The Ex Who Became His Obsession Novel Ch 59

The Ex Who Became His Obsession Novel Ch 59

There were Charlie and Alyssia.

They strolled side by side through the food court’s promenade, laughing and chatting as they walked.

Charlie flipped through his phone, glancing at the surrounding restaurants, then held it up in front of Alyssia’s eyes as if asking her to choose

Alyssia shook her head while takin

a bite of the butterfly-shaped sugar art in her hand.

A butterfly… Brianna’s chest

It was especially hard to bear for Brianna.

Only Brianna who grew up with Charlie, truly knew how much he adored butterflies.

At Charlie’s home, entire shelves were lined with thick albums, each one filled with specimens he’d painstakingly caught and preserved from the wild during his holidays.

Brianna had once begged Charlie for just one of those albums.

But Charlie was so stingy-he wouldn’t even part with a single specimen, let alone an entire album.

So, Brianna coquettishly asked Charlie

He simply shot back. “Buy it yourself.”

to

buy her some butterfly jewelry.

But now, he bought Alyssia a butterfly-shaped sugar art-so enormous it resembled a phoenix spreading its wings. it was clearly custom-made, with him giving the sugar artist special instructions.

Finally, the pair stopped outside a barbecue joint.

Brianna couldn’t help but notice Charlie’s frown.

But whatever Alyssia said instantly brought a smile to his face, and together they stepped into the smoky eatery.

Brianna clenched the cup, her knuckles turning white as veins pulsed sharply beneath her skin.

She knew better than anyone-Charlie hated the smell of smoke and grease. He always preferred light, simple meals and avoided anything greasy or heavily seasoned.

To cater to his preferences, Brianna would always specifically request to avoid barbecue during their team-building events.

But now he’d actually follow Alyssia into some hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint!

Outside the barbecue joint stood a long row of freezers/packed with all kinds of skewers.

Before long, Brianna spotted Charlie emerging alone He meticulously sorted through the baskets on the outdoor tables, finally settling on one he likely deemed “not too dirty.”

Then, with a determined look, Charlie rolled up his sleeves, opened the freezer case,

else.

and began selecting skewers-something he’d never do for anyone

As he selected the skewers, he kept glancing back into the shop, as if consulting with Alyssia about their choices.

Brianna didn’t want to cry, but in the end, she slumped onto the table, burying her face in her arms.

Diana sat across from her, so stunned she didn’t dare say a word.

1/4

Chapter 59

No words could soften the blow the truth was a brutal slap across her face.

But what Diana feared most was that Charlie might see through their scheme and if Alyssia let something slip, he would come after het,

She knew Brianna could get her promoted, but Charlie could have her fired instantly.

Brianna had cried her fill.

She sat up, quickly composed herself, and a cold, ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. Fixing Diana with a steely gaze, she warned, “What you just saw don’t breathe a word of it to anyone!”

“Hey, did you hear? Alyssia from the Entertainment Department is being transferred to our team?”

“What? What did our department do to deserve this?”

“Are they just shoving all these nepo hires into the Finance Department now?”

“Oh no! The Finance Department is going to become Vanguard Media’s worst-performing division…”

“Forget about the department-let’s worry about our own numbers instead!”

“Why?”

“Don’t you know? Alyssia is called the ‘credit hog’ in the Entertainment Department! The best resources are always handed to her on a silver platter-first the Leonard exclusive, then the interview with Archer, and later William Harlow… With her around, well, we’re left with scraps.”

“Seriously? What makes her so special?”

“Her looks, obviously! With a face like that, she can get any opportunity she wants.”

“Let’s see if she even dares to compete with us once she’s in our department!”

“There’s no way Brianna will put up with her antics…”

The Finance Department was buzzing with gossip and complaints, but in the end, Alyssia showed up anyway.

The HR representative guided her around, introducing her to each team member in turn.

Everyone in the Finance Department was an Oscar-worthy actor.

The harsher their criticism had been before, the more unctuously they now smiled at Alyssia.

Brianna stepped out of her office, sweeping a cold gaze across the workspace.

“Alyssia’s here?” Brianna’s expression remained unreadable. “Anne, could you show the new hire around?”

