Chapter 162 It Turns Out They Came After Her

Chapter 162 It Turns Out They Came After Her
Skylar deliberately chose a wine-red dress that made her skin look porcelain-white and her features radiant.

Reuben stood behind her, watching her reflection in the mirror, his gaze darkening. "Are you sure you want to come with me? I can handle this alone."

"That won't work." Skylar turned around and adjusted his tie. "David went through all that trouble to get to you. If you show up alone, he'll get suspicious."

"Besides, I want to see what tricks he's planning to pull."

Reuben took her hand and kissed it. "You shouldn't have to deal with this."

"Don't be silly." Skylar smiled. "We're in this together. There's nothing to feel bad about."

At seven o'clock, David arrived right on time.

He carried a bouquet of white roses.

"Mr. Dickson, Ms. Sterling." His smile was warm, his demeanor refined as he offered the flowers to Skylar. "Our first official meeting. Just a small token. I hope you like them."

Skylar accepted the bouquet with a polite smile. "David, you're too kind. Please, sit."

The three of them took their seats, and the waitstaff began serving.

Throughout the meal, David was eloquent and well-informed.

He moved seamlessly from international affairs to art collecting, never letting the conversation lag.

He spent most of his time discussing the project with Reuben, occasionally glancing at Skylar with just the right amount of admiration in his eyes.

"Speaking of which, I've seen Skylar's design work before. Absolutely breathtaking." David raised his glass toward Skylar. "To build a brand to this level at such a young age—it's truly remarkable. Better than most men, honestly."

"You're too generous." Skylar smiled faintly. "Just lucky, that's all."

"Luck is part of talent." David's smile was gentle, his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds before moving away. "And Skylar isn't just talented—she's beautiful too. Mr. Dickson is a very fortunate man."

Reuben held his wine glass, a faint smile playing at his lips. He said nothing.

He could see it clearly. The way David looked at Skylar wasn't ordinary appreciation.

His gaze was sticky, like he was sizing up a prized catch, laced with undisguised possessiveness.

Only, he hid it well beneath a gentleman's mask.

The balance was delicate—never quite crossing into offense, yet obvious enough to signal his interest.

Definitely a piece of work.

Though he hadn't acted this way last time.

What had changed to make him so bold now?

Reuben sneered inwardly but kept his expression neutral, raising his glass to clink with David's. "Skylar is exceptional."

"Naturally." David smiled and steered the conversation back to the project.

The dinner lasted over two hours. The atmosphere seemed cordial, but undercurrents swirled beneath the surface.

David kept redirecting the conversation toward Skylar.

Skylar maintained a polite distance, responding appropriately but never giving him an opening for deeper engagement.

When the evening ended, David took his leave.

Reuben stood at the hotel entrance, watching David's car disappear into the distance. His smile vanished instantly.

"That man is definitely trouble." His voice was low.

Skylar held his arm, nodding. "The way he looked at me was so uncomfortable. Slimy. Like a snake."

"Don't worry." Reuben pulled her close, his tone cooling. "I've already had him investigated. We'll have answers soon."

They returned to the car. Reuben's phone rang.

It was Wolf.

"Mr. Dickson, David's investigation results are in. I've sent them to you. Take a look first." Wolf's voice was grave. "This man... he's a serious problem."

Reuben hung up and opened the file Wolf had sent.

Skylar leaned over to read it with him.

Their expressions grew darker by the second.

On the surface, David was a polished councilman—successful career, happy family, a public success story.

In reality, the man had deeply twisted proclivities.

He specifically targeted other men's wives—especially married women who were accomplished and treasured by their husbands.

His usual method was leveraging his power and status to first approach the husband, establish a business relationship, then find opportunities to get close to the wife. He'd use a gentle, attentive facade to slowly seduce her.

Once she took the bait, he'd use various tactics to coerce her into continuing the relationship, then use his influence to bury any scandals afterward.

The file included several victim case studies. Some women had their families destroyed. Others had been driven to suicide.

And all of it had been suppressed with money and power. The public knew nothing.

What chilled Skylar most was the final note: David's sudden interest in her appeared to have been prompted by someone behind the scenes.

That person was very likely Wilma.

Skylar's grip on her phone tightened until her knuckles went white.

No wonder...

No wonder David had orchestrated that rear-ending, then used the project as an excuse to show up at her office, staring at her that way throughout dinner.

From the very beginning, his target was never the project.

His target was her.

The thought of being on this pervert's radar made Skylar's stomach churn with nausea.

"That animal..."

Reuben's expression was even darker than hers.

Someone dared to target his woman.

This David had a death wish.

"I'm going to kill him. Now."

"Don't!" Skylar grabbed his hand quickly. "Reuben, don't do anything rash!"

Reuben turned to her, violence still simmering in his eyes. "He dared to target you. I won't let him get away with it!"

"I know you're angry. I'm angry too." Skylar took a deep breath. "But killing him would be too easy. And it would cause problems for you."

"Doesn't he value power and reputation above all else? Isn't he trying to get re-elected, to climb higher?"

"Then let's destroy what he cares about most. Let's ruin his reputation, make him fall from the top, let everyone know what he really is. Let him be socially annihilated."

"That's the real revenge, isn't it?"

Reuben looked at her. The violence in his eyes gradually cooled.

His Skylar was always so calm and clever.

"You're right." He gripped her hand, his fingers tightening slightly. "Killing him would be too easy."

"He wants to be a councilman, wants to climb the ladder? Then I'll let him climb as high as possible—so he falls even harder."

Their eyes met. They saw perfect understanding reflected back.

The plan was set.

Reuben would pretend to cooperate with David's renewable energy project, even secretly facilitate things for him.

Once David relaxed his guard and thought everything was under his control, he'd naturally slip up.

Then, at the most critical moment of David's re-election campaign—when all eyes were on him—they'd expose the entire truth at once.

They'd send him plummeting from the peak of his life straight into hell.

They'd make him pay the most devastating price for his vile behavior.