Chapter 12
2086words
"You were the one who spread that news online, weren't you?" I asked, my voice icy.
"Yes, it was me," Zane answered unapologetically. "Desmond dared to touch my woman. What's wrong with making him lose a bit of money?"
He then continued in a cold voice, "Cassidy, if you're calling to speak on his behalf, you should know that you're only making things worse. After all, everything I'm doing is for you."
"For me?" I almost laughed at the absurdity. "Zane, you say you love me, that you want to be with me again, yet here you are, accusing me of plagiarism online. The confidence and career I worked so hard to rebuild—destroyed just like that because of your lie."
"What? Accusing you?" Zane was momentarily dumbfounded. He then quickly asked, "You're saying that viral design was yours? There's just no way. That design has a distinct style and flawless technique. It's not something you're capable of."
That was the moment I finally understood how insignificant I really was to Zane.
I was done explaining, so I merely said icily, "I didn't call you to ask you to clear things up, Zane. I called to warn you. If I don't see a public clarification online before tomorrow's banquet, I'll release this voice recording."
After saying that, I hung up immediately.
Half an hour later, a large number of users suddenly appeared online defending me, and public opinion changed almost instantly.
Not long after, Zane called, but I didn't pick up. I simply blocked him.
Watching me do all of this in one smooth motion, Desmond laughed. "If you're this ruthless, he might get angry and come up with more schemes against Vertex Group."
I faltered, murmuring, "I'm sorry, but—"
"Just kidding. Relax," Desmond interrupted. "Zane isn't the impulsive type, and he certainly wouldn't risk company interests for personal feelings.
"That accusation could indeed hurt Vertex Group, but compared to that, what surprises me more is that he actually backed off just because of your warning. After all, coordinating multiple news outlets and shaping online public opinion costs a great deal of money."
I stayed silent. That evening, Kayla called. She said Zane had gone to see her again, and he looked utterly dejected.
"Cassidy, what exactly did you do to him? That high-and-mighty Zane Bender actually choked up in front of me, saying he knew nothing about you. He kept asking about you. If you ask me, he's totally at your mercy now."
I listened quietly, then let out a soft sigh. "So what? It's already over between us."
I never imagined we'd see each other again, and of all places, it was at the banquet held in my honor.
It had only been a few days since I last saw him, yet he'd gotten noticeably thinner, and his eyes were heavy with fatigue.
I held onto Desmond's arm, glanced at Zane indifferently, then looked away, walking toward a couple.
"Cassidy."
The guests stared in surprise when Zane called out to me. "There's something I want to say."
"But I don't have anything to say to you."
Everyone held their breath right then. Though everyone present were elites, hardly anyone dared speak to Zane this way. They looked at me with sympathy, as if already anticipating his anger.
But to everyone's shock, Zane lowered his head like a guilty child, saying, "I'm sorry."
I ignored him and moved toward the crowd.
This was my first time being the center of attention at a banquet. Zane had never brought me to such events before. Whenever I complained about it, he would soothe me, saying it was to protect me.
Just as he put it, I was merely a tool. Outside the bedroom, I was dull and unremarkable. I had no status, no social standing, and wasn't even considered to have talent or professional ability.
In truth, that design actually carried a lot of Cosmo Group's influence, but he didn't notice. And even if he did, he simply didn't think I was capable of producing such a work.
But now…
Standing a short distance away, Zane watched me in my elegant dress, my every movement graceful, with no sign that I'd grown up in the countryside.
Even while I was conversing with influential businesspeople, there was no fear in my eyes.
He stared at me for a long time, dazed. It was then that the spotlight that had been on him finally shone on me.
A few gentlemen couldn't help approaching me with their business cards and introducing themselves.
Zane's eyes blazed with fury, but before he could even get up, Desmond was already in front of me. He accepted the cards on my behalf before turning to the men and saying, "Sorry. She's taken."
All eyes immediately turned toward us. After all, Desmond's reputation for being indifferent to women was deeply ingrained in everyone's mind.
Zane could no longer stay seated when he heard that. Ignoring the crowd, he grabbed my hand. "Cassidy, explain this to me. What exactly is going on?"
His voice trembled violently. I could tell that he was truly afraid this time.
He'd been competing with Desmond for years, so he knew well that acknowledging my identity in a public setting like this meant the relationship was real.
I forcefully yanked my hand free. "Mr. Bender, I believe I've made myself very clear to you multiple times. I don't like you. I won't pursue the plagiarism accusation you spread earlier, but if you continue to harass me and get in between Mr. Archer and me, I won't let it go so easily."
The guests' eyes widened in shock when they heard that. Though the plagiarism storm had passed, no one knew Zane was behind it.
Zane ignored the looks from everyone as his gaze remained fixed on me. But just as he was about to speak, the door was kicked open, and a disheveled woman rushed in.
"I… I finally found you."
Lily didn't look at Zane. She was completely focused on me. "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"
Screaming hysterically, she charged at me with a knife.
