Bye Loser! Love, Daddy's Heiress - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

He stepped forward, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his polished shoes clicking against the marble floor. His stride was deliberate as he approached the stage, his face an unreadable mask, his mere presence sucking the air from the room. He'd flown straight from Paris just to destroy Alessia's carefully constructed lie.
I watched with satisfaction as every drop of color fled Alessia's face.
"Mr. Anderson," a reporter began tentatively, "are you implying—"
"She's a fraud," my father stated coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "I have no relation to this woman." The room exploded into chaos. Reporters shouted over each other in a frenzy. Camera flashes lit up like strobe lights. Corporate executives exchanged hushed whispers. Alessia stumbled backward, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Th-that's not true! I am your daughter! You told me—"
"I have nothing further to say," my father cut her off icily. "The last time we met was when my company hired you as a model—nothing more. I don't recognize you as my daughter, nor will I entertain this charade any longer."
Her panicked eyes darted to Lothario. But he wasn't looking at her—his gaze was locked on me. Through the pandemonium, our eyes met, and I let my lips curve just enough for him to understand. This was my doing. And I was far from finished.
I swirled my wine glass lazily, savoring the spectacle unfolding before me like a perfectly orchestrated Greek tragedy.
"Breaking news—Alessia De Luca's claim of being Alexander Anderson's daughter has been completely debunked. In a shocking statement, Anderson himself has denounced any connection, labeling her an outright fraud."
I smirked behind the rim of my glass as I took a slow, satisfied sip.
Meanwhile, Lothario was being publicly eviscerated. His precious engagement, built entirely on deception, was now exposed for the world to see. The media was tearing them apart like vultures. Investors were fleeing. His company's stock was in freefall.
And me? I was reveling in every glorious moment.
I could practically see the confrontation unfolding between him and Alessia—the volcanic rage, the bitter accusations, the desperate clawing at whatever remained of their shattered facade.
Lounging on my sofa, I scrolled through my phone. Right on cue, my sources had already sent updates. Lothario had confronted Alessia at his penthouse.
Oh, what I wouldn't have given to be a fly on that wall.
Lothario's Penthouse
"You LIED to me!" Lothario's roar echoed through the opulent penthouse. He slammed the engagement ring onto the marble countertop with enough force to crack the stone, his hands shaking with barely contained fury.
Alessia stood frozen, her carefully constructed mask of sophistication crumbling into hysteria. "I did it for us!" she shrieked, her voice breaking. "For you! To give your company the boost it needed!"
Lothario's jaw clenched so tight I could almost hear his teeth grinding. "You made me a laughingstock. In front of the entire goddamn world. You let me believe—" He cut himself off with a sharp exhale, raking both hands through his hair. "Do you have any concept of what you've done?"
A bitter laugh tore from Alessia's throat. "Oh please, spare me the victim act! You needed Alexander's connections and you know it! That's why you never questioned anything—because it was convenient for you!"
His eyes darkened dangerously. "I trusted you."
"Don't insult my intelligence," she sneered. "You never trusted anyone. You were too busy obsessing over her."
Lothario's expression faltered for just a heartbeat.
Alessia's lips twisted into something ugly. "That's right. Pearl. The one you threw away. You can't even look at me without seeing her ghost, can you?"
Lothario actually took a step back, shaking his head. "This isn't about—"
"LIAR!" Alessia screamed, her voice raw with desperation. "She ruined everything! You were mine until she came back!"
The dawning realization on Lothario's face was almost poetic. The great Lothario, finally seeing how thoroughly he'd been played. The worst part? He'd walked right into it with his eyes wide open.
His hands fell limply to his sides, his voice glacial. "We're done."
Alessia's breath hitched. "You don't mean that."
His gaze never wavered. "Every word."
Something inside her shattered. She launched at him, fingers clawing at his shirt. "You think you can just discard me? After everything I sacrificed for you?!"
Lothario easily caught her wrists, shoving her away with disgust. "I should've walked away the moment I met you."
Present Day
I stretched luxuriously across my couch, swirling my wine as I watched the dominoes continue to fall. Seeing Lothario's empire crumble, knowing there was no one left to bail him out this time—it was even sweeter than I'd imagined.
He'd earned every second of this downfall.
But as I scrolled through the latest financial reports detailing his company's collapse, unwanted memories surfaced like ghosts from the past.
There was a time—God help me—when I would've moved heaven and earth to protect him.
Flashback - Years Ago
Lothario paced like a caged animal in his cramped office, his fists clenched white-knuckle tight. "They all pulled out," he ground out, barely containing his fury.
I sat across from him, gripping the file folder like a lifeline. "Not all of them."
He froze mid-step. "What?"
I exhaled slowly, placing the documents on his desk. "I talked Reynolds down. He was ready to bolt with the others, but I convinced him to stay."
Lothario's brow furrowed. "How?"
Leaning forward, I kept my voice steady. "I told him your company was worth the risk. That I believed in you—and he should too."
For one fleeting moment, his mask slipped. Then the pride slammed back into place. "You shouldn't have done that. I handle my own business, Pearl."
I barked out a laugh. "Clearly not, since I had to clean up your mess."
He dragged a hand down his face. "I just... I don't know how to thank you."
My smile came easily as I covered his hand with mine. "Don't. Just prove me right."
And he had. His business skyrocketed. Investors came crawling back. For a while there, I'd actually believed we were invincible.