Chapter 4

After setting my phone down, I slipped the cheap bracelet off of my wrist and tossed it onto a plate littered with food scraps in front of me.

A sharp clink rang out clearly in the silent room.

Henry's expression hardened. "What are you doing, baby?"

Thinking that I'd finally lost my composure, Rachel started to mock me in the Southern dialect.

"Can't keep the act up anymore, Carol? Do you really think Henry loves you? He just thinks you're stupid and easy to manipulate."

I stared at her coldly. When I didn't respond, she pressed on while she deliberately ran her fingers over the diamond necklace around her neck.

"Do you know why he's with me? I know how to excite him. You, on the other hand, only know how to act like his mom."

As she spoke, she shot the bracelet lying among the scraps with a contemptuous glance. "That cheap little bracelet of yours isn't even worth a fraction of what my necklace cost. To him, you're just as worthless as that bracelet."

"Are you done?" I answered coldly in the same Southern dialect.

Rachel froze, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-You can speak the Southern dialect?"

Henry looked as if he'd just been struck by lightning. He recalled all the lewd comments he'd exchanged with Rachel, as well as the ways they'd mocked and insulted me over the past two years.

Once he recovered from his shock, he instantly stepped in front of Rachel to shield her from me. Then, he turned toward me and barked, "You're such a calculating woman, Carol! You understood everything this entire time, yet you pretended like you couldn't hear us to secretly keep tabs on me. You're sick!"

His voice grew louder with every word. He was deliberately making sure that everyone in the room could hear him.

"No wonder you've always had such a good temper! Don't let her fool you, everyone. The only reason she put on this sweet, innocent facade and pretends to be the victim is that she's after all the bags and makeup products I buy for her!

"I knew you were a gold digger from the start, but I was an idiot! I knew you were after my money, but I was still willing to support you for the rest of your life!" he yelled.

He took a deep breath before continuing, "I was going to let you keep your dignity and give you a huge sum of money when we broke up, but you had to cause a scene tonight and ruin my reputation! Are you planning on using this whole thing to pressure me into giving in because you think I'd never leave you?"

Rachel immediately caught on and joined in. With a gloating smile, she mocked, "Exactly. She's just some broke nobody who's trying to marry into money by playing dumb. She didn't manage to get enough out of him, so now she's throwing a fit. How pathetic."

Everyone immediately started to look at me differently. Some of them even began calling me ungrateful in hushed voices.

Henry was willing to destroy my reputation just to salvage his own ego. As I stared at his shameless face, I let out a laugh.

"A gold digger? Trying to marry into money?" I exclaimed incredulously.

I took out my phone and pulled up the photo I'd taken of the condom wrapper in the bathroom. Then, I held it in front of him.

"One day and one night. Two boxes. When the two of you were rolling around in my bed, were you thinking about our relationship at all?"

Henry's face went pale. Staring at the screen, his lips trembled as he asked, "Y-You knew?"

Rachel's expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly folded her arms and scoffed. "So what if you know about the affair? You're just some poor girl from out of town. Do you really think you can survive in a city like this without Henry?"

I put my phone away and looked at Henry, who was now visibly panicking. "You disgust me."

With that, I turned and walked out of the private dining room.

Snapping out of his daze, Henry ran after me. In the hallway, he grabbed my wrist and pleaded, "Listen to me, Carol! I can explain! It was just a moment of weakness. You're the one I love!"

He was gripping me so tightly that my wrist had begun to hurt.

"Let go."

"I won't! If you leave, then we're actually over!" he screamed, his eyes bloodshot.

At that moment, a soft ding came from the elevator at the end of the hallway. When the door to the elevator opened, six bodyguards dressed in black marched out.

Walking at the front of the group was Benjamin Hill. He strode straight toward us, his sharp gaze fixed on Henry.

"Let go of Ms. Scott," he demanded.

Stunned by the intimidating group of men, Henry loosened his grip. Subsequently, two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and pushed him away from me.

Benjamin lowered his head respectfully. "The car is ready, Ms. Scott. Mr. Scott Senior said that staying at Harborcrest will be good for you. He wants you to come home as soon as possible."

Henry and Rachel, who had followed us out, were staring at me in disbelief.

"M-Ms. Scott?"

I rubbed my reddened wrist and stared at Henry condescendingly. "I forgot to tell you something, Henry. My name isn't Carol Scott."

After a brief pause, I declared coolly, "I'm Caroline Scott of Scott Group in Harborcrest City, and I can understand the Southern dialect perfectly."