Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
As soon as she stepped outside, she wasted no time pulling out her phone and dialing Joshua.
“Can you still reach that songwriter, Iris?” she demanded, her tone brisk.
Joshua, preoccupied, responded absentmindedly, “Who’s…”
“The artist who wrote my song last year,” Lilliana snapped, quickly lowering her voice as she glanced around to ensure no one was listening. “You know, the ghostwriter. Find her for me. I need another song.”
Joshua barely looked up from his task. “You’re working with Caden now,” he replied flatly. “Don’t cheat; you’ll just get caught.”
“But I’m in the middle of a competition!” Lilliana’s eyes gleamed with fierce determination. “I’m competing against Alicia. I have to outshine her completely!” Beneath her boastful tone, however, lingered a trace of unease.
Her recent rise to fame had been swift, but her new songs? They lacked the spark that had originally propelled her to stardom.
She needed to crush Alicia, but writing her own music was out of the question.
Joshua hesitated, Alicia’s name causing him to falter, and he finally tore his focus away from his work.
“What do you mean she’s ‘competing with you’?” he asked slowly, his voice strained with curiosity. “Why would she do that?”
“Why else?” Lilliana scoffed in disdain. “She’s jealous of me-overestimating herself, as usual.”
Joshua stared off into space, lost in thought. Was Alicia going after Lilliana because of him?
“Okay, I’ll find Iris for you,” Joshua said, snapping out of his trance and adopting a cheery tone. “But no more ‘ghost-singing.’ If you get caught, Caden will destroy you.”
“Whatever,” Lilliana rolled her eyes, dismissing his warning.
Joshua pulled out his phone, quickly tracking down Iris’ contact information. He offered the same fee as last time, certain she would accept.
But Iris’ response was swift and blunt. “It’s been a while. My rates have changed.”
“Then name your price.”
“Five million.”
Joshua’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Last year, you only charged three hundred thousand!”
“Do you want my services or not?”
His jaw clenched. Spending that much on Lilliana’s behalf wasn’t part of the plan. Irritated, he called Lilliana, his tone edged with impatience. “You’ll have to write the song yourself.”
“I haven’t written in ages,” she stammered, nervously tugging at her sleeve. “I’m out of practice, and my voice isn’t what it used to be. Five million is fine, but she has to sing it for me. Just like last year.”
Joshua’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Lilliana, why are you so afraid of Alicia?”
Lilliana felt Joshua’s words hit her deeply, but she forced herself to stay composed. “I’m not afraid of her. I just don’t feel like writing the song myself.”
Joshua replied, “Just throw something together and get it over with. Alicia’s been married for two years, stuck at home cooking and taking care of things. She’s forgotten everything. She’s nothing special. Why worry about her?”
Lilliana pouted, clearly unsatisfied. “Are you really not willing to spend the money on me? Fine, I’ll handle it myself.”
In a firm tone, Joshua responded, “Lilliana, you know I’d spend anything on you. It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s not worth it in this case. Stop acting like this.”
Lilliana bit her lip in frustration. She knew how much Joshua had spoiled her over the past two years. He had spent millions on her without a second thought.
“Alright,” Lilliana agreed, though it was clear she wasn’t entirely happy about it.
Later that evening, when Joshua returned home from work, something unexpected awaited him. As soon as he stepped through the door, a soft figure threw itself into his arms.
The room was dark, but the heavy scent of perfume filled the air, carrying an intoxicating effect that quickly stirred something inside him.
He grabbed hold of Lilliana, kissing her roughly as his hands roamed over her body with clear intent. Knowing exactly what she wanted, Lilliana responded eagerly.
“Turn on the lights. I want to see you, hubby.”
The word “hubby” triggered something in Joshua’s mind, pulling him back to memories of his early days with Alicia. He remembered how she had shyly called him “hubby,” her eyes filled with sincerity and love. Back then, Alicia’s emotions had been raw and real. All she had ever wanted was his affection.
While caught in the flood of memories, Joshua suddenly gripped Lilliana by the neck. His voice came out rough. “No lights. We’ll do this my way.”
Equally driven by her own emotions, Lilliana responded with a breathless plea, “Just be careful. Remember the safety of the baby…”
Later, Joshua transferred five million dollars in cash to Iris. Along with the money, he left a note that read, “Don’t let me down.”
“I’ll deliver it to you in ten days,” Iris replied.
Upon hearing that, Lilliana was indignant. “Ten days? The movie premieres next month, and Gerry gave me a deadline of ten days! Isn’t that cutting it a little too close?”
Frustrated and exhausted, Joshua ignored Lilliana’s complaint. “Good things come to those who wait. Rushing it will only result in subpar quality.”
