Torn Between Love and Hate

Chapter 228

Chapter 228 Divorce Lawsuit

Deborah couldn’t get any work done the entire morning, as her colleagues kept surrounding her and

bombarding her with a bunch of gossip questions.

From the time she first met Joseph, to the name of their future grandson.

The design director joined in the excitement, standing nearby and attentively listening to every word.

During this time, Bill, who always demanded strict standards at Jingron Design, came over and took a

glance.

As a group of employees awaited their reprimand, he said with a smile, “Feel free to ask any questions,

but don’t overwhelm Ms. Shepherd. Mr. Black will be coming to pick someone up at noon.”

Bill joined in the joke as well, while Deborah felt so embarrassed that she wished she could find a cra

ck in the ground

to crawl into.

After a seemingly endless morning, Joseph called her, saying he was parked outside her office

building, and asked if she wanted him to come up and meet her.

Deborah finally grabbed her bag, feeling dizzy and disoriented as she entered the elevator to go

downstairs.

After being teased by her colleagues all morning, she felt even more exhausted than if she had spent

the entire morning working on design drafts.

As soon as Joseph stepped out of the company’s main entrance, he walked over.

Seeing the exhaustion on her face, he couldn’t help but feel concerned. “It’s the first day back at work

after the New

Year. Don’t push yourself too hard. You can take your time with the design drafts. Look, your eyes are

all red from staying up late.”

Deborah felt embarrassed to tell him that she hadn’t drafted anything at all in the morning.

She laughed unabashedly and said, “Youth is all about working hard, isn’t it?”

Joseph knew she was very dedicated to her work and said seriously, “You don’t have to work so hard,

don’t tire

yourself out too much.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Mona’s voice rang out from behind him, “Deborah, you forgot

your keys!”

Deborah turned around and saw Mona, arm in arm with Simone, quickly walking toward her.

As she approached, Mona spoke earnestly, “Hello, Mr. Black. Deborah left her keys behind, so I

brought them over for her.”

Simone’s face showed a hint of embarrassment, clearly resisting Mona’s insistence on bringing her

along.

What do you mean by giving keys? You just wanted to see Joseph and Deborah being affectionate, so

you found an

excuse to come over.

She didn’t dare to come alone, so she insisted on bringing Simone along for moral support.

Deborah was now within reach, and Simone could no longer break free from Mona’s grasp to leave

directly.

She could only brace herself and greet him politely, “Hello, Mr. Black.”

Previously only known through rumors, Joseph now stood right in front of Simone, almost taking her Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

breath away

with shock.

Her fingers were digging into her flesh, and after exchanging greetings, she didn’t dare to make a

sound.

Deborah looked at the key that Mona handed over and reached out to take it.

“Thank you, but this key is for my house. I’ll just have lunch and then head back to the office, so I don’t

need to bring it now.”

Mona’s face lit up with understanding, “Oh, I see. I saw you carrying a bag and leaving, so I thought

you weren’t going to work this afternoon and were just heading home.”

She said, smiling as she looked at Deborah.

Simone tugged at her sleeve and said, “Since the keys have been delivered, let’s head back to the

company first.”

Deborah politely suggested, “How about we all go out for dinner together? There’s a place right across

from the office, and it’s not far.”

Simone didn’t dare to; every time she saw Joseph, she was extremely nervous.

If she were to have dinner with Joseph, she was a bit worried that she might be too nervous to

breathe.

Mona seemed unaffected by Simone pulling her, hesitatingly she said, “Maybe not, it wouldn’t be very

convenient if we go together, would it?”

Joseph knew that Simone and Mona were both colleagues and friends of Deborahı.

He had always been polite to the people in Deborah’s circle. Opening the rear car door, he said, “No

need to be so formal, let’s go eat together. Once we leave the company, we’re all just ordinary friends.”

Deborah gave Mona a gentle rug. “Let’s get in the car. We have to work this afternoon, so let’s eat and

head back

early.”

Mona got into the car with a grin. “Well, then we won’t be polite.”

Simone was a bit nervous. “Maybe we shouldn’t, it seems like we’d be bothering Deborah and the

others.”

Deborah pushed her into the car. “Alright, let’s go. Mr. Black doesn’t bite.”

Almost everyone in the company was afraid of Joseph. Usually at work, Simone and Mona would invite

Deborah to join

them for lunch.

Deborah sat in the back seat, accompanying the others. With outsiders present, Joseph spoke less and

focused on driving.

