: 95 E55 vouchers Allen raised an eyebrow , nudging his glasses up with a grin . " Thought you'd be thanking me first . " Matilda's cheeks went pink , and she bit her lip . " Yeah , I owe you big time ." Allen was supposed to be chilling today , but her plea had dragged him to the hospital to take charge of a surgery . " You're not thinking of dropping some pricey gift on me , are you ? " His voice was low , teasing , with a playful edge . " Docs can't take bribes , you know . Don't get me in hot water ." " Nah , " Matilda said , her lips twitching into a half - smile , brushing it off. Truth was , she'd been planning to slip him some cash . Fancy gifts were all flash , no heart - she figured straight - up money would speak louder . Allen caught the fleeting smile that crossed her face . Her eyes were like peach blossoms in full bloom , corners tilting up just right . The bruise on her cheek was gone , her skin glowing soft and cool , like moonlight on fresh snow . Matilda pressed on . " Seriously , Dr. Saunders , I owe you . Need anything , just give me a shout ." " Can I follow you on Twitter ? " Allen asked with a grin . " Totally ! " she shot back . Matilda shared her username . She glanced at Allen's Twitter handle - just " 1107 " ' What's that about ? ' she wondered . Once they'd connected , it hit Matilda that Allen still hadn't answered her question . She was about to nudge him when she saw Mike heading their way . Matilda tossed Mike a quick nod as a hello . As she walked off , Allen stared at her profile on his phone for a solid minute before saving her contact with one word : Her . ***** Before heading back to Rose Villa , Matilda swung by the R & D center . Buying the legit software was a mixed bag . The win ? They paid up and could use it . The catch ? They were stuck with the old version , good only until the license expired . 9:14 Mon , Oct 13 Chapter 7 No upgrades , no tech support - zilch . : It got her thinking about switching to homegrown software again . She'd pitched it to Brandon more than once . ( 95 ) 55 vouchers But Brandon wasn't having it - said the local stuff was half - baked and would just burn through their budget . Better to let foreign companies hold them hostage than even try . Matilda rejigged her workload , scrapping the X3 design and focusing on tweaking the X2 + instead . By the time she rolled into Rose Villa , it was nine at night . The nanny , Tully , was trying to sweet - talk Lola into hitting the hay . Lola wasn't budging . " I'm waiting for Dad and Aunt Shelby to get home . " Tully's face lit up when she saw Matilda . " Hey , sweetheart , your mom's back ! How about she tucks you in tonight ? " Lola's face soured like she'd bitten a lemon . " Mom's divorcing Dad . She won't be my mom for long . " Matilda hadn't seen her daughter in a week , and yeah , she'd missed her a bit . Now ? Her heart felt like ice . She didn't bother with Lola , kicked off her shoes , and made a beeline for the study . Tully gave Lola a sad look . " Honey , your mom nearly died bringing you into this world . She fought for a whole month in that Domburgh hospital to keep you safe . " Lola fiddled with the red wig on her head , checking herself in the mirror , totally unfazed . " That was the earthquake's fault , not mine . What , like if she didn't have me , Domburgh wouldn't have shaken ? " Tully was dumbfounded , at a total loss . ' No doubt Shelby's behind this , ' she thought to herself . ' A couple years sipping fancy foreign coffee , and she comes back spouting all this highfalutin ' nonsense . " Turning a mom's love and sacrifice into some kind of self - inflicted mess ? That's just plain wrong ! " Soon after , Brandon and Shelby strolled in . Shelby , ever the doting type , went to run a bath for Brandon . Brandon spotted Matilda's shoes by the door and asked Tully , " Where's Matilda ? " " In the study , " Tully replied . Brandon wasn't planning to deal with her , but the sharp clatter of her keyboard pulled his polished loafers toward the study like a magnet . 9:14 Mon , Oct 13 Chapter 7 : No two ways about it - Matilda was a knockout . : 95 55 vouchers Not the kind of beauty from designer clothes or perfect makeup , but something in her vibe . A fiery glow like a summer afternoon , mixed with the soft shine of a new moon . She had this light , this warmth , that seemed to come straight from her soul . Every time he took her to a fancy shindig , no one - except maybe Tessa - dared stand next to her . Nobody wanted to be outshone . Matilda glanced up , saw Brandon in the doorway , and handed him a neatly bound file . " Perfect timing . Take a look at this . " Brandon's eyes zeroed in on her bare ring finger , his jaw clenching tight . " Where's your wedding ring ? " " Thrown out . You should ditch yours too . We're done anyway . " Her tone was flat , like she was talking about what to grab for takeout . Brandon's gaze dropped to the words Divorce Agreement on the paper , and he ripped it to shreds right there . " You want a divorce ? Who the hell do you think you are to pull that card? " he shouted . Matilda didn't blink , locking eyes with him . " Dr. Saunders is operating on your mom . " " I never signed off on that ! " " Cool . We'll let the lawyers sort it out . Want the summons sent to Crossen Building ' front desk ? " Brandon's temper flared like a match . " You wouldn't dare ! I've been too damn good to you , Matilda - spoiling you rotten , putting you first for six years straight . When have you ever gone without ? " Every time you got mad , I was the one eating humble pie , begging to make things right . You've always been on your high horse . I kicked Shelby out just to keep the peace , and that poor girl came back scared out of her wits after getting pushed around out there . " Then you go and slap her twice ! She was sweet enough to cover for you with Mom , even begged her to go easy . Mom just wanted to set you straight , and now she's fighting for her life in the ICU . And you've got the nerve to talk divorce ? You think you deserve that ? " Matilda stared at his face , stunned . She'd seen that face wear soft , lingering looks ; big , goofy grins ; cool detachment . But this ? The clenched jaw , the raw fury ? First time for everything . A bitter ache churned in her chest , clawing up to her throat . " Don't twist things around , Brandon ," she said . " We both know the real story . Every time you came crawling back all grumpy , wasn't I the one making the first move ? " Cutting up fruit and bringing it to you , rubbing your shoulders , ironing your shirts ... Your whole ' eating 9:14 Mon , Oct 13 Chapter 7 : 95 55 vouchers humble pie ' act ? Just you going with the flow . Yeah , I've got some spark , but I don't walk over people . " I hit Shelby because she had it coming . Your mom ? Even if she paid the ultimate price , that's on her . And you , Brandon - you're no different . You both got what's coming ." At the study door stood Shelby in her sleek beige silk dress . Her half - smile carried a quick , sly flicker , barely there . ' Go on , you two - keep fighting . The bigger the blowout , the better tomorrow's drama ! ' 宙