Chapter 158 Threatened Me
Ella surely told Ashley about this incident when she got home. Once Ashley knew I had this evidence against her, she would likely try to intervene. If she managed to stop me, I would need to admit defeat.
I hadn’t anticipated Rowan to defend Ashley so strongly.
When I decided not to wait for the supposed right moment and leaked that recording to the media, I discovered everyone became evasive. Upon hearing it involved Ashley, they promptly declined and treated it like a hot potato.
Even Enoch hesitated to handle it this time, although he did write a text about exposing Ashley for me.
He didn’t dare to intervene, but he disclosed some insider information. “Ms. Sadler, your ex–husband is incredibly influential It seems he genuinely cares for Ashley. I’ve exposed several scandals involving him in the past, and he never bothered about them, but this time is different.”
Upon hearing this, I was instantly disheartened.
Now Ashley’s health was not good. Rowan was very afraid that I would do something to provoke her, and that was why he had blocked all media channels.
Having power was truly the ultimate advantage.
I hadn’t told Jean and the others about this. They couldn’t confront Rowan, and it would only add to their troubles.
Since leaking the information to the media wasn’t feasible, I’d handle this myself. It would just take longer to make an impact.
I didn’t believe Rowan could still use his power to threaten me, and I refused to give in.
“Ivory, can you help me quickly?” Chester’s call came unexpectedly. His tone sounded urgent.
“What’s wrong?” I was surprised because Chester usually didn’t contact me. Among Rowan’s friends, we were just acquaintances. If he wasn’t with Jean, we would probably just be hi–bye friends.
Chester sounded worried. “I said the wrong thing and made Jean angry. Now she’s not talking to me, and her phone is off. Can you help me find her?”
Even though Jean was pregnant, he still kept making mistakes. His intelligence was truly questionable.
Jean had always had a fiery temper. Now that she was pregnant, who knew what might happen if she got really angry?
Without further ado, I got the address and hurried over. I tried calling Jean on the way, but her phone was off.
When I arrived at the destination, Chester was already there. However, I didn’t see any anxiety on his face; instead, I saw Rowan standing behind him.
“Um…” Chester nervously approached me. “I’m sorry. Rowan wanted to meet you, but he knew you wouldn’t agree to see him right now, so…”
No wonder Jean sometimes felt like punching him. He really deserved it.
Facing my annoyance, Chester quietly retreated. His loyalty as a friend was commendable, but if Jean found out, he could be in trouble.
Rowan stood still and watched me silently. Despite the short distance of three or four meters between us, it felt like an immense gulf separated us.
“You’ve gone through all this trouble to see me, so what is it?” I finally spoke. I didn’t want to waste time with him.
“Ashley’s condition is very unstable at the moment. Whatever it is, it can wait until after her surgery in Dalloria,” Rowan said. His words further chilled my heart. That was why he came. He was afraid I might provoke Ashley and endanger her life.
Rowan was truly insightful. Just as I was about to release the recording, he came to find me. Was this advice or a warning?
“Rowan, if Ashley pushed me off the bed and made me lose my child, what would you do to her?” I asked. I was ready to reveal everything to him.
Rowan frowned. “Where’s the evidence?”
“Answer me first How would you deal with her?” I pressed on, sensing that even if I disclosed everything to Rowan, he might still protect Ashley.
In the past, he went to extremes for Ashley. He did everything he could. So why wouldn’t he do something as insignificant as this?
So I never considered exposing Ashley to Rowan alone. I planned to make everything public when they were together, so Ashley would be impacted the most.
“I already told you. Wait until after her surgery,” Rowan said impatiently. It seemed like I was pressing him for an answer.
I was confused. Did he value Ashley or just her heart?
If it was for her heart, I could only commend his deep affection and loyalty toward Sophie.
“You have no right or authority to stop me. You can manipulate the media and public opinion with your power, but you can’t control me, can you?” I decided against letting Rowan hear the recording, to avoid any trouble.
“I don’t, but after all these years, you should know my character well,” Rowan said coldly. There was a dangerous hint to his voice. “Just give me a little more time. If you can’t wait, I’ll find a way to make you wait.”
“How?” My heart was anxious, eager to know what he would do.
“Some photos of your father. You probably wouldn’t want them to be leaked,” Rowan said after hesitating briefly.
At that moment, I was shocked. I thought the issue with my dad had been fully resolved. I had wondered if Rowan still had more photos. Were the ones he previously gave me all there were?
I never imagined my suspicions would come true. He was a highly calculative person. He always kept his options open to use whoever or whatever he could.
I thought he helped me before because he genuinely cared for me and wanted things to improve between us. I even wavered. Now I realized it was just a joke. He could threaten me anytime by using people I care about as leverage.
“Rowan, you truly surprise me,” I finally said after a long pause. I looked at him with nothing but disappointment in my eyes.
What was I hoping for? He had hurt me repeatedly, yet I hadn’t learned to toughen up.
Rowan hesitated and frowned. I didn’t know what he intended to say, nor did I care to listen.
“If you release those photos, I don’t mind going down with you.” My words were filled with anger.
Chapter 158 Threatened Me
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“In a month, I’ll take her to Dalloria.” Rowan sighed softly. “I’ll handle these issues then, alright?”
“I’ll handle it myself. There’s no need for you to intervene,” I replied coldly with a smirk. Then I turned and walked away without looking back.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I turned away. I was overwhelmed with sadness. I felt foolish for believing Rowan had feelings for me in this life. Just because of a few encounters and his gestures and words that were new to me, I had forgotten all the pain from the previous life.
If I could, I’d slap myself right now for being foolish. As the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
…
For my dad’s sake, I couldn’t go ahead with the original plan and had to put it on hold for now.
Rowan’s one–month timeline sounded brief, but to me, it stretched on endlessly. I was engulfed in the anguish of losing my child and haunted by the uncertainty of future pregnancies. I was almost consumed by sadness.
Jean and the others frequently invited me out to help me relax.
“Ivy, what are you waiting for? Why the delay?” Jean asked repeatedly. She was concerned.
But I hesitated to tell her about Rowan’s threat. I was genuinely worried about upsetting her during her pregnancy.
I took a sip of wine and chuckled lightly, “Didn’t I say before? I’m waiting for the right moment.”
“Is there really a better moment?” Natalie asked.
“Of course.” I nodded.
They exchanged glances but refrained from commenting much on my decision. Given my current state, they were careful not to press me further. They were probably concerned about how I might handle it.
I had developed strong mental resilience. Having gone through what I needed to in my previous life, I was now less impulsive when facing difficulties.
Even those with the strongest mental resilience can falter at times. I shouldn’t have overindulged in drinking, but now it seemed like I had no other way to relax.
As a result of this lack of control, I ended up drinking excessively and getting so drunk that I blacked out. Olivia and Natalie were always the ones who had to take me home afterward. Jean had stopped drinking, and Chester would pick her up after each gathering.
Barter 159 Overnight at Ivans Place