My Husband Is a Gary Stu

Xylia lamented, “How could I possibly have such influence over you, to make you do whatever I suggest? We've known each other for over a decade. Don't you know what kind of person I am?”

“Of course I do—you're a two-faced scoundrel,” Ysabelle said coldly. “You're quick to stab anyone who's doing better than you. Your kindness and communication were just tools to get close to me, all because Timothy is my cousin. You despise Johanna, so you constantly badmouth her in front of me, telling me about her parents, trying to make me despise her too. Because you dislike her, you're afraid that if you take things into your hands, my cousin will find out. So, you manipulated me, urging me to wreck Johanna's studio.”

Xylia glanced at Timothy, her expression desperate. “Timothy, I promise you, I didn't manipulate Ysabelle into anything. She's merely afraid of you and is trying to shift the blame onto me.”

“Are you implying that I'm naive compared to Ysabelle? That I'm the gullible one here?” Timothy leaned back, his smile turning sly.

His attractive eyes held a certain predatory gleam, unsettling Xylia and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand. “After all these years, you still doubt me and believe Ysabelle?”

“I didn't ask for your opinion. Just keep quiet,” Timothy's expression darkened.

He retrieved his phone and played a recording, revealing the confession of Quincey's assistant regarding Xylia's involvement. The assistant had confessed to taking money from Xylia and planting the ring to frame Johanna during the recent incident at Quincey's apartment.

Timothy turned his gaze to Xylia without a hint of amusement. “You were angry with the company for offering the excellent opportunities that were originally yours to Quincey. Coupled with your animosity toward my wife, who Hugh had supported and requested to style Quincey, you decided to bribe Quincey's assistant. Like you, the assistant thought that hiding things wasn't a big deal, tempted by the additional generous reward you offered. So, when my wife visited Quincey, the assistant carried out the scheme discreetly. “You took your vengeance on both Quincey and my wife. You've played your cards well.”

“I didn't do any of that.” Even in the face of evidence, Xylia continued to feign innocence. “Quincey made her assistant frame me by hiding the ring due to her dislike for Ms. Joule. Quincey orchestrated the entire incident, and her assistant pinned it on me because she had a meeting with me.”

“If you believe the assistant framed you, then why don't you report it to the police?” Johanna, who had kept quiet until then, spoke calmly. “Let the authorities investigate, and we'll see who's telling the truth.”

Johanna's unexpected move caught Xylia off guard, causing her to clench her teeth.

At that moment, a server knocked on the door, entering with several bottles of vodka. Timothy instructed him to open the bottles and fill the row of empty glasses on the table.

Gesturing toward the drinks, Timothy commented casually, “Start drinking, and keep going until my wife decides whether to accept your apologies.”

When it became clear that Timothy included both of them in the statement, Ysabelle's heart raced, and she looked at the glasses on the table apprehensively. “Timothy, Xylia used me to—”

“The shop's vandalism was at your instigation,” Timothy interrupted.