Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Revenge Begins As Bryan and Lena entered, Melanie immediately caught a familiar scent of perfume. It was the same one she used.

She could not help but smirk. Melanie recalled how after she had questioned Bryan twice about the scent of a woman’s perfume on him, Lena tried to deceive her by asking her about her perfume, claiming that she liked it too.

Since then, Lena had been using the same perfume as Melanie, making it convenient for Lena to engage in an affair with Bryan.

Lena, unaware of Melanie’s thoughts, approached her with a conciliatory tone. “Mel, I’ve invited Bryan today to set things straight. Let’s not hold any grudges.”

Melanie responded sarcastically, “I obtained the invite for the International Socialites Gala. Is that not something you’ll hold a grudge over?

Lena waved her hands and feigned a smile. “Of course not, I’m genuinely happy for you.”

At that moment, Bryan approached and embraced Melanie in an overbearing manner, exclaiming, “Mel, being intoxicated was the cause of these misunderstandings. I promise I won’t ever drink that much again. Please believe me, Mel. I love only you. In a few days, we’ll have our engagement ceremony again.”

It was amazing how love could reduce one’s intelligence to none. Melanie could not believe she had fallen for Bryan’s act in the past.

She took a deep breath to control her frustration.

Bryan continued to talk, thinking she fell for his act. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of the West Corp, Mel. My father will officially announce my entry into the board in front of the media. I’ll be able to give you a better life starting then!”

Anticipating the benefits, Bryan eagerly continued, “So, can you accompany me tomorrow morning, Mel? It will help dispel the media’s suspicions...”

Melanie reluctantly nodded, gritting her teeth.

Bryan was thrilled by her response and kissed her on the cheeks in excitement. “Great! Don’t worry, Mel. In a few days, I’ll have an even bigger surprise for you at the engagement ceremony!”

“Great,” Melanie responded, blinking with a glint of cold determination in her eyes. “I’m going to prepare a big surprise for you too!”

While Bryan was hugging Melanie, Lena played along with the act and said, “I’m glad you made up! I’m so happy for the both of you!”

Melanie concealed her intentions beneath her icy smile.

Just then, Bryan’s assistant entered the room in a panic.

“Sir, we have a problem! The male lead in Miss Lena’s recent film debunked the rumors and said that he never had any intimate scenes with her. The haters are using this as an opportunity to stir up controversy! They dug up all the scripts Miss Lena had received and claimed that there was no such scene. The Internet is in an uproar! Reporters are gathering downstairs, and the crowd is growing!”

Lena grabbed the assistant’s phone and quickly skimmed through the online news. She was worried out of her mind. Her falsies fluttered as she asked, “What should we do, Mel?”

They would only think of Melanie when there was trouble.

Melanie bit her lower lip and said, “I’ll take you to a safe place first. As for the media, I’ll think of something.”

Bryan comforted Lena. “Don’t worry. Melanie will take care of it.”

Melanie did not waste any time and took Lena out the back door and drove away. Once they were in the car, Melanie immediately messaged Annie: [It’s time.]

Annie replied within seconds, (Got it! It’s time to show what I’ve got!]

After driving for a while, Melanie looked in the rearview mirror with suspicion and asked the driver, “Is someone following us?”

1/2 +15 BONUS The driver slowed down and observed for a moment. He replied, “It seems so. I nose two cars have been following us since we left the office.”

Lena panicked and kept looking behind. She asked in a panic, “What should we do? It must be the paparazzi!”

Melanie, gazing out of the window, thought for a moment. “The West Corp’s office is just ahead. They have a security team so you can hide there for a while. I’ll continue driving and divert the paparazzi.”

Lena did not have any better ideas, so she agreed to Melanie’s plan. Melanie dropped her off at the West Corp’s office.

Though it was after work hours, the security at the West Corp recognized Lena and knew of her relationship with Bryan, so no one tried to stop her. Using Bryan’s access card, Lena slipped into his office.

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