Chapter 354

"She just wanted him around?" I scoffed. "The nerve."

I looked at her pitiful face, my voice hardening. "Tanya, you're mistaken. It's not Jace's body you want—it's his status, and the wealth that comes with it."

Tanya pressed her lips together. "I won't deny that, but..." She paused, then delivered her next line like a blow. "But over these months, Jace has treated me as well as Desmond ever did. I've truly fallen in love with him. I want to spend my life with him."

So, this was her way of telling me Jace cared for her, that she couldn't live without him. Even now, she saw me as a rival. Yet, here she was, begging for my help, even while twisting the knife. She truly thought I was that easily manipulated.

I offered a faint smile. "Jace was good to you, but he still left."

Her face froze. I continued, "Are you sure he wants to spend his life with you?"

"As long as he comes back, I'll make it work," Tanya whispered, desperation coloring her tone.

I nodded slightly. "Well, good luck with that. Go bring him back yourself. I'm not helping you."

Tanya had been kneeling for some time, and it was beginning to show. She wobbled, gripping the car door tightly. Her voice trembled. "Why? Is it because you still love him?"

It's pathetic when a woman blames another for a man's lack of affection. I was finished with this back-and-forth. I scoffed. "Sure, think whatever you want."

Tanya looked stunned, as if she had more to say but couldn't find the words.

"Kneeling this long isn't good for the baby. You should get up. I need to leave," I said, glancing at the dashboard clock. She'd already wasted ten minutes of my time.

"If you don't call Jace, I'll stay right here, kneeling," she retorted, doubling down on her shameless tactics.

They say even the strongest man is no match for a clingy woman, and in that moment, I understood why Jace ran. Perhaps it wasn't just his falling out with Matthew—perhaps he was weary of Tanya constantly pursuing him.

"Then stay there." I revved the engine twice, emphasizing my point.

Tanya flinched, her body trembling, but her hands remained clenched around the car door. She was betting I wouldn't dare run her over.

Her stubbornness ignited a spark of anger within me. "If you don't move, that's your problem. Do you really think if I accidentally ran you over today, the Johnston family would send me to jail?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"If you were truly gone, the Johnstons would probably throw a party. Got it?" I added with a sweet, but dangerous smile.

Tanya's face paled, and she collapsed to the ground. In the end, she lacked the courage to challenge me. She knew better than anyone that between the two of us, the Johnston family would always support me.

Watching her, I grabbed my phone. "Didn't you want Jace to come back? I'll call him right now. You can hear for yourself." I wasn't doing this out of pity. I was about to crush her hopes entirely.

"Rea," Jace answered within three seconds. His voice filled the speaker.

"Jace, Tanya's at your home. She's in the street, blocking my car. She wants us to send you back," I said, blunt and direct.

"Where is she now?" Jace's voice was calm, unsettlingly so, devoid of emotion. But I knew him. After ten years, I could tell—this was him at his angriest.

Hearing his voice, Tanya scrambled up and lunged for my phone. "Jace, please come back! If you don't, Desmond's parents are going to make me get rid of this baby!"