Mine

Jovita thought it over. Kael was the only one who could rein Naomi in. She gave her daughter a glance, then walked to a quiet corner to make a call.

“Hello? Kael, get back here right now! Naomi is literally cheating on you!”

It was early morning where Kael was. He hadn’t slept at all. When he woke up, he found himself in bed with Danna. He hadn’t been drunk, so he knew what had happened.

In that moment, a pang of guilt hit him—guilt for Naomi, who was still back home.

But he hated her, didn’t he? Kael couldn’t make sense of it. In the end, he told himself the guilt was just because they were still legally husband and wife.

Then, this phone call from his mom.

He frowned. He knew his mom and sister had always been against Naomi, so he snapped, “Mom, stop making Naomi look bad. She’d never do something like that!”

Deep down, he believed it. Naomi would never betray him. He knew she loved him.

But Jovita wasn’t calling for praise—she was here to accuse. She exploded, “You don’t believe me?! I’m right here at the Andersons matriarch’s birthday banquet! You know who your wife came with? Atlas Knox!”

Kael jumped up so fast he knocked over a table of beer bottles.

“Mom—who did you say Naomi’s with?!”

Kael and Atlas had always been at odds. Why? Because ever since Kael returned to the family, people had praised his abilities—until one day he overheard two people saying Atlas was the real prodigy. If he hadn’t gone abroad, Kael never would’ve been crowned the top young heir of Elaris.

Worse, those same people whispered that Naomi and Atlas had been childhood sweethearts. Now that Atlas was back… not only was Kael losing his top spot, but he had to watch his wife’s first love standing beside her?

He couldn’t stand it.

And maybe… maybe what really enraged him wasn’t the stolen title, but the fact that Atlas had once been Naomi’s first.

Jovita snapped, “Atlas! The Knox family’s eldest son! Your wife walked in hand in hand with him!”

Rage surged inside Kael. Naomi… Atlas…

He grabbed his phone and barked into it, “Book me two tickets on the earliest flight home!”

Under the glow of the light, his expression looked complicated.

After he hung up, Jovita finally relaxed a bit—but watching Naomi smile so brightly with Atlas only reignited her fury.

“Kalea, let’s go. Naomi’s still my daughter-in-law. I refuse to believe a mother-in-law can’t go say hello.”

Kalea glared in Naomi’s direction, her face twisted in resentment.

“Mom, I bet even Dad will be furious when he gets back.”

At the mention of her husband’s infamous temper, Jovita flinched a little. Sure, he had a temper—but he’d warned her more than once not to go head-to-head with Naomi.

But this wasn’t just about feuding anymore.

Naomi had stomped on the Rhodes’s pride—hard. Jovita had to warn her.

Jovita turned to Kalea and said, “It’s nothing. She made a mistake as a wife—am I, her mother-in-law, not allowed to discipline her?”

Kalea, of course, made no move to stop her mother. In fact, she was eagerly hoping that her mother would slap Naomi hard across the face right there in front of everyone.

The two women lifted their skirts and strode toward the crowd. As they approached, those nearby instinctively stepped aside to let them through—after all, everyone was curious to see what drama was about to unfold.

Naomi frowned, eyeing the two women who had suddenly appeared before her.

Jovita was already seething—Naomi didn’t even acknowledge her presence, let alone greet her as ‘Mom.’ That only fueled her fury. “Naomi, did you leave your manners at home?”

On the side, Maldric and Madelyn stared coldly at Jovita. So this was how the Rhodes treated their precious daughter? They had been wrong—so very wrong.

They had assumed that with the Swifts backing her, even if Kael didn’t like their daughter, the Rhodes wouldn’t dare mistreat her. But now? Jovita had no qualms shouting at their daughter in public—who knew what happened behind closed doors?

Naomi looked at Jovita, puzzled. Why did this woman’s voice sound so familiar?

“I’m sorry, who are you again… ma’am? I lost my memory. If you’re going to speak to me, could you at least introduce yourself first?”

The entire banquet hall fell silent.

No one had expected Naomi to claim she had amnesia. If that were true, what was she even doing here? Everyone was baffled.

Jovita and Kalea were equally stunned.

Kalea pointed at Naomi and snapped, “Impossible! This is just another one of your tricks. You’re trying to cheat on my brother!”

“Do you want to lose your hand?” Atlas’s expression had already soured the moment Jovita opened her mouth. Now seeing Kalea dare to point a finger at his woman, his face turned to ice.

Naomi studied Kalea more closely and finally recognized her—that lunatic she had run into at the mall.

“Oh, so you are the mall psycho. I might have lost my memory, but I’m not stupid. What, did they cure your insanity already?”

Humiliated, Kalea burst into tears, crying to Atlas, “Mr. Knox, don’t believe a word she says! She’s a married woman!”

Naomi stared at her like she had truly lost her mind. Of course she was married—wasn’t her husband standing right next to her? But this woman… she actually wanted to seduce her Atlas?

Ha. The nerve!

Naomi instantly hooked her arm around Atlas’s. Then, under the astonished gaze of the crowd, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

“You listen to me, Miss Whatever-Your-Name-Is. I don’t care what you’re trying to do, but open your eyes. This man is mine. Don’t even think about touching a single hair on his head, or I’ll show you just how bloody flowers can bloom.”

The crowd was stunned speechless.

What the hell was going on?

Just moments ago, they thought Naomi was only standing by Atlas’s side due to some business partnership or maybe family friendship. No one expected this kind of relationship.

Wasn’t Naomi married to Kael?

***