Cozying Up With the Enemy

After spending half a month in the hospital with Christian watching over me, I was finally discharged.He wanted to take me back to his villa, but I insisted on returning to Rivera Manor.It was because I needed to settle things between me and Johan, once and for all.Furthermore, Christian was currently facing his own crisis. His client had been snatched away by business rivals, and his company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Johan definitely had a hand in causing both incidents.As I took my place at the dinner table in Rivera Manor, I already had a gut feeling that I was walking into an elaborate trap.It was a rare sight to see Johan sitting calmly at the table. I could even see a hint of joy in his eyes."I came over today to inform you of something, Grandpa," he declared right off the bat. "I'll be getting married to Lucy next month."In that moment, everyone in the Rivera family glanced at me. I had always been treated like an outsider under this roof, and this moment was

Johan panicked when he saw me turn and leave. He opened the door and rushed out of the house, but I continued forward without looking back.Because of the rain, my high heels unfortunately became stuck in the mud that was seeping out onto the roads. I couldn't pull them out.Just then, Lucy's shrill, whiny voice rang out from inside the house."Are you leaving me alone in the room for the sake of another woman, Johan?" she scolded. "You're not allowed to go after her! If you take one more step forward, I'll break up with you!"My clothes were soaked through, my shoes were stuck in the mud, and my aggravated leg injury was causing me unbearable pain. All in all, I looked downright miserable right now.Just as I was struggling to get my high heels out of the mud, a white light suddenly illuminated the night.A car stopped in front of me, and Christian got out of it, the rain quickly soaking through his suit.He had still been at a press conference an hour ago, defending himself ag

I couldn't help but sneer at Johan's condescending look. He was looking at me as if he were doing me a favor."I don't owe you anything, Johan, so don't look at me like that. Also, why should I go with you?"Johan's expression, which was usually high-spirited, changed slightly. It showed some gentleness for once. "I know that you're angry at me, but you don't know a thing about Christian's background. Aren't you afraid of marrying him? Come with me, and I can pretend that none of this happened."I looked at him quietly for a moment before sighing. "Shouldn't I be more afraid of being around you? I'm afraid that you'll come up with ways to humiliate me again the moment I do something that isn't to your liking."I'll remember the times you helped me, but I'll also never forget the times you bullied me. I won't go with you, so please leave."Johan's eyes became downcast. There was a hint of guilt on his face, and he looked at me as if he were at a loss.The sky was overcast, and I c

In the end, Lucy was imprisoned for intentional injury while Johan remained in a coma at the hospital.The reputation of Christian's company was immediately restored, and it became the only one left standing of the three business giants.I was at the police station to give my statement and hand Scott's documents over to the police.Christian had finished his press conference and was currently waiting for me at the police station's entrance.The moment I walked out of the police station and caught sight of him, I realized that I didn't know how I should face him.He turned to face me, still wearing that reassuring smile of his, and smoothly stepped forward to take my bag from me.When he saw my upset expression, he gently stroked my face and asked, "What's wrong?"I shook my head and sighed, then replied, "Sorry for making you experience such a terrible wedding. It looks like I'm just as the Riveras said—a jinx. I bring trouble wherever I go, and now I've caused you trouble as we

The next time I heard about Johan turned out to be news of his death.I was dazed for a moment, and the ringing in my ears persisted for a long time. I simply couldn't believe it.According to medical staff, Lucy hitting him in the head with the flower vase before had resulted in a cerebral hemorrhage, but he continuously refused treatment.I was deeply confused by his suicidal, self-destructive behavior. Why would such an arrogant person who cared so much about his own life do this to himself?My confusion persisted until I heard what Johan's lifelong best friend, Hank Falkner, had to say.It turned out that Johan hadn't been refusing treatment, and it wasn't because of the company's security guards that I escaped abduction that day.On the contrary, it was because Johan had overheard Edwin and Alice's plans to kill me out of revenge. He had snuck out of the hospital to find me a security guard, which caused him to miss the critical time window for treatment.An unpleasant feel