Dawn was breaking as Vesper slowly opened her eyes, her entire body aching terribly.
She sat up, and the thin blanket slid down, revealing the scattered, telltale marks covering her body.
Ambiguous, torrid, and shameful images came flooding back to her.
Last night, she had just left a coffee shop when she was drugged and nearly assaulted. At the critical moment, Jared had appeared and saved her.
Under the drug’s influence, she had latched onto him with wild abandon...
As the first ray of morning light filtered into the room, she surveyed the disarray, a testament to how intense the previous night’s "battle" had been.
A rustle of movement beside her made her snap her head to the side. Her gaze landed on the handsome face of the man sleeping next to her, and her entire body froze, her mind a chaotic mess.
’She had no idea how she would face the awkwardness when he woke up.’
’He had been kind enough to save her, and she had repaid him by taking advantage of him.’
’Run...’
The thought flashed through her mind.
She rolled out of bed, scooped up her underwear and dress, and hastily threw them on.
Suitcase in hand, she tiptoed out, fleeing in a panic.
As she passed through the living room, she paused, took a card from her bag, and placed it on the coffee table.
It contained 500,000—a form of compensation for the man.
By the time she boarded her flight, she had already blocked Jared on WhatsApp.
A one-night stand. They would never meet again.
Jared reached for the warm body that should have been beside him, but found only empty sheets. His dark eyes snapped open.
The pillow beside him was still warm, but she was gone without a trace.
His eyes landed on a crimson stain against the pristine white sheets, and a complex wave of emotion washed over him.
A knock came at the door, followed by Leon Quillan’s voice.
"President Hawthorne."
Jared threw on a jacket, opened the door, then turned and sat down on the sofa, lighting a cigarette.
"Those three men from last night have confessed. They said an assistant of Luke Lockwood, Ivy Joyce, found them, gave them two hundred thousand, and told them to ruin Miss Grayson..."
After speaking, Leon Quillan glanced up at him.
The marks on his chest and neck lent the otherwise aloof and noble man a certain sensual air.
President Hawthorne had always been scrupulously self-disciplined; in the five years Leon had been with him, he had never seen his boss with anyone.
Three years ago, Miss Grayson had broken off her engagement with President Hawthorne and fled to Ashmore alone.
As a result, President Hawthorne became the subject of private gossip and ridicule.
’He had assumed President Hawthorne would never forgive Miss Grayson for so thoroughly humiliating him.’
Smoke swirled around Jared, his expression unreadable.
"Where is she?"
"Miss Grayson is on her way... to the wedding."
Jared’s fingers paused, and a cold, dark glint flashed in his eyes.
He picked up his phone, found Vesper’s profile on WhatsApp, and sent her a message.
His gaze froze when a bright red exclamation mark appeared next to his message.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the bank card on the coffee table. His brow twitched, and a choked, bitter laugh escaped his throat.
’Does she think I’m for sale?’
...
「Repulse Bay.」
Ivy Joyce couldn’t get in touch with the three men from last night, and she grew inexplicably irritated.
’She had no idea if they’d succeeded.’
’Or maybe last night was too intense, and they were still asleep and missed her call?’
She looked at her own exquisitely made-up reflection in the mirror, and her red lips curled into a smile.
’After today, I’ll be Mrs. Lockwood.’
At nine o’clock, the wedding motorcade pulled up to the villa’s entrance.
Luke Lockwood was impeccably dressed in a dark gray suit. His features were handsome and stern, his black hair slicked back, a style that accentuated his sharp jawline. In his well-defined hands, he held a bouquet of vibrant red roses.
His steady gait betrayed an underlying impatience. He looked up and knocked, his voice low and magnetic. "Vesper, I’m here to marry you!"
Hearing his voice, Ivy Joyce quickly covered her head with the bridal veil.
The door opened, and Luke Lockwood’s gaze fell upon the figure seated at the vanity. The corners of his lips curved up slightly.
"Let me see how beautiful you are today."
Luke Lockwood reached out to lift the veil, but Ivy Joyce quickly grabbed his hand.
