Chapter 11%
He stepped forward, dressed in a strap wnse
his feet. He walked up to the stage, his expression unreadable, his presence suffocating. He came straight here from Paris just to expose Alessia’s lie.X
I watched as all the color drained from Alessia’s face.
“Mr. Anderson,” a reporter started, “are you saying-”
“She is a fraud,” my father said, his voice cold, emotionless. “I have no connection to this woman.” The room erupted. Reporters shouted over each other. Cameras flashed. Executives whispered. Alessia staggered back, her breathing uneven. “T–That’s not true! I–I am your daughter! You said-”
“I have nothing to say,” my father interrupted coldly. “The last time I recall meeting you was when my company signed you as a product model–nothing more. I do not remember you as my daughter, nor do I have any reason to acknowledge a liar.”
She looked to Lothario. Desperate. Shaken. But he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was locked on me. I met his eyes over the chaos, smiling just enough to let him know. I did this. And I wasn’t done yet.
I swirled the glass of wine in my hand, watching the news unfold like a well–scripted tragedy.
“Breaking news–Alessia De Luca’s claim as Alexander Anderson’s daughter has been completely disproven. shocking statement, Anderson himself declared he has no connection to her, calling her a fraud.”
I smirked, taking a slow sip of my wine.
In a
Lothario was humiliated. His precious engagement had been built on lies, and the whole world knew it. The media was eating them alive. Investors were pulling back. His company’s stock was taking hit after hit.
And me? I was enjoying every second of it.
I could already imagine the scene unfolding between him and Alessia. The rage, the accusations, the desperation.
I leaned back on my couch, flipping through my phone. Sure enough, my sources had already sent me an update. Lothario confronted Alessia at his penthouse.
Oh, I bet that was a sight.
Lothario’s Penthouse
“You LIED to me!” Lothario roared, his voice echoing through the lavish penthouse. He had slammed the engagement ring onto the marble counter, his hands clenched into fists.
Alessia stood across from him, her eyes wild, her carefully–curated mask of elegance crumbling. “I did it for us!” she shrieked. “For YOU! To help your business grow!“”
Lothario’s jaw tightened. “You humiliated me. In front of the entire world. You let me believe-” He cut himself off, exhaling sharply, his hands running through his hair. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?“”
Alessia let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, don’t act like you’re the victim here! You needed Alexander’s influence,
ad you know it
That’s why you never questioned it! You just went along with it because it BENEFITED you!”
His eyes darkened. “I trusted you.”
“Don’t make me laugh, she sneered. “You never trusted me. You were too busy obsessing over HER,“R
Lothario’s expression flickered for a split second.
Alessia’s lips curled into a twisted smile. “That’s right. Pearl. The woman you threw away. You can’t even look at me without seeing her, can you?“%
Lothario took a step back, shaking his head. “This has nothing to do with her-”
“LIARI Alessia screamed, her voice raw. “She ruined everything! You were mine until she came back!‘E
Lothario stared at her, realization sinking in. He had been blind. Alessia had used him. Manipulated him. And the worst -part? He had let her
His hands dropped to his sides, his voice cold. “We’re done.”
Alessia’s breath hitched. “You don’t mean that.”
His gaze didn’t waver “I do”
Something in her snapped. She lunged at him, grabbing his shirt. “You think you can just walk away from me?! After EVERYTHING I did for you?!”
Lothario grabbed her wrists, pushing her off him. “I should’ve walked away a long time ago.“%
sequences of his own choices.
I leaned back against my plush couch, a smirk playing on my lips as I sipped my wine. Watching Lothario’s empire amble, knowing he had no one to save him this time, was more satisfying than I had imagined
He deserved every bit of it.
But as I scrolled through the latest reports of his company’s downfall, memories of the past clawed their way into my nd.
There was a time when I would’ve done anything to protect him.
Flashback–Years Ago
Lothario had been pacing his small office, his fists clenched, his jaw tight. “They pulled out,” he muttered, barely keeping rage in check.
I sat across from him, gripping the file in my hands. “Not all of them.“!!
He shot me a look. “What do you mean?”
I exhaled, placing the file on his desk. “I convinced Mr. Reynolds to stay. He was ready to pull out like the others, but I got m to reconsider.“X
Lothario frowned. “How?”
I leaned forward, my voice steady. “I promised him that your company was worth the risk. I told him I believed in you, and at he should too.”
His expression softened for a second before his pride took over. “You shouldn’t have done that. I can handle my own usiness, Pearl.”
I scoffed. “Clearly, you couldn’t. That’s why I had to step in.“!!
He sighed, rubbing his temples. “I just… I don’t know how to thank you.”
I smiled, resting a hand over his. “You don’t have to. Just make sure you prove me right.”
And he did. His business took off. Investors flocked back. And for a while, I thought we were unstoppable.!!