Desmond immediately pushed me aside, but he was slightly too late. Lily managed to slash my arm.
Zane completely snapped. With one kick, he sent Lily ten feet back. He then seized her by the collar. "Haven't you learned your lesson? How dare you show up here?"
Dragging her in front of me by her collar, he roared, "Apologize! For what you just did, and for everything before. Apologize right now!"
"Why should I?" Lily spat. "If you hadn't enabled me, how could she have gone out so easily to buy coffee? How would her child have died?
"You never acknowledge your own mistakes. Instead, you vent all your misery on me! Ever since you came back from Brudivia, you imprisoned me in a dungeon and tortured me with every brutal method imaginable!"
Lily broke down, sobbing hysterically. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing horrifying scars. "If you hate me, you could've sent me to prison. Why torture me like this? You wouldn't even spare my child!"
Silence fell over the entire hall. I was stunned.
Zane instinctively looked at me, hurriedly explaining, "It's not like that. She's just lost her mind and is speaking nonsense."
"You're the one who has lost your mind!" Lily screamed. "Because of your recklessness that night, I became pregnant. I thought I could use the baby to make you spare me, but you didn't care about the baby at all! I should've known."
Laughing vacantly, she wiped her tears. "Even though you were holding me that night, you were calling out her name. I should've known then that you had real feelings for her!
"Everything you let me get away with afterward was just your way of getting back at her for ignoring you! But why should all the consequences of your inner struggle fall on me?"
Lily lost it entirely. Holding the knife, she plunged it straight into her own heart.
Blood splattered across my face, and the scene descended into chaos.
Zane stood frozen, watching as Desmond pulled me tightly into his arms and calmed me down.
Soon, police and reporters flooded the scene. Zane had to rush back to Acmoria immediately to deal with the impending PR crisis.
The next morning, both Cosmo Group and Vertex Group topped trending searches.
As I was the only connection between the two companies, my information was quickly dug up. My family, my address, and those gruesome photos of the car accident circulated everywhere online.
I had no idea how Zane felt when he saw them, but all I knew was that when I saw him at the press conference, his eyes were bloodshot and completely lifeless.
For a long time after that, I didn't see Zane again.
Cosmo Group was badly hit by this scandal, so he had to stabilize the company. Just when the public outcry was fading, Vertex Group launched a round of business maneuvers.
Desmond wasn't someone who allowed himself to be bullied. He was bound to strike back because of the plagiarism incident. But this time, they were no longer evenly matched.
Zane seemed to have lost all momentum. Cosmo Group not only lost its edge in the financial sector to Vertex Group, but other sectors were gradually being overtaken by other companies as well.
He was practically besieged by continuous setbacks around the clock. When he finally had a moment to breathe, he called me from a new number.
In the silence of the night, he called my name weakly, only to hear me laugh on the other end. "Zane, if you're that free, why don't you bring me some protection? Desmond and I just ran out."
The line went quiet instantly.
I then continued cheerfully, "Oh, and make sure they're ultra-thin. I can reimburse your plane ticket too."
The call abruptly ended right then. Smiling triumphantly, I looked up and saw Desmond holding an entire strip of condoms.
He smiled at me. "Looks like we'll have to go all out today to finish this. Otherwise, your lie will get exposed."
Instantly, I was filled with regret, but it was already too late.
The next day at work, my back ached, and every time I looked up, I caught my coworkers smiling knowingly.
Since everyone at Vertex Group recognized my abilities, and Desmond never demanded that they give me special treatment just because of our relationship, they were all nice to me.
I ended up gaining a lot of genuine friendships there. After all, no one liked being threatened.
Eventually, Kayla also joined Vertex Group, and she worked her way up the company thanks to her skills.
With a loving boyfriend on one side and a close friend on the other, my life was full of joy and excitement.
The only trouble was that they were always jealous of each other, each accusing the other of monopolizing my time.
After accompanying Kayla on a three-day shopping spree, Desmond finally lost his temper.
To make it up to him, I went to the mall to buy him a gift, but unexpectedly, I ran into Zane.
At first glance, I almost didn't recognize him. After not seeing him for months, he looked even more haggard, his eyes sunken.
Seeing me frown slightly, Zane pulled a ceramic mug from his pocket. "Cassidy, when we made this mug, you said after we got married, we'd make a smaller one for our child. Do you still remember?"
"I remember."
"Then would you give me one more shot? I can wait for you to break up with him."
As he said those words, his voice started to falter with emotion.
I gazed at him silently, then slowly walked up to him and took the mug from his hands. Under his incredulous stare, I smashed it into bits.
"There. Now that the mug is broken and the baby is gone, it's time you stopped fooling yourself."
With that, I walked forward, stepping on shards in the process.
Though I didn't see Zane's expression, I heard a passerby say, "You should stop picking that up. Your hand is bleeding."
Snowflakes began to drift down from the sky. I checked the date. Christmas was approaching.
Carrying my shopping bags, I walked forward, ready to welcome the new year.
