The Green Tea Trap

My so-called best friend sent my husband a flirtatious message.

But she underestimated the trust between me and my husband.

What she didn’t know was that every single conversation she thought she was having with him… was actually me replying on his behalf.

1

That night, while my husband was showering, his phone was lying on the sofa.

Suddenly, the screen lit up.

I casually unlocked his device and glanced at it out of curiosity.

A friend request had come through.

The sender was none other than the woman who had suddenly become my close friend over the past few days.

Her verification message was direct:

“Hello, I’m Claire’s colleague and good friend, Grace.”

A flicker of doubt crossed my mind.

I was certain I’d never shared my husband’s WeChat ID with her. How did she find it?

Curious, I accepted her request.

She messaged me immediately.

Grace: Hi, I’m Claire’s good friend. We met the other day when you picked her up from work.

She added a playful emoji.

Acting on a strange impulse, I didn’t reveal my identity. Instead, I replied using my husband’s account.

Ethan: I remember you. What’s up?

Grace: Haha, nothing really. I was playing Truth or Dare with my friends, and they dared me to add you. Hope you don’t mind!

Then she sent a photo.

It was a selfie. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes hazy. She’d clearly had a few drinks. Her hair was slightly tousled, giving her a seductive look.

In the background, I could vaguely make out a few other girls. A bottle of alcohol and dice were on the table.

I frowned, unsure whether Grace was doing this intentionally or not.

We chatted a bit more, but her words always made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

Her overly familiar tone felt deliberate yet casual, always tinged with a hint of seduction.

Just then, the bathroom door opened.

2

My husband stepped out, drying his hair with a towel.

He was only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water still clung to his upper body, and his pale abs stood out sharply in the steam.

Even though I was used to it, when he looked over at me with a smile, I couldn’t help but swallow.

He walked over to me, leaned down, and put on an innocent expression—he knew I loved that look.

“My dear wife, I’m done showering. Should we head to bed now?”

I deliberately turned my head away to avoid his warm breath and shook his phone in my hand.

“Take a look at this yourself. Care to explain?”

He took the phone, read through the chat history, and looked confused.

“Who is this? I don’t even know if she’s round or flat. My dear wife, you have to believe me. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world. With you by my side, how could I ever look at another girl? If she’s upset you, I’ll just delete her.”

He reached for the phone to delete the contact.

When I shook my head to stop him, he didn’t insist. Instead, he acted spoiled and nuzzled his head against me.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Seeing me smile, he pushed his luck even further. This teddy bear of a man was trying to drag me back to the bedroom for his favorite “scientific research” again.

But I wasn’t about to let this go so easily.

I couldn’t be sure if Grace had added my husband to pick a fight or if she was telling the truth about it being a dare.

But choosing to add another woman’s husband as a friend wasn’t something a normal woman would do.

If she didn’t have any ulterior motives, deleting her would make me seem petty.

If she did have other intentions, even deleting her wouldn’t stop her—she’d find another way. It was better to keep her on the radar and see what she was up to.

So, after some back-and-forth, my husband came up with a solution.

He had two WeChat accounts: one for work and one for friends and family.

Grace had added his personal account. He decided to stop using it for a few days and log it onto my phone instead. If anything important came up, I could let him know.

Looking at his honest expression, I nodded in satisfaction.

With that settled, he gave me a pitiful look again.

If he had a tail, it would have been wagging like crazy by now.

“Honey, can I tempt you into coming back to the bedroom now?”

I pretended to think, letting him grow anxious, before finally giving him a sweet smile.

“Alright, you’ve succeeded.”

3

The next day at work, Grace greeted me warmly, acting like the perfect best friend.

I responded casually, keeping up appearances. There was a strange sort of harmony between us.

A little while later, just as I was getting into the groove of work, my phone vibrated.

I opened it to find a message on my husband’s personal WeChat.

It was from Grace.

Grace: Image.jpg

The photo was of me changing the water jug at the office water dispenser. And she’d managed to capture me at my absolute worst angle!

Grace: Claire is so strong! Does she bully you at home?

She added a smirking emoji.

I glanced over at Grace.

She was staring at her phone with a sly smile, clearly waiting for a reply.

Annoyed, I forwarded the photo to my husband’s work account.

