Devilish secretary
Chapter 381 Lia downfall (1)

Chapter 381: Chapter 381 Lia downfall (1)

Lia stood frozen near the couch, her eyes still wet with fake tears, her breath slightly uneven from the act she had put on moments ago. She slowly nodded her head. "Yeah... she’s gone," she whispered, lowering her eyes to make it look like she was ashamed.

But in her mind... she felt something else. Victory.

She had nowhere else to go. Not after Rayan threw her out like garbage. That bastard had promised her so much—money, marriage, love. And then just like that, he was gone, leaving Lia with nothing but a suitcase and broken pride.

So where else could she go?

To Sofia, of course.

The kind, dumb friend who always took her in. Who always forgave.

The same Sofia who had believed in her... defended her... trusted her.

And that’s why it felt so easy to steal her boyfriend. Sofia boyfriend, Kyle wasn’t hard to fool. He was bored, flirty, and always complained about how Sofia was too "busy" or "too serious." A few tears, a sad story, a few nights of playing weak and scared—Lia knew what men like him wanted.

Now, as she wiped her cheeks slowly, Kyle sat on the couch, his hands trembling. "She didn’t even look at me," he said, half to himself. "She just walked out..."

Lia walked over and sat beside him, her voice soft like silk, "I’m so sorry kyle... I never wanted things to happen this way."

That was a lie. She wanted it exactly like this.

Because now... Sofia was gone. And she had kyle. And more importantly—she had a roof over her head.

Kyle looked at her, his face tired and confused. "What do we do now?"

Lia reached out and held his hand gently. "We move on," she said sweetly. "We try to fix this together. I’ll stay here... just for a few days until I figure things out."

She gave him a small smile. One that made him feel needed, wanted, less guilty.

But deep down... her thoughts were cold.

’I’ll make this place mine.’

Because Lia had no intention of leaving. Not until she found someone richer, someone more useful. For now... this broken man and his apartment would do just fine.

And she would cry if needed. Apologize if needed. Pretend to be the victim—if that’s what it took.

She was a survivor.

And survivors don’t beg.

They play the game.

****

Lia never imagined it would all collapse so fast.

One moment, she was standing in front of the mirror in a designer dress, rehearsing her lines for her third female lead role in an upcoming drama. It wasn’t the lead, no—but it was still a big deal. After years of fake smiles, careful manipulation, and stepping on people like stepping stones, she had finally reached the place where people started recognizing her on the streets. Her follower count was rising, sponsors started sending her free gifts, and people were saying she had "potential."

But just when everything seemed to be working in her favor... it crumbled like a house of cards.

She didn’t expect Sofia to fight back, let alone go on national television and speak out. With eyes red and cheeks tear-stained, Sofia sat across from the talk show host, her voice soft yet clear as she told the whole world what had happened. How Lia—her closest friend had taken advantage of her kindness, lived in her house, smiled at her daily, only to secretly sleep with her boyfriend behind her back.

"She used me," Sofia said in that interview, wiping her tears. "She acted like a victim... but she was the one who destroyed my home."

And with that one sentence, everything changed.

The public turned their backs in an instant.

The hate comments flooded in faster than Lia could delete them. Brands who had just agreed to sponsor her dropped out overnight. Her manager stopped picking up her calls. Directors who once praised her now called her "unprofessional" and "toxic." Her newly signed contract for the third female lead role was terminated before the press release even went out.

Lia panicked.

She tried to post a carefully crafted apology, trying to make herself look weak and misunderstood. But no one believed her anymore.

Worse, Kyle—the man she betrayed Sofia with—turned his back on her too. He looked at her like she was something dirty he needed to wipe off his hands.

"You disgust me," he spat one night, after seeing the backlash destroy his own career as well. "You ruined me."

He started showing up at Sofia’s apartment, texting her, calling her, even waiting outside her workplace. He begged her to take him back, saying he had made the biggest mistake of his life. But Sofia had already moved on. She had healed in silence, with dignity. She didn’t want a man who didn’t know her worth until it was too late.

And then, one cold evening, Kyle threw Lia out.

Literally.

He packed her bags, tossed them into the hallway, and slammed the door behind her without a second glance. She stood there in the cold and shaking, calling his name. But he didn’t come back.

She had nowhere to go.

With no career, no connections, and barely any savings, Lia grew desperate.

She remembered a director she once flirted with and blackmailed—a married man who she threatened to expose to his wife. He had caved back then, and she wondered if she could do it again. So she dialed his number.

To her surprise, he picked up.

And even more surprising, he agreed to meet her.

She thought maybe she could become his mistress for a while—just enough to get back into the industry, find another stepping stone.

But what she didn’t know was... his wife had found out everything.

When Lia showed up at the director’s private villa, dressed in what little expensive clothing she still owned, she was greeted not by him but by his wife and daughter.

The slap across her face came so hard she staggered back into the gate.

"You disgusting woman!" his wife screamed. "Do you think you’re something special? You’re nothing!"