Chapter 7: The Lengths Men Go To Cheat
The thought of going to the auction with Dylan made Violet’s mood turn sour. She walked towards the car, her heels clicking sharply on the floor with every step she took.
Violet knew she needed to come up with a plan to attend the auction alone.
Dylan was seated inside the car, his hand tightening on the steering wheel as he watched Violet approach. If not for the fact that this request came directly from Mr. Sullivan, he would not have done it.
Violet opened the door and slid gracefully into the car without acknowledging his presence. They had been friends once, before her mother died. He changed his actions towards her when Stephanie entered the picture.
Since then they had not been on good terms.
"It’s been so long, Violet," Dylan began, trying to drive out the awkward silence between them, "how have you been—"
"You do not have to speak to me." Violet interrupted, lifting one hand. There was no need to pretend. "Just drive." An icy air surrounded her.
Dylan pressed his lips together, turning away from her. ’How did she become so intimidating?’ he wondered to himself.
He was about to ignite the car when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, stared at the screen for a bit before answering the call. The call was from Harry.
"Yes, she’s here... alright... I’ll be there in a while." He ended the call and, without a word, stepped out of the car.
Meanwhile, Violet scrolled down her phone, reading recent business news. The auction would be filled with businessmen, celebrities, politicians and other prominent members of society.
If everything went well, she might as well get her first paying target from the auction. Even though she had memories of her past life, she couldn’t completely remember everything, hence couldn’t rely completely on it.
She felt a phone vibrate nearby. It wasn’t hers. One of her brows shot up. Dylan had left with his phone and her phone wasn’t ringing, which meant there was another phone in the car.
Violet traced the vibration and found a phone lying in the cup holder. Was she wrong? Didn’t Dylan leave with his phone?
She picked it up, staring at the number. ’My beloved,’ with three heart emojis. What a lousy way to save Stephanie’s number.
She held the phone till it stopped ringing. She was about to put it back in its place when a message popped up on the screen.
My beloved: You promised to spend all your free time with me before Stephanie returns. What event could be more important than us?
Violet lifted a brow. She didn’t need to think too much to decode the meaning of the message.
Thankfully, the phone didn’t have a lock. She tapped on the message, revealing the chat between the cheaters. Violet threw one look outside the window.
Once she was sure Dylan wasn’t coming, she began reading. Each message she read was evidence of Dylan’s affair. Dylan was cheating on Stephanie with another woman. She didn’t get the identity of the second woman; she didn’t need it.
Violet didn’t feel bad for Stephanie. To her, they deserved each other. Both were mean and despicable. She didn’t know the nature of their relationship, but she knew how possessive Stephanie was of him. She was madly in love with Dylan and wouldn’t survive a day without him. Violet couldn’t picture her agreeing to an open relationship.
Besides, the fact that Dylan kept a separate phone which was solely to keep in contact with his other woman, she was certain, was because he wanted to keep it a secret.
’Tsk tsk, the lengths men go to cheat!’
She opened her camera app and took a few pictures of the chats. Her lips curved upwards as an idea formed in her head.
It seemed her first payment would come from Dylan.
She tucked the phone into her purse and went back to reading business news.
When the door finally opened and Dylan got into the car, Violet lifted her head.
She stared at Dylan, wondering how he kept the perfect boyfriend act in front of the world while cheating.
"What? Curious about what me and your dad discussed?" Dylan asked, grinning stupidly. "It was about you. He doesn’t seem to trust you, I wonder why?" he asked as he strapped the seatbelt over himself. "It’s even a surprise he allowed you to represent the family at the auction. You don’t seem trustworthy at all."
Violet kept a straight face and slowly peeled her gaze away from him. She adjusted in her seat. "If anyone isn’t trustworthy between us, it’s you." she said coldly.
Dylan chuckled, tugging briefly at his tie. "Why not ask Harry and let him decide that."
"That sounds like a splendid idea. He will be so glad to hear what I have to say." Dylan eyed her suspiciously. "I wonder if he would still think you are trustworthy if he finds out you’re cheating on his beloved daughter with your beloved." She slapped one hand on her lips as Dylan’s eyes widened, "what, was that too loud?"
Her eyes brightened as she watched Dylan’s face pale. His eyes darted around in their sockets. He looked around as though someone was listening to their conversation.
"Wh...at are y...you talking about? Do...n’t go arou...und spreading nonsense." he stuttered.
"We both know I am correct." She pointed her phone towards his face. "It turns out you have a phone dedicated to your little game, which means Stephanie has no idea. Don’t even think of denying it, the phone is with me."
Dylan’s eyes moved quickly over the image. Then he looked over to where he kept the second phone to find it empty. Sweat rolled down the back of his neck. "You searched my car?"
Violet ignored his question. "What would Stephanie do when she finds out?" She turned so she was facing him. "What would your grandpa do? You can forget about inheriting Chen Corporation." She let out a low, humourless laugh. "The press will tear you to pieces." she said.
Dylan’s hand shook as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat dripping down the side of his face. "Please, let’s keep this between us. I’ll do whatever you want." he begged, pressing both hands together.
Violet placed her phone inside her purse. "My silence is very expensive," she said.
"How much? I’ll give you whatever amount you want."
"Five million dollars." she said flatly.
Dylan gasped. "Five million? That’s too much. Are you trying to rob me?"
"Fifteen million dollars."
"You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t give you that much."
"Twenty fi—"
"Wait." Dylan stopped her. Violet turned to him. "That’s too much, we can—"
"Thirty-five million dollars." She stared pointedly at him as she spoke, her voice carrying an unshakeable resolve. "If you try to bargain, I’ll increase the amount by 10 million." He was the heir to one of the top companies in the country. Giving her 35 million was nothing to him. He was simply being selfish.
"Fine." Dylan surrendered. "Thirty-five million dollars, and you’ll delete the images on your phone and hand over my phone to me."
Violet flashed him a cold smile. "Deal," she said.
She knew he would not be able to send the entire money to her at once, so she allowed him to send 5 million to her, which was the limit her account could hold.
"I’ll return your phone and delete the evidence on mine when I receive the remaining money."
Dylan sighed, still worried. He couldn’t trust her. At the same time, there was nothing he could do, so he nodded.
"One more thing." Violet said.
Dylan looked visibly distressed when he asked, "What more do you want?"
"Drop me off somewhere and be on your way. I’m attending the auction alone."
"But Harry—" Dylan began, but stopped when she sent him a glare.