Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex’s "Uncle" - Chapter 208

Chapter 208: The Taste of Being Abandoned
Someone else could take the fall for her…

James gritted his teeth. “What do you mean?”

Selina spoke slowly, deliberately:

“That one million wired to Shareholder Taylor—there’s no way to explain that away. So why not just pin the blame entirely on someone else? Publicly, you could say Angelica had no idea, that she’s completely innocent, because the real mastermind behind it all… was someone else.”

“I have a great idea. Want to hear it, Mr. Clark?”

James had no way out. “Say it.”

Katie suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, in the next second, Selina’s tone dropped, calm and cutting.

Each word slammed Katie into the abyss:

“Why not… let Katie take the fall?”

“Announce to the public that this was all orchestrated by Katie alone—that she was trying to help Angelica secure the heir position. That she never liked me, the daughter of the original wife.”

“She schemed to pin the plagiarism on me, and Angelica, poor thing, just trusted her mother’s ‘inspiration.’ How can that be her fault?”

“Framed like that, it makes sense. People would believe it.”

“And Mrs. Bryant, I’m sure you’d be willing, right?”

Selina smiled. “After all, Angelica’s a public figure with a pristine reputation. But you? A homewrecker who abused the daughter of the original wife? What’s a little more bad press going to do to your name?”

Katie froze like she’d fallen into an ice cellar.

Her lips trembled. “Selina, you—”

Selina’s smile widened. “Mr. Clark, what do you think of my proposal?”

The phone went dead silent.

Selina’s smile deepened as memories flashed through her mind—

Years ago, the Clark family had visited the Carter family.

Angelica had broken Mrs. Carter’s jade bracelet, and Katie had turned to a seven-year-old Selina and said:

“Selina, Angelica’s a good girl, but she’s just the stepdaughter. If she admits to it, the Carters will look down on her. But you? You don’t have a mother. If you take the blame, they won’t hold it against a motherless child.”

Faced with pressure from both Katie and James, little Selina hadn’t been able to fight back.

She took the blame and got slapped by Mrs. Carter.

Angelica, meanwhile, became the “kind sister” who knew how to comfort her.

When Selina was ten, Angelica pushed a debutante into a pond. Katie once again said:

“Selina, this could get messy. Could you take the fall for her? Angelica’s fragile, and it’s hard for her in this family. Can’t you understand? Your reputation’s already bad, no one will be surprised.”

So Selina bore it. Again and again, she carried the weight of Angelica’s wrongdoings.

Then the Clarks labeled her as “vicious,” and sent her away to the countryside.

When she returned, Natalia stole her fiancé, and Katie said, smug and superior:

“Selina, your reputation’s ruined. Why would anyone marry you? Just give the engagement to Natalia. Can’t you make a sacrifice for the family?”

Selina remembered every single word.

And now, she returned them all to Katie, verbatim:

“Mrs. Bryant, if Angelica admits the truth, the public will hate her. But you? You’re already a shameless mistress. If you take the fall, no one will care. Isn’t that a small sacrifice for the sake of the Clark Family?”

Katie trembled violently.

Those words—those exact words—were what she’d once said to Selina!

No. No. This can’t be happening.

Katie burst into tears, voice trembling with desperation:

“James! No, please! I’m your wife—your reputation is tied to mine! If people think I abused Selina, they’ll tear me apart! I can’t survive this… I’d rather die!”

James started to waver, but Selina’s voice turned faintly cold:

“Mr. Clark, think carefully about the consequences. If Angelica’s reputation is ruined, forget her career—just think about Logan. You really think he’ll let this go?”

She didn’t hesitate to invoke Logan’s name.

“You’d sacrifice Logan’s so-called savior just to protect Katie? What do you think he’ll make of that?”

James flinched, a chill running down his spine.

Right. Logan would never want Angelica’s name to be dragged through the mud. And if Mr. Reid found out the Clark Family had a way to protect Angelica but hesitated… he’d be furious.

James clenched his jaw. “Katie, Selina’s right. Right now, you’re the only one who can take the fall!”

Selina’s tone turned slow and deliberate. “That’s right, Mrs. Bryant. Angelica may not be related to the Clark Family by blood, but she’s your daughter. As her mother, surely you wouldn’t be so heartless?”

Even Angelica, after weighing her options, realized this was the best path forward. “Mom… please… help me.”

Katie’s face was pale with terror. She stumbled back a step. “You… you’re all…”

Monsters. Selina’s a devil in disguise!

Selina, having gotten what she wanted, ended the call without a trace of hesitation.

Katie didn’t want to take the fall?

Funny. That didn’t stop them from forcing a ten-year-old Selina to take the fall for Angelica again and again.

This was just karma. The plagiarism scandal might not be enough to take Angelica down completely, but Selina could at least let Katie taste the sting of being cast aside.

She tossed her phone aside just as a knock sounded at her door.

“Mrs. Reid, sir said you barely ate earlier. Please come down for dinner.”

Selina touched her stomach—she really hadn’t eaten much at Ambrosia, and she was a little hungry now.

Mr. Reid was so thoughtful!

When she reached the dining room and took her seat, her phone buzzed again—several times.

Gavin:

[I saw all those likes you gave!]

[Angelica’s playing the victim again, and her brain-dead fans are swarming you!]

[You gonna clap back or what?]

Selina narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t expected the Clark Family to respond so quickly. She typed back:

[No need.]

She was just about to start eating when the man across from her—Logan—suddenly slid a plate of stone crab claws toward her.

His tone was calm, casual even, but his eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Mrs. Reid, after battling the internet with such… eloquence, you must be exhausted. Have more crab to replenish your energy.”

Selina: “…”

Wait. What?

Battle the internet? Exhausted from typing?

He didn’t—he couldn’t have—seen her going back and forth with Angelica’s fans online… could he?

Logan’s eyes glimmered with amusement, unreadable. “It seems Mrs. Reid forgot—I followed your Twitter account not long ago. Became quite the loyal fan.”

He opened the app right in front of her and began to read her liked tweets aloud, word for word.

“‘Honestly, I think Selina’s way prettier than Angelica. She’s smarter, more talented, and actually the real heiress. I just don’t get why anyone—'”

“Stop! Don’t read anymore!”

Selina launched herself across the table to slap her hand over his, mortified beyond words.

So this was what social death felt like.

Oh God. Logan had seen all of it. Every last tweet. Every like.

He’d probably read them all. Alone. In silence.

Kill. Her. Now.