Chapter 503: Still Dreaming Like A Fool

Reece looked away, fidgeting with his watch. “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said in a low voice.

Dave narrowed his eyes. “Faking evidence. Framing someone innocent. You’ve dragged your name through the mud. I regret ever backing your firm.”

Reece looked up with a calm expression. “Do you have proof? If not, I could sue you for defamation.”

Dave let out a short laugh at Reece’s bold response. Then he asked, more serious this time, “Who pushed you to do this? Was it my grandfather?”

“No one,” Reece said flatly.

Dave saw that Reece wasn’t going to talk. There was no use dragging it out.

“I’ve pulled my investments from all your branches. I’ve also stopped your firm’s expansion. One day, you’ll pay double for what you did to Bianca,” he said, then turned to walk away.

But Reece spoke up again. “Dave, whether you hate me or not doesn’t matter. I’ve already done what I came to do. In fact, I did you a favor.”

Dave stopped in his tracks. He turned around, confused by Reece’s words, and stared at him.

Under the dim yellow light, Dave’s eyes turned cold. He wasn’t in the mood for games, especially with Reece pretending to act in his interest.

“You’re doing me a favor?” Dave’s voice cut through the air.

Reece paused, then looked him straight in the eye. There was no point hiding anything now.

“You don’t want to marry Skylar, right? I’ll take her away from you.”

Dave’s brows pulled together. “What are you talking about?”

Reece lowered his voice. “Everything I did was to give you a chance with Bianca. Skylar’s the one your grandfather wants you to marry. As long as she’s in the picture, he’ll never accept Bianca. Isn’t that true?”

He turned to leave, but Dave grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

“So this is all about Skylar? You’re in love with her? What did she promise you?” Dave asked sharply as he gritted his teeth.

Reece stopped and looked at him from the side.

“You don’t care about her, so why ask? This is between me and her. It’s none of your business. If you can’t make her happy, let me try. Just step aside, alright?”

With just those few words, Dave realized Skylar must have promised Reece something. It was the only reason he’d throw away his principles.

What shocked him more was how deeply Reece seemed to care for her. He never thought Reece would go this far.

But knowing Skylar, Dave had a feeling things weren’t as simple as they looked.

“Reece, you really don’t know Skylar at all,” Dave said firmly.

Reece stopped walking. A gust of wind swept through the open door, sending leaves swirling across the floor.

“Be careful. Don’t let her use you,” Dave warned him.

Reece turned back. His eyes held something unreadable.

“You know what your biggest flaw is, Dave? You think you’re too smart. You act like everyone’s out to get you. Skylar’s not the person you think she is.”

Dave let out a cold laugh. “I know her better than you ever will.”

Reece’s face darkened. His voice rose with anger. “Don’t talk about her like that again. Haven’t you done enough damage? And now you’re still throwing insults? Even if you don’t love her, this is just cruel!”

Dave looked at Reece. His eyes showed both old friendship and growing distance. There were things he wanted to say, but he kept them.

He could see it—Reece was blinded by love.

There was no point in saying more.

Reece and Dave went their separate ways with tension still hanging between them.

Reece drove alone on the winding road.

Dave’s words kept echoing in his mind—“Don’t be manipulated by her.”

The tires hissed against the road. Then, the car came to a sudden stop at the side.

Reece loosened his tie, feeling annoyed. He called Skylar.

Everything was going just as she had planned. Her voice on the phone was sweet and full of praise. It quickly eased his mood.

“Skylar, when are we leaving? When can we start fresh?”

“I was just about to tell you,” she said gently. “I still need to finish a few things. Give me two more days. Meet me at the dock. We’ll leave by boat and disappear for good.”

Happy with her answer, Reece ended the call.

Reece was sure of it—Dave was wrong this time. None of what he said mattered. Skylar would never lie to him.

Just two more days, and he’d leave everything behind with the woman he loved.

Beneath the quiet moonlight, he pictured a life full of happiness.

“What should we name our first child?” he whispered to himself, smiling.

But on the other end, Skylar ended the call without a second thought. The sweetness on her face disappeared, replaced by cold disgust.

“Idiot,” she muttered. “Still dreaming like a fool. Run away with you? Never. You’re no use to me anymore.”

****

News about Bianca losing the case spread fast online. It caused a big reaction from the public.

People on social media began to criticize her.

Then Reece posted a tweet that made things worse. His words helped push the story into the trending topics.

In his tweet, he slammed Bianca, making her look like a liar who kept changing her story.

People started posting what they said was the “extra contract,” which only made things worse.

The crowd turned against Bianca immediately, calling her fake and untrustworthy.

“I never expected this from her. I really misjudged her,” one person commented in shock.

“It’s crazy. She’s so pretty but so fake. She agreed to the contract, then tried to back out and blame others. You can’t trust her,” another wrote harshly.

“I always felt something was off about Bianca. She’s a total fake!”

As the backlash got bigger, everything started to spiral. The damage spread faster than anyone expected.

Several companies working with Emerald Artists Agency suddenly called to delay their deals, each giving a different excuse.

“Sorry, we’re facing some internal matters. We’ll have to delay the partnership.”

“Uh… I’m going on a business trip abroad. Can we move the project to a later date?”

“The project we talked about is on hold. Our CEO is coming back soon. He’ll handle it from now on.”

After each call, Bianca sank into the sofa, feeling heavier each time.

Her inbox was full of messages saying the same thing—delays, changes, or silence.

It hurt more than she thought it would.

She thought paying the penalty would be enough. But Reece’s betrayal and the online attacks took her by surprise.

Her name was being dragged down from every direction.