Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 220 My Woman "Engagement?" Frederik's face turned ugly the moment he read the notification flashing across his phone.

Still groggy from sleep, he sat up and scrubbed a hand down his face. Before he could process anything, his phone buzzed again. His grandfather's nlit up the screen.

Frederik answered without thinking. "Yes?" "Did you know about this?" his grandfather barked on the other end. "The Rossi girl and Liam Horvath?" Frederik got up and made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass from the counter and filled it with water, listening as his grandfather's voice filled the quiet apartment.

"Of course not," Frederik muttered, setting the glass down without drinking. His stomach churned too much for that now. "You better be ready for the board meeting later," his grandfather continued. "This could be a stunt to clean up the mess from the assault accusations. Do you understand? Focus on the agenda. Make sure the others don't get soft because of a few headlines." Frederik exhaled slowly through his nose, gripping the edge of the counter. "I understand." "Good," his grandfather said before hanging up without a goodbye.

Frederik set the phone down and turned toward the living room. He grabbed the remote, flicked on the TV, and froze.

The scene unfolding on the screen was chaos.

A cluster of reporters swarmed the entrance of a hotel. Flashbulbs popped. Cameras jostled for position. The news anchor's voice cut through the background noise.

"Breaking news: Isabella Rossi and Liam Horvath make first public appearance after engagement announcement." The camera zoomed in. There, walking out of the hotel, were Isabella and Liam. They were hand in hand, walking steadily through the chaos. Security tried to clear a path, but the reporters pressed closer, shouting questions.

"Mr. Horvath, is it true you assaulted Cassandra Sarano?" "Miss Rossi, are you marrying him to cover up the scandal?" Frederik narrowed his eyes at the screen. Isabella kept her head high, refusing to react, but the crowd was getting aggressive. A few people in the back started shouting profanities, their voices cutting sharply through the noise.

Isabella stopped walking. She turned slightly, clearly ready to respond. Frederik leaned closer instinctively, waiting to see what she would say.

But before she could open her mouth, Liam moved. He stepped in front of her, shielding her from the cameras and the shouting.

Frederik watched as Liam pulled her firmly into his chest, blocking her completely from view. The reporters pushed harder, their questions escalating into a chaotic roar.

Liam raised a hand to signal the security team to hold the crowd back. Then, without looking away from the cameras, he spoke clearly.

"Any further false accusations against my woman or myself will be met with immediate legal action. We are filing a counter -lawsuit for defamation against Miss Sarano and any media outlet that continues to circulate unverified claims." He didn't yell. He didn't threaten. He simply stated it as fact.

Liam's expression was calm. His stance was steady, unmoved by the frenzy around him. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Liam didn't step away. He kept Isabella behind him, his body a shield between her and the chaos outside.

The reporters hesitated, unsure whether to push further, but Liam was already speaking again.

"To the fans of Miss Sarano who think harassment and slander are acceptable," he said, his gaze steady on the cameras, "I suggest you pay close attention." Frederik leaned forward on the couch, his jaw tightening.

"My legal team is preparing to release evidence that shows exactly how these accusations were orchestrated," Liam continued. "Proof of coordination. Proof of motive. Proof that this was a deliberate attempt to damage my reputation and, by extension, the Horvath name." Sof the reporters started shouting questions again, but Liam didn't flinch.

"We will be holding a press conference at nine o'clock this morning," Liam said, ignoring the shouting. "That's two hours from now. I expect all of you to be there. Bring your best questions, because we will be answering them with facts, not gossip." My Woman He glanced back briefly at Isabella to check that she was still shielded. She nodded once, almost imperceptibly, as if telling him to keep going.

Liam turned his attention back to the cameras. "I will not allow anyone to tarnish my nor harm my relationship with Isabella Rossi." He didn't wait for a response. He signaled security again, and within seconds, the team closed ranks around them. Liam tightened his hold on Isabella's hand and pulled her toward the car waiting by the curb.

The cameras kept flashing, the reporters kept shouting, but neither of them looked back.

Frederik sat frozen on the couch, watching the car door slam shut and the black vehicle pulls away through the swarm of people.

He reached for the glass of water he had abandoned earlier, His hand tightened around it so hard the glass almost broke. Frederik watchedm closely recognizing the tactic. Liam was using the media against itself. Announcing the counter- lawsuit publicly would force reporters to back off or risk legal consequences. It was a strategy straight out of a corporate crisis playbook-aggressive defense by legal positioning, not emotional retaliation. Just as he expected, the reporters fell into a brief stunned silence.

Frederik leaned back against his couch.

The news cut back to the anchor, but Frederik didn't hear the words. He sat there, the glass of water untouched beside him. They weren't just fighting back. They were setting the terms of the battle.

And from the looks of it, Isabella Rossi had chosen her side very carefully. He was certain that this wasn't going to end with a simple board meeting anymore. wakeup last night when this news exploded?" he asked. As if on his secretary arrived in his penthouse. "What is it?" Frederik asked. "Why didn't you "I apologize but-" "Tsk," Frederik interrupted him. Even if he was woken up, what was he supposed to do? He still couldn't do anything about this news. "What is it?" he asked.

"We receive

an update..." the assistant said as he handed a tablet toward Frederik. He accepted it and read its contents, "It seems that Miss Rossi and Mr.

Horvath are already married and have been for a few months now, and... it seems that they are going to release this matter before the board meeting starts at 10 a.m." Subscribed