Bankrupt Tycoon? No Problem – This Villainess Will Make Him Rich Again

Chapter 162: Chapter 165: An Argument

Miranda Morgan moved quickly. In less than two hours, the story "Sonia Quincy Cornered by Male Models Demanding Payment" was trending on Aethelburg’s local hot topics.

On platforms like Vibra, Spudster, and even Pacer, the video secretly filmed by the male model was everywhere.

Although Sonia Quincy remained calm and composed in the video, denying from start to finish that she had stiffed the male models, people online refused to believe her due to her predecessor’s extensive rap sheet.

She was painted as a villainess who could do no good, and once the story started trending, the vitriol was nonstop.

joker: [WTF, is that Sonia Quincy stirring up trouble again? Does she ever quit?]

LiveFreeForMe: [I’m done. She’s single-handedly ruining Aethelburg’s reputation. Can the fucking bitch just disappear?]

MayGodBlessMeWithMountainsOfGold: [This Sonia Quincy is really something else. Forget being pregnant and hiring gigolos, the real kicker is she doesn’t even pay them! Did Felix Preston get his braincells slashed in a bargain-basement sale? How can he put up with this and not divorce her?]

AnOldBoy: [LMAO, does Felix Preston have a cuckold fetish or something? His wife sleeps around, he can’t even be sure the kid is his, and his life is a total mess, but he still wants that trashy woman! I’m impressed. Truly, truly impressed!]

LittleMount: [Felix Preston is a pitiful guy, too. If you’re going to hate on someone, hate on Sonia Quincy. Her very existence is a disgrace to all women. I suggest she just go jump off a building.]

Sonia Quincy sat on the living room sofa, calmly scrolling through the comments vilifying her.

"Sonia." Felix Preston couldn’t bear to watch any longer and snatched the phone from her hand. "Don’t look at those. The more you read, the more it’ll hurt."

"...But I’m not hurt." Sonia Quincy gazed at him serenely, her face showing no trace of a lie.

A deep crease formed between Felix Preston’s brows, and his eyes were filled with a heavy, aching sorrow for her.

"Sonia, don’t try to be strong for my sake."

"...I’m not trying to be strong!" Sonia Quincy raised her voice for emphasis. "I’m genuinely not hurt, and I don’t care. In fact, I’m actually quite pleased they’re all insulting me with such passion."

"...Pleased?!" Felix Preston looked as if he’d heard something utterly unbelievable, his composure cracking. "Sonia, why would you be pleased? Have you lost your mind?"

"No." Sonia Quincy was amused by his dumbfounded expression and couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch his cheek.

"I have something important I need to do. The more viciously they attack me now, the more traffic they generate for me. That will make it easier and more convenient for me to act when the time comes."

"What is it you’re planning to do?" Felix Preston was clearly worried.

Sonia Quincy arched an eyebrow, feigning an air of mystery. "For now, it’s a secret. I can’t tell you yet. Just wait for my good news."

Felix Preston’s brow only furrowed tighter; he was completely unable to calm down.

"Sonia." He grabbed her hand, his grip tight enough to cause a flare of pain—a clear expression of his disapproval.

"I’m your husband. You have to tell me what you’re planning. I won’t stop you; I just want to make sure you’re safe."

Sonia Quincy ignored the pain from his grip and gave him a small smile. "Felix Preston, I promise I’ll tell you, but not right now. I admit I’ve hidden a lot from you, but I had no choice."

"With some things, once you miss the perfect moment to say them, it becomes much harder to bring them up later. I don’t think the right time for me to tell you everything has arrived yet. So please, can you just wait a little longer?"

"..."

Felix Preston didn’t answer. Disappointment slowly clouded his eyes.

Sonia Quincy continued, "This all started because of me, and you’ve constantly been dragged into my messes. Now that I’ve decided to fix it, I can’t pull you down with me. You just focus on your recovery and your work. I’ll give you a result you can be satisfied with."

"I don’t want a result." Felix Preston released her hand, truly angry with her for the first time.

"Sonia, I’m your husband. No matter how much trouble it is, no matter how awful, I believe we should face it together. So why are you so determined to hide things from me?"

Sonia Quincy stammered, "It’s not that I want to hide it from you, it’s that I’ve never found the right chance to tell you the truth. I... I just don’t know how to explain it."

"If you don’t know how to say it, then just say whatever’s on your mind." Felix Preston reined in all his emotions, even trying desperately to conceal the intense ache he felt for her in his eyes.

He wasn’t doing this to force himself to stop caring; he was trying to put on his sternest face to pressure her, to finally make her open up to him.

"Even if it comes out all jumbled, even if I don’t understand a single word, I still want you to say it. All I want is for you to tell me."

"I..." Sonia Quincy was completely unprepared. With Felix Preston demanding an explanation right now, she truly had no idea where to even begin.

’How am I supposed to explain how I suddenly know jewelry design? And how do I explain my deal with Renee Sinclair?’

’The foundation of my deal with Renee Sinclair is that we both know the other is a transmigrator. Felix doesn’t know that.’

’My identity is bound to raise a lot of questions, but I haven’t come up with the right excuses to cover my tracks yet.’

’Besides, Felix is a man of strong principles. If he knew that I needed to feign goodwill toward Ethan Lockwood or Renee Sinclair to get what I want, he would never agree.’

’He despises both of them. Just the thought of me being friendly to them would probably be enough to make him tie himself in knots. He might not blame me, but he would definitely blame himself for being useless.’

But Sonia had to do it. She wanted to clear her name, and she wanted to get justice for Felix Preston.

She had to do it!

But since she had no way to resolve Felix’s inner turmoil, she could only act first and ask for forgiveness later, hoping the thrill of successful revenge would be enough to soothe his inevitable pain.

"Sonia, are you really not going to tell me?" Seeing she was still silent, Felix Preston asked her one last time.

She looked into his eyes, her lips parting and closing several times, but she couldn’t force a single word out.

’Ever since I arrived in this world, I’ve been lying. If I try to explain everything now, I’ll just have to spin even more lies to cover the old ones.’

’I’m trying to fabricate some evidence to back up my story, but I don’t have it yet. I can’t risk speaking now.’

’Besides, my plan isn’t finished. I still need to use Ethan Lockwood, and I can’t let Felix find out I’m in contact with him right now.’

’My relationship with Ethan Lockwood is a sensitive one. Only the final outcome can prove that my intentions for getting close to him are pure.’

’I really can’t say anything right now. It might make everything even worse.’

Felix Preston had his principles, and she had her own stubborn resolve.

"..."

Her silence was her answer.

"Fine." Felix Preston understood.

Leaning on his crutch, he pushed himself up from the sofa and walked straight toward the door.

"Since you’re unwilling to tell me, I’ll respect your privacy. But, Sonia... I thought I had earned the right to face hardships with you. Apparently, you don’t really need me at all."

"You can handle any earth-shattering crisis on your own. I can’t even provide you with emotional support."