In response to Shawn's so-called confession, I could only think, 'Serves him right.'After that, I handed over everything related to the project to my assistant, Xena Marsey. She managed most of it on her own, and whenever she was unsure, I would step in to guide her, but I made it a point to avoid dealing with Shawn directly. I knew exactly what he was trying to pull. But betrayal? Once was more than enough for me. There would be no second chances.In the end, Xena went to Chilia on my behalf and successfully secured the project. She also returned with another bit of news. "Mr. Bacon asked me to let you know he's divorced now."The moment Wendy started planting people in the company, I had a vague feeling something like this would happen. I just didn't expect it so soon. Even Tonya seemed a bit taken aback when I sent a message to her."Really? I just found out myself. How are you so in the loop?" she asked, surprised.I smirked. "We reconnected recently because of the proj
Our eyes met, but this time, I didn't hear his thoughts."I'd heard you were married, but I didn't expect your daughter to be so grown up," he said.Lily spoke up before I could. "Sorry, sir, I didn't mean to bump into you."Shawn's expression froze for a second, but eventually, he reached out and patted her head. He bent down with a smile and said to her, "It's okay, Lily, but remember to slow down a bit next time. Mr. William, could you take Lily over to the children's playground over there to play for a bit? "Helena, the mall just opened a new cafe on the second floor. It serves Robusta, your old favorite. Care to catch up?"I nodded, giving Lily a few quick instructions before she skipped off.Truth be told, before I returned to Chilia, Tonya, the town gossip, had already filled me in on Shawn's situation.The whole business with Wendy had hit Shawn hard, leaving lasting scars. In the aftermath, his family shifted their support to his cousin to take the position.As for
I always had a unique kind of mind-reading ability—I could hear the thoughts of people who didn't truly love me. Thanks to this ability, I could effortlessly tell whether someone's feelings for me were real or not.It allowed me to quickly pull away from fake friends and remain completely unaffected, even when someone I had a crush on for years confessed his love. It even came in handy for mundane things—like choosing pumpkins. Hearing a vendor's silent grumbles about which ones were overripe or hollow meant I always left with the best pick.I could hear every word people thought with complete clarity.Therefore, I avoided eye contact with strangers in daily life to keep the noise to a minimum.But when I met Shawn Bacon for the first time, the whole world went quiet. All I could hear was our voices, clear as crystal."Hello, would it be all right if we got to know each other?"I hesitated, waiting for the inevitable murmur of his inner thoughts. But there was nothing.When
Her name was Wendy Seyfert.She was Shawn's first love.Wendy was the illegitimate daughter of the Seyfert Family. She was never acknowledged by Mariah Seyfert, her foster mother. She lived in the shadows, never truly belonging.Unfortunately, Shawn's family tore them apart. Wendy, too proud to endure the humiliation, chose to leave him and disappear without a word.And me? His so-called 'love at first sight' with me? It was nothing more than a coincidence—I bore a passing resemblance to her.Now that the real Wendy was back, he no longer had any use for a stand-in like me.The timing of her return? Oh, it just so happened to coincide with the past two months when Shawn had been too busy to give me the time of day.It all made perfect sense now.Hearing this story, I couldn't help but shake my head, laughing at the absurdity. Who would have thought this cliché of the stand-in lover would play out in my own life?But Wendy's return wasn't exactly subtle. She had a grand plan—
I kept a slight smile, shaking my head as if unbothered, and directed a nearby waiter to show her to a seat.'You fool, I've spelled it out for you. Can't you see I'm here to make trouble?' Wendy said inwardly. As soon as she walked past, Tonya couldn't resist letting out her frustration. "Just look at her, strutting around like she owns the place. I can't stand it."I shrugged. 'Right now, she thinks I'm the laughingstock. In her mind, Shawn's ready to throw me away for her. She's about to star in the perfect 'lovers reunited' scene, forcing the Bacon Family to accept her.'The wedding venue wasn't far from the airport. As I sat in the quiet terminal, the ceremony hadn't yet begun.I kept my eyes on the time, waiting for the show to start.Suddenly, a steady stream of notifications lit up my phone. Tonya, practically buzzing with excitement, was sending me updates in real time.'Helena, it's happening! She's actually doing it!''Damn, they're cheating but acting like some sta