He replied almost immediately.

Ethan: My wife looks gorgeous!

Ethan: When did you go blind?

Ethan: Even if you’re my wife, don’t you dare say that about her!

…

Fine. There was no point talking to this man. I’d just have to reply to Grace myself.

Ethan: It’s just changing a water jug. No big deal.

Grace: I’m so jealous of Claire! Her husband treats her so well~

Grace: Unlike me. I can’t even move that water jug. I really need to work out more, sigh~

I shuddered. I could practically feel the coquettishness oozing through the screen.

What a little green tea! She was trying to make me look bad in front of my own husband!

I was furious and wanted to confront her directly.

But then I thought better of it. These chat logs alone wouldn’t convince anyone. She could easily turn things around and accuse me of being paranoid.

For now, I’d play along. If she backed off on her own, I wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

But if she insisted on humiliating herself, I’d have to teach her that coveting another woman’s husband was not a kind thing to do.

I gave her a few perfunctory replies, but she didn’t seem to notice my disinterest.

She sent another message, asking my husband if he wanted to have dinner together.

Of course, their “first dinner together” would have to include me.

Coincidentally, my husband had already said he’d pick me up from work tonight so we could go out to eat.

After some hesitation, I agreed to her dinner invitation.

I also told my husband that our romantic dinner for two had turned into a party of three.

He was not happy about it.

To get him to agree, I had to promise him that tonight, I’d finally agree to the “docking maneuver” he’d been asking for—the one I’d always refused.

The price was steep…

4

After work, Grace linked her arm through mine and, as expected, suggested we have dinner together.

When we reached the company entrance, Ethan was already waiting.

I spotted him from a distance. He had one hand in his pocket, leaning casually against the door of his black Mercedes G-Wagon—the kind of car that seemed to attract all the wrong kind of attention.

At 180 centimeters tall, with a sharp nose and slightly furrowed brows, he exuded an air of authority without even trying.

When he wasn’t smiling, he could be quite intimidating. No wonder so many women kept throwing themselves at him, hoping to catch his attention.

Before I could say anything, Grace beside me let out an excited squeal.

“Ethan! Over here!”

I frowned.

Ethan? She was calling my husband by his first name so casually.

Ethan turned at the sound of his name. The moment his eyes met mine, his expression softened. A warm smile spread across his face as he strode toward me.

Grace tried to strike up a conversation.

“Ethan, when did you get here? How long have you been waiting? We were just—”

She didn’t get to finish.

Ethan didn’t even spare her a glance. He simply took my bag from me and gently massaged my shoulders.

“Rough day at work, honey? I told you, you don’t have to work. Let me take care of you. Or you could come work at my company—pick any position you want.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grace’s face turn pale. I sighed inwardly but made no move to help her. I wasn’t a saint.

So I played along with Ethan’s topic, pretending to be annoyed.

“Your company has nothing to do with my field. I want to do something I enjoy.”

As we spoke, we reached the car. He gallantly opened the passenger door for me.

Just as I was about to get in, Grace suddenly shoved me aside.

If Ethan hadn’t caught me in time, I would have fallen flat on my face.

And then she climbed into the passenger seat.

In that sickly-sweet, baby voice of hers, she said, “I get carsick easily. Claire, you’re always so tough, so don’t you mind if I take the passenger seat, okay?”

She batted her big, watery eyes at Ethan.

I was so angry I almost laughed. I kept my mouth shut and stared straight at Ethan, waiting to see how he’d react.

Sure enough, he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“I’m having dinner with my wife. You insisted on tagging along, and we didn’t say a word about it. And now you have the nerve to shove my wife aside? Do you own this car that you can act so entitled?”

As charming as Ethan could be with me, he was ice-cold with everyone else.

Or rather, his coldness was his armor. Anyone foolish enough to try and get past it would have to face this man’s endless, venomous tongue.

His words made Grace’s eyes well up with tears. She clearly hadn’t expected the man who seemed so easygoing on WeChat to be so ruthless in person.

She stammered, “No, that’s not it… I didn’t mean to… I just felt a little dizzy…”

Ethan frowned again.

“If you’re dizzy, go home. If you throw up in my car, no amount of money you pay me can replace it.”

