Chapter 2

I had planned to wait quietly in a corner for my husband to arrive, not wanting to get drawn into the gossip and rumors these people were spreading.

But someone recognized me anyway. He pointed at me and exclaimed to the crowd, "Hey, look! Isn't this Isabella Spencer?"

Everyone turned to look at me. There I was, standing alone in the corner, dressed plainly, completely out of place among the well-dressed crowd in suits and formal attire.

Seeing my outfit and how I was standing off to the side by myself, they started mocking me. But I ignored them and stood up straight, head held high, to preserve my dignity.

When Samuel noticed me, he waved me over. However, I smiled and politely declined.

The crowd walked up to me, looking me up and down with nothing but ridicule in their eyes. They chattered noisily, speculating about why I was even here.

"I bet Isabella is still hopelessly obsessed with Sam. She'd been following him all this while, so of course she had to show up at today's art exhibition."

"Look at how she's dressed. She's probably short on cash and wants Sam to throw her some spare change."

Samuel walked up to me and said, "Isabella, I know you're still hung up on me. But come on, you don't have to keep following me around like this, do you? It's been seven years. It's time for you to forget about me."

Before I could even respond, Sienna looked at me with open disgust and commented, "People are always saying that Samuel has many desperate women who are obsessed with him. I guess now I've finally seen one in person."

Her tone turned nasty, and her voice rose a full octave. "Hey! This isn't the kind of place for someone like you. This is the biggest art exhibition in the city, attended only by high society. We don't want it looking cheap because of people like you."

Hearing her insulting words, I fought hard to suppress the anger rising in me.

The crowd joined in, putting on airs. "That's right. I heard that Mr. Frederick Dalton, the city's wealthiest tycoon, is coming today too. He's usually so mysterious that ordinary people rarely get to see him. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Samuel put on a kind, understanding act in front of everyone and said to me earnestly, "Isabella, if you're in need, just tell me. I can give you however much money you need. Just don't cause a scene at my exhibition, alright?"

What a joke that was! I had only come for a casual look around, yet he was making it sound as though I was begging for handouts.

I kept a polite smile, still upholding my dignity. After all, there was no point in wasting words on people like these.

Sienna scanned me with a scornful look and sneered, "You really need to stop chasing after Samuel. He's a famous artist now, and he's marrying me next month.

"Look at how ugly you're dressed. You can't even be bothered to tidy yourself up. What man would ever want you? Anyway, I happen to have some clothes I no longer need. I can have someone bring them to you later."

At her words, the whole crowd burst into raucous laughter.

Sienna was wearing an exquisite gown, carrying a branded bag, and her hair was perfectly curled. It must have cost her a fortune just to style herself that day.

As for me, I had come straight from home without even washing my hair. After all, I'd thought that this was just an ordinary art exhibition, one where I could browse and pick out some paintings to buy like one would pick out produce at a market.

Because of that, I hadn't bothered to dress up at all and was wearing simple loungewear, which naturally couldn't compare to her elegant gown.

"Oh, no, that's alright. You should keep them for yourself," I replied politely.

But she refused to let it go. "Oh, don't be shy. You had no shame in chasing Samuel all the way here to the exhibition, but now you're acting all embarrassed about accepting a few clothes?"

The crowd erupted in another wave of roaring laughter.