Reborn Heiress: Married To My Ex-Husband's Rival -
Chapter 74 I Thought You’d Be Different
Chapter 74: Chapter 74 I Thought You’d Be Different
"What are you talking about...??" Vanessa couldn’t pinpoint what Kingsley was hinting at. He was so mysterious that his thoughts and words sometimes confused her.
"Since apparently, I ’owe’ you my life.." Kingsley smirked as if he just said something absurd. "I guess I will have to cater for you...for now."
He moved towards the door but Vanessa quickly called out to him.
"Wait.."
Kingsley paused. His brows joined in disapproval.
Vanessa fidgeted with the helm of her dress. "I just want to thank you for letting me stay."
Kingsley looked over his shoulder, giving her a side glance. "I will have an apartment ready for you to move into and that will be it."
Without waiting for her thoughts on it, he left the room. He didn’t want to waste any more seconds there with Vanessa.
Outside, He got into his car which was parked in the hotel’s garage. It was a six-star hotel that was situated in the midtown west of LA. Not far from his residence.
He grabbed his phone and checked the time. It was midnight.
His mind wandered off to Vanessa who had suddenly come back to LA out of the blue. It still came as a surprise to him but still, he wasn’t so surprised.
He wasn’t sure what games she was trying to play. All this while, he believed she had left because of his tainted reputation.
Till now, His reputation is still the same. Tainted. And he was still considered a murderer who killed his parents. Why is she back now??
The wealth??
Vanessa Thomas was an orphan who lived a poor life but they met at a social event—a charity event where she attended as the event planner. He was young back then and he immediately fell in love with her.
Things progressed so well and they started to plan their wedding even though his parents kicked against him settling for her. They saw Vanessa as a gold digger but to him, even if she was a gold digger, he would work to get more gold for her to dig.
That was how much he had loved that woman upstairs, sitting in a wheelchair.
But after that incident that night where his parents were coldly murdered by ’him’, the news went out quickly.
That day was still so fresh in his head. Grandpa Elm had followed him into the police custody, refusing to leave his grandson behind. His grandfather eventually bypassed the security and bought the case. Kingsley was freed from all allegations but the damage had already been done.
His company has suffered some losses then. He was tagged as a monster. Side talks, jests, and mockery were limitless.
Until that fateful moment when Vanessa left. With no explanation whatsoever. He thought his world had finally come to an end. He was still grieving the loss of his parents, undergoing mental stress and his PTSD was developing from bad to worse, the rumor over his head was gnawing at his sanity, and boom.....the woman he loved also left.
It was the cherry on top of the cake. Everything seemed to have fallen apart but his grandfather remained his source of strength.
Slowly, Kingsley started to understand how the world works. He started to regain some grasp on his reality and soon, he was back on his feet. Even though, his experience had painted him into a cold and ruthless man...
Just when he thought his well-planned and constructed life would go as he wanted, his grandfather had requested that he get married,making him leave his comfort zone to get a wife.
Fast forward to months later when he finally started to develop soft spots for his contract wife, Vanessa was back. Again.
’Why???’
That seemed to be the question he couldn’t fix but until then, he would continue to play games with Vanessa. Until he found out the real reason behind her return.
Kingsley ignited his Lamborghini and drove out of the garage. As he drove off, the reporter who was standing behind a pillar started to skim through the photos she had taken in her camera.
A small smile formed on her face as she slid the photos in satisfaction. Gazing around, she quickly pulls her baseball cap down before exiting the garage. Her camera was tucked into her black bag. The thought of creating a good spicy headline the following day placed her in a good mood.
Meanwhile, Kingsley drove directly to his home. The compound was silent and the only sound that could be heard was the dying of his car’s engine as he pulled up in front of the entrance.
The moment the car’s engine died, a depressing silence of the night pressed down. He pushed his door open and got out of the car.
He passed through the living room, ascended the stairs, and moved directly towards Jasmine’s room.
He gently twisted the doorknob and pushed the door, his eyes landed on the woman curled up into a ball on the bed. She used the blanket to cover herself up to her neck, only her head could be seen.
He opened the door fully and stride into the room. He settled on the other edge of the bed, took his shoes off, and slid next to her.
Lying next to her calmed him in an impossible way that was possible. His nerves relaxed and all of the racing thoughts in his head seemed to have taken a break.
