From His Invisible Wife to the World's Icon novel Chapter 143

Hearing Phoebe's words, the crowd gasped in realization, their intuition telling them that Phoebe had deceived them.

"Phoebe was the one who told us about Ms. Sterling's matters too. Otherwise, we'd be focused solely on the project. Why would we bother with gossip?" Someone started shifting the blame.

Phoebe didn't argue. "I... I know I was wrong... I actually admire her... and I hoped that one day I could be as capable as she is... but I don't know what came over me, I..."

Seeing that Xavier remained unmoved, Phoebe suddenly looked over. "Ms. Sterling, I wanted to be your apprentice."

"Will you please forgive me?"

In that instant, everyone's eyes landed on Lydia.

She looked at Harrison and saw his cold expression as he shook his head at her.

Just as she was hesitating, a sentence suddenly dropped by her ear.

"Once disloyal, never forgiven."

Every single word Xavier said landed with heavy impact.

She looked up, staring at him.

Someone else had once said that exact same phrase to her.

Back at The Zener Institute, her assistant had been two-faced, selling her experimental data to frame her.

After being exposed, she had cried and begged for her forgiveness.

That person had told her the exact same thing.

Xavier...

She finally realized why Xavier always felt so familiar.

The vibe he gave off was just like that person's.

Decisive, unfeeling, but occasionally displaying a meticulous thoughtfulness.

Back then, in order to get close to that person, she had constantly run errands for him.

Even though they had never met in person.

Wesley had the bodyguards take Phoebe away.

She snapped out of her daze, a bitter smile touching the corners of her lips. "Thank you, Mr. Ford."

The man cast her an indifferent glance and said flatly, "Harrison, find her a new assistant."

"Mr. Ford, rest assured," Harrison replied.

The crowd watched as he walked away.

"I'm sorry, Lydia," someone took the initiative to apologize, while others looked embarrassed and avoided her gaze.

The harmonious atmosphere turned frigid.

Harrison was also a bit annoyed. He wanted to lose his temper but held it back.

At that moment, Frederick walked over.

"Come to a gala with me," he said directly.

The car door was pulled open. Lydia stepped out and walked alongside Frederick into the banquet hall.

"Grandma... Happy birthday..."

Sierra's playful voice drifted into her ears.

Lydia looked up in shock, her eyes meeting Meredith's bitter, mean face.

Her gaze turned freezing cold, and she turned to leave.

Memories played vividly in her mind: Meredith mocking her mother for not giving birth to a son, the taunts her mother endured when the mistress was brought into the house, and Meredith viciously grabbing her to stop her from leaving with her mother.

She had been only five years old that year, yet she was locked up for three days and three nights without a drop of water. She had almost died.

On the night of the third day, she weakly pounded on the door, repeating the words Meredith had forced her to say over and over again, 'Mommy is a bad person, Mommy abandoned her husband and daughter...'

Back then, she hadn't known what abandoning a husband and daughter meant.

It was only later she found out that her mother didn't want her or her father anymore.

"Lydia, where are you going?"

"Lydia! Grandma is waiting for you to wish her a happy birthday!"

She heard the heavy, steady footsteps of Frederick catching up to her. She couldn't help but quicken her pace, the banquet hall doors right in front of her.

He blocked her path in one swift move.

Lydia looked up at him, her gaze colder than ever before. "Frederick, don't push me."