Chapter 98: Ultimate Revenge

I took a long drag of my cigarette, praying the smoke would soothe my burning nerves but to no avail.

No longer savory, I dropped it and crushed it under my shoe. My jaw clenched with her words echoing in my mind.

But, before my mind could fully recover from the disturbance of my mind, another resonance joined me.

“Just as I expected.”

​Arden stepped out from the shadows near the entrance.

​His face was holding a hint of shock that was soon replaced with disgust. By the time he was right before me: A sickening smirk of sudden triumph was transparent on his face.

He had heard everything.

The confrontation, the check, the mention of Ken’s death—every single damning word he prayed to hear—was landed.

​“Blood money, huh?” Arden repeated, the words rolling off his tongue smooth, followed by a chuckle.

"My suspicion was right. Ken didn't just disappear, did he, Vince?”

He stepped closer, his eyes wild with a sudden, dangerous rush of adrenaline, dying to see my defeat.

“You murdered him. And that poor woman... she's carrying his child while you hand her effortless zeroes to keep her quiet.”

​I forced my expression into a cold, unbothered one, though inside, a deadly panic was beginning to prick me.

“You have begun eavesdropping now, Arden? How low are you going to fall just to manipulate ‘my’ wife?”

“I am going to fall low or you?” He tilted his head up, snapping a few times.

​”Do you hear that sound, Vince?” Arden asked, taking another step forward, his voice overflowing with an intense, breathless excitement.

“That's the sound of your perfect little kingdom turning to ash. Just like she said.”

​I let out a low, dangerous growl, my hands clenching into fists inside my pockets, “You don't know anything.”

​”I know enough to destroy you,” Arden hissed, his eyes flashing with the built-up hatred of a lifetime.

“Destory him?”

Another voice joined up. We both turned, only to find Alyssa there with a displeased expression. My throat dried yet I maintained my posture.

He smiled, “Alyssa, I–”

“If I had willingly chosen Vince, you are here to destroy him? How low can you possibly fall, Arden?” Her voice, filled with contempt, came.

Her steps hurried to stand between us. Her small frame in front of me worked no less than a shield– intended to shelter my future and objection.

“What?” His victory was replaced with horror.

“No, no, no, you are getting it wrong, Alyssa. Your husband has done something horrible–”

“Oh really?” She scoffed, folding her arms at my chest, “Like what?”

“He is bribing people to stay silent and hide his crimes!” He snapped, pointing at the torn check on the ground.

She glanced, raising her brows, and darting back to Arden, “What crimes?”

Arden went silent, he already foresaw her devotion.

He saw overwhelming trust.

She was ready to justify the ‘crime’, and if he mentioned ‘murder’, he had to require the proof he didn’t have.

Alyssa’s strict features began to soften slowly, holding me by the arm, “What is wrong with you, Arden?”

Wrapping her in my charms entirely, my hands locked around her shoulder to press her into me, using a gentle tone, “Leave him be. He is heartbroken.”

“I know, Vince, but look at him. He is…”

She scanned him up and down, eyes narrowing with immense pity, “Not the boy I knew. And you?”

His shoulders loosened, realizing he had lost her and stepped back but Alyssa’s next statement automatically fixed the puzzle for him.

“You did what no man ever did for me.”

He paused, eyes widened in horror but forcing his reaction down, he swallowed hard and let out a weak voice, “Sorry…”

“You are better than this, Arden.” She spoke compassionately as Arden walked away with concealed rage he would definitely throw at me.

Just as I expected.

The moment he found me in the men's restroom, he grabbed my collar and threw me against the wall.

“You bastard!” He growled, losing his composure, “You hired Ken! You made him be the worst so you can be the best!”

I smirked darkly, “So what?”

Arden’s grip slackened completely, his hands falling to his sides due to numbness.

“You… You didn't just marry her to keep her away from me,”

He stared at me, his eyes wide with a blend of disbelief and deadly comprehension.

“You... you planned all of it, Vince.”

“Who knows?” I shrugged, straightening my lapels as I walked slowly around him, like a wolf circling its trapped prey.

“Fateful, isn’t it? Every encounter, every crisis brought a devoted woman like Alyssa into the lap of a man like me.”

His breaths stopped.

“Today, I stand here as her “savior” And you? You are just a man who is too late to save the woman who loved him dearly.”

“You used her grief… used her vulnerability…” Arden’s voice cracked, a sob threatening to break but it soon got enraged.

“She trusted you, Vince! She thinks you love her!”

“And I play the part beautifully, don't I?”

I let out a low, dark chuckle, stopping right in front of him.

I leaned down, bringing my face close enough to see the frantic reflection of my own cold eyes in his.

“I am the one she truly wants. Her savior. Not you. Anyone. Me.”

“Why…?”

“This is my ultimate revenge.”

I paused, letting my malice settle over us before I delivered the strike that would ensure he never stood tall again.

“I made Alyssa all mine before your very eyes, while you stood there completely paralyzed, unable to do a single damn thing to stop it.” I hissed, each word was dripping with venom.

“You are still where you were years ago. Still incompetent. Still a loser. A coward.”

Arden flinched, his eyes widening when the trauma of the past flashed before him and made him stumble and take support from the wall.

“Look at you,” I sneered, gesturing to his trembling frame.

"Stop... please, Vince, just stop..." Arden choked out, burying his face in his hands as his knees buckled slightly.

“I am– I am sorry.. I didn’t mean to.”

“I won't stop.” I whispered, grabbing his shirt, forcing him to witness the intensity of my glare.

“Every time she smiles at me, desires me, calls me, I will remember the look on your face right now. You have lost, Arden.” Growling, I pushed him away, adjusting my cuffs.

“And the best part is, she’s the one who handed me the match.”