Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO
Chapter 96: I Have A Job For You

Chapter 96: I Have A Job For You

The morning silence in Ivy’s room was broken only by the ticking of the wall clock. She sat on her vanity stool, gently dabbing foundation onto her flawless skin, trying to distract herself from the building anxiety in her chest.

Ever since Stefan had dropped those bombshell comments the day before, Ivy hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was... unraveling. How could she when he had not even returned home once and his mother was also on Ruby’s side?

Her phone buzzed on the marble countertop. She picked it up to see it was Stefan.

She stared at the screen for a moment, her pulse instantly racing. He hadn’t called her in days—barely even acknowledged her since everything and just yesterday he’d said those disturbing words. She hurried to accept the call, eager and nervous all at once.

"Stefan?" Her voice was soft, almost tentative.

"I’m not going to waste time," came his voice, cold and steady like steel. "The lawyer will be bringing the divorce papers to you later today."

The words struck her like a slap across the face. Her breath hitched, the compact falling from her hand and shattering against the floor.

"W-What?" she whispered, her hand trembling. "Divorce?"

"I’m willing to compensate you with two million dollars," he said calmly, as if he were talking business and not ending a marriage. "So don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be."

Ivy’s mind spun out of control. Divorce? No, no, no. He couldn’t possibly mean it. He’s just angry... maybe all Eliana said got to him. Or maybe it’s temporary. Maybe he just needs space. He’s just emotional, vulnerable—it’s not over. It can’t be over.

But Stefan kept speaking, cutting through her spiraling thoughts.

"In case you’re wondering on what grounds," he continued coldly, "it’s on the grounds of deceit. That wedding certificate you’re so proud of throwing in my face? The one you flaunt like a trophy that we’re married? That alone is enough proof. Because the signature on it—it isn’t even yours."

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Her lips parted, desperate to argue, to defend herself, to say anything—but her mind was too chaotic to form the words.

"Think carefully, Ivy," Stefan warned, his voice like frost. "Sign those papers before I return. It’ll be easier for both of us."

And without waiting for her response, the call ended and the line went dead.

After the call ended, Ivy stared at the phone in her hand, her reflection in the mirror pale and wide-eyed. Her entire body trembled as the full weight of what had just happened hit her like a wrecking ball.

He really wants to divorce me. Stefan... is leaving me? Just like that? Because of this?

Her breathing grew erratic as panic settled in. Why now? Why suddenly? It has to be Eliana. It has to be something she said yesterday. What had she said to him before she arrived? Had she been the one to talk about divorce to Stefan? It has to be otherwise Stefan wouldn’t have thought of that—not once in his life.

He loved her and couldn’t do without her. He was only confused now because of Ruby and Eliana.

She stood abruptly, knocking over the stool as her temper flared.

"No!" she hissed, her voice trembling with fury. "This is all Eliana’s fault! I should’ve known she’d try to poison him against me. She’s been waiting for the perfect moment. She planted this seed in his head—I’m sure of it."

Ivy paced the room, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and rage. Why did Eliana hate her enough to do this to her? What did she do even do to Eliana for her to betray her that way?

She shook her head. She hadn’t done anything to her. Eliana had always been a backstabbing bitch. She had just been too naive and gullible to see it and now it’s going to cost her her marriage.

No. He can’t do this. She can’t allow him do this to her. Not after everything. Not after I kept up the act, protected our image. How dare he decide I’m not worth the lie anymore? I started this and I’m the only one that can end it.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but they didn’t fall. No, Ivy wasn’t going to cry. Not yet.

Her jaw clenched, eyes darkening with determination.

"He thinks he can just throw me away? Like I’m some stain on his life? Fine," she muttered, voice low and venomous. "Let him try. But I won’t let this slide. If he thinks a signature on a paper is the end of it—he doesn’t know me at all."

She turned sharply, yanking open her closet and shoving clothes aside as if looking for something—anything—to take control again. Her mind was already working overtime, calculating, scheming.

If Stefan thought Ivy was going down quietly... he was sorely mistaken. To think he’d even offered her money.

With trembling fingers and a heart pounding like war drums, Ivy stormed across the room and slammed the closet shut, her chest heaving.

The room suddenly felt suffocating—as if the walls were closing in on her with every breath she took.

He really meant it. Divorce. Compensation. Like she was just some business deal he needed to terminate.

Her lips curled in disgust. Eliana. That manipulative, smug little witch. She had something to do with this—she had to and it had to be now.

Stefan could wait and he should just know he’d be meeting her here when he returned. He was just being delusional, everything would change when he returned from wherever it is he went. She didn’t care. But he was hers and it’d remain so.

Ivy stalked over to the dresser and yanked open the drawer where she kept her other phone—a second line her mother insisted she use for more... delicate matters. From its sleek black screen stared a single unread message.

One she’d forwarded immediately her mother texted her the number the previous day. She’d sent the number along with those words.....

"orwarding you the number. Only call if you’re sure. Don’t leave traces."

Her mother’s words echoed in her head. How could she leave traces?

Ivy stared at the number for a moment, her reflection in the mirror shifting from panicked to icy calm. Then she tapped the screen and hit Call.

The phone rang once and then twice before she heard a click.

A low male voice answered, gruff and to the point. "Yeah?"

"I have a job for you," Ivy said sharply, her voice now wrapped in silk and steel.

"Discreet, no questions asked. You come recommended."

There was a beat of silence. Then, "Who gave you this number?"

"Does it matter?" she snapped. "All you need to know is that I’ll make it worth your time. I’ll text you a location. Be there in two hours. We’ll talk in person."

There was another pause. "Fine. Send the address. Don’t be late."

She hung up without another word and tossed the phone onto the bed, her breathing shallow as her pulse roared in her ears.

The air in the room thickened with tension, and Ivy’s expression darkened with simmering hatred. fre ewe bnove l.com

This is all Eliana’s fault.

She pictured her with that fake soft smile, those eyes that always glinted with judgment, with superiority. She’d always looked down on Ivy, always watched her like she knew something—well, yeah, she practically knew everything.

And now? She’s probably basking in triumph, thinking she’s "saved" Stefan from the big bad wolf.

Ivy’s fingers curled into fists at her sides. "She thinks she’s won. That I’ll roll over and accept this? She doesn’t know who she’s dealing with."

Her tone dropped into something cold and deadly.

"I will not lose everything because of some stupid selfish bitch," she muttered. "She wants to play heroine in Stefan’s life? Fine. Let’s see how heroic she feels when the game turns bloody."

The edges of Ivy’s mouth twitched upward—not into a smile, but something darker. Something unhinged.

With one last glance at the shattered compact on the floor, she grabbed her phone again and typed out the address of a private location on the outskirts of the city—a place far from prying eyes. Then she hit send.

Her fingers hovered over the screen for a second, then tightened around it like a snake squeezing its prey. Let the game begin.