Chapter 1 The Price of Dignity

Caspian Lund hadn't even had the chance to speak when his secretary already jumped in. "Ms. Leclair, I know you're older and can't handle alcohol, so I specially prepared this drink for you."

I shot her a sharp glare and snapped, "Shut up. This isn't your place to speak."

Instantly, Susie Winters shrank timidly behind Caspian. "Cas, why is Ms. Leclair so harsh? I didn't mean anything by it…"

At that, Caspian reached out to shield her behind him, his face dark with displeasure. "Giselle, don't be unreasonable. Susie went out of her way to have this milk brought here for you. Even if you don't drink it, you shouldn't humiliate her like this."

I let out a cold laugh, my eyes sweeping over the room. Every face carried the same expression—waiting to see a show.

Caspian mistook my silence for surrender and put on a magnanimous air. "Alright, that's enough. The party's supposed to be fun. If you keep up this attitude, how's anyone supposed to enjoy themselves? Just drink the milk, apologize to Susie, and we'll let this go."

Looking at his shameless face, I nearly laughed from sheer anger. He made it sound as if marrying him were the greatest favor I'd ever received.

"I'm not interested in playing these cheap games. Count me out." With that, I grabbed my bag, rose to my feet, and headed out.

Realizing how furious I was, Caspian quickly leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Giselle, men need to keep their dignity in public. I always listen to you at home. Can't you give in just this once—for me?"

I stopped in my tracks and looked him dead in the eye. "Dignity? Caspian, you should know that the fact that I even showed up today is me giving you more than enough already."

Susie immediately clung to his arm, her voice dripping with grievance. "Cas, please don't fight with Ms. Leclair because of me. She's older, so it's only natural that she doesn't understand how young people do things. I won't hold this against her, so don't force her to apologize to me."

Hearing that, Caspian—who had been on the verge of apologizing to me—suddenly straightened his back. "Since Susie doesn't want to make an issue of it, we'll let it drop."

I stared at him, my voice icy. "Caspian, think carefully about the consequences of what you've done today." With that warning, I turned and got into the car.

Susie leaned close to him with a coy smile. "Cas, what did Ms. Leclair mean by consequences? Aren't you the CEO? Why would you need to take orders from her?"

Caspian's face stiffened, both fists clenching tight.

Seeing her ploy work, Susie quickly shifted the topic, looping her arm through his. "But of course, I only listen to you. No one likes a woman as domineering and unreasonable as Ms. Leclair anyway."

At that, she tugged him along as they walked back inside. "Come on, Cas, don't waste energy on people who only bring you down. The wedding's right around the corner. Don't you want one last wild night before you're tied down? Once you're married, Ms. Leclair will be breathing down your neck—even when you're just meeting clients."

I watched their figures disappear into the distance, then rolled the car window up tight. "Drive," I told the chauffeur.

The whole night passed without a single message from Caspian—not an explanation, not even the bare minimum of checking in. Instead, Susie's social media lit up with one update after another.