Chapter 4: The Invitation

The Invitation.

“Do you remember Milona?” Alice asked on a Saturday morning. “Our batchmate in college?”

“Of course, we used to have lunch together,” Serena answered calmly. She and Alice were having breakfast.

“She’s inviting us to her birthday at the Golden Dragon Palace later, at six p.m.,” Alice shared. “We should go. She said she feels sorry about what happened to you and Nathan, so she wanted to catch up.”

Serena gulped. Honestly, she didn’t feel like socializing. However, Alice convinced her otherwise. “You need this. You need to unwind and just… let it out. We can talk trash about Nathan."

For the first time in months, Serena laughed. Yet, tears welled in her eyes. “Yeah, I guess that’s not a good idea.”

Later, they both dressed to impress. Rarely did Serena wear revealing clothes, but that night, Alice insisted that she put on a backless dress.

“I hope there are hot guys at the party,” Alice muttered while driving, and Serena only laughed.

Well, there were, in fact, hot guys at the party, but they weren’t exactly who Serena wanted to see.

When Serena and Alice arrived, they were surprised that the gathering was quite intimate. Milona had only booked a room that accommodated twenty guests. Still, they smiled and gave their old friend a gift.

“Happy birthday, Milona,” Alice greeted. “This is from both me and Serena.”

Accepting the gift, Milona smiled. She motioned to the second table and said, “These are your seats. Enjoy.”

But just as they settled, Alice felt the need to use the restroom. “I’ll be back.”

So, Serena was on her own. She smiled politely at Milona’s guests until she saw familiar faces.

Timothy Harlow, Dennis Mercer, and Peter Wells.

They have been Nathaniel’s best friends since college. They walked into the room looking confident and successful, laughing. Their suits were neat, their shoes polished, and they carried themselves with the easy charm of men who knew they had done well in life.

Serena’s heart throbbed sharply, and as fate would mock her, two figures entered the room.

Vanessa Holt.

And… Nathaniel Thorne.

Vanessa held his arm, smiling up at him in a way that made them look flawlessly matched.

And Nathaniel? He was easily the most handsome man in the room. He always had been. But seeing him now, with another woman, felt like a knife twisting in Serena’s ribs.

“This can’t be happening to me.” Serena softly muttered, her eyes widening.

They couldn’t see her from the door, but she saw them.

Out of nowhere, Vanessa happily turned to Nathaniel. With Vanessa’s back facing Serena, she could see how they appeared to be sharing a kiss!

“Hey! Hey!” Timothy called. “You two get a room!”

“What?” Vanessa turned, blushing. “What do you mean? Nathan was just blowing something out of my eyes.”

It felt like a wound she’d barely managed to hold together was being torn wider. Serena said in her head, 'What is going on? How dare Milona invite me and Alice if she was also inviting Nathan!'

Then, Milona approached their group. “Vanessa, what a surprise! You and Nathan? You look good together!”

Serena stood up abruptly, and the chair fell behind her. Only then did she lock eyes with Nathaniel.

Seeing her, Nathaniel’s eyes widened, and he instantly put a distance between himself and Vanessa.

“Oh, Serena. You’re here too!” Vanessa said. In front of her, Nathaniel’s friends were also startled to see her.

“Look, it’s not what you think,” Vanessa said, addressing Serena. “Nathan and I are just friends—”

“Serena, I completely forgot that my husband invited Vanessa and Nathaniel. Surely, you won’t mind. I mean, we’re all adults here. Let’s just put the past behind us,” Milona said with an amiable smile, as if the situation wasn’t a big deal.

Serena was infuriated! She grabbed her purse abruptly and said, “No, thank you very much.”

She left the venue in a hurry. She searched for her phone so she could call Alice, but to her shock, it wasn’t inside her purse.

“Damn it!” she muttered. “I must have dropped my phone!”

She had no choice. Serena paced back into the conference room where Milona’s birthday celebration was held. Just before she walked in, she heard Nathaniel and his friends talking about her.

“Nathan, did you really not love Serena at all?” Peter asked. Serena was already familiar with their voices, so even without seeing them, she could tell them apart.

“No,” Nathaniel said outright. “It was all an act.”

“I could have sworn you were very in love with her,” Peter raised.

"He already said no, Peter," Timothy scolded.

“Enough. I don’t want to talk about her,” Nathaniel snapped. “It’s over.”

To her surprise, Vanessa and Dennis didn’t seem to be around. All she heard were the voices of Nathaniel, Peter, and Timothy.

“Well, you know, Serena was just a quiet girl back in college. She wasn’t really a good match for you,” Timothy said. “I always thought that way. She only became confident about herself after you two started dating. You and Vanessa are more suited for each other.”

“Didn’t I say enough?” Nathaniel shot back. “She is not worth discussing.”

“It’s just that I wished you could’ve gotten justice without involving Serena in it,” Peter said, his voice sounding regretful.

“She was innocent, sure,” Nathaniel said faintly. “But I couldn’t let that change anything. If I had, I would’ve failed my father all over again.”

The familiar sting returned the instant he spoke.

So, he did know she was innocent, but he still chose to use her and hurt her.

Serena had heard enough. She no longer cared what they thought of her. She entered, walking past them, and picked up her phone from the second table.

She meant to just walk out, but no. Instead, she turned to Nathaniel and said, “Congratulations on achieving your revenge, Nathan. I’m sure your father would be proud that you used your innocent wife to bring him justice.”

Then she echoed Timothy’s words. “That's okay. We weren’t a good match, anyway. You were too good for me. You and Vanessa are more suited for each other.”

Serena finally turned on her heel, walking away with her spirit completely broken.

She called Alice and told her to meet her at the entrance of the restaurant. It was there that she discovered it was raining outside.

“There you are. I have been looking for you."

Serena turned, finding Dennis, Nathaniel’s closest friend. He draped a coat around her and said, “It’s cold outside. Put this on.”

Dennis took a few steps back, but then he looked at her again, saying, “I’m sorry for what Nathan did.”

“Did you know?” Serena asked.

Dennis gulped, replying, “I just found out about four months ago.”

“Then you’re no better,” she said, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “Take back your coat -"

“Keep the coat,” Dennis said. “It’s cold outside. The coat isn’t mine, anyway.”

Serena frowned. When she glanced at Dennis again, she realized he was still wearing his coat. So, whose jacket was on her?

But she didn’t have time to think about it. Alice arrived, and they left the restaurant.

***

Meanwhile, in another private room within Golden Dragon Palace, Vanessa Holt handed Milona the money. She said, "Good job."

"Thanks," Milona said. "I needed the money."

"I know," Vanessa acknowledged.

"What's your beef with Serena anyway?" Milona asked.

Vanessa laughed and said, "If I tell you, I'd have to kill you."

Seeing the fear in Milona's eyes, Vanessa laughed. "Relax. I was just joking."