Seeing the situation about to escalate, I quickly stepped in to smooth things over, shooting him a warning look.

“Alright, alright, it’s not a big deal. Grace, Ethan’s just in a bad mood. Don’t take it to heart. Why don’t you keep the passenger seat, and I’ll drive?”

“No!” Before Grace could say anything, Ethan, who usually went along with everything I said, objected outright.

I raised an eyebrow as he grumbled, “I’m right here. There’s no way I’m letting my wife drive.”

He then turned his sharp gaze to Grace, making her flinch.

“If you’re really that uncomfortable, I’ll call you a cab and send you home right now. If you’re fine, then get in the back seat and apologize to Claire.”

Grace looked reluctant, but one look at his face told her that if she kept pushing, he might just drag her out of the car himself.

So she obediently got out, walked to the back seat, and said in that same syrupy voice, “I’m sorry. I thought the seats were first-come, first-served. I don’t mind sitting in the back. Please don’t be mad at me.”

What a massive white lotus flower. Ethan and I exchanged a look, both of us silently agreeing not to dignify her with a response.

I mostly felt exasperated, but Ethan’s face was practically black.

Of course he was upset.

His romantic dinner for two was ruined, and even though I’d agreed to his ridiculous demands, he still wasn’t happy.

But I had my own plans now. Just kicking Grace out would be too easy.

The game had only just begun, hadn’t it?

5

Dinner was at a light coconut restaurant. It was members-only, located on the eighteenth floor, with a violinist playing live.

Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a stunning view of the city.

It was supposed to be a table for two by the window, but now there was an extra seat. Grace’s seat faced the window directly.

Seeing this, I started to regret my decision.

Ethan had clearly planned a romantic date for us. But because of my pride—and my desire to have some fun—I’d let this green tea join us, ruining our romantic atmosphere.

But we were already here. There was no point in complaining now.

So I decided to put on a show of affection.

“Here, honey, open wide~”

Ethan cooperated, opening his mouth to eat the food I offered him. His gaze was soft as he looked at me.

“Don’t just focus on me, sweetheart. You should eat too. See if there’s anything else you like, and we’ll order more.”

I pinched his cheek in satisfaction and was about to order some dessert when Grace’s grating voice cut in again, interrupting our moment.

“Claire, you really should eat more. It’s good to have a big appetite—it’ll make you stronger. I wish I could eat like you, but I was born with a small appetite. That’s why I’m so delicate. Sigh.”

As she spoke, she gave Ethan a playful wink.

Ethan frowned in displeasure. Just as he was about to snap at her, I squeezed his hand to calm him down.

I didn’t want to cause a scene in public. If I got into a fight with Grace, it would only ruin our evening.

But my restraint only made her bolder.

She put on a knowing, older-sister act and said to me, “But Claire, don’t take this the wrong way. This place is way too expensive. How can we afford a place like this on our salaries? It’s enough that Ethan brought us here once. Ordering so much food is just adding to his burden.”

???

Did she think all the Cartier and Hermès I wore were fakes?

Or did she think I was completely dependent on Ethan? Didn’t she know I came from a wealthy family?

I was so stunned by her audacity that I didn’t know what to say.

Ethan suddenly laughed.

Grace took this as a sign of approval and puffed up with pride, ready to continue her lecture.

But Ethan cut her off calmly.

“Miss Grace, don’t you think you’re overstepping?”

She froze, stunned.

Ethan didn’t even look at her. He gently wiped the corner of my mouth with a napkin before continuing with a smile.

“Didn’t you know? I’m a kept man. My Claire only works because she enjoys it. She’s not like you, someone who’d be out on the streets without a job.”

Grace opened her mouth to speak, but Ethan shook his head, signaling her to be quiet. He was still smiling, but his entire demeanor radiated an aura of absolute authority.

I saw a flicker of fear in Grace’s eyes.

He continued, “You’d never be able to afford a place like this in your lifetime, would you? My Claire was kind enough to bring you along. You should be grateful to just sit there and be a decoration. Why do you insist on buzzing around like a fly and annoying everyone?”

He was insulting her to her face, but Grace held back.

Her face pale, she forced a smile. “You’ve misunderstood. I was just having a sisterly chat with Claire. If she didn’t like what I said, she could have just told me. She didn’t need to get you to say all this.”

