I barely remember how I got home. I'm not even sure if Esther managed to snatch Zia's phone and delete those photos. My mind felt like it had exploded. I wanted to lash out, but my body was so weak that I could barely muster the energy.When Grey brought me home, I was so dizzy I could hardly open my eyes. I collapsed onto my bed, my carefully styled hair now a mess beneath me. I must have looked a wreck.I closed my eyes, seemingly asleep, but my mind kept replaying memories—Hugh's face, our time together, always ending with Esther's twisted expression.The person I loved most had handed my deepest wounds to another woman, giving her ammunition to attack me.---It wasn't until noon the next day that I dragged myself out of bed, my face swollen like a balloon. I'd barely finished washing up when Luther called, insisting that I go on a blind date. He threatened to send someone to my home if I didn't comply with his arrangements.I was irritated, but thinking it over, doing someth
After Shelia called me about the leaked photos, I felt just as devastated as she did. I knew how much she had trusted me, and guilt overwhelmed me. So, right after that call, I went straight to confront Esther.When Esther opened the door and saw me, she immediately tried to hug me, looking hurt. But I instinctively stepped back from her touch. Her actions—sneaking a look at Shelia's photos and using them to attack her—had made me furious.Esther looked at me, surprised and upset. "Hugh, are you avoiding me? Did Shelia say something to you?""She told me what happened," I said, keeping my voice low and trying to control my emotions so I wouldn't lose my cool."Hugh, you know I'm not a bad person. I was just scared and acted rashly. It's Shelia's fault I got so worked up."Esther's eyes welled up with tears, which used to make my resolve crumble instantly."She took photos of me first. I asked her to delete them, but she refused. She even had her bodyguard intimidate me. You know
After Hugh left for work, I called Jack Thomson. He had messaged me, claiming to have identified the person who wanted me dead.Even though I absolutely despised Jack, that low-life bodyguard, I still had to turn to him.Back then, my plan was to have a one-night stand with the prince, get pregnant, and become a royal princess. But I ended up sleeping with the wrong man. When I woke up, the man lying next to me was Jack, the prince's bodyguard, and I was pregnant with his child. That child was nothing but a disgrace to me, and I didn't want it. The result? I lost the ability to have children forever.We agreed to meet at the Yerro Hotel. I knew exactly what he wanted, but right now, I had no one else to trust or control. I needed to eliminate anything or anyone standing in the way of my marriage to Hugh, and for that, I had to rely on Jack.I wrapped myself up carefully and headed to the hotel. Once I was sure no one noticed anything unusual, I went upstairs. The moment I opened th
Since I needed to donate something for a charity gala, I arrived early to browse through our family's boutique collection. The moment I stepped in, I spotted the red necklace.When I first discovered this necklace in the room, I felt a surge of excitement like a schoolgirl. I thought it was a gift for me. Carefully, I put it back in the cabinet, pretending I hadn't seen it, waiting for Hugh to surprise me with it.But I never received that necklace. Instead, I saw it hanging around Esther's neck.I asked the staff, and they told me someone sold the necklace yesterday.I didn't know whether to laugh at how Hugh's sincere gift had been trampled on or at my own foolishness."This will do. Let's donate it."Hugh would be attending tonight's charity gala as well. I couldn't help but wonder what expression he'd have when he saw the necklace again.I arrived in a black deep-V dress. Since I was attending on behalf of Travis, the staff seated me in his place—front row, prime VIP spot.
