Chapter 17
Clayton frowned.
“Oh, and since you’ve got so much money, why not hire someone to snag the slot for you?” she added lightly.
He opened his mouth to respond, but his phone suddenly rang.
After he listened for a moment, his expression darkened.
When he hung up, he turned to Aline and said, “That incident at the restaurant-someone leaked it to the tabloids. The report pointed out that I’m married, so now people are accusing Joyce of being the other woman. I need you to release a statement saying there’s nothing going on between me and Joyce-that the whole thing was a misunderstanding.”
Aline blinked in disbelief.
But Clayton kept going. “Also, say Joyce is your friend. That you were worried about her safety that day, so you asked me to look after her.”
Aline almost laughed. “Clayton, do you even hear yourself? You really have no shame, do you?”
She thought, ‘Does he even realize how much it hurts to be shoved aside during gunfire, only to see him shielding Joyce?’
She had once believed that even if he didn’t love her after three years of marriage, there was at least some shred of loyalty left.
But in that moment of crisis, she finally understood-he wouldn’t hesitate to abandon her.
“Joyce worked hard to become a co-pilot. A scandal like this could damage her reputation, even hurt her chances of promotion,” Clayton said.
Aline could’ve applauded him right then.
How thoughtful-so concerned about Joyce’s future. Yet he conveniently forgot who actually stood by him when he had nothing. It was Joyce who left him when he hit rock bottom.
And it was she, his wife, who stayed. Who helped him build everything from the ground up.
“I’m not doing it,” Aline said flatly.
“What?” Clayton looked stunned, like her refusal hadn’t even occurred to him.
“I’m not going to lie for you. You and I both know it wasn’t some innocent misunderstanding, and Joyce is not my friend,” she said coldly.
His expression turned stormy. “Aline, are you trying to destroy Joyce?”
0.0 %
11:29
Chapter 17
“No. You did that-when you forgot you were married and ran around with her like a lovesick teenager,” she snapped.
“I never cheated on you. I didn’t do anything wrong. She and I are just friends!”
“Some friend. You disappear all night for her, jump to her every call. One word from her, and you’re gone.”
“She just got back to Uslille. And with her promotion, there were a lot of social events. I was just trying to be sup- portive.”
“So supportive you skipped picking up my parents’ ashes to attend her cocktail party?” Aline’s voice rose, sharp and unforgiving.
“Oh, so now we’re dragging up the past?” Clayton snapped. “All I’m asking is a few words. Is it really that hard to help her?”
Aline looked at him coldly. ‘How could he make it sound so simple?
‘A few words?’
“If Joyce means that much to you, why didn’t you just ask for a divorce when she came back?” she said quietly.
“What?” He froze.
“You could’ve told me then-‘I still love her.’ If you had, I wouldn’t have stopped you. I would’ve let you go,” she said. “And then, none of this would’ve happened. Her reputation wouldn’t be in jeopardy now.”
Clayton frowned. “I’m not getting a divorce. I meant every word of my vows. Aline, I promised you-after we got mar- ried, I’d never let you down.”
To Aline, that so-called promise-“never let you down”-sounded like a cruel joke.
“You’re not refusing to divorce me because you remember some vow,” she said quietly. “You just don’t want to be la- beled the guy who got rich and dumped the wife who stuck with him through everything. You want it all-your first love and your perfect reputation.
“If you truly hadn’t let me down, then why did you stay silent while your ‘friend’ belittled and humiliated me?
