The Sleeper's Wrath and His Wife's Strike novel Chapter 169

“It wasn’t me—why should I confess?” Naomi lifted her chin with arrogance, as if denying it was all she needed to do.

And as long as she kept denying it, Lindsay would have no way to touch her.

“You’d better hope you can maintain that cocky attitude, Naomi. Don’t come crawling to Cheryl later, begging for mercy.”

“Looks like you’re the one who hasn’t woken up yet. Who ends up begging whom is anyone’s guess.” Naomi’s confidence came from Joseph. The day she was released, he was the one who picked her up.

And she’d used his feelings for her to get him to hand over all those photos and videos.

With that leverage in hand, she was convinced she could keep Cheryl under her thumb, leaving her with no way to fight back.

So what if those works weren’t hers to begin with? She’d paid for them—so now they belonged to her.

“We’ll see, then. I look forward to the show.” Lindsay stood up and left, knowing there was no point sparring words with Naomi any further.

“I just can’t believe I’ll lose to you!” Even though she was losing badly at the moment, Naomi’s self-confidence was unshakable.

After all, she believed her second chance at life came with a cheat code.

At five-thirty, just before the end of the workday, Lester walked in.

A flash of delight crossed Naomi’s face. She jumped up and hurried to him, her voice barely concealing her excitement. “Lester, you came to pick me up from work—why didn’t you tell me?”

Lester pressed his lips together, searching for the right words. “Sorry, Naomi. I’m actually here for Lindsay today.”

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Naomi swayed on her feet as a chill crept up her spine. She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Why are you here for her? We haven’t had dinner together in ages.”

As if that weren’t enough, Lester had been stonewalling her—ignoring her messages on Facebook, refusing to reply.

Even when she’d been detained the other week, he hadn’t checked in once.

Half an hour flew by. When Lindsay finished packing up for the day, she strolled past Naomi’s desk and, smiling, called out, “Wanna join us for dinner? Lester’s taking me to that Italian place, and after that, we’re catching a movie.”

She said it on purpose, just to rile Naomi up. Making Naomi miserable was her little victory.

Of course, Naomi wanted to tag along, but before she could say a word, Lester cut in, “Naomi’s got plans with her friends tonight—maybe next time.”

Naomi stared at Lester in disbelief. What was that supposed to mean? He was going on a date with another woman right in front of her and wouldn’t even let her come along?

“That’s a shame. Some other time, then.” Lindsay shot Naomi a sly wink and sauntered off.

All Naomi could do was stand there and watch Lester leave with Lindsay, her fingers clenched so tightly they lost all color. Yet she felt nothing—just numb.

Her coworker Mary came over, confusion written all over her face. “Wait, Naomi, wasn’t that your boyfriend? Why’d he leave with Lindsay? They looked pretty cozy, laughing and all.”