I was waiting for my coffee when a young woman suddenly sat down across from me. “You’re the one going on a date with Adrian?” I was a little confused. “A date? Adrian is my husband. We’re married.” She froze, then let out a laugh of pure disbelief. “Husband? Gold diggers really do say the funniest things.” “Don’t bother waiting. He’s not coming.” “I’m his actual girlfriend. I’ve met his family.” “God, are you really that desperate? You know he has a girlfriend and you’re still throwing yourself at him?” When I didn’t answer, her eyes lit up. She raised her phone, opened Instagram Live, and shoved the camera in my face. “Since you’re this desperate, let me put you up online. Maybe someone can find you a sugar daddy.” “Save the rest of us from watching a nobody gold digger chase after other women’s boyfriends.” I raised an eyebrow. The moment I realized Adrian had cheated on me, I actually laughed. I pulled out my phone and, one by one, froze every asset in his name and every authorized user card he had. Then I looked up and smiled softly into the camera. “You think I’m the one chasing him?” “Sit tight. You’re about to watch him crawl over here on his knees, begging me to forgive him.” … The air went still for a second. Chloe Ramsey burst out laughing. “Wow. A homewrecker with an attitude?” “From the look of things, this isn’t your first time going after someone else’s boyfriend, is it?” “A serial homewrecker, huh?” I paused and looked at her. “You’re calling me a homewrecker?” “You have proof?” “What you just said is slander. The kind that gets you sued.” “Slander?” Her expression darkened in an instant. “You’ll do it, but you won’t own it?” She swiped on her phone, zoomed in on a screenshot, and thrust it in my face. “You know exactly what you did. Playing innocent?” “You’re really going to make me put the receipts out. Disgusting.” I glanced down, and my brow tightened. It was, in fact, a message I had sent Adrian the night before. The iMessage screenshot was complete. 【You should be back today, right? I’ll be at the café downstairs at six-thirty.】 Below it was a selfie of me fresh out of the shower, a towel wrapped around my chest, my hair still half-wet. The live comments were scrolling fast. 【She literally sent thirst traps to a taken man】 【The delusion is insane. Get therapy.】 【”Oops wrong number” energy incoming lmaooo】 【Chloe babe you’re way too nice, I would’ve thrown that latte already】 【Homewreckers really have no shame these days】 I stared at that screenshot, feeling nothing but disbelief. Adrian had been away on business for three days. I was his wife. What was wrong with sending him a selfie? And I was here today because he had told me on the phone, in his own voice, that he’d meet me. How had those two things twisted, in Chloe’s mouth, into evidence that I was seducing him? Before I could sort my thoughts out, Chloe pointed at me and shouted. “You see that?” “Sending Adrian nudes in the middle of the night, then setting up a meet-up right outside his office. What do you call that if not seduction?” “If I hadn’t been up last night scrolling through his phone, I wouldn’t have even known a piece of trash like you existed.” Something rang in my head. “You were with him last night?” Chloe smirked. “Where else would I be? I’m his girlfriend.” “Last night was our three-year anniversary.” “Because of that photo of yours, I was furious for a full hour.” “Adrian had to order me a limited edition Hermès in the middle of the night just to get me to forgive him.” At some point, a small crowd had gathered around us. Most of them were employees from Adrian’s company. They recognized Chloe and started whispering to each other. “Everyone at the office knows Ms. Ramsey is Mr. Cole’s girlfriend. How does this woman have the nerve to show up?” “Right? Mr. Cole and Ms. Ramsey took three days off to go away together. Word is he proposed.” “Ms. Ramsey has the patience of a saint. I would’ve thrown her out already.” “Yeah, especially since Mr. Cole gave this café to Ms. Ramsey…” Chloe’s face lit up. She slowly raised her right hand, showing off a diamond ring. “He proposed. I said yes.” “Adrian’s mom said we’d pick a date in a few days.” I almost laughed out loud. So the three-day business trip had been him celebrating their anniversary with his homewrecker and getting engaged. No wonder his authorized card had been bleeding money for three days straight. And I had been stupid enough to think he was working hard, wining and dining clients. But what Chloe didn’t know was that the great CEO of Cole Group, Adrian Cole, was nothing more than an orphan my family had funded since he was a child. There was no “Adrian’s mom.” That woman didn’t exist. Seeing me stay silent, she poked my shoulder. “Let me spell it out for you. Adrian already told me everything.” “A friend of his tried to set you two up, but he turned it down from the start. You’re the one who’s been throwing yourself at him.” She tilted her head, the corner of her mouth curling up. “But honestly, I can’t be bothered to deal with you.” “You have one minute to get out. Don’t dirty up my café.” I came back to myself and let out a cold laugh. Then I walked to a table further back and sat down. “You’re this excited over one cheap little rock.” “Guess Adrian hasn’t been treating you all that well.”
