Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 221

Pressure

"What should I do now?" Cassandra Sarano muttered as she paced her

apartment, her voice sharp and tired. Her large panda eyes reflected in the mirror she passed. Since receiving the news of that announcement last night,

Cassandra had been tense. She barely slept. She barely even ate.

She punched another number into her phone and pressed it against her ear, waiting.

It rang. And rang. No one answered.

She cursed under her breath and tried again. She circled the living room, stepping over piles of clothes she hadn't bothered to pick up last night. Her hand tightened around the phone. She called again, stubbornly Still nothing.

Then the door to her apartment slammed open. Cassandra nearly dropped her phone as she turned.

Her manager Lianne stormed in, face twisted in fury. "Are you out of your mind?" Cassandra scowled. "What the hell are you doing barging in here?"

"What the hell are you doing hiding here?" the manager snapped back, throwing a folder onto the coffee table. "Do you have any idea what's going on outside? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Cassandra tossed her phone onto the couch and crossed her arms. "It's not like that-"

"What were you thinking, accusing Liam Horvath?" her manager shouted. "Do you even understand the consequences of your actions? This isn't some tabloid stunt! This is defamation. It's a felony if they push it! They have proof, Cassandra! They're going to destroy you!"

Cassandra pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to scream. "I thought he would be pressured into marrying me," she said finally, her voice cracking. "Pressured into marrying you?" Her manager stared at her like she had lost her mind. "In what world," the woman said, stabbing a finger toward her, "in what world does a man marry a woman because of pressure? What is this, the 1970s? The '80s? You think a lawsuit would make Liam Horvath propose to you?"

Cassandra glared at her. "It wasn't supposed to go this far."

The manager let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, it went far, alright. You just buried your career six feet under! It was clear that it was you who tipped the media off about that 'arrest' that wasn't really an arrest! What were you thinking Cass?"

turned away, grabbing the back of the chair for support. She

Cassandra. Accuse him. The world will believe you, your millions of fans will help you. I'll handle the rest. I'll support you. He had promised her a seat in several upcoming international films. He promised her that Horvath Holdings' media branches would promote her career. He even slipped her a packet of documents- shares in a smaller entertainment company tied to Horvath Holdings. It looked clean. It looked

her. It's about securing your future. If Isabella is out of the way, the board will need a fresh face beside Liam.

this just for the fame or the money. She was fighting for something real-something she had imagined ever since she first

standing here with the weight of reality crashing down around her, the plan sounded more

you realize you signed your name on that statement? You can't just say you changed your mind now. If

gritted her teeth. "I

chose wrong. And now you have about two hours to figure out how to clean this up before

herself to stay calm. She still had Olivier. He wouldn't abandon her. Not

she hoped

snatched her phone off the couch

She was calling Olivier.

her

breathe. She stepped closer, jabbing

fans to stop attacking

Pressure

up. "Why

lose everything." Her manager threw another folder onto the coffee table.

grabbed the folder with shaking hands and flipped it open. Email after email. Termination notices. Public relations statements. Apologies were issued on her

looked up,

her manager said, folding her arms. "The company is thinking of dropping

Cassandra's voice cracked. "They

they will if you don't fix

cheated and leave." Her manager let out a harsh breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You thought wrong" Cassandra felt her throat tighten. "But there was a report-there were photos! It

lowering her voice like she was explaining something to a child. "That night? The so-called 'dinner' they reported?

shook her head. "But the