Chapter 36
[ 500 words ]
Chapter 36:
Maybe he had seen what people were saying online. Maybe he was calling because he cared. Maybe, just this once, he would stand on my side.
“Lianne, don’t release the surveillance footage.”
Those words shattered everything I had hoped for.
Standing alone in the empty living room, I held the phone tightly as a cold feeling spread through me.
Now it made sense. Ivy had acted without fear because she already knew Ethan would stand in front of her no matter what.
When I stayed silent, his voice lowered on the other end. “About earlier… I got it wrong. I thought you were the one who pushed me and Ivy onto the trending list. I should have checked before jumping to conclusions. I owe you an apology.”
A quiet, bitter laugh slipped out before I could stop it, and my eyes stung. “Ethan, if this didn’t involve protecting Ivy, would you even bother apologizing to me?”
𝘙e𝘢𝘥 wi𝗍ho𝘶𝘵 іn𝘵e𝗋𝗋𝘶𝗉𝘵𝗂𝗼ո𝘀 о𝘯 𝗴a𝗅𝘯о𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘴.𝘤o𝗺
There was no regret in his words. It sounded more like a trade.
“I don’t want your apology. I just want those people to stop dragging my name through the mud. Do you even know what they’re saying about me?” My breath caught, but I forced the words out. “They’re telling me to die. They want me out of the Thorn Pack. Did you hear any of that?”
“I’ll deal with it,” he replied, his tone steady. “But there’s one condition. You have to destroy the surveillance footage. Lianne, don’t push this. I’ll make it up to you.”
“Make it up to me?” A hollow laugh escaped me as tears finally fell. “How exactly are you planning to do that? Other than throwing money at the problem, what else can you offer? If you really think you owe me something, then don’t reject our bond. And keep Ivy out of my life. Can you do that?”
Lianne’s POV:
The line dropped into a heavy, stifling silence. I could hear his deep, labored breathing, and it made my heart plummet.
“You’re not going to pull it off,” I muttered, the words barely making it out. “To you, my dignity doesn’t even come close to Ivy’s whims.”
The silence stretched, thickening with tension. Finally, Ethan’s voice broke through, cold and emotionless. “Lianne, stop this. Tell me what you want. Money, assets, shares—anything within my reach. Just name it.”
I held the phone, his voice echoing in my head. It was so familiar, yet it felt as if I was listening to a stranger. I let out a dry, humorless laugh.
He really was shamelessly greedy.
What made him think that after trampling my dignity, he could still buy my place beside him with money?
“I want to resign,” I said, shutting my eyes, weariness dragging down every word. “Ethan, let me go. I’ll make sure the Sparkle project is handed over properly. I don’t want to remain anywhere you are.”
“That’s not happening,” he said, his tone hard and absolute. “Don’t even think about resigning. Lianne, don’t start acting up right now. You know I’m not a patient man.”
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