She reached out and grabbed my hand, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked so fragile that anyone else would have felt sorry for her.

But I wasn’t anyone else.

Ethan was the one who had insulted her, yet she was blaming me, saying I’d put him up to it. She was hopeless.

I shook my head and gently pulled my hand away.

“I don’t care what you said. Just eat your food. Try this—it’s a specialty here. It’s delicious.”

Seeing our冷淡 attitude, she opened her mouth but swallowed whatever she was about to say.

The rest of the meal was relatively peaceful.

After all, Grace had been so thoroughly put in her place that she couldn’t say much.

Aside from the occasional flirtatious glance she threw at Ethan and her annoying attempts to act cute, everything else was fine.

We just ignored her. She said what she wanted, and we ate what we wanted.

We even talked about things only we knew, making sure she couldn’t join the conversation.

6

As soon as we got home, Ethan turned back into that dog of a man, happily running off to take a shower.

He kept muttering about how I’d better not forget the new “scientific position” I’d promised him.

I rolled my eyes and shoved him into the bathroom.

When I pulled out my phone, I saw that Grace still hadn’t given up. She’d sent a bunch of messages.

Grace: Ethan, please don’t be mad. Did Claire say something to you?

Grace: It’s all my fault. I’m always so careless around Claire. Maybe I did something wrong without realizing it.

Grace: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.

Grace: Oh, by the way, do you like Kobe? I have a pair of signed Kobe sneakers. They’re super rare and full of sentimental value. I pulled a lot of strings to get them. I want to give them to you as an apology.

…

I couldn’t read any more of her messages. My mind was stuck on the Kobe sneakers.

It seemed she wasn’t just thick-skinned—she’d also done her homework.

She knew Ethan was a huge basketball fan and that his idol was the late Kobe Bryant.

Those sneakers were an offer no basketball fan could refuse.

If he accepted them, he’d feel obligated to be nice to her.

My fingers hovered over the screen, but I didn’t know what to reply.

Just then, Ethan came out of the bathroom.

He saw me holding the phone with a sour expression and immediately understood.

“That little green tea again? Don’t let her get to you. I’ve already sent someone to look into her. Someone with her character is bound to have skeletons in her closet. When I find them, I’ll make her pay.”

I tossed him the phone. As he looked at it, I wrapped my arms around his neck and said, my voice a little muffled, “I feel like I’m not doing enough. I knew you loved basketball and Kobe, so why didn’t I think to get you a pair of signed sneakers?”

He found this amusing and hugged me back.

“My wife is the best gift in the world. You do so much for me every day—you buy all my clothes and shoes. I already have everything I need. Why would I be upset about one little thing you forgot?”

He kissed me on the cheek.

“Besides, your husband isn’t a helpless idiot. If I want something, can’t I buy it myself? We’re husband and wife. We should be straightforward with each other. We don’t need all these games.”

His words touched me, and my eyes started to glisten with tears.

But this man was a master at ruining the mood. He patted me lightly and put on a roguish grin.

“Alright, go take a shower. Don’t forget what you promised me today! Or we could take one together, if you’d prefer.”

My face flushed bright red.

I shot him a glare, pushed him away, and quickly escaped into the bathroom.

7

After the unpleasantness yesterday, I thought Grace would keep her distance at work.

But she acted as if nothing had happened, greeting me warmly again.

I was speechless and could only respond coldly.

Then, out of nowhere, her eyes reddened, and she asked me in a tearful voice, “Claire, why are you being so cold to me all of a sudden? I haven’t done anything wrong to you. Why do you keep making things difficult for me?”

Annoyed, I looked up at her.

“How am I making things difficult for you?”

She sniffled, looking as if she’d been terribly wronged, and kept crying pitifully.

Her sobbing drew the curious gazes of our colleagues. Someone even came over to mediate.

“What’s going on? You two are such good friends. Can’t you talk things out? Why is Grace crying like this?”

Grace wiped her eyes and gave the mediator a grateful look.

Then she glanced at me, like a frightened rabbit, before quickly looking away.

With a tear-choked voice, she said to the newcomer, “It’s nothing, Peter. Claire and I just have a little misunderstanding. I’m sure I can clear things up with her.”

