Chapter 100
"Welcome back, ma'am. Welcome back, sir," Clara and the other maids greeted them, but they were completely ignored by Alexander and Lilly, who both wore expressions of anger. The maids wondered what had occurred during Viola's birthday to bring them home so early.
When Clara didn't see Viola with them, she approached Pedro, one of the bodyguards, and he informed her that Viola had been taken to the family residence to stay with her great-grandmother and aunt.
Lilly stormed into the room and slammed the door behind her. Alexander quickly followed, pushing the door open to enter.
"How could you possibly meet her and even sign a business contract with her!" Alexander was furious. They had been arguing the entire way home in the car.
"Maybe if you'd been honest with me from the beginning, I would have known that the same woman was from your past, but instead, you kept everything from me," Lilly retorted.
"She was supposed to be dead, Lilly! Ariana died in a plane crash. For all these years, I would have known if she was alive. And now, out of nowhere, she reappears, pretending to have lost her memory," Alexander shot back.
Lilly stared at him in silence. He was right; he had kept this from her until now.
"What if she really did lose her memory?" Lilly asked, unable to shake the feeling that it was all too real.
Alexander frowned at her words. "Do you think her meeting you in Europe was just a coincidence? She doesn't even have the accent. How could you fall for such a scam? I know you're smarter than that."
"Not everyone has the accent. Besides, she told me she was from Country A and spoke with our accent. So yes, I believed her. And the main reason I signed a business contract with her was because of her sharp business acumen. She's good at what she does, and I wanted to work with her."
"You're not doing business with her anymore," Alexander declared.
Lilly sat on the bed, lost in thought. Everything that had happened felt surreal. A person they believed to be dead had suddenly reentered their lives. "We already signed the contract. Breaking it without fulfilling our obligations will be difficult."
"I don't care how difficult it is. The last thing I want is her getting close to the people I care about, especially you."
Lilly gazed at him. "Do you think I want to do business with her after finding out who she is? I don't, Alexander. But now, I have no choice. If I don't fulfill my part of the deal, I'll be sued."
"Let me handle it," Alexander sat beside her, placing his hand on hers. "Don't do anything. I'll deal with her," he said softly.
Lilly pulled her hand away. "Fine. I'm going to sleep, but I won't sleep here tonight."
Alexander grabbed her arm. "Why not? Where are you planning to sleep?"
"The guest room."
"And why do you want to sleep elsewhere?" Alexander's tone grew harsher.
"Because I need to be alone. A lot happened today."
Alexander pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You don't need to sleep elsewhere. I'll give you space if you need it, but only if you sleep here."
Lilly didn’t argue further and got up to go to the bathroom.
Once she left, Alexander made a call to Ethan to get updates on what he had found out.
The next day, the entire internet was abuzz with the events that had unfolded at the Kane family banquet. Reporters had not hesitated to post videos of Alexander pushing Ariana away from Lilly, causing her to fall to the floor, and recordings of Ethan, a friend of Alexander Kane, interrogating and bullying her.
"Attendance at the banquet was strictly by invitation, so she must have had one. The way the lady, Ariana Martins, hugged Mrs. Kane showed they were familiar with each other. But Alexander Kane pushing the woman away from his wife shocked everyone, including me, who was present. Because of that same lady, Alexander Kane ended his child's party and had his friend, Ethan, interrogate her.
According to the audio, Ethan was heard asking the lady if she didn’t recognize them, but she insisted she didn’t know him, Alexander Kane, and Richard Williams. They talked about her betraying Alexander years ago during their university days. Ariana Martins fainted and was rushed to the hospital by her bodyguard after the confrontation. As we speak, she's at the central hospital," the reporter announced in the morning's live TV broadcast.
The broadcast sparked a flood of hateful comments aimed at Lilly and Alexander. People who disapproved of their marriage created fake accounts to post negative remarks.
Within hours, Ariana, who had just arrived in Country A the night before, became infamous as the woman bullied by the Kanes, drawing sympathy and public attention. Her notoriety grew, and she began to amass a following of anti-fans who opposed Alexander and Lilly. These supporters formed groups to attack the couple and counter the defenses put up by Alexander's fans.
Amidst all the drama, Ariana couldn't help but smile and laugh as she read the news and comments on her phone. She had only just begun, but she already had significant support. It seemed it wouldn't be long before she could challenge Lilly's place as Alexander's wife, gradually winning back his trust.
As she reveled in the chaos, Samson, her bodyguard, entered her hospital room, interrupting her moment of satisfaction.
Ariana snapped at him, "What is it?"
"Apologies, ma'am, but you need to see this," Samson handed her his tablet.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the screen, then she burst into laughter, jumping up in excitement.
"Oh my God! This is amazing! I love this!" Ariana was ecstatic.
The stock prices of Kane Corporation and the Blake Group were plummeting rapidly. She had expected this, but the speed of the decline surprised her.
Ariana grinned, "Everything is going according to plan. Now all I have to do is wait for Alexander to come see me."
"See you?" Samson asked, confused.
"Yes, I'm sure he's already on his way to this hospital right now," Ariana said with a gleeful smile. She couldn’t wait for the confrontation.
Samson became alarmed. "Why would he come here, ma'am?"
"To strangle me," she smirked.
"Strangle you?" Samson was taken aback. "Then we should inform the police for your safety."
"Shut up!" Ariana screamed at him. "You're not doing anything. I want you out of here when he arrives. One thing Alexander hates is seeing something he's worked so hard to build over the years fall apart. His company means everything to him, and the fact that the stock market is crashing will make him want to strangle me."
"But what if he doesn't come?"
"He will. I'm certain of it," Ariana said confidently as she looked at her watch, eagerly waiting for Alexander to walk through the door.
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