Playing the Villain

Nadine’s knees gave out. She crumpled against the polished mahogany table and slid down, hitting the cold floor of the conference room with a hollow thud. The ironclad digital trail Donovan presented laid bare her machinations, leaving her with nowhere to hide. Her usual poise vanished, replaced by a pale, trembling shell of a woman who realized she had underestimated the man she served. She never expected Donovan to be so merciless when dealing with matters related to her.

Felix looked like a man who had just watched his personal deity shatter into a million jagged pieces. His eyes were bloodshot. He scrambled forward and grabbed Nadine’s limp arm, his voice cracking under the strain. “You really did this? You... Why would you?”

Arthur stepped in. He seized his son by the collar and yanked him backward with brute force, embarrassed by the pathetic display. “What else could be the reason? She is jealous and wants to take Mrs. Vance's place at his side.”

Felix staggered back. He stared at the woman on the floor in sheer disbelief. “You are in love with Donovan? No, that is impossible!”

Arthur rubbed his temples, feeling an impending headache throbbing behind his eyes. He wondered just how foolish his son could be. The reality of the situation was clear as day to every single executive sitting around the long table.

Chloe sat quietly in her chair, sharing Arthur's exact sentiment.

*Yeah, he really is blind. Felix is so into Ms. Croft, yet he has no idea Ms. Croft has been madly in love with Donovan for a decade.*

Chloe lifted her gaze just in time to see a distinct flicker of genuine shock cross Donovan's otherwise composed face.

*Wait, what? Do not tell me Donovan never realized Ms. Croft had feelings for him. He is such a dense man!*

Donovan felt a sudden, searing heat rise in his cheeks. His sharp expression faltered for a fraction of a second. He gripped the edge of the table to steady himself. He had genuinely, naively believed this entire ordeal was a standard case of cutthroat corporate espionage. He assumed an enemy corporation had bribed his secretary to steal trade secrets and use his wife as a convenient scapegoat. The revelation that Nadine harbored deep, romantic feelings for him over the years was a blind spot he never saw coming.

Nadine caught the subtle shift in Donovan’s demeanor. Panic seized her chest as the reality of her ruin settled in. She scrambled to her knees, looking at him with wide, anxious eyes.

“No, no! I do not have any ulterior motives!” Nadine cried out defensively, her voice echoing off the glass walls. “Yes, I did all that, but it is nothing like what you think! I did all this to help Jocelyn!”

The bustling conference room fell into a deathly silence. The executives stopped whispering. The air grew thick and heavy at the mere mention of that name. Jocelyn was widely known in their social circles as Donovan's first crush, the woman who had heartlessly abandoned him years ago.

Donovan's expression hardened instantly. “What did you say?”

“Jocelyn is coming home.” Nadine spat the words out like a lifeline.

Donovan widened his eyes. He shot a brief, uneasy glance toward Chloe.

*Ah, Jocelyn. I know her. They were once deemed a match made in heaven in high society before she left him.*

Donovan swallowed hard, surprised that his current wife knew the intimate details of his past. He turned his attention back to the woman weeping on the floor. Her claim made no logical sense. He demanded to know what his past relationship had to do with her current corporate crimes.

Nadine lowered her head, feigning immense distress. She played the role of a martyr forced into an impossible corner. “Jocelyn and I are the best of friends. She was forced to leave you back then. I did not want the two of you to miss out on a second chance at love because of a misunderstanding. I know you will not divorce without a rock-solid reason. That is why I took it upon myself to frame Chloe. I was willing to play the villain in hopes of clearing the path and creating an opportunity for you and Jocelyn to reunite.”

The onlookers in the room absorbed this scandalous gossip with eager ears. Only a handful of people bought the tearful act. It was obvious Nadine was desperate, but the revelation that she was the best friend of Donovan's first crush added a juicy layer to the scandal. During their college years, Nadine had occasionally played matchmaker for Donovan and Jocelyn, which was why Donovan always found the rumors of Nadine liking him to be implausible.

The executives exchanged thrilled glances. They expected Donovan to press for more answers right there in front of his current wife.

Chloe leaned back in her chair and scoffed internally.

*Misunderstanding? Did not have a choice? As if! This is all too fishy.*

Donovan recognized the dangerous territory they were entering. He needed to shut down the spectacle before Chloe's mind dug any deeper into his past.

“You caused a massive loss to this company for your own selfish desires and dragged innocent employees into your mess. No excuse could possibly absolve you of responsibility.” Donovan delivered the verdict with a cold, unwavering tone.

Chloe’s attention pivoted back to the core issue.

