Attempting to Steal My World? Easy! My Rebirth Comes with a Playbook
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Chapter 7
As soon as the plane landed, Dominic had his assistant drive him home.
The housekeeper was polishing a vase by the entrance. Seeing him rush in looking travel worn, she hesitated: “Sir, Mrs. Thorne hasn’t been back since you left…”
He paused mid–step, then turned and headed back out.
But just as he opened the car door, he froze-
Go to the Reed house?
Those people who could leave her with a 104–degree fever while the whole family went on vacation–how would they care about her whereabouts?
Scrolling to the bottom of his phone contacts, he was shocked to realize he didn’t have a single number for any of my friends.
All this time, for three years, I had centered my entire life around him alone.
“Mr. Thorne…” his assistant asked cautiously, “where to?”
As the engine roared, his father called: “Since you’re back today, go to the auction immediately! That Zimmer kid has been making too many moves lately. Go show our presence!”
He was about to speak when his mother grabbed the phone: “So you finally decided to come back. I had someone check that nightclub, and the security footage shows Riley was never there!”
“I knew the daughter–in–law I chose wouldn’t be so inconsiderate. That Regina Reed is full of lies. If you hadn’t acted without our approval, I would never have allowed her into our family!”
Dominic’s heart clenched painfully-
After sharing a bed with me for three years, how could he not believe in me?
He knew Regina had spread rumors about her own sister just to make her parents accept her. Yet concerned that exposing the truth would worsen Regina’s “condition,” he couldn’t even say “she’s not that kind of person.”
Instead, he let those fabricated “proofs” spread like wildfire through the media…
How desperate must his Riley have felt then?
Finally, he arrived at the auction in a daze, barely aware of his surroundings.
If not for the jade earrings being displayed on stage, he might not have even realized he was seated in the audience.
He suddenly remembered how I loved collecting jade and was about to raise his bidding paddle-
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Attempting to Steal My World? Easy! My Rebirth Comes with a Playbook
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Chapter 7
Three million.”
The familiar voice caught Dominic’s attention.
He turned to see Jackson Zimmer lazily holding up his paddle, while the woman he’d been desperately thinking of sat beside him in an emerald green gown, a faint smile–one he hadn’t seen in ages–gracing her lips.
“Riley!” He rushed over, tripping on the carpet and landing hard on his knees. “Riley, so this is where you’ve been. I’m back, come home with me…”
I looked at him, but my eyes were as calm as if looking at a stranger.
That emotionless gaze cut him deeply.
“Riley… what’s wrong? It’s me!”
“In what capacity does Mr. Thorne want me to return with him?” I gave a soft laugh, my tone somewhat resigned.
“As my wife, of course. Riley, let me explain, Regina and I were just…”
“Someone who gave me a fake marriage certificate for three years calls me his wife?”
Hearing this, Dominic’s face changed drastically: “You found out?”
“I’m sorry, I can explain…” his voice trembled, “I’ll divorce her immediately. One month, it’ll only take one month-”
He reached out to grab me, but Jackson Zimmer blocked him.
“Sorry, Mr. Thorne.” Jackson put his arm around my shoulders. “She’s Mrs. Zimmer now. Keep your hands to
yourself.”
Dominic froze, then coldly retorted: “Riley was married to me for three years. Except for that piece of paper, we were real husband and wife!”
“She didn’t marry you even when you pursued her so publicly years ago. Now after three years of genuine love with me, why would she marry you?”
Facing Jackson Zimmer, Dominic immediately regained his confidence.
True, Jackson had pursued me before, but that was because I once warned him at a cocktail party not to drink a drugged glass of wine. He owed me a favor.
The condition was that he would keep pursuing me until my wedding. As long as he maintained the appearance of pursuing me, and the matter became public, my parents wouldn’t dare offend him and wouldn’t force me into an arranged marriage.
Yet Dominic Thorne, the crown prince of the business world, wasn’t intimidated by him. After Regina fled abroad before their wedding, he turned around and proposed to me.
I had always envied Regina, believing everything she had must be good. I didn’t particularly like Dominic, but I
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Attempting to Steal My World? Easy! My Rebirth Comes with a Playbook
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didn’t dislike him either.
Desperate to escape my family at the time, I agreed…
tronically, while I thought Jackson and I were just playing pretend, he was genuinely pursuing me, thinking that if I truly accepted, he would truly marry me.
Meanwhile, the man I chose, Dominic Thorne, had given me a fake marriage certificate and deceived me for three
years.
Now, it was time for me to give the right man some security.
I pulled out our newly registered marriage certificate from my bag and enunciated each word: “Sorry, but this time it’s a real marriage with a real certificate!”
Dominic’s vision suddenly went black, but he heard Jackson twist the knife:
“By the way, you might want to investigate why Regina ran away from your wedding three years ago.”
Jackson leaned close to Dominic’s ear and whispered: “I’ve dug up more dirt on that woman who made me wait three years for my goddess than you could ever imagine!”
The auctioneer’s gavel fell with finality. Jackson stood, publicly presenting me with the jade earrings.
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