A sharp headache hit Ethan Blackwell.
Every single time Tiffany Ashford and that child came up, Nina Blackwell reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, ready to scratch someone to pieces.
He opened his mouth, about to tell her to “be reasonable” again, but the tears shimmering in her eyes threw him off for a second.
The blame on his tongue got stuck there and wouldn’t come out.
In the end, he let out a helpless sigh and said in a cold voice, “I never did anything to betray you.”
Nina was so mad she almost laughed.
He had a child with his mistress, brought that mistress openly to public events, and stomped her dignity as the lawful wife straight into the dirt.
What exactly counted as betrayal to him?
“Believe it or not, Tiffany and I have always been completely innocent.
Nothing ever happened between us that wronged you.
But you—”
Ethan actually turned it around and questioned Nina instead.
“What’s going on between you and Roland Calnan?”
“And who was that foreign man who picked up your phone that day?
He even called you something like ‘my little princess’?”
The more he spoke, the angrier he got.
His jaw tightened, his tone turning harsher.
“Who gave you permission to block my number?
And why haven’t you come back to work at Platinum Palace for so many days?”
“Answer me, Nina!” Ethan reached out, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look straight at him.
His dark eyes were full of pressure.
“What are you making a scene about this time?
Wouldn’t it be better if we just went back to how things used to be?”
Again, she was the one “making a scene.”
Again, it was all somehow her fault.
Nina snapped.
Without holding back, she drove her knee up hard, straight between the man’s legs.
“Ugh—!” Ethan let out a muffled groan, his face changing instantly.
He bent over and clutched the most fragile part of himself, still unable to believe this ruthless little woman had actually gone for him like that.
“Those garbage old days?
Whoever likes them can keep them.
You want me living under the same roof as some pregnant side chick?
Yeah right, keep dreaming!”
It was like Ethan was something filthy she couldn’t get away from fast enough.
The presidential guard saw her come out alone and immediately stretched out an arm to stop her.
“Sorry, without an order from His Excellency the President, you cannot leave on your own.”
Nina turned and looked back at Ethan inside the room.
What, now he wanted to restrict her freedom too?
By then, Ethan had already straightened up.
The pain on his face was gone, and he had put back on that cold, distant, highborn calm he always wore in front of other people.
He stared at Nina Blackwell with a dark, heavy look for a long moment.
In the end, he flicked two fingers at the security detail, and only then did they step aside.
Nina didn’t even turn around.
She strode off in big, sharp steps, her back straight and cold, like she’d cut the whole scene off with one clean blade.
Ethan Blackwell ran the tip of his tongue over the split on his lip where she’d bitten him.
His head was still full of the strange, electric taste of that kiss just now.
The little stray cat he’d personally brought home and kept safe—since when had she learned to bare claws and teeth at him?
And thinking about how furious she was this time, and how long she’d probably keep this up, made his temples throb all over again.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Vera Blackwell had fully come to.
She was so mad at Nina she felt like her lungs were about to blow, and Tiffany Ashford was right there beside her, fanning the flames nonstop.
“Nina usually acts so sweet and sensible.
Who would’ve thought she could make up something that vicious to attack me and Ethan?”
“I’m fine, honestly.
She’s always hated me anyway, so I’m used to it.
But Ethan has treated her so well all these years.
How could she be so cruel that she’d hurt even him?”
Tiffany knew better than anyone how much Vera treasured Ethan, her son.
Every single line she said landed right on Vera’s sore spot, no miss, straight crit. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
After all, their branch of the Blackwell family had basically been invisible for years.
It was only because Ethan had become president that Vera had shot straight to the top and turned into the kind of elite society wife everyone rushed to flatter.
Anyone who dared mess with Ethan was asking to die in her eyes.
Stella Blackwell had long since come to hate Nina to the bone, so she instantly piled on.
“Sweet and sensible?
Please.
That bitch has been faking it from day one.”
“My brother must’ve seen through her real face ages ago.
That’s why he never made her identity public.
She dares lay hands on Mom today—give it time, and she’ll become a full-on disaster for the whole Blackwell family.”
Then she let out a long, dramatic sigh.
“My poor brother.
If he hadn’t been trying to fulfill Grandpa’s wishes, he would’ve married Tiffany home ages ago.
Would we be living in this kind of mess now?
No way.”
The more Vera listened, the more she felt they were absolutely right.
“Divorce!” she spat through gritted teeth.
“I’m making Ethan kick that shameless bitch out of the Blackwell family today.”
That was exactly the line Tiffany had been waiting for.
She hurried to pour on more oil.
“Ethan did want to divorce her.
He even signed the divorce papers.
But who knows what trick she used—the papers were withdrawn from Congress afterward.”
“What?!” The moment Vera heard that, she nearly exploded again.
“That damned little slut, all she knows is how to use cheap seduction tricks to hook men.”
She’d never liked Nina’s background to begin with, and she also hated that Nina was too pretty, fully convinced a face like that would only ruin Ethan’s future.
“Mom, you have to teach her a lesson.
You can’t let my sister-in-law and your grandson be wronged like this.” Stella secretly shot Tiffany a look.
The two of them had long been on the same team.
Tiffany answered with a knowing smile.
But that smile only made it halfway before freezing on her face—
At some point, Nina was already standing right behind the three of them.