Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Chapter 126

10

“I'm sorry. | didn’t know Frederik would try to do something like that,” Atty. Alcaraz said.

88%0

+13

“It's not a problem,” Izzy said. She wasn’t exactly surprised that Frederik hadn't returned after that ‘minor

incident’ earlier. Perhaps the man was just testing the waters. Either way, Izzy realized she needed to prepare

even more for the near future.

“That man is well known womanizer and I'm sure you already know that. | never expected you to allow him to sit

with us,” the lawyer said.

Izzy smirked but said nothing. She needed to get used to confrontations like this. In the past, she had been very

avoidant and even chosen to stay away from all this mess while being with Calen. And what did it get her?

She was betrayed by the people closest to her. It was about tshe learned these things to defend herself.

Atty. Alcaraz’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at the screen before picking it up. “Yes.” A short pause.

“That's good. Schedule it.”

She ended the call and set her phone back down, looking at Izzy. “Monica found a lawyer.”

Izzy picked up her wine glass, swirling the liquid as she listened.

“They'll be counter-filing tomorrow, and it looks like they're going to push for a settlement meeting soon.” Atty.

Alcaraz leaned back in her chair. “I suppose they think you're going to beg them to settle.”

Izzy took a slow sip of her wine before setting the glass down. A faint smile curved her lips. “Let them think

that.”

Atty. Alcaraz smirked. “They really don’t know who they're dealing with, do they?”

Izzy didn’t respond. She didn’t need to.

The night stretched on, and after a few more drinks, they finally called it a night.

“Here are the things that need your signature,” Anna said, placing a stack of documents on Izzy's desk. “This

includes supdates for the Macau project.”

Izzy exhaled, glancing at the pile before picking up her pen. Work had returned to normal-at least on the surface.

But with Calen suspended, her responsibilities had doubled. She wasn’t just handling her usual workload; she

was now covering everything he was supposed to be doing as well.

Her fingers tapped against the desk as she flipped through the pages. Suspended? It felt more like a reward than

a punishment. While she was stuck in the office handling all of this, Calen was probably at hdoing

absolutely nothing.

She signed another document, her irritation growing.

Just as she was about to ask Anna something, the assistant spoke again. “Mrs. Weiss is here to see you.”

Izzy stilled.

She hadn't even responded yet when the door opened, and Cecil Weiss walked in as if she owned the place.

“We need to talk,” Cecil said, standing across from her.

1/2

12:16 Mon, 17 Feb

Chapter 126

Izzy leaned back in her chair, setting down her pen. A slow smile curved her lips. “This conversation will be

recorded

Cecil's expression turned sour, but she didn’t argue, “Fine.”

Izzy gestured toward the seating area.

Without another word, the two women moved toward the couch.

“Do you need anything? Coffee? Tea?” Izzy asked.

“And risk you drugging it?” Cecil snapped.

“Cecil, you are slandering me,” Izzy said with a smile, but she gestured for Anna to leave them alone. “That's not

very good, Is it?”

Izzy watched as Cecil settled on the couch across from her. Even with her usual composed demeanor, something

was off.

Her makeup was thicker than usual, almost as if she were covering something up. Dark circles peeked through,

barely hidden beneath the concealer. Her eyes looked exhausted.

“You don’t look fine,” 1zzy said, tilting her head slightly.

Cecil let out a sharp breath, leaning back. “I would have been,” she said, brushing an invisible speck off her skirt.

“But you just had to schagainst me.”

Izzy smiled. “I'm not sure what you mean.”

Cecil's gaze darkened. “You know exactly what | mean.” She crossed her legs, fingers gripping the armrest. “You

madebelieve we were winning. You letthink we had control before you struck back.”

Izzy didn’t deny it.

Cecil exhaled, looking away for a moment before turning back to her. “What is your goal?”

Izzy leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I'm just defending myself,” she said. “Should | have just

let you do whatever you wanted?”

Cecil closed her eyes briefly as if trying to compose herself. When she opened them again, she looked straight at

Izzy. “I can give you anything,” she said. “Just don’t includein this lawsuit.”

Izzy lifted an eyebrow. So it turns out Cecil really cares too much about her perfect image, she thought.

When Izzy said nothing, Cecil took that as interest and continued. “Ten million.”

Izzy chuckled, shaking her head. “That's pocket change.”

Cecil frowned. “Then what do you want?”

Izzy leaned back, crossing her legs as she studied the woman in front of her. Then she smiled. “The better

question is—what can you give me?”

Cecil gritted her teeth. She knew this was going to be a problem. At one point, she even considered hiring

someone to end Izzy's life. But that would be even more troublesome. Izzy wasn’t just a simple blue-collar

worker. She was an heiress with

multimillion-dollar assets.

Cecil exhaled sharply, forcing herself to stay composed. “I only wanted to help my son,” she said. “Calen is

devastated.”

019

12:16 Mon, 17 Feb

Chapter 126

Izzy raised an eyebrow. “Devastated?” She tilted her head slightly. “How exactly is he devastated? He was

enjoying himsel just fine when he was sleeping with my cousin. But now that | broke up with him, he’s suddenly

heartbucket She least back. “Does he have skind of undiagnosed mental illness?”

Cecil's hands clenched into fists. The insult burned, but she swallowed her anger, keeping her expression neutral

“Calen loves you,” she said, her words clipped.

Izzy's lips twitched. “People who love someone don’t cheat on them.”

Cecil inhaled slowly as if trying to find patience that no longer existed. “You should understand why I’m helping

him”

Izzy's eyes gleamed with amusement. “Understand?” She gestured vaguely, “You schemed against me, tried to

ruin my reputation, and now you wantto just ‘understand and let it go?” Her smile didn’t waver. “If that’s

why you're here, you should leave.”

Cecil's nails dug into her palms. She hadn't expected Izzy to be this sharp. Before, she had thought of her as

nothing more than an emotionally driven girl who could be manipulated. Now, she was beginning to see the

problem-Izzy had changed.

Cecil sighed inwardly.

Fine. If words wouldn't work, money should.

“Ill give you twenty million.”

Izzy let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “Cecil,” she said, smiling. “My reputation is worth far more than that.”

Cecil's jaw tightened, her fingers twitching against the fabric of her dress. “You're being difficult.”

Izzy leaned forward slightly. “And you're being cheap.”

Cecil gritted her teeth.