Her Return, His Regret novel Chapter 2

In the morning, Larisa got up and went to the company on time although she didn't sleep all night.

"Have you seen the news? Ivy Williams has returned!" Tatiana Jenkins, one of the employees at the Kingsley group, remarked.

She was talking to her friend while they waited to get into the elevator. Behind them, Larisa kept quiet as they continued to talk about her as though she was invisible.

“You mean that jewelry designer?" The other colleague, Judy Brooks, asked.

"Yeah, she's not just an ordinary jewelry designer, she's also the only girlfriend our boss has ever admitted to dating in public. I heard she's his first love."

"Wow, but isn't it rumored that our boss and Larisa have some-?"

“Of course, not! She was just a mistress!”

“Haha! What a failure. She thought sleeping her way to the top would make the boss fall in love with her. Now that the woman that he loves has returned, I’m sure she’s not only going to lose her position as the mistress, she’s also going to lose her job.”

Larisa clenched her hands into fists. She gritted her teeth but didn’t say anything. After all, her marriage was a secret only known to Ryan and his family.

She was Ryan’s personal assistant but no one knew that the two had been married for three years.

Everyone just assumed she was Ryan’s mistress because of how close they were. However, Ryan never corrected them and Larisa had no right to correct them either. Ryan made her promise to keep their marriage a secret.

The doors to the elevator opened and they all entered the elevator. Tatiana and Judy shared a look before continuing their conversation.

“If I were her, I would resign on my own. It’s clear the boss has someone he loves. It’s so degrading to cling to him like a desperate chick,” Tatiana said, her words full of mockery.

“Hey… chill. She can hear you,” Judy whispered loudly and laughed.

It seemed they were having fun at Larisa’s predicament. They had been among the many women who were jealous of her closeness with Ryan Kingsley. Now that his real woman had returned, they found an opportunity to ridicule Larisa.

“I’m just saying the truth. She’s a mistress who’s about to be abandoned now that the future Mrs Kingsley has returned to the city,” Tatiana stated.

Larisa clenched her hands into fists at those words.

Mistress?

She was the rightful wife! And yet, she couldn’t even say that loud.

Larisa pursed her lips, her heart aching. Ryan had not returned home the previous night. He didn’t even have the decency to call her to let her know of his plans.

She concluded that he had spent the night with his ex-girlfriend. Just thinking about it made her feel like a cat was clawing at her heart.

Her colleagues mocking words echoed in her ears and her throat ran dry. She was the legal wife but she couldn’t even speak out to defend her position. Could she even defend her position?

How can she defend something that wasn’t hers to begin with?

It didn’t take long for Larisa to arrive at the CEO’s office. However, she wasn’t in the mood to work that day. So, she went to the office to ask Ryan for leave to go home.

Sure enough, when she knocked and entered his office, she found him seated in his swivel chair wearing different clothes from the ones he wore the previous night.

“You’re late,” Ryan said in a cold deep voice.

“Yes… I slept late. I’ve come to ask for a one-day leave,” Larisa requested, trying hard to hold back her tears.

He didn’t even look bothered that he slept out.