Chapter 3
Her fingers trembled as she opened the news article. A video from the scene automatically loaded and began to play.
In the footage, newly crowned Best Actress Letitia stood in a pristine white wedding dress, clutching a bouquet of crimson roses, down on one knee in the center of a five-star hotel lobby.
Despite her flawless makeup, desperation was written all over her face.
"Lucius, I know you still can't get over your college sweetheart, but she's married now!" Letitia's voice cracked through the speaker. "Look at me—what's wrong with me? I can give you everything, even my life."
Lucius stood tall, looking down at her with no trace of emotion—only barely contained irritation.
"Letitia, in this lifetime, my heart only has room for one girl."
He bent down, not to help her up, but to expressionlessly pull the bouquet from her hands.
Then he straightened, without sparing another glance at the disheveled woman on the floor, and instead turned toward the nearest media camera, as if trying to reach someone through the lens.
"Beatrice Jennings!" he called out. "If you're watching, I want you to know my feelings for you have never changed! I love you!"
Beatrice's hand jerked, and her phone dropped onto the plush carpet. Lucius's passionate face now seemed distorted and unrecognizable to her.
At the bottom of the screen, comments refreshed at a dizzying rate:
[Wow, breaking news of the year! Financial hotshot publicly confesses to a married woman, and she's the wife of the Stuart Group's CEO? What kind of crazy scene is this?]
[Who even is this Beatrice? Making an award-winning actress kneel, driving a financial prodigy insane—is this woman some kind of succubus?]
[Am I the only one who thinks Lucius is disgusting? What position does this put Beatrice in? Did he think about her husband's feelings? Selfish psycho.]
[Calm down, man. They're supposed to be each other's first love, after all.]
Beatrice's phone began vibrating frantically as calls and messages poured in. She turned it off, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.
It was over. Now everyone knew.
Frederick would definitely see the news. What would he think? Would he believe her?
If he found out she'd met with Lucius that afternoon, he'd surely think they still had feelings for each other, and that today's meeting was just the beginning of their rekindled affair.
...
Early the next morning, she dragged her exhausted body downstairs to find the room empty. Frederick had already left.
The dining table was spotless—not even a glass of water had been left for her.
Beatrice changed her clothes, preparing to escape to her studio, but just as she reached the entryway, she heard the unmistakable commotion outside.
She crept to the floor-to-ceiling window and pulled back a corner of the curtain.
One glance was enough to make her gasp. A sea of reporters with cameras had completely surrounded the entrance, waiting for her—the "subject of the news"—to appear.
Her phone rang. Frederick's assistant, Liam Wood, called immediately, "Mrs. Stuart, the CEO asked me to pick you up. Please come out through the back door. I'm waiting for you there."
After bypassing the crowd, Beatrice slipped into the car with a mask.
"I'll take you to the stylist first," Liam said. "There's a charity gala you need to attend tonight."
Beatrice paused. "Isn't he angry with me?"
"It's not my place to guess the CEO's thoughts." Liam glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Mrs. Stuart, that emerald snake jewelry set you designed will be featured in tonight's auction."
Beatrice nodded without further comment.
...
At seven that evening, Beatrice arrived at the charity gala wearing a simple yet elegant black gown with a delicate diamond necklace that made her look cool and sophisticated.
As soon as she entered, whispers spread through the crowd.
"That's her, right? The headline news—Beatrice Jennings."
"I heard she's the adopted daughter of the Jennings family who managed to snag the Stuart heir. From rags to riches—so enviable."
"What's to envy? With Mr. Stuart's cold personality, how happy could she possibly be?"
"Still better than life with the Jennings, I'm sure. Though probably not for much longer. Always looking to trade up, now eyeing that financial whiz Mr. Jones."
Beatrice walked through the crowd expressionlessly and took her seat at the main table—the designated place for Frederick's wife, though Frederick himself was nowhere to be seen.
A server came to pour wine, but Beatrice waved him away. "I don't drink."
"Mrs. Stuart, where is your husband?" a socialite from a nearby table leaned over to ask.
"He has work to attend to," Beatrice replied coolly.
"Mr. Stuart is such a workaholic," the woman smiled with thinly veiled insinuation. "Though I suppose a man like him probably doesn't have much interest in accompanying his wife to events like this."
Beatrice didn't respond. She knew exactly what these people were thinking.
They weren't wrong—she was just someone who had married into wealth. Frederick hadn't married her for love. Perhaps elite marriages didn't require love, or even a foundation of affection.
The auction began, with the host introducing each valuable item one by one. Beatrice listened half-heartedly until the host announced:
"Our next item is a jewelry set designed by emerging jewelry designer Beatrice Jennings. This is her first piece to be featured at an international charity auction! Starting bid: ten million dollars."
On the big screen appeared a lifelike snake necklace with matching earrings and bracelet.
The emerald set was magnified to show every detail—ruby eyes that seemed to glow, and a body crafted from premium emeralds and diamond fragments that shimmered with an ethereal green light.
"Wow, this snake looks almost alive—it's beautiful!" the wealthy woman next to her exclaimed. "Ms. Jennings, you really designed this? I had no idea you were so talented."
Another woman snickered, "What good is talent when your reputation is in tatters? If I were her, I wouldn't even have the nerve to show my face tonight."
Bids quickly came in. "Eleven million dollars." "Thirteen million dollars."
Beatrice's hands tightened in her lap. This was, after all, a creation she had poured her heart into.
A commotion erupted at the back of the venue.
"Oh my god, why is he here?"
"This is getting interesting—Mr. Stuart is absent, and Mrs. Stuart's ex-boyfriend shows up. Drama of the year!"
Beatrice turned to see Lucius in an impeccably tailored black suit, surrounded by bodyguards, walking directly toward her.