Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

A stunning figure approached gracefully. Hearing the sarcasm in her voice, the company manager’s face darkened. He was about to angrily ask who it was, but when he saw the newcomer’s face, he froze for a moment before rushing forward with a smile. ”Miss Yates, what brings you here?”

’Miss Yates? The heiress of the Yates Group? Doesn’t that mean...’

Something occurred to Zachary Carter, and his face went pale. He instinctively tried to hide behind the crowd, but someone gave him a shove, causing him to stumble a few steps forward and expose himself to everyone’s view.

Zachary Carter: ”...”

Anna Yates did indeed notice him and asked, ”Is this the brand ambassador the company hired?”

Seeing her sizing up Zachary Carter, the company manager panicked internally but forced a calm facade as he introduced him. ”Ahahaha, yes, this is Mr. Zachary Carter. The products he endorses sell very well.”

He was the one who had recommended Zachary Carter to Mr. Yates. If Miss Yates found out, forget Zachary Carter—he’d be in for a world of hurt himself!

But while the company manager wanted to brush it off, Anna Yates wasn’t having it. She pressed, ”What just happened? It looked like you were all arguing.”

’It wasn’t just an argument; a fight was about to break out.’ The manager couldn’t say that, but he still had to give Anna Yates a reasonable explanation.

’How should I put this...’

The manager was so anxious, beads of sweat were about to form on his brow.

Suddenly, he spotted Joanna Kennedy standing silently to the side. An idea sparked. He sighed and said, ”This Miss Kennedy here isn’t happy with the company’s arrangements and is making a fuss about canceling her contract.”

”I was just trying to talk some sense into Miss Kennedy. Canceling a contract is no small matter; there’s a penalty for breach of contract. But Miss Kennedy is insisting on having her own way.”

This blatant twisting of the truth shocked the surrounding staff, whose eyes widened. ’Unbelievable,’ they thought. ’Can he really get away with that?!’

Someone couldn’t stand it and was about to speak up, but a colleague immediately pulled them back, telling them not to get involved.

The Yates Group was a massive corporation, while Joanna Kennedy was just a minor actress. It was obvious who held more weight. There was no need to offend the Yates Group just to stand up for Joanna Kennedy.

Seeing that no one was refuting him, the company manager became more and more animated, subtly accusing Joanna Kennedy of being unprofessional, acting like a diva, and so on.

At his side, the color returned to Zachary Carter’s face. He shot Joanna Kennedy a smug look, as if to say, ’Serves you right. This is what you get for crossing me.’

Joanna Kennedy was so angry she had to laugh. ”Manager Miller, so you’re saying this is my fault? When did I ever ask to cancel the contract? It seems to me you were the one who brought it up first, weren’t you?”

”Joanna Kennedy, don’t change the subject! You disrupted the shoot. Doesn’t that mean you’re dissatisfied with the Yates Group’s contract arrangement?!”

By escalating it directly to the Yates Group, Manager Miller expected Anna Yates to get angry and throw Joanna Kennedy out.

Unexpectedly, in the next second, Anna Yates walked right up to Joanna Kennedy and said, in front of everyone, ”Jo, if you’re not happy with someone, just tell me. I’ll have my dad fire them.”

Everyone: ”...”

Anna Yates’s tone was familiar and casual, and she even used such an intimate nickname. They were clearly old acquaintances!

Feeling all eyes on her, Joanna Kennedy’s expression remained unchanged as she recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.

After listening, Anna Yates’s expression changed instantly. ”Uncle Miller, is that what happened?”

At this point, you’d have to be a fool not to see that Anna Yates was here to back Joanna Kennedy up.

Manager Miller gave a hollow laugh, still refusing to admit fault. ”Miss Kennedy, Mr. Carter already said it wasn’t intentional. Why can’t you just let it go?”

”That’s right! It wasn’t intentional!” Zachary Carter finally snapped out of his shock and immediately defended himself. ”Besides, you’re standing here perfectly fine, aren’t you? If I really did it on purpose, do you think you’d be this unscathed??”

He grew more agitated as he spoke, nearly convincing himself that Joanna Kennedy had actually framed him.

Joanna Kennedy was prepared for this. Her tone was placid. ”Is that so? Why don’t we post the video online? The public has a way of seeing the truth.”

”What video? Joanna Kennedy, don’t you dare—”

Zachary Carter’s voice died abruptly when he saw the camera with its blinking red light.

The cameraman silently added, ”It was never turned off...”

’I was too busy watching the drama unfold.’

With the video evidence, the situation was crystal clear. Anna Yates glanced at Zachary Carter, then said to the pale-faced Manager Miller, ”Uncle Miller, weren’t you just clamoring to cancel a contract? Now you can. The Yates Group has no need for a brand ambassador with such vicious methods.”

Everyone knew exactly who ”vicious methods” was referring to.

Ignoring the strange looks from the crowd, Zachary Carter was seized by the panic of losing the endorsement. His voice was frantic. ”No, you can’t just terminate the contract like this.”

”That’s right, Miss Yates. The contract is already signed. It won’t be easy to terminate,” Manager Miller added, trying to reason with her.

”Why not?” Anna Yates tilted her head. ”Just because he’s my dad’s little lover?”

Her tone was innocent, but her words left everyone rooted to the spot, their faces a mask of disbelief.

’W-what the hell?! Zachary Carter is Mr. Yates’s little lover?! Isn’t Mr. Yates over fifty?!’

’No, wait, the point is that Zachary Carter is a man!’

’Fine, fine... The rich sure have their fun.’

Zachary Carter froze as well, his face shifting between shades of green and white—a truly spectacular sight. But he couldn’t refute it, because everything Anna Yates said was true.

Acting as if she had no idea how explosive her words were, Anna Yates took Joanna Kennedy by the arm to leave. She didn’t forget to remind Manager Miller, ”Remember to state the reason for termination is Zachary Carter’s breach of contract. That way, the Yates Group won’t have to pay any penalties, ’kay?”

Manager Miller: ”...” ’I have to tell Mr. Yates about this immediately.’

Once they were out of the building, Anna Yates blinked a cheeky grin. ”So? How cool was I back there?”

”...Cool.”

Joanna Kennedy rubbed her temples, her expression complicated. ”You knew about Zachary Carter and... your father?”

And here she’d been wondering how to break the news to Anna Yates gently. After all, most people wouldn’t be able to accept their own father having that kind of relationship with a man.

But judging by Anna Yates’s behavior today, it seemed she’d known all along.

”I found out not long after he started keeping Zachary Carter.” Anna Yates’s tone was casual. ”It’s not a big deal.”

Joanna Kennedy: ”...”

’If that’s not a big deal, then what is?!’

”Doesn’t your mother get angry?”

”Why would she?” Anna Yates said. ”My mom has lovers on the side, too. More than one, in fact. It’s an open secret.”

Seeing the look of utter disbelief on Joanna Kennedy’s face, Anna Yates couldn’t help but laugh. After she finished, she blinked, her expression turning more serious. ”Jo, this is just how this circle works.”

”You’ve been away for too long, so it’s a shock to you. But the truth is, the world of the super-rich is full of marriages that exist in name only. Everyone just does their own thing.”