Revenge is best served cold

Through the partition, Eric's and Monica's voices were crystal clear. It seemed like Monica wanted to hug Eric after entering the private room, only to be rejected by him. She pouted and murmured, "Why are you acting so cold toward me? Is it because you're still hung up on Jane?"

Upon hearing that, Joshua and I exchanged a glance. As I had expected, I caught a flicker of sympathy in his gaze. I gave his shoulder a reassuring pat and remained silent, thinking that he might be the one deserving the sympathy later.

Eric maintained his distance from Monica and said indifferently, "I don't recall being particularly enthusiastic during our chats."

I was the one sending the messages, but I still maintained a carefully crafted aloofness, mirroring Eric's character. In most of our conversations, Monica was the one who was clearly reading between lines that didn't exist.

Monica, oblivious to the disdain in Eric's tone, kept up her flirtatious act, asking, "When do you plan on divorcing Jane?"

Eric sidestepped Monica's question and countered, "How do you plan to explain this to your boyfriend?"

That shocking statement caused Joshua's eyes to widen in surprise. He then strained his ears to listen even more attentively.

Monica replied indifferently, "I only started dating him to get close to you, and since we're together now, I'm obviously going to break it off with him."

Eric chuckled and asked, "You're not afraid that he'll come after you?"

Monica responded haughtily, "I know he doesn't have it in him to retaliate against me."

She then smiled demurely and added, "And I have you, don't I? You're far more powerful than him, so I have nothing to be afraid of with you by my side."

"Oh, excellent, then!" Eric exclaimed, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "If that's truly the case, send him a message to break up with him immediately. Otherwise, I won't believe you."

Monica responded coquettishly, "Alright, alright. I'll do whatever you say."

It was then that Joshua's phone on the table suddenly vibrated, its screen flashing. It seemed like neither of the two on the other side of the partition heard anything as they carried on with their conversation.

no

Joshua picked up his phone, his face betraying his unease. I quickly placed my hand over his, signaling for him to hold off on checking it and focus on listening instead.4 noticed Joshua hesitating fona moment, but he still nodded reluctantly.

Monica's voice was brimming with glee. It sounded like she had just shown Eric the message she sent Joshua.

Eric chuckled and said, "It seems like your socialite training classes are

quite effective. You're quit datnoveldrama

weighing advantages and

disadvantages. You figured I'd be a better deal, so you kicked Josh to the curb without batting an eye with no regard for his feelings?"

Monica's voice wavered, a hint of panic creeping in as she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Eric said coldly, "You still want to play dumb, huh? I'll lay it out for you, then. I know your entire game, Monica, and now, you only have two options to choose from."

She asked tentatively, "What are the two options?"

"Your first option is to get out of our lives and never appear before us again," he stated coldly.

"And what's the other option?" Monica asked, seemingly unwilling to back down. Eric chuckled lightly and replied, "Your second-and last-option is for me to get the police involved and have you disappear without a trace."

Upon hearing this, she responded in disbelief, saying, "You've got to be kidding me. I haven't even committed any fraud. What are you going to charge me with, huh?"

Eric remained silent, his gaze fixed steadily on Monica.

It didn't take long for her to realize that someone of Eric's caliber had plenty of ways to send her to prison if he wanted. In the end, she relented and said, "I'll leave, but I want a million dollars."