THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.-Chapter 350
Oliver's expression became more serious, more meaningful as he continued.
"And yes, I genuinely think that day is even going to be the moment when you truly understand who you're really dealing with and who I actually am beneath the surface. I know I've told you so many things about myself and my life, but I honestly feel like that wedding day is going to show you simply and clearly who I really am in a way that words never could. Actions speak louder than words, after all, and you're about to witness that firsthand."
Without wasting another second, Cora nodded her head enthusiastically, a genuine smile finally breaking through all the tension and worry that had been weighing on her face for the past hour. She reached across the table and squeezed Oliver's hand affectionately.
"Well, let's just get on with our date properly now," she said with a lightness returning to her voice. "Don't allow Penelope or anybody else to spoil what was supposed to be our special evening together. She's already taken up enough of our time and energy."
At that moment, after Cora and Oliver had finally finished their meal and paid the bill, enjoying the rest of their dinner in much lighter spirits despite everything that had transpired, they literally walked outside from the upscale restaurant hand in hand. The cool evening air felt refreshing against their skin after the heated confrontation they had just endured inside.
They walked together across the parking lot toward where Oliver's luxury car was parked under one of the elegant streetlights. Oliver, behaving like the perfect gentleman he had always been with Cora, walked slightly ahead and opened the passenger door with a flourish, gesturing for her to enter first with a playful bow that made her laugh and momentarily forget all about Penelope's threats. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Cora slid gracefully into the comfortable leather seat, and only after making sure she was settled comfortably did Oliver close her door gently and walk around to the driver's side. He opened his own door and slid behind the wheel.
However Lovi was seated inside his car with his jaw tightened.
At that moment, as Oliver's luxury car literally began to drive away from the upscale restaurant and merge into the evening traffic, that was when Lovi's jaw tightened even more with a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief as the full reality of what he had just witnessed began to sink into his mind. He sat there in the backseat, his hands clenched into fists on his lap, trying to process everything he had seen unfold before his eyes.
He couldn't believe that he had been simply sitting here in this car for over two hours, patiently waiting and thinking that maybe Cora was literally inside the restaurant having a quiet dinner all by herself, perhaps meeting with a female friend or just enjoying some alone time to clear her head. Never in his wildest imagination had he considered that Cora was actually on what appeared to be a very romantic and intimate date with somebody - and this someone was a man that Lovi had never seen before in his life, someone who clearly wasn't just a casual acquaintance.
Again Lovi
eyes narrowed as he replayed the scene he had just observed outside the restaurant. From the look of things that he had witnessed - the way Oliver had opened the car door for her like a perfect gentleman, the way Cora had been smiling so genuinely and warmly, the comfortable and natural way they moved together like they had done this many times before - it was crystal clear that this guy was probably her boyfriend or at the very least somebody really, really close to her heart. But deep down, Lovi knew the truth that he didn't want to accept: this was definitely her boyfriend, and they seemed happy together.
The realization hit him like a punch to the stomach, and Lovi felt a surge of jealousy and possessiveness that surprised him with its intensity. He had been trying to win Cora back for weeks, believing that if he was patient enough and persistent enough, she would eventually come back to him. But now he was seeing clear evidence that she had completely moved on and found someone new.
"It seems like I was just playing way too soft all this while," he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with bitterness and growing resentment.
"I was being too nice, too understanding, too patient, not knowing that she was slipping right through my fingers while I wasn't paying attention, finding herself a replacement for me."
Lovi's expression darkened as a more sinister plan began to form in his mind, and his voice took on a threatening tone that would have made Cora's blood run cold if she could have heard it.
"Well, if that's how she wants to play this game, then I need to change my strategy completely. I need to stop playing the nice guy and start playing very, very tough with her. Since she thinks she can just move on and forget about everything we had together, I'm going to remind her exactly why that's not going to be possible. I'm going to blackmail her until she has no choice."
At that moment, without wasting any other seconds or second-guessing the dark decision he had just made, Lovi literally brought out his smartphone from his jacket pocket with hands that were trembling slightly - though whether from anger, excitement, or nervousness, even he couldn't tell. The screen illuminated his face with an eerie glow in the dim interior of the car as he navigated through his photo gallery with practiced ease.
He scrolled through his files until he found exactly what he was looking for - the video that he had been keeping stored on his phone for weeks now, the one piece of leverage that he had been holding onto like a nuclear weapon, waiting for the perfect moment to use it. His finger hovered over the play button for a moment before he pressed it, and he gazed at the screen intently as the video began to play.
Lovi watched it play for several long seconds, his expression hardening with each passing moment as he convinced himself that this was the only option he had left.
"Well, I never wanted to resort to doing something like this," he said quietly to himself, though his voice carried a tone that suggested he wasn't entirely truthful about that claim.
"But she literally pushed me to this point with her actions tonight. She left me with absolutely no other choice."
