ログインSeeing this scene, Lucas felt his heart crack. He knew Anna—stern, decisive, unyielding.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended things with him the moment she discovered his betrayal and gone straight to Lorenzo.
Anna had left no wiggle room for him, no second c
They had finished, still wrapped in the warmth of afterglow.Qualia knew Forrest liked Laura. She had always assumed it was for her body—that women like Laura were just toys for men, and men never cared about how the women felt. But what she had just seen was burned into her mind.Forrest’s eyes, his whole heart… they belonged entirely to Laura. He loved her.Even today, their engagement party, Forrest had been with another woman behind her back.Qualia stormed forward, swinging at him, but Forrest’s reflex was sharp. He blocked her attack with one hand, using his other hand to cover Laura.He turned to her, eyes freezing over with an icy glare. “Get out.”“Forrest, I’m your fiancée! You’re with this shameless woman during our engagement, do you even have a conscience?”“Miss Nelsen, I told you at our introduction: apart from Mrs. Hamilton’s title, I cannot give you anything else. You agreed to the alliance—how could you take more? You’ve already taken benefits from the Hamilton famil
Today, Laura wore a short white dress, her makeup flawless, hair neatly pinned up—a stark contrast to her usual nightlife look. She moved through the sunlight like a graceful white swan, every bit the noble figure Forrest had first seen years ago. High, cold, and untouchable—like the moon in the sky, a flower in the mist.Forrest remembered that first crush in his teenage years: it had been that first glance, that instant spark. But she had been so distant, indifferent to all his efforts, never even granting him a proper look.He hadn’t given up. He transferred schools for her, pursued her every day, yet couldn’t earn a single glance. Eventually, he became the playboy everyone knew, as if thinking that would make her notice him. But she remained the untouchable white moon of his youth, unchanged by anyone.When the Ivey family fell, and she had nowhere to turn, he saved her. Laura might have thought he saw her as a plaything, but he had loved her all along.For years in the nightlife
Lorenzo wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning close to whisper in her ear. “Don’t be nervous. I’m here.”The moment they arrived, the Hamilton parents greeted them warmly.“Mr. Caldwell, Mrs. Caldwell. Congratulations.”Mrs. Hamilton’s expression was kind and gentle, nothing like Mrs. Nelsen’s calculating look. She had spent years abroad or traveling the world, pampering her son, and had never made things difficult for Laura.She smiled warmly. “So this is Anna. I met you once a long time ago, but I never expected you and Lorenzo to end up together.”
“Laura, you still think you’re the high-and-mighty heiress of the Ivey family? Take a good look at yourself. Right now, you survive on seduction. You can leave with some dignity, but in a few years, if you get thrown out? That’s real misery. I suggest you know when to stop.”“You done pretending?”Laura’s eyes stayed on the water cup on the floor, her expression calm. “Honestly, I still prefer you trailing behind my mother, helping with her dress.”Back then, Mrs. Nelsen flattered her mother endlessly to gain favor in the social circles. She always seemed so polite, nothing like the high-handed woman standing before her now.
The sound of water came from inside, and shortly after, Forrest emerged, steam clinging to his body. He casually grabbed a suit from the wardrobe. For him, getting dressed was as routine as clocking in at work—he didn’t bother picking out a new outfit.Once changed, he stood at the foot of the bed, studying Laura for a long moment. She felt her pulse quicken. Had he noticed something?Before she could decide whether to keep pretending to sleep, the scent of his shower gel grew stronger. The next second, he cupped her chin and kissed her.No amount of pretense could save her now.The freshness of mouthwash mingled with his kiss
That night, Laura was unusually compliant.She rested against Forrest’s chest, the silk of her dress slipping down her bare back. Her curls tumbled carelessly over her shoulders. Sweat from their earlier intimacy glistened under the lights like tiny pearls.She pressed close to his neck, fragile in appearance.Forrest knew better. Laura was far from delicate. If Anna was a rose, Laura was the thorns. Sharp, untouchable, able to grow on even the harshest ground.Though both daughters of the Ivey family, after the family’s downfall, her sister wept day and night, broken. Laura, burdened with the family’s debts, crawled forward rel