Peter had always been Grace’s lapdog. Hearing this, he looked at me with displeasure.

“Claire, Grace is a kind-hearted person. Don’t bully her.”

I was so angry I almost spat blood.

“Bully her? What do you know? Why are you butting into our business?”

Peter puffed out his chest, looking righteous.

“I don’t know anything? Then tell me! All you do is make her cry and then throw around accusations!”

Furious, I was about to pull out my phone and show this lapdog the chat logs when I realized there was nothing incriminating in them.

Seeing Grace still crying and painting me as the villain, I simply turned and walked away. I couldn’t stand to watch their little act.

If I couldn’t win, I could at least retreat.

But just you wait, you little green tea!

8

After they left, I took a deep breath and opened Ethan’s WeChat to send Grace a message.

Ethan: I was a bit short-tempered yesterday. Sorry.

She replied instantly.

Grace: It’s okay. I know you were in a bad mood.

Grace: I thought I’d done something wrong. I even tried to talk to Claire about it today, but she seems to have a deep misunderstanding of me. She was really harsh with me. What should I do?

Grace: Oh, about those sneakers I mentioned yesterday. Do you want them? I can bring them to you later.

Ethan: No need for the sneakers. They’re too valuable. I can’t accept them. Thank you, though.

Grace: Oh, come on! What are friends for? What’s a pair of sneakers between us?

Ethan: And what exactly are we?

She sent a shy emoji.

Grace: Claire is my best friend, and you’re her husband. What do you think we are?

I carefully guided the conversation, but she was cautious. Her words were vague and didn’t give me anything concrete.

Still, my slight concession seemed to cheer her up. She chattered away like a little bird, sending message after message.

Most of her topics revolved around things Ethan liked. She’d really done her homework.

Grace: Haha, I thought I was weird. All the other girls are into makeup and stuff, but I’m always reading about modern European history. I didn’t expect you to like it too!

Grace: Sigh~ I can’t believe we have so much in common. I wish I’d met you sooner~

I didn’t agree with her, but I didn’t reject her outright either. I let her hope, letting her send those messages.

And I screenshotted every single one.

I spent the whole day chatting with her half-heartedly. It was exhausting.

After work, she surprisingly didn’t come to find me. She just looked at me from a distance.

Her gaze was triumphant, with a hint of pity.

Did she really think those messages she sent would make Ethan leave me?

9

Ethan picked me up from work as usual.

On the way home, he teased me, “Did you use my account to talk to that green tea today? She was practically winking at me when I was waiting at your office door. If you hadn’t come out when you did, she would have come over to chat me up.”

I found it amusing and told him about what happened today.

I also asked if he’d found anything about Grace.

His eyes lit up. While waiting at a red light, he triumphantly pulled out a file folder.

“This green tea’s background is explosive. I was going to wait until we got home to show you, but if you’re curious, you can look now.”

I opened the file and started reading.

I was shocked by what I saw.

In high school, Grace had been a classic white lotus.

She’d stolen the school bully’s boyfriend and gotten beaten up by his ex-girlfriend, who’d sworn to beat her up every time she saw her.

She couldn’t take it anymore and ended up doing poorly on her college entrance exams, forcing her to attend a vocational school.

Given her education, she shouldn’t have been able to get into our company.

But while she was in vocational school, she somehow got involved with a department manager at our company and even got an apartment from him.

The manager’s wife had found out and gone to the school, demanding Grace be expelled. It had caused quite a stir.

When the manager showed up, his first move was to drag his wife away.

Grace, meanwhile, had burst into tears, saying she wished him happiness and that she wasn’t worthy of him.

The manager, true to form, had taken her side and threatened to divorce his wife.

The school had initially planned to expel Grace.

But she wasn’t fazed. She sold the apartment the manager had given her, donated half the money to the school, and used both soft and hard tactics. She promised to graduate early and said her future employer was our company.

Our company was a Fortune 500 company, after all.

The school got both face and money, so they let the matter drop. They even helped cover it up.

The manager had been transferred to another city earlier this year, but the two of them were still in contact.

I was dumbfounded.

Then a thought struck me. I asked Ethan, “What if I use your account to chat with her again tonight and then send the chat logs to that manager? Would she stop causing trouble?”

Ethan patted my head affectionately.

