Don't fool me, Ex. I'll never marry you (again). のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 51 - チャプター 60

The dim lobby light seemed to dim instantly as I turned. The breath that had been caught in my throat released when my eyes caught the silhouette of the man standing there. Not Dominic. Nor Mike.​It was Arthur, Dominic's right-hand man. Without small talk, he held out a black leather-bound notebook. "Take this wherever you go," he muttered. "Never let it out of your reach." As my fingers pressed against the cover, I felt a hard lump behind the leather—a sophisticated device that might be the key to their total destruction.​Once I reached the apartment, I locked the door tightly. The silence of that room slowly filled my head, bringing thoughts of Dominic. That man—the figure I had known all this time as cold, cruel, and who always succeeded in making my blood boil with his annoying attitude—felt different today.​Since the incident in the elevator, something had shifted. He was no longer explosive. There was a strange calmness enveloping his aura, and when he said thank you earlier,

The atmosphere in my living room still felt suffocating, as if the oxygen in this space had been completely sucked out by the drama that had just concluded. Although Mike’s anger had subsided, leaving behind a deep-seated doubt in his eyes, I knew this was merely a pause. Lucy stood upright, the remainder of the tears that had flowed so heavily moments ago now wiped clean with a graceful sweep of her hand. She still held control over Mike’s emotions, or at least, that was the belief festering in her mind.​I released my grip on Mike’s shoulders, giving him room to breathe, though my fingers intentionally caressed his arm one more time—a cold touch veiled in warmth—as an implicit reminder of who was actually in control of his sanity in this house.​"Mike," I said, my voice intentionally made raspy, reflecting a profound mental exhaustion. I looked at him with a pleading gaze, a look that always succeeded in melting his defensive walls. "Tonight has been so long. I feel... so tired. I w

The atmosphere inside the car became silent again, but this time the tension between us felt heavier, as if the air had turned into thick, molten metal. Inside the soundproof cabin, my heartbeat collided with the soft hum of the car engine, creating a harrowing rhythm.​"Mike contacted me," Dominic broke the silence with a voice that was suddenly softer, yet still retained its characteristic sharpness. "He invited me to dinner tonight. An official invitation to discuss the 'document' that you handed to me the other day."​I turned, feeling the nerves in my neck tighten. My heart was pounding so hard it felt painful behind my ribs. "Dinner? He must want to test whether I have leaked his rotten plan to you. He used that file to lure you out."​"Exactly," Dominic nodded slowly. The corners of his lips lifted in a thin and dangerous smirk. "He wants to ensure whether you are an asset he can truly use for himself, or actually an obstacle. I accepted that challenge. I will be there, and I w

The sound of the clock ticking on my apartment wall sounded like the ticking of a slowing time bomb. After the laptop screen went dark, leaving the reflection of my own self on the black glass surface, that trembling feeling finally struck. My body slumped to the floor, back leaning against the cold sofa.​Dominic really is a genius at acting. His words earlier—which called me a "boring administrative staff"—should have insulted me, yet those very words were what saved my life. Just as I began to fall into a deep sleep.Suddenly...The sound of a door being slammed made the photo frame on the wall vibrate. Mike entered like a storm bringing destruction. His breath was ragged, his eyes red with suppressed rage. I was still sitting on the floor, trying to hide the trembling of my hands behind the folds of my skirt.​"He's right," Mike growled, his voice hoarse. He paced back and forth like a lion trapped in a cage. "Dominic really does look down on me. He laughed at me, Bella! He said I

That victory was not merely a number on a table; it was a narcotic flowing heavily into Mike’s bloodstream. Throughout the ride out of The Golden Circle, he did not stop laughing. His husky, triumphant voice echoed against the walls of the soundproof car, creating a resonance that tightened my chest. Every look of admiration—or perhaps fear—from other guests that he managed to catch, he interpreted as the adoration he truly deserved. Lucy, sitting beside him, kept praising Mike with a nauseatingly spoiled tone; every word of flattery from the woman’s mouth was like fuel that kept stoking the fire of Mike’s arrogance until it soared.​I sat in the back seat, tucked away in a dark corner, looking out the window. The city lights that shot past looked like meaningless streaks of light, just like the future of Mike that I was preparing to destroy. I let them dissolve into a fake euphoria. I knew Mike was preparing his final "performance" for me tonight. A performance he believed would ceme