Chapter 6

That night, Frey Group made the rare move of releasing an official statement. The headline read, "The One Who Isn't Loved Is the Mistress", accompanied by a lawyer's letter warning netizens. Nathan personally reposted it, even pinning it to the top of his profile. Within minutes, the announcement shot straight to the top of the trending list. Patricia even paid a whole army of trolls to flood Phyllis' comment section. They claimed to champion true love while spreading lies everywhere. "You can't have kids, but you still won't step aside. Didn't you do it on purpose?" "You just care about money and status. How dare you call Patricia the mistress? You're the real homewrecker." "Phyllis, get out of the Frey residence and give Patricia her rightful place." At first, Phyllis didn't react. She thought it was nothing more than a cheap trick, not even worth a response. Some fair-minded netizens spoke up for her, defending her against the trolls. But three hours later, Nathan came home with dozens of bodyguards. "Lissy, be good, okay? As long as you put out a statement admitting you're the mistress, this will all be over." He reached out a hand to touch her, but she instinctively turned her head away with clear disgust in her eyes. She stepped back to widen the distance. "Nathan, why should I admit to something that's completely fabricated? You and I both know who the real third party is." Her tone was firm, unwilling to give an inch. Nathan furrowed his brow and sighed. "Lissy, Patricia is your sister. You know she can't handle public criticism. Can't you just be the bigger person?" He sank back onto the sofa like a man worn out. "You weren't like this before." He looked disappointed, as though she were the one in the wrong. A sharp laugh escaped her. Phyllis crossed her arms as her red lips curled in mockery. "And you never twisted the truth like this before. Nathan, you know perfectly well this isn't about me being petty. It's about you playing favorites." With that, she grabbed the laptop from the sofa and turned to leave, but the bodyguards at the door blocked her on his signal. "Lissy, don't blame me." His voice was cold, stripped of any warmth. In an instant, several other bodyguards brought in a glass display case. Her eyes widened in shock. The trophies inside gleamed under the light. There were 27 of them in total. Each one represented her hard work and years of achievements. After so many years of sharing a bed with him, she instantly knew what he was planning. She dropped her laptop bag and rushed forward to take the trophies down. Nathan grabbed her shoulders from behind and pulled her into his arms, holding her in place. "Lissy, the only things you care about in this world besides me are these trophies. If they were all smashed, wouldn't you be heartbroken?" Before she could answer, the first trophy was smashed with a hammer. Then the second… the third… Phyllis' body grew cold, and her heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. The pain made each breath shaky and labored. He stroked her cheek tenderly while coaxing her, "Lissy, if you put out the statement now and clear Patricia of all blame, you can keep the rest." He knew how much she valued her career. He knew she treated these trophies like her life. That was why he chose this way to threaten her. After all, she loved him so much. She'd cool off in a while, and then he could sweet-talk her, and everything would go back to normal. Moments later, she collapsed to the floor, reaching out to gather the shattered pieces of the trophies as hot tears streamed down her face, one by one. Her voice was tinged with emptiness and defeat. "You win, Nathan. I'll post the statement just like you want…" And so, under his watchful gaze, she posted a statement. "I'm the mistress, and Patricia is the victim." Closing the laptop, she looked up at him coldly. "Are you happy now? Or do you have more crimes you want me to confess to? Just say them all now." Perhaps because of her strange calmness, a faint unease stirred in Nathan's chest. He waved the bodyguards away. Just as he was about to sit down and soothe her, the ringtone he'd set for Patricia suddenly rang. Whatever was said on the other end caused him to throw Phyllis an apologetic glance. He then rushed out. Phyllis cleaned up the mess alone, then went to the basement to open a heavy safe. There were three mysterious files inside, containing all the evidence against Patricia that could also make Nathan regret it for the rest of his life.