Bye-bye Trash! Hello Queen! novel Chapter 1156

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Joanna?" Maxwell's furious voice suddenly cut through the air. His handsome face was dark with rage.

"Why don't you want to see me? What did I do wrong?"

Joanna turned her wheelchair to face him. She offered a bitter smile. He had the exact same face as Sebastian, but none of his power or competence.

And the most tragic part? He had betrayed her too.

In that moment, Joanna felt a violent urge to slap him across the face.

"It's simple, Maxwell. When I needed you the most, you never showed up. When my world was crashing down, I had no idea where you even were."

"Heh..."

Maxwell walked over and crouched in front of her, staring at her bitter smile. "We've been together for so long. Do I really have to spell out how I feel for you to finally get it?"

Tears spilled from Joanna's eyes. Today had been the second darkest day of her entire life.

The first was when Wendy publicly exposed her as an illegitimate child. That had nearly broken her.

The second was today, when Wendy tore away everything else she had left.

Her laugh was hollow and cold. "If you truly loved me, Maxwell, you wouldn't vanish every single time I needed you."

"Sebastian wasn't like that. Whenever I was wronged, he always stood by my side. He always fought for me."

Hearing her compare him to Sebastian ignited a fiery jealousy in Maxwell's chest. Even with his usual self-control, the anger boiled over. "Sebastian is dead. Have you fallen in love with him?"

His voice was laced with bitterness as he stared intensely at her.

She sneered, looking down at his furious face, finding it entirely pathetic. Maxwell had plenty of other women.

He flinched, narrowing his eyes. "What's so funny?"

She stared deeply into his eyes. Even if she saw right through him, she needed them to present a united front right now. Being with Maxwell was the perfect way to get under Natalie's skin.

After all, Sebastian was gone, and Maxwell was the closest thing left to him in the world.

Joanna shook her head slightly. "Nothing. Zachary is finished. The snow has settled, and it's time to launch our projects."

They had too many business ties to just sever them cleanly. The only other option was for Joanna to absorb them, which she fully intended to do.

Remembering how late he had shown up, she smiled and asked, "Where were you today anyway?"