“You’re too kind, honey. You only want to send them to the manager.”

Me? Kind?

Dude, your perception of me is seriously skewed.

“It would be a good idea to keep chatting with her tonight. But…”

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

“Honey, what do you think would happen if that manager’s wife found out that Grace hadn’t cut ties with her husband and had even gotten a job at his company through his connections?”

I thought about it and smacked my lips.

“You want to drive Grace into a corner?”

He smiled helplessly.

“What can I do? She bullied my wife today.”

10

I didn’t expect Ethan to move so fast.

The next day, as soon as I got to work, I saw a crowd gathered at the company entrance.

That manager’s wife was really something.

She’d hung a huge banner at the entrance that read: “Grace, the vocational school graduate and homewrecker, shamelessly used connections to get into the company!”

As I got closer, I could hear Grace’s sobbing.

Her lapdog, Peter, was arguing with a middle-aged woman.

“Hey, lady, just because you can’t keep your man, don’t take it out on Grace!”

The middle-aged woman was clearly the manager’s wife. She wasn’t backing down.

“That fox just hides behind men! Doesn’t she have a mouth? I’m telling you, everything you took from my husband is marital property. If you don’t give it back, I’ll beat you to a pulp!”

She started grappling with Grace.

The wife had brought a bunch of people with her. Peter was no match for them.

The people she brought pretended to break up the fight but actually held Peter back.

So all he could do was watch helplessly as Grace got beaten up.

One of them even said to him, “Kid, you’re young. Why are you being a simp? And for a woman like this, no less.”

Peter could only scream in frustration.

As for Grace, she was sobbing pitifully, looking around with tear-filled eyes and saying helplessly, “No, it’s not like that! Manager Wang and I are just friends! They’re lying…”

Her choked voice actually won her some sympathy.

But seeing how fierce the manager’s wife was, people only offered a few token words of comfort before backing off.

The chaos didn’t stop until Manager Wang himself showed up.

His face was pale. He dispersed the crowd, helped Grace up, and then roared at his wife, “I told you, there’s nothing between Grace and me! You made a scene back then, and you’re making another one now! Aren’t you embarrassed?”

His wife sneered and pulled out a stack of photos.

Manager Wang’s face changed instantly.

But his wife was past caring. She threw the photos into the air.

“Take a look, everyone! See what your pure little goddess has been up to! That bastard Wang has been transferring our assets to this fox! I’ve been with him through thick and thin, and now he wants to abandon me for her! My heart is breaking!”

His wife had been fierce before, but now she was playing the sympathy card, and it actually worked on us.

I picked up one of the photos. Wow. Grace really knew how to have fun.

But wasn’t distributing these photos illegal?

Just as I was lost in thought, the situation took another turn.

Faced with irrefutable evidence, Manager Wang stopped denying everything. Instead, he became defiant.

“It’s your fault! You’re always so suspicious! It’s annoying! Grace and I are true loves! If it weren’t for her constantly persuading me, I would have divorced you long ago! And now you have the nerve to come here and make a scene!”

Grace also chimed in, sobbing, “Lisa, when you find true love, you’ll understand. I’ve been trying my best not to disturb your marriage, but why do you keep holding a grudge against me?”

11

Seeing the middle-aged woman at a loss for words, it was time for me to step in.

I let out a cold laugh. “Oh, really? You and Manager Wang are true loves? Then why did you tell my husband yesterday that he was your true love?”

Grace’s face went pale when she saw me, but she still tried to play the innocent victim.

“Claire, even if we have our differences, you can’t slander me like this!”

“You won’t give up until you see the coffin!”

I snorted and pulled out my phone, handing it to Manager Wang.

“Manager Wang, before you defend your ‘true love,’ take a look at her chat logs with my husband. They’re all here.”

Grace tried to stop him, but the quick-witted middle-aged woman blocked her.

I found a seat and sat down.

“Manager Wang, if you doubt that the woman on the other end is Grace, you can check and see if it’s her WeChat account.”

I shifted to a more comfortable position and added, “Oh, and there are voice messages from her in there. Listen to them too. Just in case she tries to say her account was hacked or something.”

Ignoring Grace’s murderous glare, I rested my chin on my hand and looked out the window, suddenly missing Ethan.

