The Enticing CEO’s Chosen Bride novel Chapter 1775

Chapter 1775

There was no room for negotiation.

Presley returned the next day, bombarded by reporters at the airport.

The divorce of the elderly couple had apparently overshadowed the gossip at the Global Economic Summit.

Presley, with a stern face and not uttering a word, managed to leave the airport and headed straight for Alyssa's villa.

The living room was filled with a tense atmosphere until Presley walked in.

After a long silence, it was Presley who broke it. "What the hell do you mean?" he asked.

Alyssa pressed her lips together, "Didn't you understand the news?"

"Alyssa!" Presley shouted angrily, "Do you have any idea how torturous and embarrassing that I have been this whole time? Are you trying to stir the pot at this point?!"

Alyssa laughed coldly, "After all these years, I'm grateful I didn't have a heart attack because of you. But now, you don't have the chance or the right to yell at me. I know you're suffering. I've known you all my life, but have you ever considered how torturous it is to be with you?"

Presley's expression froze.

“Are you just expecting others to consider you? You're the most tired, tormented, and innocent person in this whole world, and everyone else is wrong. Everyone should revolve around you, and anyone with their own thoughts and opinions is defiant.

"Presley, think back on the past decades and ask yourself, when have you ever considered others? When have you really listened to others’ opinions?

“Have you ever tried to empathize and understand others? Have you ever reflected on yourself when lying alone in bed in the middle of the night?

“I dont think so, because anyone who has cared a bit wouldn't indulge in living their own way like you have done until now.

“Everyone has their own life, and you only have your own. Why do you insist on controlling others’ lives? What pleasure does it bring you to have so many lives at your disposal?

“I was too young back then, and I didn't see the real you. I blindly believed in love. As long as everything felt right, I was ready to go down this path with you. But I'm not a fool. It was only after I had children and grandchildren, that I realized how selfish my blindness was. The events that led us to this point today, my blind trust and indulgence in you, have now implicated them.

"I've always convinced myself to never regret, but Presley, you've made it impossible for me to deceive myself.

You, as you are now, have negated the nearly sixty years I've spent with you."

Alyssa paused, her usually kind or indifferent face now filled with bitter sadness. She was subtly shaking, slowly closing her eyes. Her face, marked by the years, was clearly reddened around her eyes.

Presley's cold eyes flickered at the sight of her, his lips moved, but he said nothing.

“Presley, some people don't even have sixty years."

Alyssa slowly opened her eyes, the red veins in her eyes prominent. "I've spent my entire life tied to you, and what have you given me in the end? You've ruined my life. I don't want to be with you anymore, so in the remaining years of my life, I must sever this mistaken life with you. Let's end it here, Presley, and please, for once, let go and leave me alone"

Presley watched her silently, and after a long moment, he slowly stood up. His movements were shaky and unsteady. "I disagree."

Alyssa looked up at him standing, her gaze cold and sharp.

"Is that it? You're still selfishly unwilling to let me go? Afraid of losing your dignity? But whether or not we divorce, you've already lost your dignity."

Presley shook his head, "No. no, you don't understand.” He slowly turned and staggered towards the door, his movements filled with panic.

“Sir.” Hannah, standing by, didn't know what to do as there was no resolution to the day's events. She watched Presley, only managing to call out to him softly.

Presley, however, didn't stop.

Hannah stood between the living room and the door, indecisive and helpless.

Alyssa sat quietly on the couch, her expression once again calm and indifferent. She looked as if she was drained of energy, sitting there, with fatigue written all over her.

“Madam.” Hannah hesitated, then spoke, "I believe Mr. Presley still cares about you. Even now, he hasn't agreed to part with you."

Alyssa stood up, her voice cold, "Who knows what he's really thinking? Perhaps he feels embarrassed that there won't be anyone to be buried with him a hundred years from now. Anyway, he's now a loser in life, so he wants to at least die with a bit of dignity. Besides these reasons, I really can't understand what he's aiming for"

Presley, who was already at the door, stiffened at these words. Apart from these, she really couldn't understand why he was still holding on? In her heart, was he really that worthless?