Exhaustion washed over him until he couldn’t keep his eyes opened anymore, sleep washed over him.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
The next day, Kingsley was standing in the middle of his living room, sipping from his cup of coffee while scrolling through the images he saw on Twitter.
His face was clouded in annoyance. His hatred for reporters made his veins pop out. To him, they were only good at ruining people’s lives just like they ruined his reputation years back.
Reporters created the most ambiguous headlines ever just to push their sales. They were evil people who doesn’t give two flying fucks about other people’s lives and well-being.
His eyes turned further cold when he saw what the reporter painted his story to look like.
There were attached photos of him pushing Vanessa’s wheelchair into the hotel. The captions were:
{Kingsley Elm is having an Affair with a cripple behind his Wife’s back??}
{Jasmine Trevor married unfaithful Kingsley Elm, the rumored monster who killed his parents}
Kingsley’s grip on his phone tightened especially when he saw the comments.
Humans—
He hated humans. All of them were filled with too many opinions on people’s lives. They were filled with a bunch of criticizing words and undermining speeches.
His urge to drink coffee had completely faded and the coffee turned cold in his hand, almost as good as neglected.
He quickly dialed the number of the head of technology in his company. Marshal. He had to take down the fake news before his wife saw any of them...
The call rang for a moment before Marshal answered the call.
"Boss Elm." Marshal’s bass voice came from the other end of the line.
Marshal was the head of technology in the Elm’s group. He worked alongside his father and now, he works for Kingsley Elm. He was great at destroying evidence and removing scandalous stuff from the internet.
Kingsley dumped the mug on the table as he instructed Marshal. "Did you see the publications about me??"
"You mean, the hotel scandal with the woman in a wheelchair?"
Kingsley growled. "Yes. I want it taken down!" He gritted out. His anger seemed to crawl on his skin and it made him even more irritated than he already was.
"I will have to contact the various publications offices so they can drop it down," Marshal confirmed.
"Do whatever it takes. I don’t want it to escalate further." Kingsley could already imagine how Jasmine would react when she found out he had gone to a hotel the night before with a woman. Even though she was crippled.
"On it, Boss Elm. " Marshal told him. Without further ado, Kingsley ended the call. Annoyance was written all over his face.
"You know, you don’t have to go through the stress because I know already."
That voice made Kingsley flinch. His back instantly stiffened.
His lips pressed tightly against each other.
He turned. Jasmine standing on the stairs, staring blankly at him. Her long black hair was let loose,she was in her pink silky night gown.
She was staring at him calmly. So calm that it made him agitated. Guilt enveloped him.
"Wifey..."
"She’s the reason we left Chicago, right?" Jasmine cut in on his words, her expression had no rumble. No hint of anger or hatred. She was still so calm.
Kingsley didn’t know how to explain himself. "Wifey..." he called out to her again in a whisper but she scowled at him.
"Fiancée?? Yeah, right?" Her allegations made his eyes grow wide.
"What??" He asked in genuine surprise.
"She is your fiancée!" Jasmine outrightly accused him, this time,her eyes were starting to burn hot.
"What?? Hell No! Vanessa is not my fiancée." Showing her his ring,Kingsley defended himself. "I am married. And to you."
Jasmine shook her head. "Vanessa, huh?" She bit her inner cheek to contain her sob.
Kingsley felt something was amiss. Something just felt off about Jasmine’s accusation and it started to get on his nerves. "She was my fiancée, not anymore. You are my wife, Jasmine."
"Liar!!! I know everything, by the way! She told me all I need to know!"
Kingsley felt ridiculous. "What the hell,Wife??..." he exclaimed in an exasperated manner.
Jasmine’s anger boiled all over. "Deny all you want but I know you canceled our trip because of her..." daring him, She added. "If that isn’t the case, then prove me wrong."
"What am I proving wrong?"
Jasmine’s eyes turned chilly, an expression that took Kingsley including herself by surprise. "You canceled the trip because of that woman, yes or no??"
Immediately, Kingsley fell mute. Jasmine held his gaze, waiting for himself to say anything in his defense.
For him to Yell about how it was a different matter that made him cancel the trip but to her utter disappointment, Kingsley remained mute.
A look of disappointment replaced Jasmine’s face as she muttered. " I thought you’d be different."
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