Love Deceptions and Rebirth Novel – Chapter 8
Back at the office, Chloe’s carefully crafted online image had collapsed.
Photos from the wedding—censored except for her face—went viral.
The Parkers scrambled to contain the damage, denying any marriage plans and calling the whole thing “kids playing games.”
Netizens weren’t fooled. After all the hype about their “epic love,” the sudden reversal looked cheap.
“The Brooks family messed up, and the Parkers dropped them. Classic Parker move.”
“Saying it nicely. Chloe, a heiress, did that? No man could stomach it. The Parkers’ move makes sense—it just looks bad.”
“Exactly. Chloe doesn’t deserve Ethan. Whether they split or not, who could blame him? I actually feel bad for Ethan—two bad women in a row.”
“Same!”
Amid the wave of sympathy for Ethan, scandals about the Parker Group surfaced.
Their medical products were found to contain expired and counterfeit drugs—confirmed by authorities.
Ethan’s playboy past—flitting between clubs and parties—surfaced, plus footage from our engagement, him snapping at me for Chloe, clarifying our breakup.
The Parker Group’s reputation tanked. Stocks plummeted. Branches shut down. The entire company was severely damaged.
I asked Steven, who adjusted his glasses, saying matter-of-factly, “Mr. Cole from next door did it.”
“Also, Miss Harper, Mr. Cole mentioned the downtown Coastal City land. We could collaborate. If you’re interested, I can set a meeting.”
At the mention of the land deal, I smiled slightly. “Fine. Arrange it.”
Steven nodded and left, closing the door behind him before stepping aside to make a private call.
“Mr. Cole, Miss Harper has agreed to meet.”
Nathan and I met at an upscale restaurant that evening.
“Miss Claire—no, Miss Harper now,” he said with a small smile.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I’ll hand the Coastal City land development rights over to the Harper Group—if you agree to marry me. What do you say?”
I expected something steep, but not marriage.
“You don’t have to decide now. Take your time.”
Nathan didn’t push. His eyes held a quiet warmth, a steady affection that unsettled me in the best way.
Six or seven years older, rich, handsome, fit. Marrying him didn’t feel like a loss. In fact, it felt like a step up.
After a moment’s silence, I gave a slow nod.
That same day, news of the Harper and Cole Group marriage alliance broke online, accompanied by photos of Nathan and me walking hand-in-hand…
Ethan saw it—and lost it.
He stormed into my office just as we were closing for the day.
“Claire, I regret it. I love you. Let’s get back together. Your engagement to Cole—it’s just to make me jealous, right?”
I pulled my hand away, voice icy. “Ethan, why assume I still love you? Do you really think you’re even worthy of my feelings anymore?”
Before he could respond, I reached for the phone—but Nathan appeared first.
He shoved Ethan aside, took my hand firmly, and fixed him with a sharp look.
“Mr. Parker, manhandling my fiancée in public? That’s pretty low.”
Then he turned to me, expression softening.
“Claire, I’ve booked us a table. Lunch together?”
I glanced at Ethan, who stood fuming but helpless, and smirked. “Delighted.”
I got into Nathan’s car, leaving Ethan standing there.
I thought he’d finally give up—but no. He kept sending gifts: flowers, diamond necklaces, high-end cosmetics.
Back when we were dating, he never bothered with such things. Now, they felt cheap, manipulative, even vile.
So I made a call. The Harper Group disrupted every Parker Group deal it could. Old clients quietly dropped Ethan’s company.
Ethan confronted me, furious.
“Claire, why are you doing this?”
I gave him a cold stare.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop bothering me? Keep pushing, and I won’t be responsible for what happens to the Parker Group.”
Ethan paled, fear flickering in his eyes. For the first time, he understood—he couldn’t compete with the Harper Group.
Without my support, he was nothing.
He left defeated, and he never came back.
Later, I heard that Ethan, now running the Parker Group alone, crushed the Brooks family business and left them bankrupt.
None of my concern.
The day the Brooks Group collapsed, I walked down the aisle in a stunning white gown and married Nathan.
The Parker Group, despite Ethan’s cunning tactics, had no future without my backing.
After our wedding, Nathan transferred all his personal assets into my name, looking me in the eye as he vowed:
“W
Here’s your Chapter 8, cleaned up for paragraph and punctuation clarity—without altering your original words, tone, or basic grammar, as requested:
Chapter 8
Back at the office, Chloe’s carefully crafted online image had collapsed.
