Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 215

Lighting the Match

Izzy stood still as the door opened wider. Olivier Horvath stepped in first, sharp in a tailored coat, followed by Cassandra and Celeste. She didn't speak right away. Her eyes drifted from one to the next. She hadn't been expecting them-not here.

"Well," Izzy said as she pulled her coat tighter around herself. "This is unexpected."

Olivier closed the door behind them. He didn't sit. He didn't even glance at the television still playing on mute.

"Drop the act," he said. "You knew this was coming."

Izzy smiled faintly but said nothing. Her gaze shifted to Cassandra. The actress looked different-more composed, maybe even comfortable. That quiet confidence wasn't for show. She wasn't here to be ignored.

"You tried to change the vote," Olivier continued. "You threatened board members. You used your last name and your connections. And now you're pretending to be shocked that we showed up?"

"I don't recall pretending to be shocked," Izzy replied, walking past them and placing the tablet on the table. "But I guess I should thank you for bringing an audience. Mondo please leave us, wait outside." Izzy them took her phone and sent a quick text towards Mondo then she put her phone back in her pocket. Celeste said nothing. She stood with her arms crossed, watching Izzy closely. "You look well, all things considered," Cassandra said, a smirk apparent on her face.

"I'm healing," Izzy said. Her eyes lingered on Cassandra. "But you already knew that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have filed the complaint."

Cassandra didn't answer right away. She didn't flinch, either. Instead, she looked toward Olivier.

"Let's not do the polite exchange," Olivier said. "You're not the victim here. You tried to -manipulate an entire boardroom behind our backs. Now Liam's been arrested. I

wonder why."

Izzy shrugged lightly. "Maybe because I almost died and don't owe anyone a response right now?" She immediately notice how careful Olivier was with his words. The man must be wary of recordings,

"You owe a lot of people," Olivier said.

"Is that why you're here?" Izzy asked. "To collect on some invisible debt I'm

supposed to pay? Or are you here because Cassandra wants this moment to look good in front of you two?"

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Cassandra raised a brow. "You think I care about appearances?"

you care about winning," Izzy said

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Lighting the Match

a moment,

placing something small and silver

said. “Everything. Liam's arrest wasn't the beginning. It was

didn't reach for it. She didn't know what this man was talking about but was willing to entertain

you can start talking. Because the clock's running and your

she turned her back on them and walked

let's not waste each other's time and tell

make sense. You have nothing in common and, to be honest,

life."

eyebrow. If she wasn't paying attention earlier, she now

them her full attention.

chuckled as he saw Izzy's

this was coming. Liam deserves someone better, and that is certainly not

and pulled out a slim envelope,

charges disappear. Liam walks. No scandal. No trial. This ends

from the window. She kept her eyes on the city below. Her fingers curled slightly against her

She smiled to herself.

to be about control. That was always Olivier's game. Izzy had known when she first started digging into the company that someone would run straight to him. She hadn't expected that information to sit quietly in some office file. No, she expected retaliation. But this? This went beyond

maybe cut her off from certain resources, or pull strings in the media. But to use false charges and

over

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Lighting the Match

own son's head-that was something else. She underestimated the man's willingness to bury his

he wanted to eliminate the one variable he couldn't

Her.

face them. Her

me to just sign that,"

agreement," Olivier said, not missing a

flipped it in her hand. She didn't open it. She didn't need

was the angle-remove the wife, eliminate the support, and get