Chapter 6 · Villainess No Longer Obeys

Leonard was standing outside, his gaze downright menacing as he stared straight at my window.

I glanced down with a fry in my mouth and rolled my eyes hard.

Seriously? Is he some kind of clingy mutt? Why can't I shake him off?' I grumbled to myself.

I pulled my gaze away, not even sparing Leonard Reed a second thought. My fingers danced across the keyboard, hashing out ad details with the brand rep and shooting over the freshly revised script.

The rep fired back instantly: "Ms. Sophie, you're seriously amazing! Everything's good on our end. We can shoot tomorrow, and you'll get paid right after. We promise there is no delays!"

I grinned at the screen, my eyes squinting with pure joy.

Five grand for a thirty-second voiceover? That's way more than I used to make slaving away.

Making money is the only thing that matters. All that romance stuff? Just dead weight slowing me down,' I thought to myself.

Just as I was about to reply, someone started pounding on the door, so loud it sounded like they were about to smash it in.

Frowning, I shuffled over in my slippers and peeked through the peephole. Of course, it was Leonard Reed, his annoyingly face pressed right up against the glass like he owned the place.

I rolled my eyes, yanked the door open, fry still dangling from my mouth, and mumbled, "What do you want? If it's nothing, I'm shutting the door. My fried chicken's getting cold."

Leonard glanced into my apartment, his brows scrunched up like he'd just walked into a landfill, even though the place was spotless.

He barged in, towering over me with that smug, condescending attitude. It seems he was doing me a favor just by showing up. "Seriously, Sophie? You actually live here?"

"What's it to you where I live?" I shot back, shutting the door behind me and leaning against the frame. "Mr. Reed, aren't you supposed to be running an empire? You didn't come all the way here just to critique my place, did you?"

"I'm giving you one last chance," he said, whipping out a checkbook and pen from his suit pocket. He scribbled furiously, tore off the check, and slapped it down on the coffee table right in front of me.

"One million," he said, chin raised, eyes blazing with determination. "Delete every single post online about the Lane Family and Rose. Then come back to the Lane Family with me, kneel and apologize to Rose. If you do all that, the money's yours."

I glanced down at the check and almost burst out laughing.

Seriously, is he stuck in the Stone Age? Does he really think a million is enough to buy my backbone and make me kneel?

He's basically the poster boy for clueless men.

I picked up the check, waved it, and smiled slowly.

Then, a loud rip comes.

I tore that million-dollar check right in half.

Before Leonard could even react, I kept ripping it up, shredded it into tiny pieces, and tossed the scraps straight into the trash without even blinking.

Leonard was totally stunned, stared at me in disbelief. "Sophie! Are you out of your mind? That was a million dollars!"

"A million dollars is supposed to impress me?" I grabbed a tissue, wiped my hands, and rolled my eyes. "I get five grand for a single ad, and my followers are blowing up. Give me half a year and I'll make that million myself. I'm not about to ruin my life for some dirty cash just to grovel to that fake innocent Rose. I'd rather live longer, thanks."

I paused, then dropped the real bomb: "Besides, just touching your money makes me feel gross."

Leonard turned bright red, trembling with rage. "You... you ungrateful woman! Do you really think I can't get your account shut down with just one word? I could make sure you never earn a cent in Riverdale again!"

"Oh? Go ahead, try me," I shot back. I picked up my phone from the table. The recording app was open. "I've got everything you just said on tape. And I've got yesterday's little stunt at the gate, too, you know, when you cornered me and harassed me."

I took a step closer, flashing a sweet, innocent smile that was anything but. "If you even think about touching my account today, I'll drop both recordings online tomorrow. The whole city will see how you use your power to bully and threaten a regular woman. Oh, and I'll send them to the business press, too. I wonder what they'll think about your reputation. Will it tank your company's stock price?"

Leonard paled and stepped back.

