Chapter 3

Yara wandered the streets in a daze.

Before she knew it, she reached Simon's old high school.

Back then, all he wanted was to run with the wrong crowd and make quick money to protect her.

His teachers called Yara in again and again. Each time, she angrily dragged him back and told him, "Working with your fists will only earn you backbreaking wages! If you want to give me a better life, use this!"

She pointed at his head and gave him a thorough scolding.

The teenage Simon's eyes filled with tears.

In the end, he promised, "Don't worry! However I make my money, I'll give every cent to you!"

Yara wanted to laugh, but tears slid down her cheeks instead.

Now every asset in her name was gone.

She closed her eyes, ashamed of herself for coming here to remember the man who caused her so much pain.

She shook her head and forced herself out of the memory.

Her phone rang.

It was Simon, and his voice was gentle.

"There's still some business I need to handle. I've chartered a yacht for tomorrow. We can get away and relax together."

A soft female voice sounded faintly in the background.

Simon hung up in a hurry without waiting for her answer.

Yara stood there stunned, then managed a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Was it really so hard for him to admit he loved someone else?

Simon didn't come home that night.

The next morning, before Yara could make sense of what was happening, several bodyguards entered her home. They half coaxed, half dragged her out the door.

Glasses clinked on the yacht's deck as guests mingled.

Simon seemed to have invited quite a crowd, including some of Northvale's most prominent people.

But the lively chatter stopped the moment Yara was "escorted" onto the deck.

Every eye turned toward her. She wore loungewear, and a jagged scar still marked half her face.

Some people looked surprised. Others looked at her with pity.

Most of them seemed to share a silent amusement at the spectacle.

Simon stood at the center of the crowd, tall and strikingly handsome.

Cindy stood beside him in an evening dress, her makeup flawless. She looked like a princess.

They made a dazzling pair, which only made Yara feel more unkempt.

When Simon saw how Yara was dressed, he hurried over with a note of disapproval in his voice.

"I told you we were going out today. Why didn't you change into something presentable?"

Cindy stepped forward and slipped her arm through Simon's.

She sounded as though she was trying to smooth things over.

"Simon, don't blame her. Yara is upset. She probably didn't want to come."

As she spoke, she shot Yara a challenging look.

Yara stared at their linked arms. Her throat tightened so painfully that she could barely breathe.

She thought Simon would at least pull away or offer an explanation.

Instead, he let Cindy hold his arm. He even patted her hand before introducing her.

"This is Cindy Hughes, my new assistant. I brought her along because I thought you two might have something to talk about. Maybe she'd cheer you up."

Yara looked at Cindy's innocent face and the triumph she barely concealed.

Then she saw the guilt in Simon's eyes.

"So, you're his assistant."

Yara didn't raise her voice, but everyone heard her. "Then, you can call me Mrs. Quinn, like the other assistants do."