"I know, it’s bad luck to lift it now," he said, his deep voice tinged with amusement. "I’ll wait until the ceremony."
All the way to the hotel, Luke Lockwood held her hand tightly.
’Today’s Vesper was exceptionally quiet. She hadn’t said a single word since he’d arrived.’
He had never seen her this quiet before, but Luke simply chalked it up to nerves.
The hotel ballroom was packed with guests, buzzing with a lively clamor.
Dressed inconspicuously with the brim of her hat pulled low, Vesper blended in with the other guests.
She watched with cold indifference as Luke Lockwood led the figure in red beside him into the banquet hall, walking down the long red carpet that stretched to the stage.
The emcee began with a smile.
"Will the groom now lift the bride’s veil and welcome the happiness that awaits you both."
A tender smile in his eyes, Luke Lockwood reached out and gently lifted the veil.
When he saw the face beneath it, the smile on his lips froze.
"How could it be you? Where’s Vesper?"
A chill spread through Luke Lockwood’s eyes as he stared her down, demanding an answer.
The hall fell deathly silent.
Then, a murmur of discussion rippled through the crowd.
"Isn’t that Assistant Joyce? Today is President Lockwood and Miss Grayson’s wedding. Why is she wearing the bridal gown?"
"I always thought she had improper designs on President Lockwood, but I never imagined she’d be this audacious."
"Everyone knows Miss Grayson was with President Lockwood from the very beginning, when he was just starting out. She’s the one he treasures most. For this woman to pull a stunt like this... it’s just delusional."
Ivy Joyce’s face paled, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Luke, Sister Vesper said she wanted to let us be together..."
"Impossible!"
Luke Lockwood’s pupils contracted as he gripped her arm fiercely. "What did you say to her?"
’Just last night, Vesper had said she’d be waiting for him. If this woman hadn’t said something to her, Vesper would never have missed her own wedding.’
"It’s true! Sister Vesper said she couldn’t satisfy you and felt too guilty about it. She said she didn’t deserve you, so she wanted us to be together."
Ivy Joyce winced in pain. "Luke, didn’t you say you loved me? We’re the real soulmates..."
"Shut up!"
Luke Lockwood shoved her away, his expression grim.
"Ah!"
Ivy Joyce cried out as she stumbled to the ground, instinctively cradling her stomach. She looked up in disbelief, her expression pitiful enough to stir anyone’s heart.
Luke Lockwood avoided her gaze. Just as he was about to order his men to find Vesper, the large LED screen in the banquet hall suddenly lit up.
Intimate photos flashed across it, one by one.
Then, chat logs and recorded conversations between Ivy Joyce and Vesper began to play on a loop.
The entire hall erupted in an uproar.
Everyone knew that Vesper had stuck by Luke Lockwood back when he was a poor boy with nothing, that she had fought alongside him until his company went public, never once leaving his side.
At the party celebrating his company’s IPO, Luke Lockwood had brought Vesper along and publicly declared her his girlfriend.
Even his grand proposal to her at a rooftop restaurant had gone viral online, becoming known throughout all of Ashmore.
Who could have imagined that the once-loving couple’s story would end with Luke Lockwood cheating with his assistant, Ivy Joyce.
The color drained from Ivy Joyce’s face.
"Turn it off! Turn it off now! It’s not what it looks like!"
She scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the control console, trying to pull the power cord. Hotel security guards hurried over, seizing her arm in a tight grip.
"Ma’am! Do not damage the equipment!"
Luke’s handsome, sharp-featured face was drained of all color, leaving only a mask of pure malevolence.
He lunged forward and wrapped a hand around Ivy Joyce’s slender neck, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed.
"You bitch! How dare you!"
’He had always thought she was docile and unassuming, that she knew her place. He never imagined she was so two-faced, that she would dare expose their affair to Vesper like this.’
’No wonder Vesper had suddenly discovered his relationship with Ivy Joyce, even though he’d been so meticulous.’
Her breath cut off, the fear of death spurred her to struggle with all her might.
"L-Luke... I just... I love you too much... Let... let me go..."