration of my deceased father. But, this doesn’t change facts as they are. It is not true that I never loved her. I was fond of her once upon a time, and we lived in a small bubble with just the two of us. Gene popped the bubble when she went to the fox lord and knocked over the first domino which brought my family back to its old status."
A strawberry hit Teddy again. "Scum." Lina screamed. "Fancy language does not change the fact. Scum and bum is what you are."
Elias looked at Liman, tilting his head towards Lina. The tiger beast woman swooped in, dragging Lina away from the window.
Sienna looked at the couple and the time. Then she said to the couple, "It is evident that Teddy Banks will not be changing his mind about the divorce. Unlike you, Teddy, my rulings are not based on appearances. I judge by truth. Gene-haven carried your family through exile. And now, in the city, you have cast her aside because she does not fit the mold of your inner circle. That is not justice--it is betrayal."
Teddy lowered his eyes. "I cannot change how I feel."
Sienna raised her hand. "And I am not asking you to."
Gene’s voice broke, though her body remained unshaken. "I agree to let it end. I will not beg for love that has turned to shame."
Sienna nodded gravely. "Divorce granted. However, financial compensation has to be granted. All the money Gene invested in the Banks family during their exile must be paid back. Twice the amount, by the way, because I am adding emotional compensation."
Teddy nodded, though Sienna noticed a tick in his jaw. She smiled and continued, "One of the Banks estates is to be given to Gene. You have three in total, losing one won’t kill you."
Teddy huffed. "What? Why? All those estates are my ancestral property. We don’t even have children. What right do you have to give Gene my property?"
Sienna smiled cruelly. "You also don’t have a pre-nuptial agreement. I am being merciful by not taking fifty percent of what your family owns and giving it to her. The house in Uproot and the land belongs to Gene so she can keep it. These are material things, they cannot erase the debt owed to her. But I hope they can go a long way in buying her a comfortable life and a dozen men who will be more grateful than you, Teddy. Case closed."
The clerk recorded the verdict. In ten minutes, the paperwork was presented and all parties signed. Teddy walked away first, with his head held high. He looked dignified, but nobody there saw him in that way.
Gene-haven rose, her red hair blazing like fore, her twelve-foot frame towering with dignity. She gave Sienna a respectful nod. "You judged fairly."
Sienna inclined her head. "Go in strength. Let no city shame you for the power that is your birthright. If you don’t mind, I would like to give you a job as my daughter’s guard. She is very precious. I would sleep better knowing that someone with your strength and loyalty is protecting her out there."
Gene looked at Elias. He nodded.
She said to Sienna. "I already sold myself to the fox lord anyway. I will report in a week, after putting my affairs in order."
As Gene departed, Lenard drop from the tree, calling her name in a sultry voice. "Gene-haven," he drawled. "Remember me? For the record, I think your ex is a weeny. You should have married a strong man, not a scrawny pretty boy." He flexed his muscles deliberately.
Sienna made the same face a cat makes when it wants to throw up. "I am going to bed."
Elias reacted to her words quickly, sweeping her off her feet. He carried her to bed, laid her down and covered her with a blanket. He kissed her forehead and patted her head. "Thanks for ruling in her favor, the judge at the hearing was an old friend of the Banks family. He also happens to be widow Banks new boyfriend. Gene was going to lose everything before I asked the king to step in and have the case sent down to you."
Sienna lifted her head off the pillow briefly. "You called the king for such a favor! Wow! You must value Gene-haven to do this."
He sighed. "To me, the Titan foxes are like a rare, precious resource. Gene has done some work for me and she is a member of the vanguard. In fact, she is the captain of the army that protects Uproot, and our border. Teddy wanted a gentle wife, so she quit her job and lived like an ant despite being a giant." He sighed. "If only she had known that it would end like this, she would not have given up her position."
Sienna sighed too. "Some people are not worth sacrificing for."
Elias clenched his fists, his eyes becoming colder than the winter. "I would love to break Teddy’s spine. Before they married, Gene had been granted a position as the empire’s Titan representative on the king’s council. She would be the first woman to hold that position and the first fox beast man too. That weak son of a bitch ruined it all with his love poems and empty promises. I regret not stepping in back then and stopping that marriage."
Sienna patted his hand. "Hey, maybe the Banks family could be exiled again. If not, Teddy can be assigned to work in Uproot. I am sure he will not be too welcomed in that town after this."
Elias rose abruptly, his eyes gleaming as he hurried out of the room.