In the video Tonya sent, no one paid any attention to the two fools standing awkwardly on stage. The wedding hall was in chaos, with guests and staff frantically searching for me—the missing bride."Where's Helena Bonham?""Has anyone seen Miss Bonham?""Where's the bride? Her phone is off! How can I find her? Has anyone checked the lounge?""Try the dressing room, the rooftop—check everywhere! Why is everyone just standing around? Move, move!"…Even Kevin Bacon, Shawn's father, and Melinda Lane, his mother, who had spent most of the day fuming, got up to direct the search. They rallied guests and staff alike, urging everyone to spread out and find me.No one gave a second glance at the two people left awkwardly on stage. Even the emcee had abandoned his post, summoned away to help with the search.Shawn and Wendy stood there, looking at each other helplessly like a pair of clowns put on display for everyone's amusement. What was even funnier was that the crowd was so engros
As soon as I mentioned the topic of returning home, my parents were quick to respond.In fact, they had already arranged for someone to pick me up by the time I had just landed. I had barely gotten into the car when Tonya started filling me in on all the drama that had unfolded in my absence."The wedding was a complete disaster in the end. Eventually, the guests trickled out in small groups, leaving just a few staff behind. Since our family and the Bacon Family are on friendly terms, we stayed to help calm Mrs. Bacon, who was so angry she could hardly stand."She slapped Shawn right across the face. Serves him right, if you ask me. Everyone knows how much you helped him climb the ladder back then. "And as for Wendy, she's nothing but an illegitimate daughter. Pulling a public stunt like running out on her own wedding is the height of betrayal. It didn't just bring shame to Shawn; the whole Bacon Family was left red-faced."Master Bacon didn't even look at him; he just walked o
Our eyes met, but this time, I didn't hear his thoughts."I'd heard you were married, but I didn't expect your daughter to be so grown up," he said.Lily spoke up before I could. "Sorry, sir, I didn't mean to bump into you."Shawn's expression froze for a second, but eventually, he reached out and patted her head. He bent down with a smile and said to her, "It's okay, Lily, but remember to slow down a bit next time. Mr. William, could you take Lily over to the children's playground over there to play for a bit? "Helena, the mall just opened a new cafe on the second floor. It serves Robusta, your old favorite. Care to catch up?"I nodded, giving Lily a few quick instructions before she skipped off.Truth be told, before I returned to Chilia, Tonya, the town gossip, had already filled me in on Shawn's situation.The whole business with Wendy had hit Shawn hard, leaving lasting scars. In the aftermath, his family shifted their support to his cousin to take the position.As for
In response to Shawn's so-called confession, I could only think, 'Serves him right.'After that, I handed over everything related to the project to my assistant, Xena Marsey. She managed most of it on her own, and whenever she was unsure, I would step in to guide her, but I made it a point to avoid dealing with Shawn directly. I knew exactly what he was trying to pull. But betrayal? Once was more than enough for me. There would be no second chances.In the end, Xena went to Chilia on my behalf and successfully secured the project. She also returned with another bit of news. "Mr. Bacon asked me to let you know he's divorced now."The moment Wendy started planting people in the company, I had a vague feeling something like this would happen. I just didn't expect it so soon. Even Tonya seemed a bit taken aback when I sent a message to her."Really? I just found out myself. How are you so in the loop?" she asked, surprised.I smirked. "We reconnected recently because of the proj
"I heard that Wendy's been slipping her people into Shawn's company lately. She's got it all sorted now—married into the Bacon Family with their stamp of approval, and her own business is thriving, too."Nothing like sitting in the shade of a tall tree. It makes my blood boil just thinking about how you worked so hard to bring in resources for Shawn, only for Wendy to swoop in and reap the rewards," said Tonya.My hand kept moving through the project files while I casually chatted with Tonya with the speaker on. "I didn't lose out either. I made plenty of money working with them."Still, things can't all be smooth sailing for Shawn. Sure, he has some management rights, but the real decision-making is still up to his father. It's impossible for the Bacon Group to end up under the Seyfert name, and he's not the only young one in the Bacon family, after all."It was hard to say for certain, but I knew Shawn to be ambitious. The company wasn't his one-man show, and I would bet Wendy wa
