Chapter 14
Chapter 14
The woman was wearing a bright pink dress, her long hair flowing. The two of them were nestled together, their backs turned toward me.
I saw Dexter leaning against her chest, looking so intimate that my head felt like it was about to explode. I thought, ‘How shameless! How could they behave like that in public? It is disgusting, completely shameless!”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I stormed over and yanked the woman’s wrist. “Who do you think you are, getting so close to my husband? What do you think you’re doing?”
Before I could finish, I froze. The woman standing in front of me was… my assistant, Sheila,
Dexter was also startled. As I yanked the woman away, he instinctively moved forward. “What are you doing here? Slow down, her hair got caught on my button, and I can’t get it loose”
That was when I finally snapped out of my shock. I looked closely and saw it was indeed a lock of Sheila’s long hair tangled in Dexter’s button. He’d been leaning down, trying to untangle it.
From my angle, it had looked incredibly suggestive, but in reality, nothing was going on between them.
Sheila, seeing me, looked like she was about to burst into tears. “Sylvia, help me! Do you have scissors? Just cut it off, please.”
I took a deep breath, calmed myself down, and pulled a small pair of scissors from my bag. I carefully cut the hair free.
Sheila let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you were here, Sylvia. I really didn’t know what to do. My boyfriend’s over there, so I’m going to join him.”
She winked at me before quickly walking over to another man, linking her arm with his in an affectionate manner.
My mind went blank.
Dexter turned to me with a smirk. “What’s the matter? Are you worried I’m out here flirting with other women? Is that why
you
had to come keep an eye on me?”
I rubbed my temples. “Aren’t you?”
“No, of course not,” he said, his voice mock–serious. “I’m completely loyal to you. If I ever had any other intentions, let lightning strike me down.”
I thought, “This jerk… His oath sounds so sincere. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“Did you come alone?” I narrowed my eyes and asked.
“Of course. When I got here, I found out the event required partners. But you were busy with Mom’s discharge today, and you’ve been running around so much lately.
“How could I let you get even more exhausted? So I decided to come alone. It’s no big deal.” He gave me a gentle smile.
I scanned the room and caught sight of Holly. She saw me too and raised an eyebrow, giving me a small, knowing smirk.
Dexter leaned in closer to me, speaking softly in my ear. “That’s your competitor from the company, right? Her new boyfriend looks like trouble. Watch out for them.
“She’s not a good person. Just a little while ago, she was badmouthing your work in front of everyone. It was only because I
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Chapter 14
*83%#
stepped in and defended you that she stopped”
My heart skipped a beat, I wondered, Dexter and Holly who is telling the truth? Dexter used to be the perfect husband, but now things are looking pretty bad.
Holly and I have never gotten along, but till now, she has been the one to actually stand up for me!
I took a deep breath and decided to play along with Dexter. “She’s always like that. I can’t be bothered with her. I came to tell you that everything’s settled at home. You should come back soon and spend more time with our son?
“Alright” Dexter smiled gently, his voice warm.
I glanced around again, but the woman in the bright pink dress was nowhere to be seen. Frustration and a sense of helplessness washed over me,
I couldn’t let Dexter see through me, so I forced myself to turn and leave, pushing the urge to keep searching for her to the back of my mind.
Back in the car, I called Holly, “What the hell, are you making things up? That was so embarrassing! I almost mistook my own assistant for the other woman…”
Holly snorted. “You’re a step too late. That woman was hanging around Dexter, shaking hands with his colleagues and bosses, then she just left. You idiot, she wasn’t there for the party–she just wanted to make sure all of Dexter’s people remembered her.”
“What do you mean, remember her?” I had a feeling I already knew, but I wasn’t ready to admit it.
“Of course, she wants them to think she’s his wife, not you.
Holly’s laugh was sharp. “Sylvia, you’ve been so wrapped up in work and taking care of your son, you barely show up in Dexter’s social circle, right?”
I went quiet. She was spot on.
As she heard my silence, Holly’s laugh got louder. “Honestly, how could you be so trusting of him? If you don’t wake up, you’re going to lose everything.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I hung up the phone, and the tears started to flow.
Looking back, I felt like a complete fool. I thought, ‘How can I ever criticize Holly? What makes me think my place is secure? Even the person closest to me is scheming behind my back, while I am still fumbling around, completely lost.’
I forced myself to stop crying, took a few deep breaths, and calmed down. After a few moments, I started the car and headed home. It felt like I was always one step too late.
I thought, “Trying to track down the woman Dexter is seeing on the side? Probably a lost cause.
Just then, I saw a familiar figure walking through the parking lot. There she was again–wearing that bright pink dress and with that long, noticeable hair. I thought, ‘Yes, it is her!‘ Of course, I would run into her here after everything else.
I quickly wiped away the tears, grabbed a mask, and put it on, lowering my head to keep her from seeing I was in the car.
The woman seemed in a good mood, skipping over to Dexter’s car. She grabbed something from inside, closed the door, and walked off. It was obvious she hadn’t left the area.
An idea suddenly popped into my head. I quickly texted Holly. [This hotel still has guest floors, right? What floors are they?]
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Chapter 1
Holly: Hound the mistress? Grabbing someone in the act sounds like fun. You better take me with you, or I’m not wing you anything I
I almost screamed in frustration. [Yes, yes! I’m in the parking lot. Hurry up and tell me!)
Holly: Floors above the tenth are guest rooms. The 19th and 20th floors are executive suites.)
Holly: I’m on my way.
I was speechless. Now that I knew which floors to target, I had a plan.
1 headed straight for the elevator, deliberately waiting for the woman to get on first. Then I watched the numbers light up. The elevator stopped on the 19th floor, Executive suites… A cold shiver ran down my spine.
I thought, ‘So, this is it, Dexter. Taking her to suites like these, while I’ve never even stepped foot in one of these rooms with him:
My hand clenched into a fist in my pocket, and I gritted my teeth. I forced myself to stay calm, then stepped into a different elevator.
I pressed the button for the 19th floor and felt my pulse race with each passing second… Almost there. I was so close. I would find out the truth.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, a sharp pain hit the back of my head. Stars exploded in my vision, and I nearly collapsed. A cold, smooth voice pierced through my daze. “Sylvia, are you following me?”
I thought, ‘Who–who is that…?‘ But I couldn’t hold on any longer. My vision blurred into red, and I staggered forward before everything went dark, and I fell.
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