Mirror Betrayed Him, I Plan His Downfall

Chapter 2

The next morning, my son Kevin's school hosted a parent-child sports day.

As Gareth straightened his tie, he pressed a soft kiss onto my hairline. "Honey, someone has to stay on top of that acquisition case at the company today. You should go focus on work. I can handle Kevin's sports day all on my own, don’t wear yourself out running back and forth between the two."

I stared at the obvious concern swimming in his eyes, and a cold sneer curled in my heart.

He always dodged these events whenever he could in the past. What made him so thoughtful this time?

"Alright, thanks for handling this then."

I didn’t call him out even though I knew this was all part of his lie, and just grabbed my bag and turned to leave.

I hadn’t driven far out of the neighborhood when I spotted Kevin's student ID tucked in the gap between the back seats. I was glancing back to check some folders when the realization hit me.

No student ID meant he wouldn’t even get past the school gate.

I immediately spun the car around, slammed my foot on the gas, and headed straight for school.

When I reached the playground, I was relieved to see that the matches hadn’t actually started yet. Maybe I could watch my son participate in some activities while I’m here.

I spotted Gareth next to the long jump sandpit, but my feet suddenly nailed themselves to the spot.

It wasn’t just father and son waiting there.

Bianca was with them too.

She wore a cute pink athletic skirt and was squatting on the ground, wiping sweat off Kevin's face.

Gareth stood off to the side, a water bottle in his hand, gazing at the pair with absolute doting affection.

“Mommy, I want more water!” Kevin called out in a cutesy, whiny tone.

I thought I must have misheard him.

But the very next second, Bianca smoothly took the water bottle from Gareth and held it to Kevin's lips.

"Drink slow, baby. Mommy’s got it for you," she said.

After Kevin chugged the whole thing down, he wrapped his arms around her neck and nuzzled her. "Mommy Bianca smells so much nicer than that mean woman who never plays with me."

My heart dropped. Was my son talking about me?

Gareth laughed and ruffled our son’s hair, then slipped an arm around Bianca’s waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks for doing this, honey. You even took the day off just to come. Look at that, the kid’s already way closer to you."

Bianca smiled. "It’s no trouble at all. As long as you and Kevin are happy, it doesn’t matter if I have to put up with a little unfairness." She pressed herself into his chest, blushing and bashful.

The three of them huddled close together, looking for all the world like one happy, perfect little family.

I stood off in the distance, my fingers clutching Kevin's student ID so tight my knuckles bleached white, and my chest twisted tight with pain.

So even to my own son, I was nothing but an outsider.

I drew in a sharp, steadying breath, pulled out my phone, and snapped a dozen photos one after another with a completely blank face.

Then I marched straight toward them.

When Gareth spotted me, a flash of panic darted across his eyes. "Honey, why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to go oversee the merger?"

Bianca, meanwhile, scrambled to hide behind Gareth, ducking her head meekly.

I let out a cold scoff, looking directly at her. "Ms. Moore, this is working hours. The merger documents are still waiting for you to organize them," I said. "The company pays you to do your job, not to come here and play nanny."

Bianca’s eyes filled with tears instantly. She bit down on her lower lip and whispered, "Mrs. Harrison, I’m sorry… I just… I just felt so bad for Kevin being here all alone. You’re busy with work and don’t have time for the kid. Kevin said he was thirsty, and no one would even give him water. I just felt so bad for him, I couldn’t help but step in."

When Gareth heard that, he pulled Bianca to his side, protective and upset, and snapped at me. "Diane, that’s enough! Do you really have to be so harsh and confrontational? You’re too busy and neglectful of Kevin yourself. Is that why you won’t let anyone else be nice to the kid? I asked Bianca to come here. If you’ve got a problem with it—"

"If you don’t want to do the job, then don’t," I cut Gareth off, my voice perfectly steady and calm, my attention instead focused on his mistress. "Since you love taking care of kids so much, you don’t need to stay on this project at the company anymore. Instead of making you run yourself ragged between two places, I’ll just fire you and give your precious nurturing instincts all the room they need."

"You’re firing her?" Gareth stared at me like he couldn’t believe his ears, like I was some kind of raving lunatic. "Hey, don’t you think this looks like just some plain old personal revenge? Bianca’s been on this project for six months, and we’re already in the final stretch. How can you fire her now?"

I let out a cold snort, my gaze slicing across Bianca’s pitiful, doe-eyed face like a sharp blade. "Six months on the project, and she still can’t even get the basic data checked. But she’s got all the time in the world here to wipe sweat and feed a kid water. Rivers Group doesn’t keep dead weight on the payroll, and it definitely doesn’t keep someone on the payroll to sneak around as the boss’ mistress in his own home."

I looked her up and down, making sure she understood my anger at that moment.

"Report to HR tomorrow to process your termination." I finished speaking and turned to leave.

"Stop right there!" Gareth barked the order at me, sharp as a whip.

He stormed over in a few quick strides, blocking my path, his face so dark it looked like a storm was about to break. "Diane, who is in charge of this family? Who calls the shots at the company? Let me get this straight... Bianca can’t leave! She’s my personal secretary and the core member of this project. If you so much as touch her, I’ll pull all my investment out! And what’s more…"

He lowered his head and hissed venomously, "Kevin only accepts her now. If you dare force her out, I’ll tell Kevin you’re the one who got rid of Bianca. I’ll make him hate you for the rest of his life!"

I looked at my son, who was glaring at me from off in the distance, and my heart gave a sharp twinge.

I stayed silent for a long beat before I finally spoke, "Fine."

Joy flooded Gareth’s eyes instantly. He mumbled a couple of half-hearted lines to calm me down before turning and hurrying back to Bianca’s side.

I stared at their backs, chattering away like they were the only two people in the world, and an icy cold settled deep in my bones.

At the same time, I finally let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding.

That settled it. There was no need to give him any more mercy, not anymore.