Chapter 380: Chapter 380: Ugly Mask
Peter’s voice was cold; when he leaned forward slightly, his eyes never left Nexi.
"And I will also," he said slowly, "make sure Father knows about your little ambition to inherit Richardson Corporation."
The words sounded like horror music to Nexi.
Nexi froze. Her body stiffened as if she had been stuck by lightning.
Her eyes widened, and her lips trembled, but no words came out for a long while.
Deep inside, her heart thudded with fear. Her legs gave out, and she almost wanted to collapse on the ground.
She knew exactly what Peter meant.
After all, she was not related by blood to the Richardson family.
She was the daughter of her mother’s first marriage, and when her mother married into the Richardson family, Father had made everything crystal clear.
Nexi could live under their roof. She could enjoy comfort. She could even receive a monthly allowance.
But she would never inherit a single penny from Richardson Corporation.
That privilege was for the true heirs.
She had always known this, which was why she kept her ambition locked deep inside her heart. Not even her closest friends knew of it.
And yet now, Peter had spoken it out loud.
If Father found out, it would destroy her completely.
"You..." Nexi’s voice cracked as she pointed at Peter, her body trembling. "You wouldn’t dare..."
Peter leaned back against the sofa, his calmness chilling her blood even more.
"Oh, I would. Don’t think for a second I won’t. You crossed me. You crossed Adriana. And you think I’ll let you go unpunished?"
Nexi’s legs weakened, and she almost stumbled backward.
He had been her brother, the one who once spoiled her, the one who had always shielded her from scoldings.
And now, because of Adriana, he was ready to throw her into the fire without hesitation.
Her fists clenched tight.
For the first time in a long while, she regretted scheming against Peter. She regretted trying to drag Adriana into her schemes.
But regret was useless now.
She hated him. She hated Adriana even more. But most of all, she hated herself for losing.
Finally, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the living room.
Peter didn’t stop her.
He only exhaled slowly, leaning back; his heart was filled with gloom.
He had loved his sister once, but now... the girl standing before him didn’t feel like family anymore.
After 20 minutes, his phone rang, and the moment he saw the caller ID, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
His good sister truly couldn’t wait to take her revenge, huh?
With elegance, he stood up and pressed the green button. Once the call was connected, from the other end his father’s furious voice echoed,
"Get your ass in the study!"
"Got it." Peter replied curtly and hung up, his eyes exuding mockery.
Meanwhile, at the university, a very different scene was unfolding.
Inside the principal’s office, the air was tense.
Olivia stood calmly, holding her phone in her hand.
Next to her was Louis, his arms crossed, and his face showed an expression that he was excited to see a good show.
Across from them stood Eleanor, her face pale, and Mateo, his expression unreadable.
The principal sat behind his desk, adjusting his glasses.
Beside him, the IT technician tapped on a laptop.
Olivia broke the silence first.
"Principal, this is the chat history I showed you. As you can see, there is no record of the messages Eleanor claimed existed. She lied."
She handed the phone over. The principal peered down, his eyes sharp.
He turned toward the IT technician and handed him Eleanor’s phone too.
"Check the metadata. Confirm if these messages ever existed."
The IT technician nodded quickly. After a few moments of typing, he raised his head.
"Principal, according to the metadata, these chats were never there. It looks like Eleanor may have used a trick to make false messages appear."
The atmosphere turned still.
Eleanor’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe it.
The system had promised her everything would be perfect.
It had promised that Olivia’s phone would show those messages.
And yet now... nothing.
Her mind spun in panic.
For a second, she even thought about throwing accusations back at Olivia. But deep down, she knew it was over.
If she fought any harder, she would only humiliate herself more.
Her eyes darted toward Mateo, silently begging him for help.
For a moment, his silence gave her hope.
Maybe he would step forward and defend her.
Maybe he would finally act like the man she thought he was.
But instead, Mateo’s lips parted, and his words were like cold water poured on her head.
"It was Eleanor who seduced me," he said calmly.
"It had nothing to do with Olivia. As for the chats, it was all Eleanor’s doing. I don’t know what she was planning."
The office went quiet. Every pair of eyes turned toward Eleanor, filled with disgust.
Her own heart nearly stopped.
She stared at Mateo, her mouth open in disbelief.
How could he?
Wasn’t he the main lead? Wasn’t he supposed to be righteous, dependable, and the one who would protect her in times of trouble?
But here he was, shoving all the blame onto her shoulders just to save himself.
Something inside her broke.
Suddenly, all her fantasies about him seemed laughable.
So what if he chased her later? So what if he promised her the world? A selfish man who could throw her to the wolves once could do it again.
She thought back to the story she once knew.
Maybe in the novel, Mateo’s darker side never came to light because she had met him later, after he had already inherited everything.
Maybe back then, he had acted righteous only because he had power and nothing to lose.
But now, since he still hasn’t inherited and is desperate to protect his reputation, his true nature has seeped through the goodness mask he wears every time.
And it was ugly.
The system’s voice echoed in her mind.
[Mateo’s favorability has increased by +10. Accept the blame, and you will gain more.]
Eleanor’s fists clenched.
For a long moment, she considered resisting. She considered screaming that Mateo was lying.