Chapter 3
"The two of you betrayed me, and now you expect me to worry about scaring Carolyn?" Essie said, her voice shaking with hurt and disbelief.
Carolyn fell to her knees in front of Essie, tears streaming down her face.
Carolyn sobbed, "Ms. Greene, I know I've hurt you, but Harrison and I are truly in love.
"I don't care about titles or status. I want to be by his side.
"Please, let us be together."
Essie was so furious at Carolyn's dramatic display that she lunged to slap her, but Harrison shoved her away.
His eyes that used to look at her with such tenderness and longing were now filled with nothing but annoyance and cold indifference.
Harrison declared, with an air of superiority,
He said, "Essie, because you've stood by me all these years, I'll let you keep the title of Mrs. Vance. But don't think my patience with you is endless.
"Carolyn is pure and kind. She's innocent in all this. I'm the one who betrayed you. If you want to blame someone, blame me, not her."
Essie's eyes brimmed with angry tears at his words.
"Harrison, if she were so pure and kind, she wouldn't have sunk so low as to be a homewrecker," Essie shot back, her voice trembling with rage.
Harrison's gaze turned icy cold.
He snapped, "Don't talk like that. There's no homewrecker here. Carolyn and I are in love. You're the outsider now.
"If you can't stand it, go ahead and file for divorce!"
He held Carolyn close as he walked away, without even looking back at Essie, who was falling apart.
The next day, Essie marched into the company, fired Carolyn on the spot, and kicked her out without hesitation.
When Harrison rushed over after hearing the news, he found Carolyn being dragged out, looking humiliated.
The moment Carolyn saw Harrison, she rushed straight into his arms, her eyes swollen and full of tears.
Essie didn't need him to say a word. Just one look at Harrison's face and she could see all his sympathy and tenderness for Carolyn, clear as day.
When he turned to Essie, his stare was downright icy. It was so cold that it could cut right through her.
Harrison spat, "Essie, Carolyn's done more for this company than you ever have. You're the one who needs to get out!
"I announce that starting today, Eeene is expelled from the company and barred from entering here."
That same night, Harrison publicly promoted Carolyn and personally hosted a celebration party for her.
At the same time, all product lines that once bore Essie's name were pulled from the market and destroyed.
All products related to Essie's name were rebranded with Carolyn's name.
Even the company itself, Vance & Greene Group, was being rebranded as Vance & Pelosi Group.
Essie tried to get someone to expose Harrison's affair with Carolyn.
She sent out the evidence, hoping to expose them, but that night, the trending topics flipped against her.
[Ordinary employees also matter! The CEO's wife is out of control!]
[Essie Greene and Harrison Vance: Pulling the gratitude card for payback!]
[Stay away from the bloodsucking trophy wife!]
Essie's face went pale as she opened the trending page. Every bit of drama between her, Harrison, and Carolyn was being aired out online for everyone to see.
But the way she rescued Harrison and sold her house for his startup was twisted into her scheming for profit, as she was making some cold, calculated investment.
Essie didn't hand Carolyn a wad of cash. She helped her with school and gave her a job, but people spun it as her making things hard for the poor girl, just to humiliate her.
Harrison marrying her got turned into Essie guilt-tripping him, forcing him to tie the knot out of obligation.
Carolyn stepping between Essie and Harrison was made out to be like Carolyn was Harrison's savior, rescuing him from Essie.
And Essie was painted as nothing but the mean, spoiled wife who bullied everyone around her.
Even Essie's parents got dragged into the mess, with netizens ruthlessly digging up their history and mercilessly attacking them online.
Essie's hands trembled as she called someone, hoping to get the trending topic taken down.
But the person on the other end replied, "Ms. Greene, Mr. Vance said this trending topic has to stay up for a full week, not even a second early.
"This is a lesson for you, for bullying Ms. Pelosi."
Essie had finally had enough. She found out where Harrison was hosting the celebration party for Carolyn.
She rushed over that night.
Peering through the clear glass window, Essie saw Harrison and Carolyn standing side by side, smiling and raising their glasses to each other, looking like a picture-perfect couple.
Just as Essie was about to walk in, a group of people suddenly blocked her way.
"Hey, isn't that the notorious wicked wife everyone's been talking about online?" someone sneered.
"What are you doing here? Here to push people around again?" someone jeered.
"We're just nobodies, but our lives matter, too! We work our asses off, and you think you can toss someone out with a word? Who do you think you are?" another spat.
"So what if you're loaded? What gives you the right to act all high and mighty? Get out of here!" someone else shouted.
Essie shook her head, her face drained of color.
"I didn't... I didn't bully anyone. They're the ones who bullied me... Ah!" Essie cried out.
With a sudden, loud crash!
Someone smashed a glass bottle right over her head.
Blood instantly poured down her face.
The crowd that had been shouting at her froze, then scrambled away in fear.
The young guy clutching the broken bottle, his drunken bravado gone, turned and ran off, terrified.
He tossed out one last line as he bolted, "It's not my fault... It's... It's what you deserve."
Essie staggered, then collapsed to the floor.
With determination, she turned her head to look inside the restaurant.
There was Harrison, the man who once promised to protect her forever, who used to get all worried and anxious if she so much as nicked her finger.