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
Kael had always looked down on Benny, thinking he was just another spoiled rich kid who did nothing but eat and loaf around. But at the same time, there was always a faint trace of envy in his heart.“Heh, cheating? Do you even know where Naomi is now? Probably in Atlas’s arms! She was probably thinking of him on our wedding day! If anyone cheated, it was her!”For some reason, standing in front of Benny, Kael just couldn’t bring himself to say the words he had rehearsed to win Naomi back. Admitting he was wrong to someone he always considered beneath him—it was just too hard.Hearing that, Benny snapped. He ran up and kicked Kael hard, knocking him to the floor.“You bastard! You promised me you’d take care of her! You’re nothing but a backstabbing liar!”He didn’t stop—kept kicking until Kael was coughing up blood.Holding his chest, Kael stumbled to his feet, his expression
After ending the call, Kael leaned back in the driver’s seat, letting his thoughts go blank. Memories rushed in like a movie montage.But in the end, all that replayed in his head was that one phrase: Kael was just a stand-in for Atlas.He took a few deep breaths to calm down. Just then, Benny Dawson texted, asking him out for drinks. Normally, he wouldn’t even consider it, but tonight he said yes without hesitation.Why? Because Benny was exactly as his name suggested—friendly, reliable, and someone who always stuck around. They first met in high school, when Benny was often the target of bullies because of his size. One day, Kael and Naomi happened to witness it.He still remembered clearly—Naomi almost immediately wanted to rush in and beat up those bullies. Seeing her all fired up made him want to laugh.So he stopped her first and simply stood in front of the bullies. That was enough to make them run. After all, everyone at school kne
Off to the side, Mario was shocked as he looked at Kael. So the chairman actually wants the CEO to marry that woman?Looking at Kael’s expression, and thinking back to all the things Kael had done recently, Mario started to realize something he used to only speculate about.Mr. Rhodes can’t let go of Miss Swift!Teddy was already on the verge of blowing up. “Kael, what did you just say?!”“Dad, no matter how many times you ask, I won’t marry Danna. I’ll take care of her in the future, but not through marriage. I’m going to win Naomi back!”The first part of his sentence still held some hesitation, but the last line was firm and absolute.Mario sighed beside him. Forget about Kael letting go of Danna—there’s no guarantee Miss Swift even still likes him. And now he’s planning to take care of his ex while trying to win Naomi back?What woman would be okay with her ma
Kael didn’t even know how to describe what he was feeling right now. It was as if the world he had known all along had suddenly crumbled, leaving him standing there, completely lost.At the press conference, everyone froze. All eyes were on the woman in front of them—she really did look like she was hopelessly in love with Atlas.And that arrogant, untouchable man was staring just as deeply back at her.It felt like the press conference had ended right then and there. No one said a word. The whole room was waiting for it to wrap up quietly. Some were even already brainstorming the most eye-catching headlines for their reports.After all, this was a bombshell for both the business world and the entertainment industry.Naomi looked at everyone and slowly curved her lips into a sly smile. What’s the rush? She still had something important to say.“Ahem...”She cleared her throat. The crowd turned to her.
The reporters all turned to look at Naomi.“I just thought it was something I could do. My father saw that Kael was only marrying me out of obligation to save the Rhodes Group, which is why we had a marriage contract in the first place. After we got married, Kael and I only saw each other five times. Aside from that marriage certificate, nothing ever changed between us.”The crowd erupted in astonishment.People watching the livestream flooded the screen with comments:“So it was just a marriage of convenience?”“The one I feel the sorriest for is Danna.”“She didn’t do anything wrong, and yet she had to watch her boyfriend marry someone else.”“Naomi was confused; Kael made a choice.”“If Kael didn’t want to get married, Naomi wouldn’t have forced him.”“I don’t even know how to put my feelings into words.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone—both those at the scene and those watching the live stream—was stunned.A stand-in?Kael's hand, holding the tablet, began to tremble. He was on the verge of losing control.Even Atlas's heart was pounding like it was about to give out. He had expected there to be some hidden issue in Naomi and Kael's marriage—but this? He never imagined this would be the answer.Maldric looked at his daughter in shock as well. He hadn’t known about this either. But after a brief moment, he seemed to realize something, and slowly, his expression relaxed.The reporters burst into commotion. The one who had asked the question was even trembling: “Miss Swift, could you clarify what you mean by ‘a stand-in’?”Naomi smiled at the camera. “I’ll tell you everything from the beginning, and I promise to be completely truthful.