"I'm your wife! Why can't I have a look?!"
Astrid, forgetting all pretense of decorum befitting a councilman's wife, grabbed his collar and shook
him violently. She shouted hysterically. "I've been so good to you, and this is how you repay me? You
heartless jerk!"
As she raised her hand to slap Theodore, he quickly grabbed her wrist and shoved her back forcefully.
"Argh!"
Astrid lost her balance and crashed into the door. The pain made her gasp, and her eyes widened in
shock.
"How dare you hit me? I'm the heiress of the Iverson Group! How dare you lay your hands on me?
Aren't you scared of me going home and telling my Dad and big brother that you've been hitting me?!"
"Go ahead. Tell anyone as you please! I've had enough of you!"
Pushed to his limits, Theodore pointed accusingly at Astrid's stunned face. "The election is just around
the corner. If you want to cause trouble and destroy everything we've built for years in one moment,
just go ahead! Let me make this clear. Right now, our fates are intertwined. If I go down, so do all your
aspirations!"
Astrid's face turned ghostly pale. She was speechless.
She had never imagined that her man could turn her dedicated efforts to build him up into a weapon
against her!
"All these years, you've used your heiress status to oppress and humiliate me, and I've endured it. You
wanted a publicly affectionate and caring relationship, and I've given you that! From now on, mind your
own business. Just do what a councilman's wife is supposed to do, and we can all have great days for
ourselves. Otherwise, we might as well go our separate ways!"
His words translated into one clear message. He had grown confident under Astrid's care and was
ready to take off on his own!
Theodore straightened the collar she grabbed. Without sparing his wife another glance, he stormed
out, slamming the door behind him.
Astrid sat dazed on the floor, pitiful tears streaming down her face.
After a while, she got up, wiping her tears off fiercely, and forced a smile in the mirror, so stiff it looked
eerie.
"R-Right! What are a few mistresses? I'm going to be the future mayor's wife! I need to be
magnanimous and see the bigger picture in this situation. Once everything settles down, I'll deal with
them one by one. Just wait!"
At exactly 5:00 p.m., the reception for the inspection team took place at the Savrow Central Hall.
Mayor Solloway, Councilman Savoy, their wives, and other high-ranking officials and business elites
from Savrow made a grand entrance into the hall, surrounded by media and staff.
As the chairman and president of the Iverson group, Lance and James also attended the event as
representatives of the business community.
Thus, except for Charles, who was still recovering from his injuries, and the always-enigmatic
Christopher, all members of the Iverson family were present at the event.
Amidst the grandeur of the event, unnoticed by all, a black luxury minivan silently parked across from
the hall.
Behind the privacy glass, Justin hooked his arm around Bella's slender waist and lifted her onto his lap.
He pressed his lips against hers, exploring the smooth territory of her mouth with his tongue. His eyes
glowed with desire as he savored her.
"Mmm... Enough already. You're insatiable."
Bella panted as she pushed him away, her lips swollen from his kisses. "We're here on business!"
"We're indeed handling business right now," Justin replied with a slight curl of his thin lips. His
handsome smile exuded a captivating charm.
"You... I meant the actual business, not this!" Bella's cheeks flushed as she punched him lightly on the
chest.
"Once you get the taste of it, you'll want more of it, Bella."
His large hand then caressed her silky black hair, his gaze fixed on her irresistibly. He could not help
but nibble on her reddened earlobe, murmuring, "I will always crave you. I'll never get enough of you."