Chapter 8 Jessica #2
No one in the room had expected Ivan to ever hit Rose. Even though it had always been obvious that his heart belonged to Jessica Morgan, Rose had still been the woman he was supposed to marry. Yet now he had slapped her and seemed to have no remorse whatsoever.
Ivan leaned back, his expression hardening.
“Think whatever you want. I don’t give a damn about your opinion. She’ll come back to me on her own,” he said dismissively. “She knows it was her fault. She broke something important to me. I lost my temper. That’s all.”
Zoe stared at him for a long moment.
Then she let out a disbelieving laugh.
“You really think she’s going to come back to you?”
Ivan said nothing, but the confidence in his expression made his answer obvious.
Zoe let out a bitter laugh.
“Keep dreaming, Ivan Carrington.”
Her voice dropped, each word turning colder.
“She’s not going to need your fucking apology anymore. So don’t bother wasting your breath. She already has a husband who loves her.”
She remained standing in front of him, her eyes fixed on his with open disdain.
“She doesn’t need an asshole like you for a husband anyway.”
Terrence, Brian, and Adam all froze.
Their expressions shifted to shock as they exchanged stunned looks. Ivan’s head snapped toward Zoe, the color draining from his face as her words finally sank in.
Zoe noticed his reaction and gave a bitter laugh.
“Did you really think she was going to keep waiting for you?” she asked, shaking her head. “How stupid do you have to be to believe Rose is going to come back to you after you hit her? Don’t worry about it. She’s never coming back.”
Ivan scoffed, quickly masking his shock with irritation.
“How long are you going to keep lying for her?” he demanded. “Aren’t you tired of making up one ridiculous story after another? Listen to yourself. Anyone can see through you, Zoe.”
Zoe stared at him as though he had just said something unbelievably stupid.
Then she scoffed.
“She’s already married.”
Ivan’s expression tightened.
“She’s married to a man who is a thousand times better than you, and while you sit here convinced she’ll come crawling back, she’ll be moving on with her life. You’re going to spend the rest of your life regretting the moment you lost her.”
Her voice hardened.
“Rose is a fucking angel, and I’m glad she’s finally free from a monster like you.”
Zoe pulled out her phone, opened a photograph, and thrust the screen toward him.
“Look. Whose name is this?”
Ivan stared at the image.
It was a photograph of a marriage certificate. Rose’s name was clearly visible in it, while the husband’s name, date, and other identifying details had been deliberately blurred.
“This is her marriage certificate,” Zoe said firmly. “You can see her name right there.”
Ivan’s expression hardened.
“I could print a fake certificate like that in five minutes.”
Zoe stared at him as if he were an idiot.
“Something fake like this?”
She reached into her bag and pulled out the engagement ring Ivan had given Rose.
She tossed it directly at his chest.
The ring bounced off him and landed in his lap.
“She doesn’t need this anymore.”
Zoe’s eyes narrowed.
“Keep your fake promises, your fake ring, and your fake relationship. Just stay away from her. You don’t deserve her.”
She turned on her heel and stormed out without waiting for his response.
Ivan remained frozen for a moment, his anger slowly boiling over.
Then he let out a furious laugh.
“Rose is never going to change. There’s always some fucking drama with her. She just wants me to give in first. This is another one of her stupid tricks to piss me off.”
Terrence stared at him.
“Are you really sure it’s just drama?”
Ivan’s expression tightened.
“What else would it be?”
“What if it’s true?” Terrence asked. “What if she really got married?”
Ivan said nothing.
“And even if it isn’t true, you still slapped Rose,” Terrence continued. “You should be trying to make things right with her instead of sitting here acting like you did nothing wrong. Are you seriously not going to admit your mistake?”
Ivan looked frustrated, almost incredulous.
“No.”
He leaned back against the couch, his arrogance returning.
“Rose was the one who had a crush on me first. She’s the one who can’t live without me—not the other way around. She’ll come back once she realizes I’m not going to bow to her.”
Before anyone could respond, a figure appeared beyond the privacy surrounding their seating area.
Everyone turned toward the figure.
Jessica stepped inside.
She was dressed in a low-cut red dress that hugged her curves, her appearance clearly chosen for a night at the club. She walked toward them with a confident smile before taking a seat beside Ivan.
“Why is everyone so gloomy?” she asked lightly.
Adam, Brian, and Terrence exchanged uncomfortable glances. A heavy silence settled over the group.
Jessica seemed oblivious to it.
She slipped her arm through Ivan’s and leaned comfortably against him before looking around with a sweet smile.
“Where’s Rose? Hasn’t she come over yet?”
Terrence’s eyes dropped to Jessica’s arm wrapped around Ivan’s.
The sight clearly disgusted him.
He looked at Ivan, his expression hardening.