Chapter 5

Chloe's POV

The interview video was released anyway.

Summer's team was highly skilled at editing.

They cut out all of my counterattacks, leaving only Summer's sharp questions and my silent, tense expressions.

The video was posted with a highly provocative title:

The Truth Behind the Billionaire Alliance: Love, or a Financial Trap?

Once published, it immediately went viral on Twitter and TikTok.

Summer's fans shared it like crazy, dragging my name through the mud.

"So she did force him into marriage! How shameless!"

"No wonder Mr. Hudson doesn't love her. Who would want a gold-digger who blackmails her way into a family?"

"I feel so bad for Summer. She got bullied by this evil CEO just for exposing the truth!"

"Liam and Summer are the real soulmates! Boycott the forced marriage!"

I sat in my dark apartment, watching the vicious comments stream down my phone screen.

My expression remained blank.

It felt like I was reading a story about someone else.

On the coffee table lay a stack of wedding invitations.

Our names, "Liam Hudson" and "Chloe Vance," were printed side-by-side. It looked like a massive joke now.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from Liam.

Liam: Don't worry about the video. Summer needs the publicity right now. Once the hype dies down, I'll have PR handle it.

Looking at the text, I found it laughably absurd.

He had pushed me off a cliff, letting the entire internet tear me apart, just to generate traffic for his mistress.

And then he casually dismissed it with "don't worry."

I didn't reply.

I tossed my phone aside, stood up, and walked into my study.

Inside the safe lay a dusty wooden box.

I opened it to find an old, discontinued phone model.

I plugged in the charger and powered it on.

The lock screen lit up, showing a blurry photo of a man's back.

He was wearing a black trench coat, his posture tall and imposing, radiating a dangerous, untouchable coldness.

Ethan Hudson.

The true, formidable heir of the Hudson family, and Liam's older half-brother.

He was also... my former fiancé.

Three years ago.

On the eve of my wedding to Ethan.

Liam had knelt outside the Vance mansion in a torrential storm for an entire day and night.

He had grabbed my hand, his eyes red as he begged me, "Chloe, don't marry him. I love you. Run away with me."

Back then, I was blinded by Liam's dramatic display of affection. In a moment of madness, I made the most reckless decision of my life.

I ran away from my own wedding.

I abandoned Ethan, the ruthless, terrifying man everyone feared, and ran away with Liam.

The Hudson family was furious.

Ethan became the laughingstock of New York high society.

Yet, he didn't unleash his wrath. He didn't send men to hunt me down.

He simply stood at the wedding venue, calmly announced the cancellation, and boarded a flight out of the country that very day.

It had been three years.

Ethan had never returned.

And I had paid a devastating price for my impulsive mistake.

I thought I was running toward love.

Instead, I had leaped straight into an abyss.

I took a deep breath, my fingers trembling as I dialed the number I hadn't touched in three years.

The line rang for a long time.

So long that I feared he had changed his number.

Just as I was about to hang up, the call connected.

There was no greeting.

Only the sound of faint breathing and the sharp click of a lighter.

I gripped the phone, my knuckles turning white.

"...Ethan," I whispered, my voice hoarse.

The other end remained silent for two seconds.

Then, a deep, magnetic, and freezing voice cut through the line.

"Chloe Vance."

Just hearing him speak my name made my chest tighten with a suffocating pressure.

"It's me," I said, closing my eyes.

"Is there a reason you're calling?" Ethan's voice was completely flat, as if he were talking to a stranger.

"How... how have you been?" I didn't know how to start.

"If you called just to make small talk, you can hang up."

"Wait!" I blurted out.

I bit my lip, making up my mind.

"Ethan, do you want to make a bet with me?"

A faint, mocking chuckle came from the other end.

"What makes you think I would ever play games with you again?"

"Because you didn't destroy me three years ago," my voice steadied. "Ethan, I know you hate me. I am giving you a chance to get your revenge."

"Speak."

"Next month on the eighth, it's my wedding with Liam." I paused. "If he abandons me at the altar, I will marry you right then and there."

The air seemed to freeze.

Even across half the globe, I could feel the terrifying chill radiating from Ethan.

"Chloe, what do you think I am?" Ethan's voice dropped low, laced with dangerous anger. "A trash bin for my brother's leftovers?"

"No," I opened my eyes, my gaze resolute. "I am treating you as my only way out."

The line fell silent again.

Only the rhythmic click, click of his lighter echoed in the quiet night.

Every flick of the flame seemed to beat against my heart.

After what felt like an eternity.

Ethan finally spoke.

"And if he doesn't abandon you?"

"Then I will transfer thirty percent of the Vance Group's shares to you, free of charge," I said without hesitation.

"Chloe, you are out of your mind."

"Do you dare to bet?"

"Fine," Ethan's voice held a trace of ruthless amusement. "I'll be there on the eighth. Chloe, this is your last chance. If you dare to play me again..."

"I won't," I interrupted. "Ethan, I'll be waiting."

I hung up.

My strength evaporated, and I slid down onto the cold floor.

My back was drenched in sweat.

I knew I was playing with fire.

Ethan was a sleeping beast. Once provoked, he would tear me apart without leaving even a bone behind.

But I didn't care anymore.

If Liam wanted to drag my dignity through the mud.

Then I would flip the table and make sure everyone burned with me.