After a brief pause, Cynthia declared with certainty, “I still say he’s probably just her sugar daddy. Linsey doesn’t have the connections or the background. What well-to-do young man in town would take a woman like her seriously? At best, she’d only be a mistress. I’ve noticed many women like her in high society, those more interested in money and status than anything else.”
“Wow, that’s the reality, huh?”
“Cynthia’s correct. Why would any affluent man take interest in someone like her? Only someone of Cynthia’s stature, a true rich girl, would fit into a prestigious family.”
Cynthia smirked. “I figured Linsey wasn’t anything special from the start. Looks like I was right. Honestly, it wouldn’t shock me if she clinched the top spot in the last interview by seducing her patron.”
Linsey had heard enough. As the insults intensified, she barged into the break room, startling everyone inside.
“Have you all had enough?” Linsey’s icy look swept across the room, settling on Cynthia.
The others, taken aback, quickly averted their eyes. They hadn’t anticipated that Linsey would catch them gossiping about her. One colleague attempted to feign innocence. “Linsey, what’s this about? We were just engaging in a light conversation.”
“A light conversation?” Linsey held up her phone and played back the recording. The room’s atmosphere shifted instantly as faces filled with alarm. “Is that clear enough? I’d be glad to forward this to the authorities and have them take a listen. They can sort out the legal ramifications of slander and defamation.”
Linsey glanced at the group before her, their faces shifting uneasily. Amused, she tilted her head and asked in a leisurely tone, “So? Do you all remember what you said now?”
A chorus of stammered replies followed.
“Y-yeah, we do.”
“Linsey, we were just chatting. We didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Exactly! It was just hearsay. It won’t happen again.”
Hearing their weak excuses, Linsey let out a sharp scoff. Her gaze turned cold as she warned, “You were spreading lies. Apologize-and make sure it never happens again.”
Intimidated by the icy edge in her voice, they quickly muttered their apologies, bolting from the break room.
No doubt, this was the most humiliating moment they had experienced lately.
With the room now nearly empty, Cynthia-who had stayed silent the whole time-turned to leave.
But Linsey blocked her path, her eyes locking onto Cynthia’s. “Not so fast. You haven’t apologized yet. You’re not going anywhere.”
Cynthia’s expression twisted with anger as she snapped, “What’s that supposed to mean, Linsey? I only told the truth. You climbed into some fancy car earlier, and I’ve got the photo to prove it. Are you going to deny it?”
Her accusation made the gossiping coworkers-who had barely left-pause in their tracks. One by one, they turned back, curiosity lighting up their faces.
Cynthia had a photo. There was no way she could be making this up. They waited eagerly, wondering how Linsey would talk her way out of this one.
But Linsey’s expression didn’t waver. Meeting Cynthia’s gaze head-on, she replied smoothly, “Yeah, I got into that car.”
The break room fell silent. Her colleagues stared at her in stunned disbelief. Then, just as quickly, their shock gave way to simmering resentment.
Linsey had the audacity to call them out for spreading lies and even forced them to apologize-only to turn around and admit that what they had been saying was true. The humiliation stung.
Cynthia’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk as she eyed Linsey with open disdain. “Look at that. You finally admitted it.”
She folded her arms, her tone dripping with mockery. “Did you really think you could scare us with a voice recording? Everything we said was the truth. Even if the police got involved, they wouldn’t do a thing to us. If anything, they’d probably just warn you not to become someone’s mistress.”
A few of their colleagues snickered, failing to stifle their laughter.
Linsey’s expression remained unreadable as she stated flatly, “Cynthia, let me spell it out for you. That was my husband’s car. Say one more word of nonsense, and you’ll regret it.”
“Your husband?” Cynthia let out a sharp, incredulous laugh, as if Linsey had just told the most absurd joke. “Come on, Linsey, who do you think you’re fooling?”
She scoffed, her eyes narrowing. “You have no family background, no connections. How could you possibly marry a wealthy man? There’s no way.”
Her voice dripped with mock sympathy. “And if you were really some rich man’s wife, why would you bother working at CR Corporation? Stop acting. No one’s buying it.”
She gave Linsey a slow, scrutinizing once-over, something calculating flickering in her gaze. “If he’s real, bring your husband here. Let’s all see for ourselves whether you’re lying.”
Linsey barely spared her a glance, her tone filled with lazy indifference. “You’re not worthy of meeting him.”
Cynthia scoffed. “Oh? Is he supposed to be some big shot?”
She lifted her chin, her voice laced with arrogance. “Let me remind you-I’m from the Keller family. For all you know, your so-called husband ranks lower than us.”
Her lips curled in derision. “You’re acting so high and mighty. What, is your husband supposed to be the mysterious founder of CR Corporation?”
Seeing how Cynthia had no intention of backing down-let alone apologizing-Linsey’s gaze sharpened. “So that’s how it is. You don’t plan on apologizing at all. Instead, you want to turn this into a spectacle.”
Cynthia opened her mouth to snap back, but before she could, a few colleagues stepped forward and tugged at her sleeve, whispering urgently, “Cynthia, let it go. Collin might show up any second now. If this blows up, none of us will be able to deal with the consequences.”
“Exactly. Look at how sure Linsey is. What if the guy really is her husband? If you keep pushing, we might be the ones who end up suffering for it.”
Cynthia’s frown deepened. She hated how smug Linsey looked, but her colleagues had a point. If Linsey’s connections really outranked hers, this could come back to bite her later. Right now, what mattered most was finding out the truth-who exactly was that man? Only then could she put Linsey in her place once and for all.
Forcing down her anger, Cynthia clenched her fists and muttered stiffly, “Fine. Linsey, I was wrong earlier. I spoke without thinking. Don’t take it personally.”
Linsey instantly saw through her forced apology, but she wasn’t interested in dragging this out any longer. She replied flatly, “Alright then. Just be careful about what you say next time.”
Cynthia gritted her teeth in frustration, stomped her foot, and stormed back to her desk.
“Damn you, Linsey! I won’t let this go. You’ll pay for this sooner or later,” she fumed silently.
Her nails dug into her palm as a malicious thought took root. Even if the man in that luxury car really was Linsey’s husband, she had clearly been hiding him. That could only mean one thing-he must be someone embarrassing. Maybe he was some old, balding fossil on the verge of kicking the bucket.
She needed to find out who he was, and soon. And when she did, she would make sure the whole company knew about it. Once the truth was out, Linsey wouldn’t have the guts to show her face at CR Corporation again.
That evening, as soon as work ended, Linsey didn’t linger and headed straight back to Vista Villa. For some reason, after everything that had happened today, she actually found herself looking forward to seeing Collin.
But as she neared the villa’s entrance, a sudden wave of nerves washed over her.
She pressed her lips together, recalling the little misunderstanding in the car earlier. The thought of facing Collin again made her cheeks flush. What was she even supposed to say to him?
Letting out a small sigh, she cupped her face and gave herself a silent reminder not to overthink it. She just needed to act normal. Taking a steadying breath, she stepped inside.
However, as she walked into the living room, she came to an abrupt stop. Collin was nowhere to be seen. Neither were the few subordinates who were usually by his side.
After a brief hesitation, she turned to the butler and asked, “Collin hasn’t come back yet?”
The butler responded with a polite smile, “Mrs. Riley, Mr. Riley mentioned that he’s busy tonight and won’t be returning home.”
Linsey blinked, momentarily caught off guard. A wave of disappointment settled in her chest before she could stop it. She had told Collin that she was going to see him at night.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.