Chapter 3

I opened Julian's latest Instagram post. The image was a screenshot of our private conversation. The caption read: "It's all my fault. If my life can calm your anger and spare my parents, maybe this is the best ending."

I read it over and over again, then laughed coldly. Julian truly had no shame. Tossing my phone onto the passenger seat, I drove back to the office. As expected, several police cars were parked downstairs. Rescue measures were already in place. I took the elevator straight to the top floor.

Julian stood at the edge of the building.

His mother was crying so hard she fainted. His father was cautiously trying to talk him down. Chloe, in tears, was wailing hysterically, repeatedly claiming it was all her fault, that she was the one who should die. What a grand show. The only thing missing was me, the leading actress.

Standing on the outskirts of the crowd, I immediately noticed the people Julian had arranged to broadcast the scene live on Facebook. The internet was ablaze with insults, each comment more vicious than the last, all directed at me:

"She ruins his family just because he doesn't love her? Isabella is nothing but a bully."

"She's terrifying. Does she think people who don't like her don't deserve to live?"

"Isabella acts like she's some kind of princess. Can't have him, so she has to destroy him? Does the world revolve around her?"

"Money and power give her the right to do whatever she wants? Someone like Isabella should just disappear!"

I was still processing the barrage of online vitriol when Chloe noticed me. She rushed over and, with a dramatic flourish, dropped to her knees in front of me.

"Isabella, it's all my fault. Every mistake is mine," she sobbed loudly. "Julian only fell in love with me. But you can't really want him dead because of that, can you?"

My phone screen was still lit, and the comments poured in even faster, fueled by her performance.

"We truly love each other," Chloe declared, her voice laced with righteous sorrow. "There's nothing wrong with love itself. But if you're going to force Julian to his death just because you're unhappy, then let me take all the blame." Her tone was solemn, her choice of words calculated.

Because I'm unhappy, I'm forcing someone to die. What a vile person I must be.

After her proclamation, Chloe suddenly leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper only I could hear. "Isabella, do you know what your greatest failure is?"

I raised an eyebrow. Chloe had another face beneath the one she showed to the world.

"You think your love is noble," she sneered, "but Julian never had feelings for you. You tried to control him with power. You think you hate him, but the truth is you can't let him go. That's why you've already lost. The Sinclair family's stock will recover, but you? You'll only fall harder."

With that, she flung herself backward dramatically, then screamed in shock. "Isabella, are you trying to push me off the roof? Are you saying that if I die, you'll stop forcing Julian to his death?"

I looked at them—Julian, who kept claiming I was driving him to suicide, and Chloe, playing her tragic heroine role to perfection. Slowly, I stepped closer.

"Julian," I said, my voice calm. "You're telling everyone I'm forcing you to die?"

His expression was grief-stricken, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Isn't it true? You use your investment in Sinclair Group to manipulate me. Whenever you're even slightly upset, you threaten me with the company's interests. My father, one of this city's most respected figures, has to live under your thumb every single day. Isabella Vaughan, you may have power and wealth, but I am a human being. My parents are human beings—not the dogs you keep on a leash!"

Ha! The dogs I keep would never bite the hand that feeds them.

The drama surrounding Julian's supposed suicide spread like wildfire. Scores of netizens began boycotting all Vaughan Group products. The company's stock price took a nosedive.