I glanced at Hugh’s expression. I had never seen his face so cold, so pained. He looked as if the very soul had been drained from him.I had successfully created a crack between him and Esther, but I didn’t feel as happy or satisfied as I had imagined.This man had cheated, this man had hurt me, yet now I found myself, for a brief moment, questioning if I had gone too far.Hugh cared about his image, and what had just happened was like grinding his dignity into the dirt.Lost in my thoughts for a while, I finally got up and left my seat, deciding to head to the restroom and wash my face, hoping it would clear my mind. As for the necklace, I had lost interest in what would happen to it.The moment I turned on the faucet, a hand grabbed my hair, and I was slapped hard across the face."You purposely made that necklace show up there, didn’t you? You deliberately tried to ruin things between Hugh and me, didn’t you? You conniving woman! Hugh and I are about to get engaged, and you dare pul
I stood in the middle of the crowd, with Esther pinning all the blame on me. Everyone looked at me as though I had been convicted. In their eyes, I was nothing more than a bitter ex-wife, causing trouble and even harming a great doctor out of jealousy.I wanted to say something, but before I could, Hugh looked at me and asked, "Did you do it?"The words got stuck in my throat. I couldn't bring myself to speak.Even though Esther had trampled on his heart, sold the necklace he had given her, and caused this whole scene, he still stood by her side.I wasn't wrong—Hugh was a good person. But his heart would never belong to me. That painful truth hit me harder than anything, and suddenly, I didn't feel like defending myself. The tears I had held back began to well up again, but I refused to let them fall.I won't cry. Not in front of these two. I will always keep my dignity."It was me. So what? You going to take revenge for her?" I said coldly.Hugh looked surprised. It was laughab
The moment I saw that necklace at the auction, it felt like a thunderclap in my chest.Back then, my love for Esther was pure and passionate. I wanted to give her the very best of everything. When she mentioned wanting a necklace, I dropped all my work, traveled abroad, and personally met with the designer to have a custom, one-of-a-kind piece created just for her, at an exorbitant cost.The more effort I put into that gift, the more it hurt to see it displayed at the auction. At this point, my pain wasn't even about whether I still loved Esther. It was about the regret I felt for my past self and how much I had given.Then I thought of Shelia. How had she felt when I completely disregarded her efforts and devotion?I knew the necklace had come from Warner's boutique, and Shelia must have had a hand in getting it donated. So later, when Esther came running to me in tears, claiming Shelia had bullied her, I sensed something was off. But I still believed Esther, partly out of anger t
I was stunned when I realized that Hugh didn’t respond to my confession and explanation at all. He just stared at me, and after a moment of silence, he left. Before Sheila came into the picture, he had always been devoted to me, completely trusting.Back then, I left him for another man, but when I decided to return, even though he was already married, all it took was a little gesture and a few tricks, and he’d abandon his wife to come crawling back to me without a second thought.But this time, he actually left me standing in the ballroom like this. I could feel the judging stares all around me—I was the clown. Before Sheila got involved, Hugh would never have let me be so humiliated. It was all her fault.If Sheila hadn’t interfered between Hugh and me, he would still be devoted to me and only me.I was furious, but there wasn’t time to indulge my anger. I could tell Hugh was genuinely upset this time. He had just left me at the event without a second thought!When I got home, I
Hugh’s actions made me want to laugh. Did he really think throwing money around could make up for all the hurt he caused me? What did he take me for? A cheap decoration he could put on display when it suited him and toss aside when he didn’t need me? I looked at him coldly, as if he were nothing but a pathetic clown—ridiculous and pitiful.Carol’s face turned green with jealousy when she saw Hugh "defending" me. She clung to his arm, her voice dripping with bitterness. "Hugh, why are you bidding on that worthless thing?"Before she could finish, Hugh cut her off, his voice calm but firm: "It’s just an auction, Carol. Stop talking."Carol was furious but swallowed her words, glaring at me like she wanted to tear me apart. I smirked inwardly but pretended not to notice, casually watching the next auction item on stage.Just then, Ada gracefully walked onto the platform, dressed in an elegant white gown and with flawless makeup. She took the microphone from one of the staff and began
*The charity gala began with the clinking of glasses and the buzz of polite conversation.Susanne was dressed in an elegant light blue gown, adorned with expensive jewelry worth millions, giving off an air of sophistication and grace. But I instantly recognized her necklace—it was an old piece, the same one she wore when she got married. Carol, on the other hand, was dressed in a perfectly tailored red gown, showing off half of her large chest, exuding a bold, radiant beauty. She clung to Hugh’s arm like a proud peacock, flaunting her charms for everyone to see. She whispered sweet nothings to every man who passed by, always on the hunt for new admirers.I looked at Hugh, unsure how to feel. There was a time when I used to attend events like this on his arm, foolishly believing that was what love looked like. Now, we were strangers.Carol had become the center of attention lately, thanks to all the media coverage.Zachary couldn’t come because his back injury was too severe, an
In the past, I would have apologized to him out of habit, a natural sense of submission. But things are different now.“What does it have to do with you?” I snapped back at him.Furious, Hugh threw the cake to the ground. Cream and fruit splattered across my shoes, but I barely noticed. I just stood there, staring at him in disbelief. Hugh, how could you do this?“Hugh, what’s wrong with you?” I tried to keep my anger in check, but my voice trembled despite myself.“You have the nerve to ask me that?” he growled through clenched teeth. “Shelia, how many times do you expect me to stand by and watch? Huh?”His hot breath, laced with the smell of alcohol, hit my face as he leaned closer. The rage in his eyes was like sharp knives cutting into my heart. I could feel the sting deep inside.“What did I do?” I lifted my chin stubbornly, refusing to back down. “Zachary is just a friend. He was hurt, and I helped him bandage his wound. What’s the problem?”“Friend?” He laughed bitterly,