Photos from the wedding—censored except for her face—went viral.
The Parkers scrambled to contain the damage, denying any marriage plans and calling the whole thing ‘kids playing games.’
Netizens weren’t fooled. After all the hype about their ‘epic love,’ the sudden reversal looked cheap.
“The Brooks family messed up, and the Parkers dropped them. Classic Parker move.”
“Saying it nicely. Chloe, a heiress, did that? No man could stomach it. The Parkers’ move makes sense—it just looks bad.”
“Exactly. Chloe doesn’t deserve Ethan. Whether they split or not, who could blame him? I actually feel bad for Ethan—two bad women in a row.”
“Same!”
Amid the wave of sympathy for Ethan, scandals about the Parker Group surfaced.
Their medical products were found to contain expired and counterfeit drugs—confirmed by authorities.
Ethan’s playboy past—flitting between clubs and parties—surfaced, plus footage from our engagement, him snapping at me for Chloe, clarifying our breakup.
The Parker Group’s reputation tanked. Stocks plummeted. Branches shut down. The entire company was severely damaged.
I asked Steven, who adjusted his glasses, saying matter-of-factly, “Mr. Cole from next door did it.”
“Also, Miss Harper, Mr. Cole mentioned the downtown Coastal City land. We could collaborate. If you’re interested, I can set a meeting.”
At the mention of the land deal, I smiled slightly. “Fine. Arrange it.”
Steven nodded and left, closing the door behind him before stepping aside to make a private call.
“Mr. Cole, Miss Harper has agreed to meet.”
Nathan and I met at an upscale restaurant that evening.
“Miss Claire—no, Miss Harper now,” he said with a small smile.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I’ll hand the Coastal City land development rights over to the Harper Group—if you agree to marry me. What do you say?”
I expected something steep, but not marriage.
“You don’t have to decide now. Take your time.”
Nathan didn’t push. His eyes held a quiet warmth, a steady affection that unsettled me in the best way.
Six or seven years older, rich, handsome, fit. Marrying him didn’t feel like a loss. In fact, it felt like a step up.
After a moment’s silence, I gave a slow nod.
That same day, news of the Harper and Cole Group marriage alliance broke online, accompanied by photos of Nathan and me walking hand-in-hand.
Ethan saw it—and lost it.
He stormed into my office just as we were closing for the day.
“Claire, I regret it. I love you. Let’s get back together. Your engagement to Cole—it’s just to make me jealous, right?”
I pulled my hand away, voice icy. “Ethan, why assume I still love you? Do you really think you’re even worthy of my feelings anymore?”
Before he could respond, I reached for the phone—but Nathan appeared first.
He shoved Ethan aside, took my hand firmly, and fixed him with a sharp look. “Mr. Parker, manhandling my fiancée in public? That’s pretty low.”
Then he turned to me, expression softening. “Claire, I’ve booked us a table. Lunch together?”
I glanced at Ethan, who stood fuming but helpless, and smirked. “Delighted.”
I got into Nathan’s car, leaving Ethan standing there.
I thought he’d finally give up—but no. He kept sending gifts: flowers, diamond necklaces, high-end cosmetics.
Back when we were dating, he never bothered with such things. Now, they felt cheap, manipulative, even vile.
So I made a call. The Harper Group disrupted every Parker Group deal it could. Old clients quietly dropped Ethan’s company.
Ethan confronted me, furious. “Claire, why are you doing this?”
I gave him a cold stare. “Didn’t I tell you to stop bothering me? Keep pushing, and I won’t be responsible for what happens to the Parker Group.”
Ethan paled, fear flickering in his eyes. For the first time, he understood—he couldn’t compete with the Harper Group.
Without my support, he was nothing.
He left defeated, and he never came back.
Later, I heard that Ethan, now running the Parker Group alone, crushed the Brooks family business and left them bankrupt.
None of my concern.
The day the Brooks Group collapsed, I walked down the aisle in a stunning white gown and married Nathan.
The Parker Group, despite Ethan’s cunning tactics, had no future without my backing.
After our wedding, Nathan transferred all his personal assets into my name, looking me in the eye as he vowed, “Wife, I swear I’ll never be like Ethan. If I ever cheat on you, you can take everything.”
I never fully understood why Nathan treated me so well. He never explained—at least, not at first.
But later, I found out the truth: he’d loved me silently for years.
Now, his wish had come true.
And our happiness was complete.