Anne Davis, the editor-in-chief, stood up and glanced around uneasily. “But Brianna, we don’t have any more space here.”

“No problem. Isn’t there a table right over there?” Brianna said, gesturing dismissively toward the spot in front of her office.

There stood a small, dust-covered desk-utterly forlorn, isolated, and jarringly out of place among its surrou

Though everyone in the Finance Department kept their heads down, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

But Alyssia still caught their smirks…

Now that she was on their turf, Alyssia had no choice but to roll with it.

210

Chapter 59

Last night at dinner, Charlie asked Alyssia, “What if they give you a hard time?”

Alyssia’s skills were beyond question, but she had yet to face the real hardships of office life.

Office politics are rarely dramatic or earth-shattering, more often, it’s the quiet, insidious undercurrents and potty intrigues that reveal the darkest site

of human nature.

In the Entertainment Department, at least Lauren had Alyssia’s back, and even Diana would rein herself in a little around her.

But the Finance Department was a different beast altogether….

“Do you really think a little trouble would bother me?” Alyssia nonchalantly gnawed on a small sparerib, her mumbled words drifting into the twilight glow.

“I can’t possibly sink any lower…”

Alyssia thought to herself, I’ve already hit rock bottom–nothing can truly break me now.

“Actually… The thing is…” Charlie struggled with the words, his voice faltering. “Back then… our family… also wanted to adopt you…”

But the Rivera family stood firm, while among the Dixons, only Charlie held his ground.

When the Clairmont family fell from grace, Charlie went to the hospital to check on Alyssia, only to be discovered by Leonard, who knocked him to the ground with a punch.

“Stay away from her.” Leonard looked down at Charlie, sneering arrogantly. “Remember how you tricked her and abandoned her at that shop? Even you parents were too ashamed to come for her-what right do you have to show up now?”

After Alyssia was discharged from the hospital, Charlie, having learned that Leonard had left for boarding school, began waiting for her outside her own school.

But by then, she no longer remembered him…

Charlie finally found a chance to approach her and gently said, “Alyssia, when you were little, your parents used to leave you in my care all the time.”

But Alyssia’s eyes held nothing but wary distrust.

“Really? Why?” Alyssia asked, her voice tinged with skepticism.

“My family built its reputation in financial journalism,” Charlie explained patiently. “We have a strategic partnership with InveSight Capital-they verify authoritative reports for us, and in turn, we provide them with certain industry intelligence.”

Alyssia’s guarded expression softened noticeably.

“Oh, really?” Alyssia’s demeanor softened considerably, her eyes lighting up with interest. “Then, could you tell me about my parents?”

For a while, Charlie would wait outside Alyssia’s school every single day after school, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Charlie shared with her InveSight Capital’s glorious past achievements, along with the precious moments he knew she’d shared with her parents.

“InveSight Capital holds significant sway in the domestic financial sector. Alyssia, when you’re ready to pursue a career in media, you can come to Vanguard Media-we’ll hand over the entire finance division to you.

“After all, your family was an early stakeholder in the original Vanguard Media… Consider it the rightful retur.. what’s yours.”

Yet now, instead of returning as the rightful heir, she was simply being transferred to the Finance Department.

Yet Charlie found himself powerless to fulfill the promise he’d once made.

Chapter 59

Her rightful domain-the one that should have belonged to her had now been usurped by others…

Charlie would never forget that Friday-the day he went to pick up Alyssia after school as usual,

But outside the school, he ran into Leonard.

Leonard stood by his car, his gaze dark and stormy as it locked onto Alyssia, who was standing beside Charlie. In a low, commanding voice, he called, “Aly, come here.”

Alyssia even forgot to say a simple goodbye.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Alyssia dashed toward Leonard like an uncatchable butterfly, fluttering straight into his arms before following him into

the car.

As the car drove past Charlie, he overheard Alyssia pleading to Leonard from inside, her voice trembling. “Lenny, please don’t be mad. I won’t ever talk to him again. Please don’t ignore me…”

It was the exact same words, the exact same tone…

In that moment, Charlie felt his heart shatter into pieces.