As soon as I mentioned the topic of returning home, my parents were quick to respond.In fact, they had already arranged for someone to pick me up by the time I had just landed. I had barely gotten into the car when Tonya started filling me in on all the drama that had unfolded in my absence."The wedding was a complete disaster in the end. Eventually, the guests trickled out in small groups, leaving just a few staff behind. Since our family and the Bacon Family are on friendly terms, we stayed to help calm Mrs. Bacon, who was so angry she could hardly stand."She slapped Shawn right across the face. Serves him right, if you ask me. Everyone knows how much you helped him climb the ladder back then. "And as for Wendy, she's nothing but an illegitimate daughter. Pulling a public stunt like running out on her own wedding is the height of betrayal. It didn't just bring shame to Shawn; the whole Bacon Family was left red-faced."Master Bacon didn't even look at him; he just walked o
In the video Tonya sent, no one paid any attention to the two fools standing awkwardly on stage. The wedding hall was in chaos, with guests and staff frantically searching for me—the missing bride."Where's Helena Bonham?""Has anyone seen Miss Bonham?""Where's the bride? Her phone is off! How can I find her? Has anyone checked the lounge?""Try the dressing room, the rooftop—check everywhere! Why is everyone just standing around? Move, move!"…Even Kevin Bacon, Shawn's father, and Melinda Lane, his mother, who had spent most of the day fuming, got up to direct the search. They rallied guests and staff alike, urging everyone to spread out and find me.No one gave a second glance at the two people left awkwardly on stage. Even the emcee had abandoned his post, summoned away to help with the search.Shawn and Wendy stood there, looking at each other helplessly like a pair of clowns put on display for everyone's amusement. What was even funnier was that the crowd was so engros
I kept a slight smile, shaking my head as if unbothered, and directed a nearby waiter to show her to a seat.'You fool, I've spelled it out for you. Can't you see I'm here to make trouble?' Wendy said inwardly. As soon as she walked past, Tonya couldn't resist letting out her frustration. "Just look at her, strutting around like she owns the place. I can't stand it."I shrugged. 'Right now, she thinks I'm the laughingstock. In her mind, Shawn's ready to throw me away for her. She's about to star in the perfect 'lovers reunited' scene, forcing the Bacon Family to accept her.'The wedding venue wasn't far from the airport. As I sat in the quiet terminal, the ceremony hadn't yet begun.I kept my eyes on the time, waiting for the show to start.Suddenly, a steady stream of notifications lit up my phone. Tonya, practically buzzing with excitement, was sending me updates in real time.'Helena, it's happening! She's actually doing it!''Damn, they're cheating but acting like some sta
Her name was Wendy Seyfert.She was Shawn's first love.Wendy was the illegitimate daughter of the Seyfert Family. She was never acknowledged by Mariah Seyfert, her foster mother. She lived in the shadows, never truly belonging.Unfortunately, Shawn's family tore them apart. Wendy, too proud to endure the humiliation, chose to leave him and disappear without a word.And me? His so-called 'love at first sight' with me? It was nothing more than a coincidence—I bore a passing resemblance to her.Now that the real Wendy was back, he no longer had any use for a stand-in like me.The timing of her return? Oh, it just so happened to coincide with the past two months when Shawn had been too busy to give me the time of day.It all made perfect sense now.Hearing this story, I couldn't help but shake my head, laughing at the absurdity. Who would have thought this cliché of the stand-in lover would play out in my own life?But Wendy's return wasn't exactly subtle. She had a grand plan—
I always had a unique kind of mind-reading ability—I could hear the thoughts of people who didn't truly love me. Thanks to this ability, I could effortlessly tell whether someone's feelings for me were real or not.It allowed me to quickly pull away from fake friends and remain completely unaffected, even when someone I had a crush on for years confessed his love. It even came in handy for mundane things—like choosing pumpkins. Hearing a vendor's silent grumbles about which ones were overripe or hollow meant I always left with the best pick.I could hear every word people thought with complete clarity.Therefore, I avoided eye contact with strangers in daily life to keep the noise to a minimum.But when I met Shawn Bacon for the first time, the whole world went quiet. All I could hear was our voices, clear as crystal."Hello, would it be all right if we got to know each other?"I hesitated, waiting for the inevitable murmur of his inner thoughts. But there was nothing.When