Chapter 3

While I was at the registration counter to sign in for the company event, the staff handed the name tag with my name to Jodie. Jodie was taken aback, but she quickly waved it off with a smile. "This name tag belongs to Mrs. Hayes. I can't take it."

The girl at the counter lowered her voice. "Miss Lenford, Mr. Hayes already informed us that you will be standing by his side on stage tonight. The tag is just a formality. Whose name on it isn't important."

I was standing three steps away, and I heard everything clearly. Jodie turned back to see me, flustered. "I had no idea they made a mistake with the tag, Mrs. Hayes. I'll return it to you right away."

Despite her insistence, her fingers clenched the name tag, refusing to let it go. That was when Tristan walked out of the venue in a sharp, black suit, looking like everything was normal. "You should stay in your seat at the family's table, Dahlia. Jodie will be taking over the event on stage due to a last-minute decision."

I looked at him. "A last-minute decision?"

Tristan avoided eye contact as he helped Jodie straighten the name tag on her chest. "Jodie is familiar with the event flow tonight, and the clients love a young face. Don't overthink this, Dahlia."

Someone nearby started laughing. "It's fitting that Mrs. Hayes stays put where she is."

It took me three sleepless nights at home to help him write up an entire soccer-themed marketing plan. I put together the copywriting for the poster and the profiles of lesser-known soccer players, but Jodie was going on stage to take the credit.

When the host invited Tristan up to the stage for his speech, a large image appeared on the bright screen. It was a picture of my blue scorebook. As they enlarged the image of the scorebook, I could see the words, 'The tip of Tristan's ears would turn red after his third drink', appear clearly on the screen.

Everyone started laughing, and Jodie picked up the microphone, winking at the crowd. "This scorebook is a cherished item of Mr. Hayes. I heard that the person who recorded this was a woman who knew soccer well and was particularly cute."

Someone asked, "Is that person Mrs. Hayes?"

Jodie looked at Tristan, waiting for him to affirm the statement. He smiled and said, "It used to be."

The venue turned silent, and he continued, "Now she's more concerned with my health, but I guess that can be considered another form of her care for me."

Laughter rang in the air. I crushed the mineral water bottle in my hand as I sat at the family table. Jodie quickly continued, "Tonight, I'd like to represent that cute lady, and I hope that Mr. Hayes will forgive me if I don't do a good job of telling this story."

Tristan looked at her indulgently. "You're doing very well right now."

Tina, Tristan's mother, was sitting next to me. She lowered her voice. "Stop looking like that. You shouldn't embarrass your man in public like that."

I turned to look at her. "That scorebook is mine, Tina."

She frowned. "You've been married for three years. Do you really need to insist on what belongs to each of you? You should be honored that Tristan is willing to use something of yours in an event like this."

I stayed silent after that.

The event continued on stage, and at the end of the itinerary, Jodie suddenly took out a transparent box containing the silver brooch and the ankle brace torn off the jersey. She said with a smile, "As Mr. Hayes has shared, this piece of cloth represents the most passionate period of his youth, which is why I will be using it as the lucky draw prize for tonight."

I jumped from my seat, and when my chair screeched on the floor, everyone turned to look at me. Tristan frowned right away. "Sit down, Dahlia."

However, I approached the stage instead. "Miss Lenford, don't you know that the piece of cloth you're talking about that represents Mr. Hayes' youth is actually the ankle brace from my college team? I sewed it to his jersey myself, and even though it isn't worth much, you don't have the right to give it out as a prize to strangers."

Jodie clenched the box as tears started streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hayes. I thought it was fine because Mr. Hayes agreed to it. I had no idea it would bother you so much."

Tristan took the box and stopped me from grabbing it. "The event is still ongoing. Don't embarrass all of us in front of our clients."

I stared at him. "You know what that means to us."

He lowered his voice to warn me, "I do, but that isn't reason enough for you to lose your temper."

The guests started whispering amongst themselves, and Tina stood up with a smile to say to everyone, "Don't worry about it. It's just a normal couple's spat."

She came to my side and grabbed my wrist as her fingernails dug into my flesh. "You can hash this out at home."

However, I refused to budge. Tristan stared at me coldly. "If you still care about our marriage, you should stop this fiasco right now, Dahlia."

I stared at the old ankle brace in the box. The blue thread had been pulled apart messily, and the sewing work was ruined.

After the event ended, I went backstage to look for the scorebook, and I found it under a contract on the table filled with gifts. When I pulled out the scorebook, the contract fell to the ground, and I saw a line written at the bottom of the page.

'South City Sports Center - World Cup-Themed Pavilion Sponsorship - Title Transfer Agreement. Recipient: Jodie Lenford'.

I clenched the contract as I spotted the signing date in the top-right corner of the papers, which was two months ago. I had no idea that they had planned this betrayal so meticulously.