Chapter 416

Tanya stood in the crowd, her pregnant belly on full display, that smug, defiant smile plastered on her face. All eyes were on her. Matthew’s grip on my hand tightened, and Jace was already storming over.

Of course, Tanya knew how to grab attention. In the silence, she piped up again. “I’m carrying the baby you promised. You said he’d never want for anything.”

Lindey’s voice cut through the tension. “What does your child have to do with us? Go find the real father instead.”

“Enough,” Matthew said, shutting her down with a tired but firm tone.

Jace reached her in no time, his face dark with anger. “What are you trying to pull?”

She flicked her eyes toward me. “I agreed when you said you wouldn’t marry me, Jace. I accepted your family would never let me in. But how can you promise me something and give it to someone else?”

All I could think was, ‘Wow, when someone’s shameless, they really go all out.’

Tanya wasn’t here for anything but money and status, and she didn’t care who she had to drag down to get it.

“Shut up,” Jace snapped.

But she wasn’t scared. She picked a public scene on purpose, knowing no one would touch her with so many people watching. And with phones out, recording everything, she had the upper hand. If anything happened to her now, the Johnstons would be destroyed by morning headlines.

It was obvious she’d stop at nothing to worm her way into the Johnston family and grab the luxury she craved. If they didn’t cave today, the internet would be buzzing with drama about them and Riverwave Corp by sunrise.

“Let her talk!” someone shouted from the crowd. A few others chimed in.

Jace grabbed for her arm, but some in the crowd blocked him, clearly loving the drama.

Things were spiraling fast. I could feel Matthew trembling beside me, barely holding back his anger. Tanya claiming Matthew promised her the amusement park? Ridiculous. If that were true, he wouldn’t have announced giving it to me today.

The only explanation? She wanted it, Matthew said no, and now this was her desperate attempt to force his hand.

With the media and all these people around, the Johnstons had to choose: protect their reputation or fight back. Tanya was banking on them folding.

She was disgusting – using her unborn baby as a pawn, throwing away every shred of decency for status. There was no way I was letting her win.

I passed Matthew to Lindey and stepped forward. “Tanya Twain, you sure you want to do this here, now?” Her eyes met mine, and for a split second, I saw fear. But she quickly covered it up with her usual fake wounded act. “I don’t want to, but what choice do I have?”

The crowd was already eating it up, casting us as the villains. Some were even muttering about how the rich always use people.

“Tanya,” I said, my voice calm but firm, “you’re carrying the child of your dead husband. Do we need to remind everyone how he died, or would you rather I stay quiet?”

Her eyes widened for a second before she masked it with that false confidence. “Go ahead, say whatever you want. But remember, words have consequences.”

She was bluffing. She thought she’d covered her tracks.

For the sake of the child she carried, I had been willing to let her leave with some dignity. But since she was hellbent on blowing everything up, fine. I’d play along.

“Tanya,” I said, my voice cutting through the murmurs, “in your desperation to marry into money, you seduced Jace, knowing full well he was engaged and you were married.”

“But that wasn’t enough for you, was it? You still had your husband in the way.”

“So, you staged the whole thing – letting him catch you two in the act.”