In the end, he returned to the Harper family residence. Regardless of what she thought his reasons were, he would never agree to this divorce, even if it killed him.

Damon and Royce seemed unaffected by the day's events, showing no extra emotion.

That night, Chloe couldn't help but ask him, "You saw the news, right? Don't you have anything to say?"

Damon, after his evening routine, wrapped her in the blanket, “What is there to say? It's their business. What can I do about it?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow, “Just going to leave it alone?"

Damon looked at her flatly, “You have the energy to worry about others?"

Chloe pursed her lips, "It's not just anyone."

“These things are out of our hands. The conflict between them has been building for decades, longer than we've been alive. We don't know what's going on between them, so let's not interfere blindly. You don't understand right from wrong as well as they do, okay?"

Chloe turned to look at him, her eyes filled with admiration. "You're so smart, you make so much sense."

Damon raised an eyebrow, "Only realizing this now?"

Robin reported to his father daily regarding the company's affairs. However, his father, usually so invested in the Harper family business, seemed uninterested. He would sit in silence, deep in thought.

"Father, the company’s situation is far from ideal."

"You're in charge now. How the company operates is up to you. You don't need to report everything to me. What, if I'm not around one day, are you going to bury the company with me?"

Robin's routine report to his father was met with a surprising response.

Presley, who had always prioritized the Harper Group, seemed ready to let go. The sudden change in his father was startling. His mother's actions had truly shaken him to the core.

Presley's avoidance did not resolve the situation. A court summons a week later forced him to confront the issue he had been avoiding for so long.

In the end, he went to see Alyssa himself.

They sat in the same spots as they had a few days ago.

In just a few days, Presley seemed to have aged significantly. His face was haggard, his body noticeably thinner.

His cheekbones were more pronounced, a stark contrast to his previous appearance.

Alyssa glanced at him, tightened her lips, picked up her glass of water, took a sip, and looked away.

Time seemed to stretch on in the living room, with Alyssa showing no intention of speaking first.

Presley observed the elderly woman in front of him, his voice steady and calm. "You said there's no room for negotiation. But what if I insist on negotiating? Alyssa, from the moment I married you, I never considered divorce."

Alyssa scoffed, her eyes cold. "So that's why you've been so arrogant all these years, thinking I would never leave you, that I would be stuck with you for life? What do you want to negotiate? Everyone's laughing at our predicament. Whether we divorce or not, it's humiliating. You can't salvage your reputation. Instead of having me by your side, reminding you of this disgrace, it's better to let me go and spare yourself the disgust of seeing me."

Presley tightened his lips, “Why do you insist on provoking me with your words? I'm well aware of our current situation, just as you are. You act as though I'm enjoying this. Despite the embarrassment, I choose not to divorce. Moreover, this isn't something you can decide alone"

“Alone? You're talking about making decisions together? Ask yourself, do you have any right to say that?

Presley, your attitude, and every word you utter, is a slap in your own face. Doesn't it hurt?"

"I don't have the right. But what can I say that would convince you? So much has happened recently, I know how I'm perceived. Your attitude suggests that you think I'm enjoying this situation. You make it seem as though I'm reveling in this disgrace. Alyssa, you cannot deny that every single action I took was with good intentions, for the sake of the Harper family and Damon. Why can't any of you understand?"

Alyssa slowly lifted her eyes to look at him, a laugh of helplessness and sarcasm escaping her lips.

“Understand? Can you say that there wasn't a single trace of your stubborn pride leading to this outcome?"

Presley's lips twitched, but no words came out for a moment.

"How many years have you lived? Not enough? So much so that you insist your progeny must live in accordance with your plans?" Alyssa rose to her feet, her voice icy. "I don't want to hear your so-called reasons and difficulties. I don't want to understand, and I don't get it. You have too many reasons, and we can't reach the heights and perspectives you do. It's me who can't match up to you. So, don't compromise and try to be with someone as ignorant and selfish as me. Even if you keeping talking today, it won't change my decision. Now, get out."