Chapter 3
A Shocking Revelation
My heart thundered wildly in my chest, beating so fast I was afraid it might burst.
Fortunately, I found patches of dirt on the shoes.
Ivan had always known I was a clean freak, and he always made sure that he looked presentable around me.
I quickly pieced together who it was and forced myself to stay calm.
I folded the papers and rose to meet the newcomer. "What's the rush?"
It was Dylan Gardner, who worked almost like an assistant to both Ivan and me.
"Reese, what are you doing in the office?" he asked.
His gaze fell on the papers in my hand. "What were you doing just now?"
I pulled out the drawer, put everything back, and explained, "I dropped the documents and had to pick them up."
It immediately convinced him.
After all, Ivan and I were engaged. It was nothing new that I appeared in Ivan's office.
Dylan had only come to deliver some documents. Since Ivan was not around, he did not stay long.
We left the office together, but I could not get my disturbing discovery out of my mind.
'Who the hell are you, Ivan Campbell?'
At that moment, my vision blurred abruptly. Then, a wall of thick comments flooded my vision.
'So, she's the next victim, huh?'
'The last three thought they could change Ivan and insist on marrying him, although they found his secret, and look where it got them. This one is even dumber, completely blinded by love. I bet she thinks he can still be redeemed. Little does she know, he doesn't love her at all.'
'Who does she think she is? Nobody asked her to save Ivan. He’s way out of her league. She’s nothing but a cheap whore.'
'We need more villainous male leads! I wonder how this woman would die this time. I can't wait to see it! Now Ivan is what I call a true villain. God, it’s so satisfying to see those idiots die in disbelief.'
'Great news, friends! The female lead, Cynthia, will appear soon! She's the only one who can free Ivan from his dark thoughts!'
The information I managed to gather from the comments left me stunned.
'What the hell? What is all this about? Villain, victims, dying… None of it makes sense!'
Before I could figure out what was happening, a woman suddenly rushed out from behind the partition. She dropped to her knees and grabbed my thigh, crying, "Reese, you already have everything! Please, give my man back to me! Being a homewrecker won't end well for you."
She finally raised her head.
I was shocked to realize it was Cynthia Adams. She was Dylan's girlfriend and a new employee of the company through his connections.
The random accusations took me aback. After the initial surprise, a sneer escaped me, and I yelled at her. "What's wrong with you, Cynthia? I only ran into Dylan in the office. How dare you accuse me of stealing your boyfriend and branding me as a homewrecker? Are you insane?"
An embarrassed Dylan tried to smooth things over. "Get up, Cynthia! Reese will never do that! Everyone's watching now, so let's not feed them rumors, okay? I'll explain to you later."
He had always been patient with her.
Therefore, even though she put him on the spot, he still comforted her, but none of us expected her next words to stun us both.
Chapter 4
He's a Criminal
Cynthia chewed her lip and corrected us shyly. "I wasn't talking about Dylan. It's about Ivan.
Then, she stood and announced it with the confidence of a legal wife who had been hidden from the public. "You guessed right. I'm Ivan's ex-wife. We were happy together before Reese showed up and ruined everything!"
Dylan was bewildered. "What are you talking about, Cynthia? Aren't we dating?"
She only shook her head firmly. "You were just my last resort. I only used you so I could get close to Ivan again. He's the only man I've ever loved."
Dylan almost choked when she admitted that he used him.
Still, she ignored him.
She grabbed my forearm with unwavering determination and begged, "Reese, please give him back. He and I are soulmates. I'm the woman who truly understands him and knows his secrets. He needs me to pull him out of the abyss. Only I can give him what he truly wants!"
"Cynthia is right! After all, Ivan spared her. It shows how important she is to him! Can Reese get out of their way already?"
"Homewreckers are disgusting, and Reese is no different. So what if Ivan and Cynthia weren't officially married? They made a verbal promise. Doesn't that prove Cynthia holds a special place in his heart? After all, anyone who actually marries him ends up dead."
"Be careful, Reese. If you cherish your life, you better scram. Don't get in the way of Cynthia saving Ivan. If Ivan is upset, he'll definitely kill the eyesore first. Only Cynthia had a kind heart and tolerance for him."
My heartbeat quickened.
No way.
Ivan was a serial killer.
He was not some misunderstood villain. He was a criminal.
And something had to be seriously wrong with Cynthia's head.
If she knew his secret, shouldn't she have called the police? What was this nonsense about "saving" him? Had a high fever fried her brain when she was young?
Besides, the comments had already revealed that they were never married. Yet she still accused me of stealing her husband while deliberately leaving out the most important details.
She was not kind. She was manipulative.
The crowd ganged up on me.
"Can you believe it? Reese stole her subordinate's husband! What a shameless woman!"
"I know she's been a vicious woman all along! She probably sells her body to get what she wants. Ivan's face and wealth must have attracted her, and she decided to steal him. Poor Cynthia."
"Come on, Ivan is the real victim here. Not only did he fall for that bitch's lies, but he also proposed to her. He needs to wake up and be with the woman who loves him for his personality.
The ridiculousness of the situation shoved the fury to the back of my mind, and I started to see the real problem here.
Dylan and I were the real victims, but nobody supported us. Instead, everyone rooted for the scumbags.
As unbelievable as those comments were, at least they warned me what to avoid.
The lunatics needed to stay far away from me. All I wanted was a peaceful, non-toxic life.
I yanked my arm out of Cynthia's grasp and wiped the spot she had touched against my clothes. Finally, I nodded. "Fine. I'll give you what you want."
I took the wedding invitation out of my pocket and tore it into pieces before the crowd. Then, I tossed the shredded card into the trash and sneered. "Go ahead. He's all yours now."
A sudden voice rang out among the gasps. "There he is! Ivan is back!"