Chapter 16 Shocking News
“Janelle! Was that really necessary? You dragged your own parents into this just to get back at me? How shameless can you be?” Clarence yelled.
He just wouldn’t let up, like a man backed into a comer. Every word he spoke was laced with bitterness. He sounded nothing like the polished businessman he pretended to be.
I merely let out a cold laugh in response.
Seeing that I wasn’t flustered only made him angrier. “That’s enough! Fix this as soon as possible. Otherwise, if we really end up going head–to–head in this bid, what do you think will happen to your family’s company?”
Faced with his doubts, I didn’t bother arguing. Instead, I simply replied, “You’ll find out soon enough, Clarence. I gave you a chance.”
The truth was, I no longer had feelings for him. It hadn’t always been that way, but he’d burned through whatever love I had left.
For the longest time, Clarence had done nothing but come after me. It was as if crushing me under his heel gave him some kind of satisfaction.
Well, too bad for him. I wasn’t the same woman he used to know.
I hung up without another word and publicly announced I was returning to the family business.
That was when the public finally started paying attention to what we were doing. Slowly, the truth came to light. Our company hadn’t fallen at all. In fact, we were stronger than ever.
Now feeling blindsided, Clarence stormed in, demanding to know why I had lied.
“Lied? When exactly did I lie?” I retorted.
He was clearly rattled, and I could barely hide my disdain.
At that moment, Clarence looked nothing like a powerful CEO. He seemed utterly drained.
As I studied him, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
“Clarence, there’s no reason for you to be here. I wasn’t the only one who wanted the divorce. But now, you refuse to leave me alone. Do you really think that makes you look noble?”
He snapped, “You’ll never be half the woman Ivana is!”
“Is that so? Then why don’t you have the guts to admit that the rowdy crowd at your wedding were her relatives?” I shot back.
The second I said it, Clarence froze. He didn’t speak for a long time.
I knew he had nothing left to say, so I turned to leave. However, he called after me. “Janelle, you never really gave up everything for me, did you?”
I chuckled bitterly before replying, “I did give you everything, but my parents held back. And I’m so glad they did.”
I left him standing there alone after saying that. Then, I headed home and posted all the evidence I had gathered online.
In a snap, all the relatives Ivana had tried to disown came forward with IDS and documents proving they were related to her.
Some time ago, I’d hired people to track them down. I told them they weren’t actually related to Ivana and would be held liable for the damages they had caused at the wedding.
As soon as money got involved, they did everything they could to prove they were her family.
And just like that, the rumors collapsed. Ivana’s attempt to deny her own blood and shift the blame onto me backfired. Within hours, the internet turned on her.
I also released the police report. I had formally filed charges for defamation and made it clear I wouldn’t be settling.
Later, Clarence jumped through hoops to get Ivana out of jail.
Word was, he got jumped by the Todd family the moment she was released. They blamed him for everything, saying he was nothing but bad luck. According to them, Ivana would’ve never ended up in jail if it weren’t for him.
Clarence had been pampered his whole life. Naturally, he didn’t stand a chance against the Todds. All he could do was endure it while Mrs. Todd screamed in his
face.
Eventually, she demanded one million dollars before she’d agree to return to her hometown.
With no other choice, Clarence wired the money on the spot. Only then did Mr. and Mrs. Todd finally leave.
Once they were gone, he turned to Ivana, eyes blazing with fury. “Is this how you treat your husband?”
