Mistress #100 Was the Last Straw

The basement was damp and freezing. My whole body was trembling from fear as I pressed myself against the cold iron door."Let me out! My mom's dying!" I pounded on the door with all my strength until my fists were raw and bloody. Slowly, I sank to the floor and cried my heart out.My phone had died and run out of battery in my pocket, and the doctor's words—"one last chance to say goodbye"—kept ringing in my head.I'd promised Mom that once I had enough saved, I'd let go of Jaxon and leave. I'd take her somewhere warm and quiet to heal.So, why did it have to be today? Why did Jaxon refuse to check if my words were true?In the darkness, memories crashed over me in waves.…Back in high school, I painted sunflower petals blue in the art studio. When my classmates laughed at me for being color-blind, only Jaxon, passing by, paused at my easel."A sunflower that lives under moonlight? Do you like 'The Clockwork Dawn' too? There's a lonely beauty to it, just like the one painting

Jaxon's eyes stayed locked on the death notice."Time of death: October 10th, 2025. 4:23 am."His fingers clenched around the paper, but his hands wouldn't stop shaking."Dead? Is she really dead?" His voice cracked and carried a tremor even he didn't notice.Winston lowered his head and replied in a heavy tone, "Yes, Mr. Wilde. The hospital confirmed that Mrs. Emberlyn didn't pass in peace."Jaxon's mind flashed with my empty and numb gaze from yesterday. There was no desperation, and it was like I'd finally dropped the weight I'd carried for so long.A dull, slow ache trampled across his chest.But the next second, Mom's cunning smile, his own feverish body when he woke up, as well as the stunned and frightened look on my face beneath him that night flashed across his mind. The memory and humiliation of being "drugged" pounded on his mind like a reminder.He crushed the notice and threw it fiercely onto the floor.His voice pitched sharp and loud as if the volume could drown

The soft lights of Cloudistic Odyssey Gallery bathed every painting in a warm glow.All these years, I had never stopped painting and continued to submit my work to Vega Design. It was only after Mom's death and my receiving a full-time job offer that I learned Levi Archer was the man behind Vega Design. He called me his muse. Back in college, he hid the fact that he was the heir to a financial empire just so he could be an assistant in my studio. We spent nights debating art theories and studying the trickiest brushstrokes."Congratulations, Scarlett. You did it." Levi handed me a glass of champagne and smiled warmly.I took the glass over and clinked it lightly against his before looking up at my painting, a massive oil canvas named "Unbound".On the canvas, a phoenix tore free from iron shackles as its wings of flame cut through the darkness and soared toward freedom."Ms. Emberlyn's work is extraordinary, Mr. Archer," a renowned critic murmured with genuine awe.With a gent

A few days later, a charity auction gala jointly hosted by Archer Group and Cloudistic Odyssey Gallery was held at the top floor of Aero Suites.Levi opened the car door for me. I wore a midnight-blue gown he'd chosen, adorned with tiny crystals scattered across the hem like starlight. His ink-blue suit matched mine perfectly.When we entered the ballroom side by side, all eyes turned our way, and camera flashes rained on us."Mr. Archer and Ms. Emberlyn really are a perfect match!""It's impossible to get one of Ms. Emberlyn's paintings now!""I heard Mr. Archer Senior is pleased with this future granddaughter-in-law…"Levi handled the attention with effortless composure and kept me close, shielding me from the prying eyes. As we walked up the stairs, he bent gracefully to lift the hem of my dress and leaned close to whisper in my ear, "Remember that time in college when you knocked over the paint jars?"I smiled. "You still remember that?"He gripped my hand tightly and con