Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon) novel Chapter 274

What followed was an outpour of outrage on Janice's behalf.

A woman this talented had stood by her boyfriend's side, helping him build his career, only to be heartlessly discarded.

More and more people sympathized with her. Even neutral bystanders, after looking into the full story, felt she had been deeply wronged.

But what fueled the backlash even more was that she had never spoken ill of her ex in public.

Every video and photo that surfaced showed him yelling and insulting her, being a bitter, angry mess.

Within two hours, Simon's social media exploded. And it didn't stop there. People quickly dug up Legacy Twine, the new company he had registered. This meant his business partner—the Appleton family—was dragged into the firestorm as well.

The results? Online harassment, phone calls at all hours, and hate comments flooding their websites. Customers placed orders with the Appletons only to cancel them immediately, over and over again.

By the time Elsie finally got wind of the situation, the banquet was already wrapping up.

Janice had been drinking quite a bit. Throughout the evening, she had exchanged contacts with multiple companies she had never worked with before, laying the groundwork for future partnerships. She was surrounded by people, practically adored by the crowd.

There was no trace left of the woman Simon had once belittled and suppressed. And yet, Simon dared to keep inching closer.

With shamelessness that knew no bounds, he spoke to her like they were still close. "Janice, don't drink so much. You'll aggravate your stomach problems. Have some warm water, okay? Be good."

The business executives around them watched with nothing but disgust.

Simon must've tampered with that cup of water.

He wanted her to drink it right there in front of witnesses. That way, if she fell sick later, no one would ever suspect him.

After all, she had been drinking all night. Who could say which drink had caused the problem?

But Simon's motives ran deeper than just completing the task Louis had given him. He wanted to strike first. If he could make something happen between them, then Edward would definitely throw her away.

And when that happened, Janice would have no choice but to come back to him. There was no way she could survive the public backlash otherwise.

And once he got his condition treated, he would make sure to have a child with her.

Simon's thoughts were disgusting, but to him, they made perfect sense. That was why he was looking at Janice with such a gentle, affectionate gaze.