I picked up the coffee that had just been brought to my table and took a sip. Chloe stared at me for a full two seconds, her face burning red. “Cheap? This is a diamond from Sotheby’s. One point five million.” “Adrian fought a bidding war down to the last second to get this ring. You’re just eaten up with jealousy.” One point five million? I glanced at it. That was clearly a Tiffany display piece. Priced under eighty thousand. But whatever. Whatever the price was, I’d square every last dollar of it with him. Chloe suddenly turned her head and pointed at the staff behind the counter. “Are you all blind? How dare you make her a coffee in my store?” “Who made this cup? Get out. Don’t bother coming in tomorrow.” A girl with a ponytail hurried over, trembling, and reached for my cup. “I’m… I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re not allowed to serve you…” I placed my hand on the cup and frowned. “Whether this store belongs to her isn’t up to her.” “Don’t be scared. She can’t fire you.” The girl looked up, her eyes full of confusion. I didn’t explain. The property deed for this café had my name, Vivienne Ashford, written on it in plain black and white. How could Adrian have possibly given it to Chloe without my approval? Not to mention, every operating cost, every paycheck came out of my account. By any reasonable measure, I was the employer. What right did she have to fire my people? “You!” Chloe was trembling with rage. “What are you trying to say?” Then her eyes went wide, and she pointed at me like she’d just cracked the case. “I get it now.” “You’ve been chasing Adrian because you wanted this café.” “You? You think you can replace me as the owner’s wife? Are you out of your mind?” I didn’t answer her. I set the cup back down and picked up my phone. My assistant had just sent me a message on iMessage. 【Ms. Ashford, all assets and authorized cards under Mr. Cole’s name have been frozen.】 “What are you doing?” Seeing me ignore her, Chloe leaned in. “I’m talking to you.” The next second, my hand was empty. She’d snatched the coffee from my hand and thrown it in my face, drenching half of me. I hadn’t seen it coming. I shot to my feet. “What is wrong with you?” Chloe stepped back, looking pleased with herself as she slowly lowered her hand. “In my store, no one would say a word to me even if I threw acid on you. Coffee is nothing.” “This is what happens when you don’t take me seriously.” The live comments were scrolling faster than before. I didn’t read a single one. But the whispers around me came through, sharp and cutting. “Wow, the nerve on her. She’s actually planning to wait until Mr. Cole gets off work?” “I’m dying. The date didn’t even happen and she’s already trying to take his store?” “Ms. Ramsey really is a boss. For a gold digger who won’t take a hint, a splash of coffee is getting off easy.” “Ms. Ramsey should just call him. Let her see for herself who Mr. Cole has in his heart.” That last one lit Chloe up. She glanced down at the phone streaming the live and shoved it into the hands of the woman next to her. Then she pulled out another phone and dialed with sharp jabs. “Since you don’t know when to quit, let everyone watch Adrian reject you to your face.” “Let’s see what kind of nobody you really are.” The call connected. Adrian’s voice came through. “Baby, I’m in a meeting. What’s going on?” I was dabbing at the coffee on my face with a napkin. My hand paused. That voice. I’d listened to it for five years. There was no mistaking it. I suddenly remembered our wedding day, when he’d held me and sobbed, promising he would never hurt me. But now, behind my back, he’d been with Chloe for a full three years. The moment Chloe heard his voice, her tone pitched up into a whimper. “That woman! Your… your date!” “She really is waiting at the café for you!” “If I hadn’t come by today, she would’ve latched onto you again!” “Adrian, please come…” The other end of the line went silent for a long moment. Then Adrian’s voice came through, panicked. “Chloe! Didn’t I tell you to leave her alone? Why did you go…” “Just… just stay right there. Don’t move. I’m coming down.”
