After the divorce, he begged

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Chapter 97

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With her arms crossed, Yannie teased Rebecca, “So, you've turned into a wimp ever since you split from Jeffrey?

That's not the bold Rebecca Alexander talked about.”

“Says the famous Yannis-aren’t you nothing like your reputation either?” Rebecca shot right back.

Yannie stepped in closer and asked, “Oh? And what's my reputation supposed to be?”

Rebecca shot back, “Wouldn't you know better than anyone? Weren't you the one who started most of those

rumors yourself?” After all these years married to Jeffrey, Rebecca knew pretty much everyone in this circle.

Yannie paused, caught off guard by Rebecca's reply. She asked, “Did Jeffrey tell you that?”

“Do | really need him to?” Rebecca retorted.

Yannie asked, “Am | really that easy to read?”

Rebecca replied, “Not at all. If people didn’t actually get to know you, they'd really think you're just that spoiled,

entitled heiress everyone talks about.”

Yannie asked, “Then what was the point of everything you just said?”

Rebecca said, “I just happened to see you once-you were all high and mighty, throwing water at someone, and

then you turned around and had someone pay them off big time.”

If Rebecca hadn't seen that, she'd never have realized Yannie was simply acting. It baffled her that Yannie would

go to such lengths to maintain the facade, given the affection and privilege she received at home.

Yannie asked, “Who did you tell this to?”

Rebecca said, “Oh? You really care about that?”

Yannie rubbed her brow, feeling exasperated. She thought, ‘Seriously, why is it that every tI'm around her, |

can't keep a secret to save my life?’

Rebecca said, “If you promise not to make a fuss about that incident at the party two years ago, I'll tell you

exactly who I've talked to. And | swear | won't tell anyone else.”

Rebecca’s main worry about Yannic picking a fight was that Jeffrey had once publicly humiliated Yannie to stand

up for her.

Yannie asked, “Are you threatening me?”

Rebecca admitted, “I am.”

Yannie closed the distance between them, now close enough to practically count Rebecca's lashes. She said,

“You think I'm scared of you? Don’t forget, Jeffrey’s not here to cover for you anymore.”

Rebecca shrugged, completely unfazed. She said, “But I’ve got Jessica.”

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Yannie's lips curled into a half-smirk, and for a split second, she actually felt a twinge of jealousy for that lifelong

bond Rebecca had with Jessica.

Rebecca honestly didn’t need another person gunning for her-especially right now. She tried to reason with

Yannie.

She said, “Look, | get that Jeffrey was pretty intense with how he dealt with things, but you did throw the first

punch.”

“So what?” Yannie shot back, tilting her chin, her spoiled heiress attitude fully switched on.

Rebecca said, “How about | just say sorry and we wipe the slate clean?”

Yannie said, “I chere with those spoiled brats. If they see you walk out looking totally untouched, they'll

think I'm turning soft.”

Rebecca immediately scooped up water and started wildly splashing it onto her own face and clothes.

Yannie asked, “Seriously, what are you doing?”

Rebecca said, “I'll walk out drenched, and even if | don’t say a word, they'll know it was you. That way, your

tough-girl image won't take a hit.”

Yannie froze for a beat, shock written across her face. She studied Rebecca; for a split second, she swore she

caught a glint of unshakable resolve buried deep in that soft gaze.

Yannie thought, ‘Bankruptcy hit the Jensen family, and Jeffrey dumped her.

‘She went from Mrs. Hanson, living in the lap of luxury with all the designer goods and endless spending she

could wish for, to just another nine-to-fiver scraping by on a paycheck.

‘After such a tic fall from grace, how does she manage to keep her head held high?‘

When Yannie still didn’t answer, Rebecca pressed, “So, what do you think?”

Yannie whipped out her phone and aimed it at Rebecca. She said, “Alright, but lettake a few pics first. If you

ever ratout, I'll blast these embarrassing shots of you everywhere.”

“Deal, Rebecca replied, flashing a peace sign without batting an eye.

Yannie swatted Rebecca’s hand down and snapped several quick photos.

After that, she asked, “You're just lettingtake all these photos? Aren't you worried I'll blast your

embarrassing pics everywhere?” She couldn’t figure out what was going on inside Rebecca's head.

Rebecca said, “I don’t mind-just a few photos. If you want to post them, go ahead. No matter what you write

with them, | trust you have your reasons.”

Yannie couldn’t deal with that attitude. She spat, “Insane,” and then stalked off.

Though Yannie feigned disgust, she couldn't deny the impact of Rebecca’s words: her long-numbed heart

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quivered, warmth seeped into the hollow of her chest, and a faint spark stirred back to life.

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Rebecca finally relaxed a bit, relieved that Yannie had stopped her relentless grilling. She figured she’d cleared

this hurdle-but the real pain was still to come: Sterling and Barclay were way more vicious than Yannie.

If it weren't for the fact that leaving the anniversary party halfway through would definitely get her marked by

the higher-ups and make her life miserable, Rebecca would have ditched this place in a heartbeat.

Yannic suddenly stopped and turned back to look at her. She called out, “Rebecca.”

Rebecca asked, “What?”

Yannie said, “Sterling and Barclay are here, too. They're way tougher than me, so just watch yourself.”

“Thanks,” Rebecca replied softly, genuinely grateful.

Yannie muttered, “Stupid.” With that, she turned and walked away without another word.

The moment she stepped outside, the complicated look on her face disappeared, replaced by a cool confidence.

The rest of the group spotted Yannie and strolled over. Sterling asked, “So, did you have your fun in there or

what?”

Yannie smirked and replied, “Gave her a full-on soaking. She couldnt have looked more pathetic if she tried.”

Barclay asked, “And where'd she go?”

Yannie replied, “She was still in the restroom when | left. Not sure where she is now. What, you guys want a piece

of the action too?”

“None of your business,” Sterling said, sharing a knowing look with Barclay, barely able to hide their grins. He

asked, “We've got sstuff to talk to Jason about. You heading out now or waiting for us?”

Yannie didn’t buy what he said, but she didn’t call them out on it. She said, “We'll see.”

Stanley caught every word of their conversation from his perch on the second floor. He kept an eye on

everything happening below and flipped through the security feeds to get the full story.

Just as he was racking his brain about how to get Sterling and Barclay out of the way, one of the monitors

showed Rebecca stumbling down the hallway, drenched from hair to clothes. She looked like a total mess- about

as miserable as it gets.

Stanley nearly lost it for a second. He grabbed a screenshot from the camera and shot it straight to Jeffrey.

He added a message: [Rebecca just got bullied by Yannie so bad in the restroom-should we just let this slide or

step in and do something about it?)

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