Chapter
245
Forcing a woman into submission and then pretending to save her-that was what these people do best, wasn’t it?
But what he was saying now, didn’t it sound just like some wealthy businessman tossing a few coins at a beggar, hoping to brush me off?
“You knew I was being manipulated, yet you still chose to help the Wiley family. Your goal was to make me a puppet. That way, all you’d need to do is lift a finger, and I’d come running
“What do you think I am? A toy? A dog at your command? Do you think have no dignity, that you can trample all over me forever?”
Back then, he knew exactly how desperate my situation was, but he never lifted a hand to help. He probably thought I brought it all on myself.
Even when the truth about the murderer came to light, he didn’t offer me any explanation-past promised he’d “help”.
And what was the result? The whole case was swept under the rug. Despite the overwhelming evidence, It somehow ended up as a case with “insufficient evidence”. Didn’t the Grayson family owe me enough already?
“I never wanted to play with you, and I didn’t want to insult you either,” Ethan said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “There are just some things I couldn’t control. I hope you can understand that. But I do want to fix things between us. I want to make up for the way we fell apart.”
I almost laughed out loud. If this were my first time around, I might’ve been moved to tears by his words. But I knew better now. Sometimes, the sweetest words hid the sharpest blades.
“So, what’s your plan for “saving me, then? Bringing me into your company? Making me your little lapdog, ready to serve you day and night? Do you think I’d be grateful for that if I managed to build a career under your thumb?”
Honestly, I had to wonder what those naive women in romance novels were thinking. How could they happily stand by the CEO’s side, willingly playing the role of a powerless assistant or, worse, his invisible little secretary?
The CEO bossed them around, throwing orders left and right because he held the power. Those women sacrificed everything-youth, talent, and hard work when they could’ve done so much more.
Yet they let themselves be used and fell in love with the guy, thinking it was some beautiful relationship.
How could anyone in a position of power love the person they constantly ordered around? How could the one beneath ever fall in love with the one who assigned them impossible tasks, pushing them to their limits?
“I know you’ve had a few drinks, and you’re not thinking straight,” Ethan said, his voice calm as it trying to defuse the situation. “We can talk when you’re sober. As for that other matter, I can’t say much right now, but I promise you’ll get an answer”
Maybe he was trying to play the role of the devoted, misunderstood lover. Or maybe he was acting helpless in front of me while pulling strings behind the scenes. But why couldn’t he just be upfront about it?
Because these things weren’t meant to be seen, were they? T
They couldn’tsurvive the light of day.
“Don’t try to impress me with your invisible sacrifices,” I said, my voice cutting through his attempt at tendemess.
*Are you hoping I’ll feel sorry for you because you’ve been working behind the scenes? Why can’t you bring your so-called effort out in the open? Are you a thiet, sneaking around in the dark?”
This might’ve been the most emotional I’d telt in a long time, yet my wice remained steady and calm
Right now, I despised those who claimed to be saving me. They had no real power, yet they kept pushing me deeper into the abyss-and then had the audacity to blame me for falling