Later on, he figured that since he only had one son at home, it would be fine if Fallon had the baby. He could just pay her off with a lump sum and raise the boy somewhere else.
The James family was not short of money. They could certainly afford to raise another child.
But who would have known that Octavia would get pregnant right around the same time.
Latham naturally valued a legitimate child born within wedlock much more.
He completely lost interest in Fallon's child after that.
Ultimately, it was his own infidelity that had set off this entire chain of events.
However, Latham could never bring himself to admit it was his fault.
He only harbored hatred for Fallon's scheming and Octavia's betrayal.
"How was I supposed to know it was just an accident? You said nothing. You hid everything from me, and she kept harassing me endlessly," Octavia cried.
"I was absolutely devastated back then. I really thought our family of three was perfectly happy, and I was even planning to have another baby with you."
"You were the one who betrayed my trust first."
"Fallon was incredibly manipulative. She did everything she could to make sure I knew you were together, that you cared about her, and that you didn't care about this family anymore."
"I even thought you might divorce me for the sake of the baby in her belly."
Octavia refused to admit she had actively sought an affair, brushing it all off as a drunken mistake.
Latham didn't have the energy to investigate the matter right now, nor did he have the time to file for a divorce.
He still needed Octavia's help to navigate their social circles, and more importantly, he needed to keep their family stable during this crisis.
Otherwise, the company would collapse even faster.
"The truth better be exactly as you say. Otherwise..." Latham glared at Octavia viciously.
At that moment, a knock sounded on the study door.
"Who is it?" Latham asked in annoyance.
"Dad, it's me. Are you in there?"
Their son was back. Latham turned to look at Octavia, assuming she had called in reinforcements.
Octavia shook her head, indicating she hadn't done anything.
However, she guessed it was Cindy's doing. Her daughter had finally done something useful at a critical moment.
If her daughter had just watched her and tatham go upstairs and stayed out of it Octavia would have been deeply disappointed.
Still, Octavia didn't want Latham to take his anger out on their son. Dragging Lance
into this right now wasn't exactly wise.
"Come in," Latham snapped.
Octavia hurried over and opened the door for Lance.
As soon as Lance saw Octavia, he examined her closely. Seeing the visible swelling on her cheek, he frowned deeply.
Fortunately, he didn't see any other injuries. Locked in the study, they had probably just argued rather than brawled.
"Mom, are you okay?"
Lance's first words were filled with concern for Octavia Knowing her
en cared so much for her
gave
Octavia a boost of confidence.
Latham, however, was absolutely furious at the sight.
"What is that supposed to mean? What do you think I did to your mother?" Latham
glared at his son in profound displeasure.
Lance retorted hotly, "You slapped her, didn't you?"
"Then why don't you ask me why I hit her?" Latham's anger surged at his son's rebellious attitude.
Lance let out a cold laugh. "Only you know the reason."
"The company is a complete mess
right now. You shouldn't be
obsessing overtrivial fany
matters. Even if Mom didn't handle your errands perfectly, you have no right to take your anger out on her!"
Hearing this, Latham was suddenly unsure if his son actually knew about Octavia's affair.
Lance was the one who had brought Cindy back. Did he really not know that Cindy was only his half-sister?
Latham grew highly suspicious. Octavia was equally unsure of how much her son really knew.
But the fact that he hadn't admitted to knowing anything was a good sign.