Chapter 1

The barrage exploded.

[How could you be so heartless? Owen is probably drowning his sorrows at a bar.]

[Ugh, Owen is just too proud and stubborn, and now he's lost his fiancée.]

[It's okay. He will just bankrupt your family. Then you'll have no choice but to beg him.]

[Soon enough, you'll be fighting with other women out of jealousy, and he will be living it up.]

I stared at the comments, sneering with frustration. I looked away, only to lock eyes with my fiancé, Owen Lockhart.

He raised an eyebrow, letting the woman continue to cling to his arm without a hint of guilt. He noticed my sour expression, and his lips curled into a smug smile.

The mistress he kept was a small-time internet celebrity. Together, they made a handsome couple, attracting the attention of passersby, who eagerly took photos of them.

The café where I was sitting had large glass windows. I couldn't help but wonder if they caught my sour expression on camera.

I cursed under my breath, grabbed my bag, and called the driver to take me somewhere else. But as I stepped out, I bumped into Owen face-to-face.

I was stunned. "Were you heading this way just now?"

"Interested in me so much?" he smiled smugly.

The woman next to him gave me a wary look, but she said nothing, probably held back by her low status.

I thought back to those comments, and my irritation rose. I tried to walk past them, but Owen suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Not happy?"

I glanced up and down at him and the woman by his side. "Not really. I wish you two a long and happy life together."

Owen refused to let go, and Robin Peck rolled her eyes. "Who are you? Can't you see you're disturbing us?"

She shook an expensive bracelet on her wrist and shot Owen a playful look. "Are you jealous because no one's buying you things?"

"Do you know he has a fiancée?" I shot back.

She paused, then snorted, "Just arranged engagement. No love there. If he liked her, would he still be with me?"

Owen sneered, looking down at me with his hazel eyes. Unflinching, I glanced at the hand still gripping my wrist. "Let go."

Defiant, he squinted at me. "Find another companion for the banquet the day after tomorrow."

Robin stiffened, sizing me up. Then she grinned knowingly, "So, you're his fiancée. So what? Owen is going to be with me."

I pondered, figuring the Lockharts would see the engagement annulment agreement by tomorrow.

"Fine," I said. "Can you let me go now?"

Owen's expression darkened. "Who are you going with?"

Thinking of a few young men from wealthy families, all handsome and well-built, I replied earnestly, "I haven't decided yet, but I'm sure I'll be able to pick one when I get home."

There was an eerie silence, broken only by the distant chatter of the commercial street. The tension felt suffocating as various eyes glanced our way.