He remained silent, lowering his presence, and Mona grew bolder, chattering away with Deborah

behind him.

Simone gradually relaxed and joined in.

However, they didn’t talk about Deborah and Joseph’s situation, as Joseph was sitting in the front.

Mona didn’t have the courage to gossip directly.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Joseph had already reserved a table for four by the window.

In a separate private room, with many people around, Simone and Mona could feel more at ease.

Joseph could tell that they were afraid of him.

The waiter brought the menu, and Joseph let Simone and Mona order first. Then he ordered a few of

Deborah’s favorite dishes and a soup.

Deborah had always had a poor appetite. When she ordered food herself, she usually did it half-

heartedly and couldn’t

eat much.

After the dishes were served, Deborah chatted with Simone Mona, while Joseph barely joined in the

conversation.

He actually wanted to join in the conversation, but as soon as he opened his mouth, even if he only

said one sentence,

Simone would immediately tall silent.

For at least the next three minutes, she wouldn’t say a word, as if she was afraid that Joseph would

deduct her salary

on the spot.

Joseph felt helpless and eventually decided to simply stop talking.

As they chatted, he habitually served Deborah food, ladled soup, added pasta, and peeled shrimp for

her.

Later on, Deborah felt a bit embarrassed and reminded him, “I’m full, no need for more.”

Immediately, as if by reflex, Joseph poured her a cup of hot coffee and handed it over.

Mona watched in amazement, wishing she could capture the entire scene with a video camera..

What’s going on? Is this really the rumored Joseph who is as cold as ice and unwelcoming to

strangers?

This is even more adorable than the cute dog she has at home!

Mona seemed a bit lost in thought, and Joseph noticed her gaze. Holding the coffee pot, he looked at

her..

“Would Ms. Rhett and Ms. Winster like to have coffee?”

Mona suddenly snapped back to reality, shaking her head vigorously like a rattle drum.

“Thank you, thank you, but we won’t be drinking.”

Joseph looked at Simone, who immediately shook her head nervously. “I won’t drink, thank you, Mr.

Black”

The atmosphere became awkward once again, leaving Joseph feeling somewhat helpless.

He actually really preferred spending time alone with Deborah, feeling completely at ease and

comfortable.

During the meal, occasionally teasing her with a few jokes made her appetite much better.

However, since they were Deborah’s friends, he would show respect and even deliberately maintain a

smile on his face throughout the entire interaction.

Just to prove that he really wasn’t fierce and would never deduct employees’ wages at the dinner

table.

Mona looked at him laughing, as if she had discovered a new world, and sneakily glanced at him a few

times.

After the dinner party, Joseph drove them back to the office before leaving.

Mona couldn’t hide her excitement as she said, “This is the first time I’ve seen Mr. Black actually smile!

Simone, did you see that? He’s been constantly serving Deborah coffee, pouring water, and helping

her with the dishes. Oh, I’m so envious! Deborah, how did you manage to do that? You’re my idol!”

Deborah sighed helplessly, “He’s just an ordinary person, not some three-headed, six-armed monster.

It’s really not that exaggerated.”

Simone sighed and said, “Deborah, you really don’t know how fortunate you are.”

Deborah laughed and said, “I can’t deny that he’s really great.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than a security guard approached from outside, saying, “Ms.

Simone Winster, there’s a gentleman outside looking for you. He claims to be your husband.”

Simone’s face turned pale, showing a hint of uneasiness.

Get Bayer

“You must be mistaken.” She quickly composed herself and said, “My husband is not in Oceanview

City.”

Moreover, they had been living apart for a long time, with no communication between them, and were

already in the process of getting a divorce.

The security guard spoke with certainty, “The person on the other end did say they were your husband,

and they were looking for Ms. Simone Winster from the design department.”

After some thought, Simone decided to follow the security guard outside.

Deborah was about to head straight for the elevator to go upstairs when Mona stopped her. “Why don’t

we go over and take a look? I heard that Simone’s husband is not a good man. He used to abuse her,

and now they’re arguing about having children and getting a divorce.”

Upon hearing this, Deborah became worried and nodded, heading out with Mona.

As soon as she stepped out of the company’s main entrance, Simone saw a burly man with a fierce

expression, who suddenly slapped her across the face.

“You shameless bit ch, no wonder you’re making a fuss about getting a divorce! So you’ve h ooked up

with a rich huh? Tell me, who was that man you went to the restaurant with just now?”

guy,