- Visitor
In the VIP lounge at Logan International Airport, a giant LCD screen was playing a CNN special report.
On screen, Olivia Ricci was wearing a spotless white lab coat.
She was being interviewed, with the Falcone Pharmaceutical Group logo in the background.
"Dr. Ricci, you are only 28 years old, yet you’ve already published over a dozen papers in top medical journals. People call you the 'Joan of Arc of Pharma.' What is the secret to your success?"
The host looked at her with adoration.
Facing the camera, Olivia flashed that humble smile carefully crafted by her PR team.
"There is no secret. I’m just more persistent than others. Medical research requires sacrifice. I often stay in the lab until four in the morning."
"But as long as I think about how these new drugs can alleviate patients' suffering, it’s all worth it. This is the mission God gave me."
The host was so moved his eyes turned red.
"You are truly the pride of America!"
On screen, Olivia’s saint-like expression made me want to vomit.
It overlapped with the memory of the woman who clawed at me, using the Family’s power to bully me.
Dante was right about one thing.
Olivia was indeed the Family’s favorite right now.
The "evidence of academic fraud" I exposed didn't destroy her.
Instead, the Family’s PR department spun it as "smears from a jealous woman."
She became a warrior "standing strong against cyberbullying," a "true angel in white."
The Boston Globe and The New York Times wrote articles praising her persistence in research amidst malicious attacks.
And I, Sophia, was painted as a crazy woman, jealous of the wealthy, mentally unstable.
But the first time I discovered Dante’s cheating, it was because of Olivia’s deliberate provocation.
That was three years ago.
I came home from my lab at Harvard Medical School.
I found a piece of black La Perla lace lingerie thrown on the imported Italian sofa in the living room.
It wasn’t my size.
I confronted Dante on the spot.
He loosened his tie impatiently.
"Olivia left that behind. She came over to discuss the new drug formula. It’s legitimate business. We worked late."
"Sophia, don't act like a sheltered housewife. Olivia contributes to Falcone Pharma, which means she contributes to the Family. Don't you understand that?"
I didn't believe him.
I started checking his schedule.
Then I found out they frequently visited exclusive members-only clubs late at night.
They even entered and exited the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons Hotel together.
At the time, I turned the Falcone family upside down.
During that period, all the socialite wives who did business with the Family—women also living in gilded cages—advised me.
"Sophia, men, especially men of Dante's status, it's normal to have a little fun outside."
"As long as he comes home every night, as long as you are the official 'Mrs. Falcone,' you have to learn to turn a blind eye."
"Dr. Ricci is one of us. Dante interacting with her is for the Family business."
"Making a scene like this only makes him think you don't know the rules."
But I hated it.
I hated that Dante betrayed the vows I made before God.
Until TMZ and Page Six, those gossip sites, leaked photos of the two coming out of the Ritz-Carlton late at night, disheveled.
To save Olivia’s reputation, and to stabilize Falcone Pharma’s stock price on NASDAQ, Dante openly admitted in a Forbes interview that they were dating.
But he claimed to the public that he and I had been separated for two years.
He said our marriage existed in name only.
He claimed he met Olivia, his soulmate, during his "emotional window."
It was a complete lie!
At the time, Twitter trending topics were full of "Pharma Tycoon and Genius Doctor's Fairytale Love."
Netizens blessed them as a "Power Couple."
I went crazy.
I rushed to the Falcone Pharma headquarters.
I burst into that conference room full of Family executives.
Dante was chairing the board meeting.
I stormed in and threw the coffee cup in my hand right at him in front of everyone.
Blood trickled down his forehead.
Those old mobsters, who usually killed without blinking, were stunned.
Security rushed in to drag me away.
In the end, Dante finally tore off his gentleman’s mask.
He roared with a cold face:
"Yes! I slept with her! I just like her!"
"If you can't stand it, get out! The divorce papers are waiting for you to sign anytime, Sophia!"
The conference room was dead silent.
I looked at this stranger and screamed back hysterically:
"Why should I divorce?!"
"Why should I make way for you and that hypocritical bitch?!"
"Dante Falcone, I want you and her to carry the name of adulterers for the rest of your lives! Don't you ever expect forgiveness from God!"
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