Chapter 3

For a moment, Christopher's flushed face flashed through my mind. I was about to crouch down to pick up the scattered gems when a hand clamped around my wrist like a steel vise. It was Benjamin's.

His eyes were dark and menacing. "So this thing matters that much to you, huh? Tell me, which bastard gave it to you?"

Before I could answer, Olivia gently tugged at his sleeve. "I'm sure Sienna isn't such a promiscuous woman, Benjamin. Perhaps she bought it herself?"

She deliberately raised her voice so that everyone around us could hear her every word.

"Did you hear that? Benjamin, the CEO of Clarke Group, caught his fiancee cheating."

"He tried to reason with her, but she didn't even care. How shameless!"

"If my wife ever did something like that, I'd cut her off right away!"

Olivia clicked her tongue sympathetically and pretended to be concerned. However, her voice rose an octave. "You should explain yourself, Sienna! People will think you're a slut if you sleep around before you're married. Even if Benjamin loves you, his family will never accept you!"

Benjamin tightened his grip on my wrist. He stared at me, waiting for me to say what he wanted to hear.

I looked up and met his gaze calmly. "It was a gift from my husband."

The hall went completely silent. For three long seconds, no one made a sound. Then, Benjamin let out a low, mirthless chuckle.

"Your… what?" He flung my hand away. His voice was trembling. "Your husband? When did I ever give you this piece of trash?"

"You're right," I said softly. "You didn't."

His eyes widened. "Then whose filthy hands touched you? Who is he?"

Just then, Naomi ran over. She was clutching the cracked sapphire earrings in her hands, and she was almost in tears. "Mrs. Hayes…"

I looked up and shot her a look, stopping her before she could say another word. Before returning to the country, Christopher had specifically told me to keep my identity a secret. It was to avoid giving those shameless reporters something to write about and disturbing my family and friends.

Naomi immediately corrected herself. "What do we do, Ms. Grant? If your husband finds out, he'll definitely blame me!"

I glanced at Benjamin and shrugged. "Blame you? No way. Didn't this guy here say he'd protect me?"

Benjamin snatched the earrings and, this time, noticed the name engraved on them. "Pebble."

"Pebble?" He was caught off guard. Then, he burst into laughter. "Is that the pet name you gave your mysterious lover? What is he, a nobody? A stray from the slums? A man who digs ditches by day and warms your bed at night?"

He closed in on me and continued, "It's alright. You don't have to tell me. By tomorrow at the latest, I'll find him, break his hands, and drive him out of town!"

I tilted my head and smiled. "You talk a big game, Mr. Clarke. Why don't you say that to my husband's face?"

The anger blazing in his eyes looked like it could swallow me whole. "Don't test me. In this city, I can crush the lowlife who seduced my fiancee like an ant!"

I arched my brow. "I'll look forward to it then."

All of a sudden, his chest heaved, and his pupils contracted as he asked in a low voice, "Did you sleep with him?"

I nodded. "Of course." After all, we even had a child together.

He staggered as if I had slapped him. For a second, he looked lost. Then, his face flushed crimson and paled in the end. "Y-You shameless wench! You couldn't even wait for me for two years? It was just two years! Were you that lonely?"

Olivia hurried over, pretending to comfort him. "Benjamin, I'm sure Sienna must have her reasons—"

"Bullshit!" he snapped. "A woman as shameless as her deserves to die!"

He wiped his face and tried to salvage his bruised pride. "I'll have my private physician give you a thorough examination later. From now on, if you ever see that man again, I'll lock you up!"

He took a few steps back. His voice was hoarse and bitter. "Do you think, just because I love you, you can walk all over me? Fine, you win! Let's call this your payback for the two years I wasn't there for you… We're even now."

He looked up with tears brimming in his eyes and announced hoarsely, "Our grand wedding in three days is canceled. We'll just sign the papers in a small chapel. That's all you deserve!"

I stared at him for a moment and chuckled. So, this was his idea of revenge. He was going to strip me of my dignity, hide me away like some shameful secret, and force me to marry him.

He didn't want a wife. He wanted a puppet.

Olivia trailed after him, but before leaving, she turned around and flashed me a triumphant smile. "You've completely broken his heart, Sienna. From now on, don't expect him to ever love you again!"

However, when the two of them reached the entrance, Benjamin stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "Pack a bottle of the red wine Ms. Grant likes. Make sure it's from the finest vineyard and the first harvest of the season."

His voice was ice cold, but when his gaze landed on me, there was a burning obsession in it. With that, he left.

The triumphant smile on Olivia's face stiffened. She shot daggers at me before hurrying after him.

…

Benjamin's private physician was already waiting for me when I arrived home. As I wasn't around, he had started bossing James around. "Mr. Clarke said, since Ms. Grant has no shame, he wants her to return all the gifts he sent—"

Before he could finish, two black-clad bodyguards appeared silently behind him. One of them grabbed his arm like a vise, causing the physician to scream. Ignoring his cries and struggles, they dragged him to the entrance and threw him out like he was a piece of trash.

The physician ran back to Benjamin in tears, claiming that I was violent, rude, and unfit to be his wife.

Benjamin paced back and forth across the room in anger. After a long while, he gritted out, "Let her be for a few more days. Once she becomes my wife, I'll make sure she learns who her master is and what true obedience entails!"

But, of course, things didn't go the way he planned.

The very next morning, Christopher's chief assistant showed up at my doorstep, flanked by a group of imposing bodyguards. "Mr. Hayes asked me to bring you home right away, Mrs. Hayes. He said he misses you and the baby."

…

Two days later, Benjamin's estate on the outskirts of the city was filled with guests. The lush lawn was decorated with white silk and fresh flowers. It was a scene straight out of a dream. Even though he had claimed it would be a small, quiet ceremony, he'd secretly prepared a wedding fit for royalty.

Time ticked by, but the bride never showed. The guests' whispers eventually turned into open chatter.

Benjamin pulled out his phone and called me time and time again, yet his calls went straight to voicemail. He was about to flip and rush out to find me when a news alert popped up on his screen.

He cursed under his breath and opened it. Then, he froze.

"Breaking News! Christopher Hayes' Mysterious Wife Turns Out to Be the Heiress of the Grant Family, Sienna Grant!" Benjamin stared at his phone, dumbfounded.