These plans were all his idea.

Last night, Grace had sent more WeChat messages, full of试探 and admiration.

Ethan had reminded me to save the evidence and get her to send a few voice messages to block her escape.

The content was pure tea ceremony.

If Ethan hadn’t been so devoted to me, anyone else would have fallen for it.

“Ethan, I haven’t had such a great conversation in a long time. You’re truly my soulmate.”

“Ethan, maybe I should delete you. Claire will definitely misunderstand.”

“I’m scared too. If I keep talking to you, I won’t be able to control my heart.”

She’d sent that last one as a voice message.

Her voice was soft and full of melancholy.

Then came more messages.

“Forget it. I can’t bear to. How about you delete me? I really can’t bring myself to do it.”

…

The more Manager Wang read, the more ashen his face became.

Finally, he slapped Grace.

“You slut! Didn’t you say you loved me? How dare you go after another man behind my back!”

Grace was so panicked she couldn’t speak.

She hadn’t expected to be caught so red-handed.

Manager Wang grew angrier. “No wonder you’ve been saying we should break up ‘for my own good.’ You’ve already found a replacement! Look at yourself! Who else would want you besides me?”

12

In the end, the company’s management got involved.

Manager Wang was fired for abuse of power and hiring people through connections.

His wife filed for divorce. Before she left, she swore she’d take Grace to court and make her give back every penny she’d taken from Manager Wang.

As for Grace, she was, of course, fired.

When everyone was gone, Grace looked at me with hatred, her appearance disheveled.

“Claire, I’ve lost everything now. My reputation is ruined. Are you happy?”

I smiled. “Happy? Of course I am. Evil has been punished. Shouldn’t I be happy?”

That seemed to push her over the edge. She lunged at me like a madwoman.

But a hand reached out from the side and shoved her to the ground.

“Ethan? What are you doing here? Don’t you have work?”

I looked at the newcomer in surprise.

Ethan smiled and took my hand. “I was worried about you. I took care of some things at the office and came straight here. Looks like I made it just in time.”

Seeing how sweet we were, Grace went crazy.

“It was you! You set me up! You knew all along, didn’t you, Claire?”

Ethan frowned in displeasure.

I patted his hand to calm him down. I wanted to handle this myself.

Since today would probably be the last time I ever saw Grace, I wanted to get a few things off my chest.

“Yes, I knew. So what?”

“Did I make you have evil intentions? Did I force you to seduce someone else’s husband? Did I make you play two men at once? Everything that happened today is your own fault. What does it have to do with me?”

She choked on my words. Then she turned to Ethan with a hurt expression.

“Ethan, look at how vicious she is! How can you love a woman like this?”

Ethan just laughed and looked at me with adoration.

“My wife is adorable when she’s angry.”

Grace was stunned by his shamelessness. She couldn’t even continue her attempt to sow discord.

I playfully slapped him, but my heart was full of sweetness.

“Grace, since we were friends, let me give you some advice. Be a good person.”

I straightened my expression and continued, “It’s not scary to make mistakes. What’s scary is not realizing your mistakes and continuing to make them. That’s how you ruin your life.”

But she burst into tears.

“Claire, you’ve had everything handed to you on a silver platter since you were a child. Your parents doted on you. Then you met Ethan, and he loves and cherishes you. You have everything, so it’s easy for you to stand there and preach.

But what about me? What do I have?

My parents divorced when I was young. I’ve always remembered the mistress who stole my father telling my mother, ‘If a woman wants something, she has to fight for it. Always sacrificing won’t get you anywhere.’”

Her tears this time seemed genuine, without all the pretentiousness.

I sighed. Then I heard Ethan’s cold voice.

“Claire has everything because she deserves it.

Your suffering doesn’t justify your twisted mindset.

Think about it. Before you met me, was Claire good to you? You know the answer.

There were people who genuinely cared about you.

But in your eyes, they weren’t worth your time.

Or should I say, you only know how to repay kindness with cruelty?”

His words left Grace stunned. She even stopped crying.

Ethan put his arm around me and said softly, “Let’s go. There’s no point in wasting our breath on someone like her.”

We hadn’t taken more than a few steps when we heard a heart-wrenching wail behind us.

It was a cry of despair, whether from regret or sorrow over