Chapter 184: Counter
Ryan’s POV
"You know, hindsight really is something. Now that I look back, every time that Gwendolyn has come to see me, she has always been dressed in a fashion style similar to what my late wife used to wear," His grandfather huffed softly, a sad look on his face.
"I used to brush it off, thinking that it was just her dress sense. But now, after finding out all that I know, I see what she was doing. It was all textbook manipulation. She came dressed in clothing that she knew I associated with something good as a way to make me let my guard down without even realizing it," With the garden having gotten too hot for them to handle, they were now indoors. And as Ryan heard his grandfather’s words, he could not help but squeeze the arm rests of the chair that he was on as tightly as possible.
It was either that or start punching the cushions in anger. Gwendolyn truly had no shame at all. Not only had she slept with his brother. She had gone after his Vivian, and had also been blatantly manipulating Ryan’s grandfather. Using the old man to do her bidding, she truly was a cold blooded piece of work.
Just thinking about how because of her, he could have lost the old man, made Ryan want to lash out and start destroying everything in his sight. But for the sake of his grandfather, he held himself back.
"I should have said something sooner. You would have been able to be more cautious around her if I had. This is all my fault,"
The old man shook his head, "There is no use in beating yourself up over this. What is done is done. The most important thing is that we are both on the same page now. Which means there are no longer any cracks for her to slither in through,"
***
Given all that they had unearthed about Gwendolyn in just that one afternoon, Ryan’s head was spinning. He wanted nothing more than to head back to the city, collapse into Vivian’s arms, and not think about anything for a long while. But there were still some things that he needed to get in order first.
With how treacherous Gwendolyn was proving herself to be, he could not just go at her without being certain of the cards that she had in her hand.
"Grandfather, earlier, you said that Gwendolyn brought Vivian’s ex with her. May I please see the CCTV footage so that I can confirm whether or not it is the same man that I know," His grandfather’s brow furrowed, but instead of arguing, he simply nodded before instructing the butler to bring the footage.
"You really believe that she is capable of hiring an imposter to come and trick me?" His grandfather asked, and all that Ryan could do a shrug.
"Right now I am working under the theory that there is nothing she will not do. Perhaps Vivian’s ex has managed to escape and gone somewhere, and she was simply ceasing the opportunity by bringing an actor into the mix,"
"I have to be certain who I am going after, otherwise I might just exhaust all of my resources on a fake. I need to know whether I am going up against two snakes, or just a single very vicious one,"
***
Knowing Gwendolyn, Ryan would not have been surprised at all to find that the Bryce that she had brought along with her was an actor.
But for once in her life, his ex had actually been telling the truth.
"Is that him?" His grandfather asked, and Ryan nodded, " Unfortunately, yes, that is indeed Vivian’s ex," Pausing the video, Ryan sat back in his chair and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. His and Vivian’s exes had teamed up.
What a nightmare.
He’d had his suspicions the moment he had been unable to track Bryce no matter how hard he had tried.
But having actual proof made things even more difficult for Ryan. If he were handling Gwendolyn on her own, it would have been easy for him to figure out exactly what she was planning. But now, Vivian’s ex was also someone that he had to contend with. He was certain that Vivian would be able to provide insight on him. But even with the two of them knowing what their exes could do, there was no predicting what they were capable of now that they were together.
What a mess.
The situation just kept getting more and more complicated. Plus there was the fact that Vivian already had a lot on her plate with the hearing that she had coming up. It was all so maddening that Ryan wanted to pull at his hair. But instead he breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, willing himself to calm down. He could not afford to panic and act out. If he did that, he would be giving Gwendolyn and Bryce the upper hand.
They had already struck first. He would not be giving them any more advantages, so he had to be rational about this.
"Grandfather, I have been doing my best to try and handle this issue, but I feel that with a bit of input from you, I can at least be able to put out some of the fires that they have started,"
"Name it and it is done,"
With a nod, Ryan pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Clear a slot for me," The person on the other end tried to refuse, but Ryan was not having it.
"Do it, or I will have your entire channel closed down, understood?" They were much more agreeable after that. Ending the call, Ryan turned his attention back to his grandfather. The old man was watching him intently. Smiling sharply, Ryan finally addressed him.
"Grandfather, it seems you will be returning to the limelight in a few hours,"
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