The Queen of Gossip System

"Sign here. After the divorce, I won't file any legal charges against you. I'll even throw in an extra two hundred million, and I'll make sure your studio is completely separated so you can own it on your own. Oh, and there’s that one in the city center too." The voice was deep and smooth but had a chill to it. Aria Bennett had to bite her hand to stop herself from laughing out loud. Her big, beautiful almond-shaped eyes were practically swimming in zeros. She carefully scanned the divorce papers, double-checking the numbers. The tall man sitting across from her, his handsome face all business, had furrowed brows that seemed even more serious. His dark eyes were cool and distant, watching Aria with a little too much intensity as she carefully lowered her gaze. The tension in his chest grew colder. If only Dominic Vance knew then what he knew now, he would’ve never let things get this far. Aria was a walking contradiction. Pitiful yet somehow despicable. Her parents had been close friends of the Vance family, but they passed away before Aria was even old enough to stand on her own. Keeping to a dying wish, the Vance family took Aria in, only for her to repay their kindness with nothing but betrayal and scheming. She’d wormed her way into becoming his wife, turning his life upside down in the process. And for months, he’d been harassed and pursued for no reason. His life, his privacy, turned into chaos, all because of her. Then, she’d gone as far as stealing confidential company information and leaking it to a competitor, resulting in a major business loss. The company’s morale tanked, and he had to suck it up. That was when the divorce became his only option. "I’ve been way more generous than you deserve. I hope you’ll know when to stop now." If it weren’t for her late parents, Dominic would've kicked her out without a second thought. At first, he thought Aria would fight the divorce, maybe even get dramatic, threatening to end it all. But when she picked up the pen with shaky hands, he figured she had finally realized the consequences of her actions. She had to know she’d gone too far. And with that, finally, a divorce. "Woohoo! Finally getting a divorce!" Aria’s voice rang loud in his head. Dominic froze. Is that really... Aria? He had barely ever heard Aria sound so happy or excited. For a split second, he wasn’t sure. But then he looked over at her. Her lips were sealed, and she was biting back a grin, looking all smug. What in the world? A grin spread across Aria's face in her mind. Amazing! Two hundred million! Imagine how many houses I could buy with that and how many cute, young guys I could snag. Oh, my sweet ex-husband, you really know how to treat a girl! Dominic’s eye twitched. He hadn’t heard Aria say a word, but he knew he’d heard her voice. What’s going on here? He thought to himself, still composed and unflappable. He quickly glanced at Sienna Blake, his secretary, but she was glued to the divorce papers as if she hadn’t heard anything at all. Sienna’s expression was one of... sympathy. Or maybe it was pity? Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to have anything to do with the bizarre situation unfolding. Dominic quickly dismissed it. Sienna couldn’t hear voices in his head. She wasn’t involved in this madness! "Ms. Bennett, you’ve caused Mr. Dominic a lot of trouble, and I do hope you can start fresh after this..." Sienna sighed her tone almost like she was giving a lecture. But in her mind, she was mentally counting down, waiting for Aria to blow up any second. It was practically a guarantee. Aria had a habit of losing it at the slightest thing. Once she did, maybe Dominic wouldn’t be so generous with the divorce settlement. And if that happened, she would leave with absolutely nothing. Sienna didn’t think Aria deserved the generosity of someone like Dominic, who was clearly a good man. But instead of blowing up, Aria just gave her a glance before scribbling her signature. Fast and efficient. As if she was in some kind of race to get this over with. I’m really annoyed at being blamed for everything, but hey, I can’t pass up such a sweet deal. A nice divorce and a fat payout? I can live with that. Aria’s voice echoed again in Dominic’s mind. When Dominic took the divorce papers from Aria and went to sign them, he froze for a moment. Something about the way she had just casually tossed the papers at him set off alarm bells in his mind. What was that she said? "The blame’s on me, huh?" Was she trying to say she wasn’t the one who caused all this chaos? Before he could even finish processing that thought, another bombshell hit him. It turned out that Aria wasn’t just messing around to grab his attention or make his life miserable. No, she hadn’t been trying to get caught up in some big drama to win him back. Everyone thought she was the only one who had access to the CEO’s office during the time of the leak. There were even photos of her meeting privately with a VP from a rival company. The evidence was, well, pretty undeniable. But at the time, she had refused to admit anything, getting more and more frantic as he pressured her. Eventually, she snapped. "Fine, if you don’t trust me, then go ahead and blame me! What are you going to do about it?" Dominic thought she was just losing her mind with embarrassment, but now he wasn’t so sure. "Mr. Dominic, it's time," Sienna interrupted, her voice a little more urgent as Dominic stared at the papers in his hand, lost in thought. That’s when Dominic suddenly felt like Sienna was stepping out of line. What was Aria’s voice saying about the culprit? Something didn’t feel right. Sienna had been his university classmate, someone he trusted completely. So, why was she involved in this mess? The betrayal felt personal now. Sienna handed him the pen, her impatience growing. She knew Dominic was responsible and protective, especially when it came to family. Aria’s tears, threats, and tantrums had always kept them from ending this marriage, so Sienna was desperate to make sure this time went smoothly. Tsk, tsk, someone’s getting impatient. I bet Sienna is worried everything she worked for is about to fall apart. Aria’s voice echoed once again in his head. The change in Dominic’s gaze was instant. He picked up the pen, signing the papers with a sense of finality. Both Aria and Sienna blinked in surprise at his actions. Dominic looked straight at Aria, who hadn’t stopped looking at the papers for a second. "One more time, Aria. Did you do this?" His expression was serious. If what he heard was right, then she might not be the one responsible. And if that was true, it could shake everything he thought he knew about the company. Sienna’s face paled as she stepped back, but she held her ground. Aria, meanwhile, started shifting under the pressure. Aria’s voice shot through his head again. What does he mean by that? Is he suddenly questioning whether he’ll give me my two hundred million? He can’t be second-guessing me now! Dominic felt a pang of confusion. Was Aria hiding something? Why wasn’t she just telling him the truth? Aria’s mind raced as she grumbled in her head again. Of course, I didn’t do it! It’s not my fault people are blind! Sienna was in and out of that office. Why didn’t anyone check the footage? I’m the one getting blamed for nothing! Suddenly, it hit Dominic. Could it be that Aria wasn’t the only one who went into the office? He never considered that. He had always assumed she was guilty, but now... Was he wrong? Just as he was about to speak, Aria cut in coldly. "I have nothing to say. Just sign the papers already." Dominic’s expression grew colder. Why was she playing it so cool? Didn’t she want him to believe her? Dominic stood up abruptly, surprising both women. Sienna stared at him, her heart pounding, but before she could react, he was already out of the room, striding toward the door. "Get the surveillance footage from the eleventh," he called to his assistants. "Mrs. Vance seems to think she’s the only one who went in and out that night. Let’s make sure she’s the only one who thinks that!" Sienna froze. "Mr. Dominic, wait—" But Aria had no clue what was happening. "What’s going on? When did I say that? I was all in for this deal!" And just like that, Dominic dropped a bombshell. The truth was about to come out.