Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth!-Chapter 155: Be My Rival

Ivy tightened her ponytail, adjusting her earbuds before stepping out of her house.

The cool morning air brushed against her skin, but it did nothing to soothe the storm brewing inside her.

Though it was over two weeks now, her mind was still tangled in the mess Hunter had left behind.

His betrayal, his lies—everything played in her head over and over again like a song she couldn't turn off.

She had barely taken two steps onto the pavement when she froze, her eyes landing on a figure she recognized all too well.

It was Hunter.

He was standing right outside her house. After she had asked her secretary to fire him two weeks ago, she hadn't laid eyes on him neither had he tried to ask for her forgiveness. Not even once.

What was she going to forgive when he had ridiculed her so badly? She was sure he didn't even care that was why it took him two weeks to come to her house.

Why was he even there anyway? She mused, her breath catching in her throat, her body going stiff.

Of all the things she had expected to face today, seeing Hunter was not one of them.

His hands were shoved into his pockets, his eyes filled with something she refused to recognize—regret? Guilt? Whichever it was, she didn't care.

Her heart pounded, anger rising like fire inside her chest. She wasn't going to do this. Not now. Not ever.

Without a second thought, she turned sharply, ready to rush back inside, but Hunter was faster to stop.

"Ivy, wait," he said quickly, stepping toward her. "I need to talk to you. Please forgive me."

She whipped around, fury flashing in her eyes.

Talk? He wanted to talk? He even had the nerves to ask her to forgive him?

Hunter seeing that she stopped hurried and closed the space between them. Because he was more inclined to apologize and have her hear him out, he had been unable to see the fury in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Vee. I can explain if only you can just give me the chance——"

Before he could finish his sentence, her palm connected with his cheek in a sharp, stinging slap.

How dare he tell her he could explain? What did he want to explain? That he placed a bet on her or that he was spying on her restaurant? Ivy mused angrily.

A gasp left Hunter's lips as he staggered slightly, his hand touching his face, the slap totally unexpected.

"How dare you show your face here?" Ivy hissed, her voice shaking with rage. "Do you think I want to hear whatever pathetic excuse you have? I don't. I don't ever want to see you again. What do you even want to explain? You want to explain how your dad forced you into spying on me or how I was nothing but a bet to you?"

Hunter swallowed, his jaw tightening. "Ivy, please. I know I hurt you but can you just listen to me—"

"Listen to you?" she laughed bitterly, cutting him off. "You're bold, I'll give you that. You can stand here, looking me in the eye, after betting on me like I was some game to you?" She took a deep breath, her fingers curling into fists. "You're disgusting, Hunter. A stupid jerk with no ounce of respect for a woman. And to think I—"

His face paled and he quickly cut in. "I never meant—"

"You never meant to what? Bet on me or spy on me?" she cut him off sharply, her voice laced with hurt she didn't want to acknowledge. "You did bet on me, didn't you? And willingly, too or was it not? You did spy on my restaurant. And you did betray me. So don't stand here, pretending like it wasn't your intention! You knew exactly what you were doing."

Hunter's lips parted, but no words came out. He wanted to explain to her that she was saying the truth but he had backed out when he fell for her and realized what a big mistake he was making but she wasn't giving him the chance.

She was angry abd he could understand.

Ivy took a step closer, her voice quieter but no less fierce. "I'm not even mad at you anymore, proud jerk. I'm mad at myself—for not doing my research on you before letting you get close to me." She let out a shaky breath, blinking back the sting in her eyes. "If I had, I wouldn't be in this situation right now."

Hunter flinched at her words and then shook his head. "Ivy, please—"

"No," she said, taking a step back and shaking her head. "Go back to your father, Hunter. Run your business. Be my rival. That's all we've ever been, and that's all we'll ever be."

With that, she turned around and walked back inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

Hunter stood frozen, staring at the door. He had prepared for this. He knew she would be angry. But nothing could have prepared him for the way she looked at him—with disappointment, and with so much disgust.

