Chapter 120 Austin Uncovers the Truth

Chapter 120 Austin Uncovers the Truth
In her room, Dina paced back and forth across the thick carpet—silent, seething, scheming.

Her last plan had failed spectacularly. Fine. She’d come up with a new one.

Julian’s tenderness toward Cora came down to two things:
1.She was carrying his child.
2.She was, in his mind, pure—untouched.

But what if that purity was destroyed?

Dina’s lips curved in a cold, poisonous smile.
If I ruin her, Julian, let’s see how long you keep defending your saintly little wife.

A scandal: Mrs. Watson caught cheating while pregnant!
Even Julian Watson couldn’t contain that kind of wildfire.

Still, the one photo she already had—the one of Cora and Matt—wasn’t enough to destroy her completely.
No, she needed something undeniable.
A trap. A setup.
One that would catch Cora in the act.

Her fingers tightened around her phone as she dialed a number.

It rang far too long before a sluggish male voice finally answered. “…Hello?”

Just the sound made Dina grimace.

“Matt,” she said sharply, “can you get Cora to meet you again?”

“Meet me? After last time?” He gave a bitter, drunken laugh. “She hates me now. You and your bright ideas already screwed that up. She won’t listen to me—or my mom. It’s over. And I’m broke. Send me some cash, or I’m done helping you.”

Dina pinched the bridge of her nose. God, he was pathetic.
But she needed him.

“Fine. I’ll send you twenty thousand. But for god’s sake, try to act like a man, will you? Don’t you want your old life back? Remember when you were the hotshot rich boy, women falling all over you?”

Matt chuckled darkly. “That was then. Now I can’t even get an interview. Every company shuts me out the second they see my name. Thanks to your ‘plan,’ my life’s in the gutter.”

“Matt—”

He cut her off, slurring. “You think I don’t see through you? You used me. First, you handed me Cora to get me out of your way. I let it slide because she was still a virgin, fine. But now you’ve played both of us. And you think I’ll just sit here?”

The smirk in his voice turned feral. “You owe me, Dina. And guess what—I don’t care if you’re not pure anymore. You still owe me. No money, no deal. Or maybe I’ll just come collect in person.”

The line went dead with a loud crash. Dina had hurled her phone at the wall.

⸻

Julian slept deeply for once.
But when his phone buzzed, his eyes snapped open instantly.

Moonlight filtered through the curtains, soft against Cora’s face.
Julian glanced down at her sleeping form, and for a moment, his expression gentled completely.
He brushed a kiss against her forehead before carefully slipping free and checking his phone.

It was a message from Austin.

Austin: “Mr. Watson, we traced the source of the photo. Mrs. Watson met with Matt’s mother that day. The call logs and recordings are verified. Mr. Mayer helped us retrieve them.”

Julian’s fingers flew across the screen.

Julian: “Go on.”

Austin: “According to the audio, Mrs. Watson didn’t plan to meet Matt at all. Matt’s mother claimed she came to the city to find her son, got robbed, and couldn’t pay for a meal. Mrs. Watson went only to help her. Assistant Winny confirmed she saw Matt’s mother there. Matt arrived later—while Winny was away paying the bill.”

Julian’s brow furrowed.

Austin: “The entire encounter lasted less than ten minutes. When Winny returned, Mrs. Watson was already furious and leaving. So it’s clear she wasn’t exactly… enjoying the meeting.”

Julian’s lips twitched—the ghost of a smile.
He knew it. His little troublemaker would never stoop that low.

Austin: “We also pulled the hotel footage. Matt and Dina met secretly in that same room after Mrs. Watson left. It was staged. Mrs. Watson was framed.”

Julian exhaled slowly, tension melting from his shoulders.

He turned his head. Cora was still asleep, breathing softly against the pillow.

Framed. And she never even complained.
How many times had she been hurt like this, quietly enduring it?

He typed one last reply:

Julian: “Got it.”

Then he set the phone aside, lay back down, and gathered Cora into his arms again.
“Stupid girl,” he murmured against her hair, kissing her temple.
He didn’t let go until he fell asleep himself.

⸻

When Cora woke, the other side of the bed was empty.

Her assistant, Winny, knocked and stepped in cheerfully. “Mrs. Watson, good news! Mr. Watson says you can go out again.”

Cora blinked. “What?”

“Your restriction’s lifted,” Winny said, practically beaming. “He wants you to relax a little. Should we go out?”

Julian—storm one minute, sunshine the next. She couldn’t keep up.

Heat crept up her neck as last night’s bathroom incident flashed through her mind.

She cleared her throat quickly. “Where’s Julian?”

“Already at the office.” Winny’s tone was bright. “Oh—and guess what? Dina’s gone. Mr. Watson kicked her out this morning!”

Cora froze.
That fast?
He’d brought Dina home yesterday… and sent her packing before sunrise?

Winny’s grin was all but gleeful.

Cora sighed, amused despite herself. “All right. Let’s go out, then. You pick.”

Winny flushed, caught red-handed in her own excitement. “I didn’t mean— I just thought maybe—”

“It’s fine,” Cora laughed softly. “I could use some fresh air.”

“There’s a new luxury mall downtown!” Winny said eagerly. “Want to check it out?”

“Sure.”

Then Cora remembered—she’d transferred every cent she had to Riley yesterday. Great. Window shopping it is.

But Winny, ever observant, was one step ahead. “Oh—before I forget, the butler gave me a card for you. He said it’s Mr. Watson’s. No limit.”

Cora’s hands stilled for a second.

Julian again.

Her heart squeezed, complicated and heavy.

Julian, she thought, does our contract still mean anything to you?