*Yeah, he is right, especially since her reasons are all made up. But why did she suddenly come up with this specific excuse? Let me see...*

Donovan paused. He was about to instruct security to clear the room, but a spark of curiosity held him back. He wanted to hear the exact deduction Chloe was brewing in her mind.

*Oh, I know. She had been hinting all along that her relationship with Donovan was more than meets the eye, baiting me into causing a scene. She was plotting to slowly push me out of the picture and win Donovan's heart for herself. But she did not anticipate that Jocelyn would be returning so soon. Nadine knew she could not compete with Donovan's first crush. So, she wanted to buy herself some time to secure the position of Mrs. Vance before Jocelyn ever set foot back in the country. No wonder she was so eager to finish me off that she failed to consider the numerous flaws in her surveillance plan.*

Chloe tapped her manicured fingernail against the armrest, her mental voice sharp and analytical.

*Now that her vile plot is exposed, she can only use Jocelyn as a convenient shield. She fabricated the lie that she did this purely for Jocelyn's sake, hoping to invoke Donovan's lingering feelings and beg for leniency. But if Donovan were to find out that her actions were driven by sheer jealousy and a desire to steal his bed, he would show her zero mercy. She is clearly desperate. Donovan would never be foolish enough to fall for such a transparent trick.*

Donovan felt a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck. He flushed with deep embarrassment. A second ago, the mention of Jocelyn had momentarily clouded his judgment. He had almost fallen for the emotional manipulation.

He looked down at Nadine. The puzzle pieces snapped into place. He recalled the countless times Nadine had driven Chloe crazy whenever his wife came to visit the office. Nadine would always play the fragile, well-meaning victim, intentionally provoking Chloe and creating massive misunderstandings. Donovan had spent years blaming his wife for being temperamental and unreasonable.

His lingering sense of guilt rapidly morphed into an icy, unyielding resentment. He stared at the secretary he had trusted for ten years, seeing her true face for the very first time. He had zero interest in hearing another word of her fabricated motives.

“Call the police.” Donovan ordered his security chief.

Nadine's head snapped up. Her vision went dark with terror. “Donovan, I did it because—”

“Whatever you have to say, save your excuses for the authorities.” Donovan cut her short, his voice devoid of any warmth.

The sheer ruthlessness in his tone made the surrounding executives hold their breath. He had chosen the most severe course of action. There would be no quiet resignation, no severance package, and no saving face.

Nadine lost her mind. She lunged forward, screeching as she tried to grab Donovan’s suit jacket.

Donovan sidestepped effortlessly, letting her stumble out of balance.

Nadine pointed a trembling, furious finger at Chloe. “Donovan Vance! You always gave her a way out! Why are you acting so ruthless to me? Even if I have not made massive contributions, I have put in a lot of effort working for you for ten long years! Is this how you treat my unwavering loyalty?”

Donovan did not flinch. He merely glanced at her with dead eyes and delivered the final blow.

“That is because you are not my wife.”

The piercing, definitive words echoed through the room. Nadine sat frozen on the floor, completely dumbfounded. The dagger had plunged straight through her heart, shattering the delusion she had nurtured for a decade.

The heavy oak doors swung open. Uniformed police officers marched into the conference room with handcuffs ready. They swiftly hauled Nadine to her feet, reading her rights as they secured her wrists behind her back. Chloe was also instructed to make a trip to the station to provide her formal statement.

Felix watched the officers drag his goddess away. Driven by blind infatuation, he stepped in front of the cops, desperately trying to shoulder the blame to save her. He spun a frantic, incoherent story about orchestrating the whole thing himself.

Arthur’s face turned a dangerous shade of purple. The sheer stress and unadulterated fury of watching his heir act like a pathetic fool was too much to bear. Arthur’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the carpet in a dead faint. Medics were immediately called into the room.

The police ignored Felix’s frantic pleas. The irrefutable digital evidence Donovan had provided rendered the young man's pathetic attempts entirely futile.

The officers dragged Nadine forcefully through the double doors. Knowing her life was over, Nadine twisted her neck and shrieked furiously over her shoulder, spitting a villainous threat at the woman sitting calmly at the table.

“Donovan will surely divorce you the moment Jocelyn returns! Do not celebrate too early, Chloe!”

The venomous threat was meant to break her spirit and leave her in a state of paranoid despair.

Instead, Chloe felt a sudden rush of pure anticipation. Her heart fluttered lightly in her chest. She kept her face neutral, but her mind raced with joy.

*Really? If that is the case, I hope she will hurry up!*