Revenge Against My Toxic Ex-Fiancé Novel by Iris Hart _ Novel




Revenge Against My Toxic Ex-Fiancé Chapter 01

My fiancé, Vincenzo Dumpleton, booked a seafood dinner for my birthday. The usual distant man, however, was peeling shrimp for everyone at the table.
They all said he was so thoughtful and envied that I got a good man.
Only his assistant, Aaliyah Blunvil, noticed that something was wrong with me.
"Josie, why aren't you eating? We loved this restaurant back in college. The food's always amazing."
His friends were joking around.
"Come on, Aaliyah. Cenzo only picked here because you like it. He never liked seafood, but he brings us here every single time. Since when has he ever cared about what we like? When the owner almost went broke, Cenzo even bought the restaurant to keep it open."
Vincenzo hadn't told me that this restaurant was his.
I looked at him. He was focused on peeling a shrimp, dipped it in sauce and put it neatly on Aaliyah's plate.
Aaliyah noticed that my face looked tense.
"Here, Josie. You should try one."
She picked up the largest shrimp and offered it to me.
I stared at it coldly and didn't take it.
Vincenzo, who had been silently peeling shrimp the whole time, finally looked up.
"Aaliyah was kind enough to serve you. Why are you being mean to her?"
He reached for my plate himself.
I slapped his hand away.
"Last year, you forced me to eat seafood. I had a bad allergic reaction and ended up in the hospital. Have you forgotten about that?"
Sauce splattered on Vincenzo's pants.
Aaliyah moved faster than the others, even me, his fiancée. She immediately grabbed a tissue and started wiping it off for him.
I had stood by Vincenzo for five years, helped him get past his competitors and those tricky executives to become CEO. I knew his nature—proud, cold, and distant with everyone.
Yet here he was, letting another woman get close to wipe his leg.
A drunk former classmate saw them and thought something was going on.
"No way, rekindling an old flame? Don't be so eager. There's a hotel nearby; I'll go get you a room..."
Vincenzo's face turned serious. He grabbed a napkin from the table and threw it at the man.
"Watch your mouth."
Everyone fell silent instantly.
Only Aaliyah remained calm, tugging at his sleeve as if to soothe him.
"It's okay."
It was a small gesture.
Yet it felt far more intimate than anything I had as his fiancée.
"What's this about rekindling an old flame? Didn't you tell me Aaliyah was just a former classmate?"
I pushed my chair aside and stood up.
Vincenzo rose to his feet at once, instinctively shielding Aaliyah behind him.
His face looked suspicious, and the hand protecting her was tense, the veins surfacing from the strain.
"Josie, I was the one who booked the seafood dinner today. Vincenzo has been so busy with work, so I took over planning your birthday party. I'm sorry; I didn't know about your allergy."
Aaliyah apologized, explaining herself openly.
"Vincenzo and I really were just classmates. If I've still upset you, Josie, I can resign from the company."
"No!"
Vincenzo objected immediately.
He reached out for Aaliyah, his fingers barely touched her sleeve before he stopped and pulled his hand back.
"I mean, the project still needs you," he said.
He still shielded Aaliyah, then turned his gaze toward me.
"It's my fault that I forgot your allergy. This isn't Aaliyah's fault, okay? Could you stop?"
His friends began trying to calm things down.
"Josie, don't take a drunk guy's words seriously. Or it'll only make you look unreasonable."
"Yeah, if there was really something between Cenzo and Aaliyah, he wouldn't be with you, let alone engaged to you."
It was my birthday. I had told him I wanted to spend it alone with him, but instead, all his old friends had shown up.
One voice after another drowned me out.
Vincenzo just watched the entire time, his expression cold.
It was as if I was the one in the wrong—small-minded and making a big deal out of nothing.
Vincenzo was never a romantic guy. He could never remember a single one of our anniversaries. Yet once Aaliyah joined the company, he started sending flowers and cakes to all the female employees on Valentine's Day.
He even implemented three special days off each month for women.
It was all because Aaliyah suffered from severe period cramps.
This was a man who never set foot in the kitchen. He was the same man who once took me out drinking and bought me iced coffee while I was on my period. Now, he had secretly learned to make soups to help with period cramps.
"Vincenzo, I want to hear you say it. Do you really have nothing to do with her?"
My chest felt tight, like I was suffocating.
Five years. I couldn't just let go.
I stared at him. If he simply said yes, I would choose to believe him one more time.
But he dropped his gaze, refusing to meet my eyes.
Once again, Aaliyah broke the silence.
"Josie..."
"Shut up!"
I had reached my breaking point and cut her off.
Vincenzo frowned immediately.
"Why are you yelling at her?"
I was the one who was hurting, yet he wouldn't even tell a lie to comfort me. For Aaliyah's sake, he was shouting at me for the first time in five years.
"Vincenzo, you're such a jerk."
I picked up a nearby glass and threw the wine at him.
Unexpectedly, Aaliyah rushed forward and stepped in his way.
She was much shorter than Vincenzo, so the red wine that would have only soaked his clothes splashed directly onto her face.
"Are you okay?"
Vincenzo's cold voice turned frantic in an instant.
He practically pulled her into his arms, gentle and careful, using his sleeve to wipe her face. He treated her like she was a precious treasure.
When he looked back at me, his gaze was full of disgust and malice.
"Josephine Averell! You've gone too far! Apologize to Aaliyah right now!"
He knew better than anyone that I hated being forced or ordered around.
But he was too panicked and worried about her to remember that.
I slammed the glass down.
"Why should I? She's the one who jumped in the way!"
Vincenzo grabbed my arm.
He was strong and clearly worked out. His grip was so tight that my wrist turned red instantly. He shoved me back, and my forearm scraped against a piece of broken glass. It drew blood immediately.
I winced in pain.
Vincenzo didn't even notice.
"I'm telling you one last time—apologize!"
He stared at me like I was his enemy.
My eyes stung, and my voice cracked as I fought back tears.
"Vincenzo, who the hell is actually your fiancée?"
Vincenzo froze.
For a split second, he looked stunned. I wrenched my hand free, slapped him hard across the face, and walked away without looking back.
The room went silent after the slap.
Aaliyah's voice was the first thing I heard behind me.
"You should go after her and make things right."
She sounded so understanding that it only made me look like the unreasonable one.
And sure enough, Vincenzo did exactly as she said.
He actually chased after me.
He said, "I pursued Aaliyah in college, but she turned me down. She isn't like us. She has her pride and her dreams. I was the one who asked her to come back and help me this time. There's nothing inappropriate between us. You can yell at me or hit me to vent, but you shouldn't have treated her like that."
The usually quiet man was talking more than I had ever heard.
Every single word was about Aaliyah.
So she wasn't just an ex—she was the one that got away, his unreachable first love.
"Are you even listening to me?"
The car screeched to a stop by the side of the road.
I nearly hit my head against the dashboard.
Vincenzo frowned at me.
"Go apologize to Aaliyah tomorrow. I'll make it up to you for your birthday in a few days when I'm free."
His tone was far too entitled.
I didn't hesitate any longer. I took out my phone and sent a message to my brother.
"I want to call off the engagement. Send me that list of eligible bachelors you mentioned earlier."

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