I got breaking news from Gregory—a massive update! Garcie had collapsed in prison, and no one knows why. She’s in a coma now, lying in the ICU. What kind of drama is this?Damn it, just when we were piecing everything together, the trail goes cold! A few days ago, we discovered that Garcie wasn’t just working with Carol—there’s a big boss pulling the strings behind the scenes. Now, with her unconscious, all the evidence she could’ve provided is gone. How could this happen? Did someone try to kill her in prison? Or is she really sick?My head was spinning. I lit a cigarette, something I rarely do, but the nicotine helped calm my nerves a bit. If I could dig into these women’s connections, I’m sure I’d find links to some powerful figures.Just then, I heard a knock at the door. Zachary walked in, looking as handsome and intense as ever. Today, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, making him look even taller and stronger. But his deep, brooding eyes always seemed to carry
*These past few days, I’ve been on cloud nine! News about my successful deal with Ada is everywhere, headlines like “Business Genius Carol” and “The Youngest Marketing Queen” plastered all over. Every time I see those flattering articles, I can’t help but smile inside, though I keep my signature "elegant" smile on the outside.Hmph, Shelia, did you see that? The Ada deal you tried so hard to get—now she's working with me! Who do you think you are? Just a discarded woman Hugh threw away!To celebrate my victory, I arranged a get-together with Fiona. After all, we landed this project together. I wonder if Lucas will come too. He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever dated. Maybe tonight, we could rekindle some old flames. I told Fiona to bring him along.I took extra care getting ready—slipping into a red backless gown, my hair elegantly pinned up to show off my long, slender neck. My makeup was flawless, and I looked sophisticated, sexy, untouchable. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I th
"Hugh, I’ve already scheduled a meeting with Ada. How about we go to Vienna the day after tomorrow? I heard the pastry chef at that hotel has won several international awards. We could try some of their desserts while we’re there." I put on a sweet, pleading tone, even though, in my heart, I thought Hugh was a total idiot—arrogant, cold, and not very bright.Without even looking up, he coldly responded with just two words: "Not going."“What’s that supposed to mean? I can’t handle Ada alone. She likes you! You have to come with me!” I tried to hold back my anger, raising my voice. How dare this useless man refuse me!He glanced at me with disdain, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Carol, I’ll say this one more time. Figure out Ada on your own. And honestly, you should give up—this was Shelia’s project from the start.""You!" I was trembling with rage, my carefully applied makeup barely concealing the fury twisting my expression. I’d gone through so much trouble to steal this projec
I sat in the café, gripping a cup of cold latte, my gaze fixed coldly on Marcus, who was sitting across from me. He kept his head down, hands nervously twisting together, looking like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs."Marcus, I really didn’t expect this from you," I scoffed. "I treated you like one of my own, and you..." I let out a cold laugh. "You and Garcie teamed up, scheming behind my back. But your biggest mistake was thinking you could cross me, Shelia!"Marcus jerked his head up, his face pale. "It’s not Garcie’s fault! We didn’t do anything!"“Do you even hear yourself, Marcus? Still defending her? That woman has been cheating on you left and right!"“No way! Don’t slander her! Garcie loves me and only me.”"How pathetic." I sneered. "Let me show you what your precious Garcie is really up to."I called Gregory. "Proceed as planned. Come pick him up."“Got it,” Gregory replied.I hung up, standing over Marcus, my voice cold. "Marcus, I’m giving you one last
The first step was to root out the traitor. To do that, I needed to find Gregory. He had been pursuing me for a while, but he was much younger than me, and I only saw him as a younger brother. I explained the whole situation to him, and he handed me a thick envelope filled with documents, a confident glint in his eyes."Shelia, it’s all in here. Marcus Leedon and Garcie Milton are working together, betraying the company. This time, they won’t get away with it! But for now, we don’t have enough solid evidence."I took the envelope, flipping through the pages. The evidence of Marcus and Garcie’s scheming was worse than I imagined. If it hadn’t been for this incident, they would’ve continued selling company secrets, and the entire company might have been destroyed in their hands! In a way, I should thank Carol for exposing the traitor early.Gregory handed me a stack of photos. "I dug up something else. Garcie is even more complicated than we thought—she’s been involved with several se
After leaving Amanda’s room, I rubbed my temples, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. I needed to think carefully about my next move against Carol. This was like a game of chess, and I had to plan my strategy well.I went to the bathroom and soaked in a hot bath, hoping to relax. But just as I started to unwind, the doorbell rang. I barely had time to dry my hair, so I quickly threw on my pajamas and went to answer the door.“Shelia, are you home?” It was Zachary’s voice from outside, deep and gentle.I opened the door and saw Zachary standing there in casual clothes, looking even more fit than usual. He was holding two bags, his usual warm smile on his face.“What brings you here?” I asked, surprised but touched by his visit.“I came to check on you and brought some things,” he said, stepping inside and placing the bags on the table. Inside was a box of freshly picked strawberries and a beautifully packaged raspberry pie.“Wow, raspberry pie!” I lit up with excitement. It