They Framed Me to Steal My Company, Unaware of My Secret

Allie's POV

After taking over my dad’s company, my best friend, Gwendolyn Frost, insisted we play out one of those over-the-top “cold CEO and his lover” scenes.

So, I booked out an entire amusement park and even prepared a sky full of fireworks just to entertain her fantasies.

But before the show could even start, a woman came running out of the bushes with a child in her arms.

Gwendolyn slapped her hands over her eyes and yelled, “Oh my God! Did Cleopatra just leap out of the screen to get me back? Babe, help me! I promise I’ll quit picking on people!”

The woman threw herself at my leg, crying so hard she was practically leaking everywhere. “Sweetheart, you promised you’d marry me once your career took off. Why did you disappear for three whole years? And who is this woman? Do you not want me anymore? What about our child?”

I was stunned, touching my hair I’d cut earlier that day just to avoid an arranged marriage.

Before I could react, she got even more emotional. “You told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world when we slept together. Now that the baby’s here, you’re pretending you don’t even know me? I can’t live like this!”

Right then, her wobbly little kid smeared a handful of snot on my pants. “Daddy, hold me!”

People around us immediately whipped out their phones, recording and snapping pictures. In seconds, I’d become the villain of the century—the scumbag who ditched his wife and abandoned his child.

Desperate, I looked at Gwendolyn, silently begging for backup. But instead of helping me, she even burst into tears, louder than the woman clinging to me. “Babe, say something! Who is she? You owe me an explanation tonight!”

——

She then balled her fists and started pounding on my chest like she was the betrayed heroine of a soap opera. “Talk! Who is this woman? And who is this ugly little kid? So, that’s how it is, huh? You told me I was your first woman, but behind my back, you collected numerous mistresses! Does your conscience feel nothing? Today is even our five-year anniversary!”

She was too committed to the role.

Kiera Hastings, the woman, on the other hand, took her performance seriously and burst into tears again. “So, that’s it. You already had someone else when we met. No wonder you slept with me once and vanished the next morning. Well, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have fallen for you so easily. I ruined my own life and the child’s!”

“Even so, I won’t ask for anything anymore. I know I could never compete with a woman like her. Just promise you’ll take care of our child. And if you can give me a grand and five hundred a month for living expenses, that’s enough,” she said finally.

A grand and five hundred?!

I almost choked on the juice I’d been sipping. If I hadn’t taken over the family business, a grand and five hundred would be enough to bury me.

Finally, Gwendolyn realized the woman wasn’t acting and quickly tried to explain. “You misunderstood, she’s not—”

But Kiera cut her off immediately. “Enough! What are you trying to say? That your husband isn’t that kind of person? Please. Which scumbag ever has ‘I’m a scumbag’ tattooed on his forehead? If he hadn’t forced himself on me, I’d never believe something like this could happen to me! I’m already throwing away my dignity by even standing here. I don’t even dare hope that rapist will face the punishment he deserves. I just want him to care for his child. Why is even that too much?”

Humans really loved drama, so the second she said “rapist,” the entire amusement park fell silent.

Right then, I bitterly regretted not listening to the staff when they suggested we clear out the area before opening the park for our little performance.

I shot Gwendolyn a look full of agony, as if saying, “This is your fault. If you wanted drama and nosy bystanders, I could’ve hired actors. Now look, we’ve become the drama.”

She looked so guilty that she seemed ready to bury her head in the nearest shrub.

I was just about to speak when a tattooed man stormed up to me, pointing an accusing finger. “Being a pretty boy is one thing, but acting without an ounce of responsibility? You’ve embarrassed every decent man out here!”