He had broken her heart and tore the pieces without even knowing it.

And the worst part? She was right. He was a proud jerk, a fool who had no respect for women.

He had lost her. And he had no one to blame but himself. He thought as he turned and walked away, telling himself never to show his face to her since he disgusts her that much.

As soon as Ivy stepped back inside her house, she leaned against the door, shutting her eyes for a brief second. Her hands trembled slightly, her breath uneven.

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Tears threatened to spill but she refused to cry. She wasn't going to shed a tear. Not for him. He wasn't worth even her tears.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders. She had let him get too close and had let herself believe in something real, only to be shattered by his betrayal. But crying over him? That wasn't an option.

Shaking off the emotions threatening to consume her, she reached for her phone, intending to call Emma. She needed a distraction, someone to talk to, anything to get Hunter out of her mind.

But as soon as she unlocked the screen, a news notification flashed before her eyes and she narrowed her eyes, wanting to see what the news was about.

Claire Sterling: A Murderer?

Ivy's brows knitted together in confusion. Claire? She would've thought it was another Claire had the last name not been mention. What was going on? Was this some sort of joke?

A sinking feeling formed in her stomach as she clicked on the headline, wanting to see what it was about and if it was just a way to get people's attention.

The article loaded instantly, and as she began to read, her eyes widened in shock, realizing the news were real and was indeed about Claire. Her Claire.

The article claimed that twenty-nine years ago, Claire had murdered someone—a guy who took her to prom. It went on to say that Claire's powerful and wealthy family had covered up the incident to protect her from scandal.

Ivy's heart pounded as she scrolled further. The worst part wasn't just the accusations—it was the fact that people were now demanding justice. Some unknown person had leaked the story, and now, people were calling for Claire to be punished.

[She deserves to be held accountable. She took a life and walked away free.]

[Money can't cover up the truth forever.]

[Justice for the victim. Claire Sterling must answer for what she did.]

Ivy's fingers tightened around her phone, her mind spinning. What is this? Why is this coming out now? It seemed to have happened twenty nine years ago so why was it coming out now?

Her stomach twisted at the thought of what Claire must be going through. She must have seen this. She must know.

Without wasting another second, Ivy dialed Emma's number. She pressed the phone to her ear, pacing the room as she waited for her to pick up.

"Emma, what's going on?" Ivy asked the moment the call connected.

On the other end, Emma sounded confused. "What do you mean?" she asked since she was yet to see the news.

Ivy took a sharp breath. "Claire's name is all over the news. They're calling her a murderer."

There was a long pause. Then Emma's voice came, sharp and alarmed. "What?"

"It's everywhere," Ivy rushed out. "It's on the People's Gossip Sunday column. That's where it's trending. They're saying she killed someone in cold blood twenty-nine years ago, and now people are asking for her to be punished."

Then Emma whispered, "When was this released?" she asked, her heart pounding very fast, thinking about how Claire was going to feel if she knew she was the talk of the world.

"I don't know—just now, I think. It's gaining attention fast," Ivy said, anxiety creeping into her voice. "Emma, what the hell is happening?"

Emma let out a shaky breath. "I don't know. But we're at Claire's place. Yesterday, she had to leave dinner with Chris's mother because she ran into someone from her past, Chris's aunt. We don't know the details yet because Claire hasn't spoken about it, but..." she trailed off before continuing, her tone growing firm, "I think Chris's aunt is the one who leaked this."

Ivy's jaw clenched. That would make sense. If Chris's aunt had known about this incident from the past, she would have had every reason to expose it now. But why now? Why after so many years?

She exhaled, her grip on the phone tightening. "Send me your location. I'm coming there immediately."

"Alright. I'll send it now," Emma agreed.

As soon as the call ended, Ivy went inside to change and once she was done, she hurried toward the door.

Whatever was happening, Claire didn't deserve to face it alone. Just as she had been there while she was going through her heartbreak, she had to be there too, for Claire.