The line went dead. Chloe thought Adrian’s panic was concern for her. She lifted her chin at me, looking smug. “You hear that?” “Adrian doesn’t take you seriously at all.” “The second he gets here, I’m going to make you get down on your knees and apologize to me.” I balled up the napkin and tossed it in the trash. “Sure.” “I was starting to worry he wouldn’t have the guts to show up.” The whispers around us picked up. The customers who didn’t recognize Chloe started murmuring. “That woman doesn’t seem nervous at all. Something feels off here.” “Wait. What if the assistant is the actual homewrecker?” That set Chloe off. She whipped around, half her face flushed red. “My boyfriend proposed to me. You think that’s fake?” She sneered and scanned the room. “You all think I’m making this up?” “Fine. I’ll call Adrian’s mother right now.” “When she gets here, all of you can apologize alongside this shameless woman.” She pulled out her phone and dialed. “Mrs. Cole, are you nearby?” “There’s a shameless woman here trying to force a date on Adrian. I’ve had enough.” “Can you come down here?” Whatever the other end said, I couldn’t be bothered to listen. I just glanced at the iMessages Adrian had sent me. 【Vivienne! My car’s been immobilized! They said you gave the order! Tell them to release it now!】 【And what the hell happened to my cards?! They’re all suspended! I can’t even get a ride!】 I laughed. I texted back. 【Adrian, you can’t even catch a ride without me. Where do you get the nerve to keep a homewrecker?】 【You have thirty minutes. Walk here.】 Then a shadow fell across me. My phone was snatched from my hand and slammed to the floor with a sharp crack. Chloe stood in front of me, gloating. “Scared now? Trying to call for backup?” “I’m telling you. Too late.” She stomped down on my screen. “It doesn’t matter who you text now.” Just then, the café door opened. A well-dressed woman walked in. “Chloe, what’s going on?” “Who dares to harass you on Adrian’s turf?” The crowd stirred immediately. “Isn’t that Mr. Cole’s mother? I’ve seen her before. That’s definitely her.” “Wow, even Mr. Cole’s mother came down. Looks like Ms. Ramsey and Mr. Cole are the real deal…” “Can’t wait to see how that woman gets herself out of this. Ha.” I turned toward the voice, and the next second I almost laughed out loud. Of course it was her. Our housekeeper. Martha Bennett. The moment Chloe saw her, she rushed over, her voice cracking into a sob. “Mrs. Cole, that woman has been horrible!” “She refuses to leave, and she said even if you came, she wouldn’t be scared!” Martha frowned and took a deep breath. “Unbelievable. Doesn’t she know this entire building belongs to Adrian?” “How dare she treat…” Her head turned. The moment she saw me, her whole body flinched backward. “Ms… how are you…” Chloe didn’t notice. She shook Martha’s arm as if it were obvious. “Mrs. Cole, Adrian gave this café to me right in front of you.” “She’s the one trying to break us up. What right does she have to be here?” “I say we blacklist her right now. Ban her from ever coming back.” “Don’t you agree, Mrs. Cole?” Martha’s eyes darted elsewhere. She couldn’t meet mine, and she took half a step back. “What are you saying?” “A café is a public place. Anyone can walk in.” She paused, her eyes landing on me before darting away again. “You, on the other hand. Aren’t you going to apologize to Ms. Ashford?”
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