Chapter 120
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Marina was obviously drawing a clear line between herself and hvern, letting everyone know she was single, no strings
attached.
The group chat fell silent again.
Soon, Yara sent a message in the group.
Yara: [I’ll be coming alone too, just like Marina. No plus–one. @Marina, let’s keep each other company.]
Marina saw the message and smirked coldly. She quickly replied: [Sure.]
If Marina hadn’t already figured out all the scheming Lavern was doing behind her back, she might’ve thought Yara was actually trying to cozy up to her.
Since Yara loved acting so much, Marina figured she’d just go along with her act.
With Yara’s message easing the tension, everyone started chatting again.
Yara didn’t say anything else in the group chat. Instead, she sent Marina a private message.
Yara: [Hey Marina, did you and Lavern get into a fight?]
Marina: [We didn’t just fight. We broke up.]
Yara sent a shocked reaction sticker.
[Seriously? Didn’t you and Lavern just have your wedding not long ago? I was out of the country for business, so I missed it. How did you guys suddenly split up like that? After all these year, was there some kind of mix–up or what?]
Marina: [He cheated. What, you think I should keep him around as a holiday ornament or something?]
Instead of texting, Yara went straight for a voice call.
Marina raised an eyebrow, swiped to answer, put the call on speaker, and set her phone aside.
Yara’s concerned voice came through right away.
“Marina, is that for real? Did Lavern actually cheat on you? How would he–he loves you so much! Are you sure there’s not some mistake?”
Marina’s gaze grew frosty for a second.
‘So she wants to put on an act?‘ Marina thought sarcastically. ‘Fin, I’ll play along.
Marina let out a deep sigh, her tone laced with grief.
“That woman was practically dancing in my face with their affair How could I be wrong about this? She even kept a love journal and kept sending me messages just to rub it in.”
“I wish it was all just a bad dream, but she’s pregnant, and Laver even got his mom to look after her.”
Yara stayed quiet for a long time, clearly at a loss for words.
Marina sighed. “Yara, what else could I do except walk away before things get worse? A cheating cat never just does it once,
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the same goes for men
Yara volve dropped noticeably softer, clearly affected by what he’d just heard.
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Marina, may be that woman was the one who went after Lavern You know how successful he is now. There are always women out there looking to stir up trouble for a guy like him.”
He just messed up and gave in to temptation for a moment. Are you really not going to give him another shot?”
Marina let out a cold, mocking laugh. She wasn’t fooled by Yara probing at all.
Yara, did Lavern send you to talk me into taking him back?”
Yara rushed to deny it. Of course not! I just think it’s such a waste to throw away all those years you two spent together. Are you really okay with letting some other woman have him?”
Marina smirked, her voice oozing confidence, sounding like she had everything under control.
Yara, this breakup is just a strategic move for now. It’s not permanent.”
After a long pause, Yara finally spoke up, pretending not to understand.
“Marina, I don’t really get what you mean.”
Marina replied, “Cheating once means he’ll do it again.
“If I really want to fix him, I’ll just let him be with that woman for now. When their little fling fizzles out, I’ll swoop in and take him back. Lavern will end up right where he belongs–with me. And that woman? She’ll know exactly how it feels to lose something she thought she’d won.”
Yara went quiet.
Marina smirked. “Yara, why so quiet? Or do you think my plan’s not right?”
Yara’s breathing was a little shaky. “Of course not, Marina. You’re so smart.”
She couldn’t help but ask another question.
“But how can you be sure Lavern will actually go along with your plan?”
Marina replied softly, “Because we’ve got seven years of history together, and Ross Group is still there.”
Yara went completely silent, and after a moment, she quickly made up an excuse to end the call.
Marina stared at the chat screen with Yara, her beautiful eyes turning icy.
I wonder how that little time bomb I just dropped in Yara’s head will blow up in Lavern’s face soon, Marina thought to
herself.
Marina exited the chat, feeling absolutely delighted at the thought of Yara losing her mind, driving herself nuts with suspicion over Lavern.
People who steal dogs are always worried the dog will run back its real owner, so they keep it on a short leash.
Let’s see if Yara can actually keep Lavern on a leash, Marina thought, a sly smile tugging at her lips.
Lunch break.
After lunch, Marina leaned back in her office chair, scrolling through her phone. She hesitated for a moment, then shot
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Chapter 120
Daron a message.
Marina: [Up for a game?]
ས ཏྲཱ, 23%–
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Yesterday, Daron hadn’t invited her to play after he got home, and with everything she had going on, it had totally slipped her mind.
Daron: [Handling some business.]
Marina: [Alright, I’ll let you get back to work.]
Just as she was about to close the chat, Daron sent another message–a photo.
In the photo, Lavern was sitting up straight on the couch, hands on his knees. He looked like he was trying to win someone over, but couldn’t quite bring himself to fully humble himself.
Marina: [What the hell?]
Daron: [He’s here trying to pitch an investment to me.]
Marina: [……]
Inside Daron’s office.
Lavern sat on the couch, watching as Daron stayed glued to his phone. He even snapped a photo of Lavern right in front of him, leaving Lavern so confused he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Lavern did his best to hold onto his pride, not wanting to look like he was begging for anything in front of Daron.
But Daron was so wrapped up in his phone, it was like Lavern didn’t even exist. So Lavern finally spoke up.
“Chatting with your girlfriend, huh, Mr. Zamora?”
Daron paused mid–text. “What makes you say that?”
Lavern smiled. “Back when I was crazy about my fiancée, I always had to let her know where I was, no matter what. Sometimes I really miss those times.”
Daron set his phone down and looked up. “Oh yeah? If you misst so much, then why did you cheat?”
Lavern’s face went stiff. He hadn’t expected Daron to just say it straight to his face like that.
Feeling guilty, he shifted his gaze away, couldn’t bring himself to look Daron in the eye.
“I just lost my head for a moment,” Layern mumbled.
“But don’t worry, Mr. Zamora. Ross Group isn’t going to suffer just because of my drama with Marina. Ross Group is basically our kid–we both want to see it thrive.”
After saying that, Lavern picked up his teacup and took a small sp, trying to hide his guilt and steady his nerves.
He couldn’t let Daron see him show any weakness.
Lavern had already braced himself for Daron to give him a hard time, and he’d rehearsed all the lines he needed to win him
over.
But instead, Daron just gave him a meaningful smile.
I’m not in the habit of raising someone else’s kid,” Daron said.
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Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