After that, Lilliana stopped arguing. “Fine. Just make sure it’s done before the deadline,” she said.
Lilliana had faith in Iris’ skills. “Once I get the company to create a fantastic marketing campaign and release another hit song, my market value will skyrocket. And when I become famous, I’ll personally deliver the first signed copy to your ex-wife. I want to see the look on her face when she sees it.”
Joshua simply gave her a perfunctory response. At that moment, he couldn’t care less about Lilliana’s rise to stardom. What excited him more was imagining Alicia’s reaction once she was overshadowed.
He savored the thought of her humiliation, knowing that when it came, she’d have no one to turn to for help.
This thought lingered in his mind as he returned to the company for work, curious if Alicia would ever ask him for help.
Later that afternoon, his assistant entered with some food. “Mr. Yates, it’s lunchtime.”
Joshua frowned upon the greasy scent of the food.
Lilliana, having grown up in a wealthy household, didn’t know how to cook and had become accustomed to takeout or dining at restaurants.
But back in the day, Alicia had always cooked for Joshua. She tried so hard to win his favor, always taking care of him in every way, including through the meals she prepared.
Joshua realized now how much her cooking had influenced his refined palate. He hadn’t noticed it at the time, but those seemingly trivial moments had become an integral part of who he was.
Later, Alicia was walking down the hallway with some shopping bags when she spotted Joshua leaning against the wall, smoking.
His tailor-made suit and elegant appearance seemed out of place in the building, a stark contrast to his former frenzied self after their divorce.
He let out a puff of smoke, looking mature and sophisticated.
“Did you eat yet?” he asked.
Staring at him as though he were a stranger, Alicia responded coldly, “What do you want from me?”
“Relax. You don’t have to be so wary of me,” Joshua said with a gentle smile. “I’m not here to do anything bad. I just wanted to see you.”
Alicia scoffed, clearly unconvinced. Without responding, she walked past him and headed upstairs.
Joshua followed her, his gaze lingering on the groceries in her hand. “Looks like you haven’t eaten yet. Do you mind if I join you for a meal?”
At his words, Alicia pulled out her phone, her expression cold. “Stay back, or I’ll call the police on you!”
Joshua stubbed out his cigarette and locked eyes with her. “Alicia, I have a proposition for you. All I want is for you to continue cooking for me, and I’ll pay you a hundred thousand a month.”
Alicia didn’t hesitate to dial a number.
Unfazed by her action, Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Is a hundred thousand not enough? Fine, I’ll double it. You can even negotiate the price, and I’ll accept it!”
His offer made Alicia laugh bitterly. Back when they were married, Joshua had always looked down on her. But now, after their divorce, he suddenly seemed so generous.
Was he really just asking for food? Of course not. Alicia wasn’t that na?ve.
She held up her phone and let the dial tone ring, her voice sharp. “If you’re not scared of the police, surely you’re terrified of Lilliana, right?”
Joshua’s expression froze, and a chill ran through him.
The lover he had once proudly flaunted now felt like a bitter burden, a source of humiliation every time Alicia spoke her name.
As the call connected, Alicia quickly hung up, her composure unfazed.
“I know how hard you’ve worked to climb the Green family ladder,” she said, her voice calm. “It would be a real shame to ruin all of that over a simple meal, don’t you think?”
Joshua stood there, speechless, his mind clouded with confusion. What the hell was happening to him?
Alicia had always been a mere stepping stone in his path, just like Lilliana.
Alicia turned her back to him, as if he no longer mattered. “We’re divorced, Joshua. Let’s stay out of each other’s way. You can show yourself out.”
Her rejection, though expected, hit him like a ton of bricks. He stood frozen, watching her retreating figure.
Suddenly, a burning question escaped his lips. “Has Caden slept with you?”
Alicia didn’t even glance back. “You have no right to pry into my personal life.”
“Alicia, we may be divorced, but Caden’s not someone you should get involved with. Do you understand?” His voice was calm, but the warning in it was unmistakable.
Unfazed, Alicia continued toward the door. She paused briefly to lean against it, her body relaxing slightly, though tension still creased her face.
After a moment’s hesitation, she turned the knob and stepped inside, locking the door behind her with a firm click.
Alicia then pulled out her phone and started buying a few things online. Meanwhile, in Caden’s office…
Hank stood beside Caden, methodically reporting the significant developments of the day.
“Lilliana’s team has purchased all the trending hashtags; they’ve been pushing Gerry’s new movie score, claiming it’ll be amazing.” Caden’s voice remained flat, revealing little emotion. “They seem confident. Any word from Gerry?”
Hank shook his head. “Nothing yet. The Green family has spared no expense, hiring big names to back Lilliana. They’ll even make a personal appearance at the movie premiere to support her.”
The green family are wasting resources