Fateful encounter

Richard kept his eyes fixed on Sigourney, unabashedly flirting.

Sigourney merely smiled without responding, yet Richard still wasn't finished-he added a few more nauseatingly sweet lines.

Enough to make her skin crawl.

Even Theodore, standing right beside Sigourney, furrowed his brows slightly.

From what he recalled, Sigourney and Richard weren't exactly close-so why was Richard now wearing such a lovestruck expression as he looked at her?

A man's instinct told him something was off.

Fortunately, Richard eventually stopped with his foolish rambling and shifted to a more composed conversation with Theodore.

During that time, Sigourney pretended to spot someone familiar across the room and seized the chance to slip away.

She had no interest in listening to the empty drivel of that lunatic Richard.

A "fateful encounter" while he was out shopping with his lover?

Nonsense.

Sigourney made her way over to the dessert table and picked out a few sweet pastries to nibble on. After spending the entire afternoon trying on outfits and getting her makeup done with Theodore, she was already feeling quite hungry.

Thankfully, the food here tasted quite good, so Sigourney enjoyed her small bites in a rather cheerful mood.

That is until someone came to ruin it.

"Sigourney, why didn't you come with Savannah? Aren't the two of you really close?"

Savannah's close friend, Nanny, approached her, asking the question out of habit.

Sigourney looked up, and suddenly, the pastry in her mouth didn't taste so good anymore.

She glanced at Nanny, catching the implication behind her words, and smiled faintly.

"That's a matter of my family. What does it have to do with you?"

"If you're so close to Savannah, then when she was stripped of her status in the family, why didn't you help her?"

"Aren't the two of you best friends?"

For a split second, Nanny's expression flickered with guilt-but she still forced her tone to sound righteous.

"What are you talking about? How could I meddle in your family affairs?"

"I just think Savannah's pitiful. She was clearly set up and sabotaged by a vicious sister like you."

Nanny glared at Sigourney with open hostility, her eyes brimming with resentment.

Sigourney didn't know exactly what lies Savannah had fed Nanny-

But clearly,

Savannah had twisted everything and pinned all the blame on her.

Sigourney had no interest in arguing-especially not at an evening gala filled with so many people.

She simply said she had something to do and walked away before Nanny could follow or utter any more foolish words.

To her surprise, the rooftop didn't just have a breezy open-air balcony-

It also featured a spacious swimming pool.

A luxurious, glass-edged pool with a sense of privacy and elegance.

While the men downstairs gathered in groups, speaking seriously in their formal suits,

The women-dressed in glamorous gowns-sat by the pool, chatting leisurely, reclining on lounge chairs, and sipping cocktails together.

The atmosphere here was far livelier and more relaxed than the formality below.

Sigourney ran into a few acquaintances and joined them for conversation.

She sipped her cocktail, letting herself enjoy the fresh air and laid-back ambiance-

Doing her best to shake off the discomfort Nanny had stirred just moments before.

Their conversation, unsurprisingly, revolved around their husbands' work-

And when it wasn't that, it was about flaunting how much they were pampered, and the lavish gifts they'd received.

"This diamond-studded watch was a gift from my husband during one of his overseas business trips. I heard it's incredibly expensive-easily over a billion dong,"

One woman said brightly, pointing at the watch on her wrist.

The others around her began to chime in with admiration, following up by showing off their expensive accessories right there on the spot.

Sigourney, naturally, simply listened and maintained her poised, graceful smile.

"Sigourney, why aren't you saying anything? Theodore's quite wealthy, and the two of you seem so close-I'm sure he's bought you plenty of luxurious gifts, hasn't he?"

"Let us admire some of them?"

A gentle-looking woman initiated the conversation with Sigourney.

Sigourney was about to casually brush it off with a vague response when another woman leaned in and examined her dress more closely, then exclaimed.

"No wonder this dress looked familiar to me-it's the latest couture release from 'Her Design,' isn't it?"

"I heard it's worth no less than half a million dollars. Theodore must've bought it for you, right?"

Before Sigourney could say another word, the women around her began praising the dress, complimenting its beauty-

And admiring how Theodore must truly spoil her,

Leaving Sigourney unsure how to respond.

 Noticing that the attention was gradually shifting toward her,

Sigourney waited until everyone had finished talking about her—

Then found an excuse to move to a more open space.

She preferred quiet.

And she didn’t enjoy being the center of conversations.

All she wanted was to stand still, enjoy her cocktail in peace, nothing more.

Sigourney stood by the pool, savoring the refreshing openness of the space.

What she didn’t expect—

Was that while she was quietly unwinding,

Someone approached her,

Eyes burning with unmistakable hatred,

Then, without warning,

Shoved Sigourney hard into the pool,

Before quickly turning and walking away.