He wasn't worried about me causing drama. What really got under his skin was the idea of Reed Enterprises' stock nosediving and the board breathing down his neck. He'd watched with his own eyes as the Lane Family's shares tanked yesterday.

Before he could even react, I whipped out my phone, opened up WhatsApp, and sent the audio clips and the full transcript all at once to a bunch of top local finance influencers and celebrity gossip bloggers who'd been reaching out to me lately.

The moment the "Message Sent" notification popped up, Leonard's phone started ringing nonstop, like it was possessed.

He fumbled for his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and his face went even paler. He scrambled to answer, putting it on speaker.

His assistant's voice came through, shaky and on the verge of tears. "Mr. Reed! Oh my god, it's a disaster! A recording of you threatening Miss Lane just blew up online, and #CEO Reed Abuse Of Power shot straight to the top of the trending list! Our stock is tanking again, down 8% already! Nearly a billion wiped out in market cap! The board is in chaos, and they're all waiting for you in the conference room!"

Leonard swayed on his feet, his phone nearly slipping right out of his hand.

He stared at me, eyes wide with disbelief and for a split second, I caught a flicker of panic in his eyes, something he probably didn't even realize was there.

He never would've guessed that the Sophie who used to grovel at his feet, who'd panic over just a frown from him, would actually have the guts to pull this off. He never imagined I'd stand up to his threats without even flinching.

Chapter 6

Leonard was standing outside, his gaze downright menacing as he stared straight at my window.

I glanced down with a fry in my mouth and rolled my eyes hard.

Seriously? Is he some kind of clingy mutt? Why can't I shake him off?' I grumbled to myself.

I pulled my gaze away, not even sparing Leonard Reed a second thought. My fingers danced across the keyboard, hashing out ad details with the brand rep and shooting over the freshly revised script.

The rep fired back instantly: "Ms. Sophie, you're seriously amazing! Everything's good on our end. We can shoot tomorrow, and you'll get paid right after. We promise there is no delays!"

I grinned at the screen, my eyes squinting with pure joy.

Five grand for a thirty-second voiceover? That's way more than I used to make slaving away.

Making money is the only thing that matters. All that romance stuff? Just dead weight slowing me down,' I thought to myself.

Just as I was about to reply, someone started pounding on the door, so loud it sounded like they were about to smash it in.

Frowning, I shuffled over in my slippers and peeked through the peephole. Of course, it was Leonard Reed, his annoyingly face pressed right up against the glass like he owned the place.

I rolled my eyes, yanked the door open, fry still dangling from my mouth, and mumbled, "What do you want? If it's nothing, I'm shutting the door. My fried chicken's getting cold."

Leonard glanced into my apartment, his brows scrunched up like he'd just walked into a landfill, even though the place was spotless.

He barged in, towering over me with that smug, condescending attitude. It seems he was doing me a favor just by showing up. "Seriously, Sophie? You actually live here?"

I glanced down at the check and almost burst out laughing.

Seriously, is he stuck in the Stone Age? Does he really think a million is enough to buy my backbone and make me kneel?

He's basically the poster boy for clueless men.

I picked up the check, waved it, and smiled slowly.

Then, a loud rip comes.

I tore that million-dollar check right in half.

Before Leonard could even react, I kept ripping it up, shredded it into tiny pieces, and tossed the scraps straight into the trash without even blinking.

Leonard was totally stunned, stared at me in disbelief. "Sophie! Are you out of your mind? That was a million dollars!"

I paused, then dropped the real bomb: "Besides, just touching your money makes me feel gross."

Leonard paled and stepped back.

The moment the "Message Sent" notification popped up, Leonard's phone started ringing nonstop, like it was possessed.

He fumbled for his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and his face went even paler. He scrambled to answer, putting it on speaker.

Leonard swayed on his feet, his phone nearly slipping right out of his hand.

He stared at me, eyes wide with disbelief and for a split second, I caught a flicker of panic in his eyes, something he probably didn't even realize was there.