Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 221 Pressure "What should I do now?" Cassandra Sarano muttered as she paced her apartment, her voice sharp and tired. Her large panda eyes reflected in the mirror she passed. Since receiving the news of that announcement last night, Cassandra had been tense. She barely slept. She barely even ate.

She punched another number into her phone and pressed it against her ear, waiting.

It rang. And rang. No one answered.

She cursed under her breath and tried again. She circled the living room, stepping over piles of clothes she hadn't bothered to pick up last night. Her hand tightened around the phone. She called again, stubbornly Still nothing.

Then the door to her apartment slammed open. Cassandra nearly dropped her phone as she turned.

Her manager Lianne stormed in, face twisted in fury. "Are you out of your mind?" Cassandra scowled. "What the hell are you doing barging in here?" "What the hell are you doing hiding here?" the manager snapped back, throwing a folder onto the coffee table. "Do you have any idea what's going on outside? Do you have any idea what you've done?" Cassandra tossed her phone onto the couch and crossed her arms. "It's not like that-" "What were you thinking, accusing Liam Horvath?" her manager shouted. "Do you even understand the consequences of your actions? This isn't stabloid stunt! This is defamation. It's a felony if they push it! They have proof, Cassandra! They're going to destroy you!" Cassandra pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to scream. "I thought he would be pressured into marrying me," she said finally, her voice cracking. "Pressured into marrying you?" Her manager stared at her like she had lost her mind. "In what world," the woman said, stabbing a finger toward her, "in what world does a man marry a woman because of pressure? What is this, the 1970s? The '80s? You think a lawsuit would make Liam Horvath propose to you?" Cassandra glared at her. "It wasn't supposed to go this far." The manager let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, it went far, alright. You just buried your career six feet under! It was clear that it was you who tipped the media off about that 'arrest' that wasn't really an arrest! What were you thinking Cass?" Cassandra turned away, grabbing the back of the chair for support. She squeezed it tightly.

She remembered Olivier's voice in her ear, steady and convincing. Trust me, Cassandra. Accuse him. The world will believe you, your millions of fans will help you. I'll handle the rest. I'll support you. He had promised her a seat in several upcoming international films. He promised her that Horvath Holdings' media branches would promote her career. He even slipped her a packet of documents- shares in a smaller entertainment company tied to Horvath Holdings. It looked clean. It looked safe.

It's not about the money, he had told her. It's about securing your future. If Isabella is out of the way, the board will need a fresh face beside Liam. Someone like you. You'll be untouchable.

At the time, it had made perfect sense. She liked Liam. She wanted him. She wasn't doing this just for the for the money. She was fighting for something real-something she had imagined ever since she first laid eyes on him.

But now, standing here with the weight of reality crashing down around her, the plan sounded more and more like a bad dream.

Her manager paced the room, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Do you realize you signed your non that statement? You can't just say you changed your mind now. If Horvath's legal team files, you're looking at a career- ending lawsuit. And jail, Cassandra. Actual jail." Cassandra gritted her teeth. "I didn't have a choice." The manager whipped around to face her. "You always have a choice! You chose wrong. And now you have about two hours to figure out how to clean this up before Horvath Holdings buries you for good." Cassandra's mind spun, but she forced herself to stay calm. She still had Olivier. He wouldn't abandon her. Not after everything he promised.

At least, she hoped he wouldn't.

Without another word, she snatched her phone off the couch and dialed again. This time, she wasn't calling Celeste.

She was calling Olivier.

He owed her that much.

Her manager didn't give her tto breathe. She stepped closer, jabbing a finger toward Cassandra's face. "You need to tell your fans to stop attacking Liam and Isabella Rossi. Immediately." Pressure Cassandra's head snapped up. "Why would 15-7" "Because if you don't, you're going to lose everything." Her manager threw another folder onto the coffee table. "Half the brands you work with already pulled out. Cancelled. Just like that." Cassandra's stomach dropped. She grabbed the folder with shaking hands and flipped it open. Email after email. Termination notices. Public relations statements. Apologies were issued on her behalf that she never wrote.

She looked up, her mouth dry.

"That's not all," her manager said, folding her arms. "The company is thinking of dropping you too." "What?" Cassandra's voice cracked. "They can't-" "They can. And they will if you don't fix this." Panic clawed at her chest. Cassandra struggled to find her voice. "I thought-I thought Isabella would divorce Liam. I thought when she saw the news aboutand him... she would think he cheated and leave." Her manager let out a harsh breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You thought wrong" Cassandra felt her throat tighten. "But there was a report-there were photos! It made sense-" "Think about it for a second!" her manager snapped. She stepped closer, lowering her voice like she was explaining something to a child. "That night? The so-called 'dinner' they reported? It wasn't even a dinner. You and Liarn were never seated together. You barely exchanged a word." Cassandra shook her head. "But the photos-" "Exactly. The photos," her manager said. "Photos taken from a bad angle, making it look like something it wasn't. And guess what? I checked." Cassandra stared at her. "Checked what?" "The news sites that posted it," her manager said. "I tried contacting the people who sold them the story." "And?" Cassandra's voice barely cout.

"They didn't even take the photos themselves," her manager said. "They received them anonymously. Someone gave those photos to the tabloids. Someone who wanted them to publish it immediately." Cassandra's mind blanked. She forced herself to swallow. "What are you saying?" Her manager dropped onto the couch and stared at her. "I'm saying it might have been a setup." Cassandra blinked at her, her heart hammering.

Her manager leaned forward. "Think about it. Everything was too convenient. You just happened to be in the srestaurant. You just happened to be photographed from the perfect angle to suggest something. And the story broke within an hour. No verification. No cross-checking."

She gave a humorless laugh. "It smells staged. Someone wanted the narrative out there fast. And not just any narrative the perfect one to provoke you." Cassandra gripped the edge of the chair so hard her knuckles turned white. "You think Liam Horvath planned it?" "I think it's possible or one of his enemies," her manager said. "Billionaires play different games than we do, Cass. They don' t think like us. This could have been a trap. A push to make you react. A way to expose who's really behind the attacks."

Cassandra's pulse pounded in her ears. She remembered Olivier's offer.

er's offer.

His promises. The way he had LOV practically shoved the idea into her hands, painting it like it was the easiest path to happiness. She clutched at her stomach, nausea rising.

"Someone set you up," her manager said. "And you walked right into it." Subscribed