Chapter 4

Linda's POV

Gerald wasn't wasting any time making his engagement to Sarah known to the world.

My first instinct was to leave. Before I could, Luna had already caught my hand and pulled me toward the crowd.

"Mom! Dad! I finally brought my favorite girl to meet you!"

The moment Gerald spotted me, his expression stiffened.

Almost unconsciously, he pulled his arm away from Sarah's waist.

Stella Banks' eyes lit up the instant she saw me.

"So you're Linda!" she said with a beaming smile, taking both my hands in hers. "Luna never stops talking about you. She says you're kind, hardworking, and the sweetest friend anyone could ask for. You're even more lovely than I imagined."

I offered a small, self-conscious smile.

Stella held my hands as though she'd known me for years.

A dull ache settled in my chest. We had been so close, just one step away from becoming family.

"Oh!" Stella said, as if remembering something. "Luna told me you've been so busy with work these past few years that you haven't had time to meet anyone."

She looked around the banquet hall with a smile. "There are so many wonderful young men here tonight. Would you like me to introduce you to someone?"

Before I could turn her down, Gerald let out a quiet, mocking laugh. "She won't need one."

He was right. I wouldn't.

I was leaving soon to marry someone else.

Before the awkward silence could settle, Luna chimed in with a sigh.

"Mom, Linda really doesn't need a blind date. She's getting married in Javern soon." She looped an arm around mine and pouted. "I have no idea how many times I'll even get to see her in a year after that."

The smug look on Gerald's face vanished. He stared at me, his expression suddenly unreadable.

Halfway through the banquet, I slipped away to the restroom.

On my way back, Gerald caught me around the wrist and pulled me into a quiet corner.

He caged me against the wall, lowering his head with the same lazy smile he always wore.

"Honey," he murmured, sounding almost amused. "Don't joke about marrying someone else again. Even I get jealous."

I looked at him and couldn't help laughing. "Aren't you about to marry someone else yourself?"

Gerald frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. You know this is just for the company."

A moment later, his tone softened.

"Come on." He coaxed me gently. "You've always been the sensible one, haven't you? When the banquet's over, go home and pack your things. I'll take you to the new apartment. Sarah's my fiancee, at least in the public eye. It wouldn't be right for you to keep staying at the house."

Because I'd always been understanding, I'd spent eight years trapped in a relationship that could never see the light of day.

And now, he expected me to stay hidden forever.

I was just about to tell him there was no need when Sarah's sob echoed through the banquet hall.

Gerald released me without a second thought and rushed toward the sound. "What happened, Sarah?"

Sarah held up her left hand, her ring finger bare as tears streamed down her face. "Gerald… The engagement ring you gave me is gone…"

She was sobbing so hard she could barely speak.

"That ring… It was custom-made," she choked out. "You only get one in a lifetime. I know I was still wearing it before I went to the restroom…"

Still crying, she stumbled over to me and clutched my arm. "Ms. Rye, you were the only other person in the restroom with me. I know you've been by Gerald's side for years. It's only natural if you've grown… attached to him."

She lowered her head, as though she regretted voicing the suspicion. "But that ring means everything to me. If you really took it… Please, just give it back. I won't blame you."

With a few tearful words, Sarah had convicted me in everyone's eyes.

Before I could say a word, I was the thief.

"I knew it." A woman sneered. "These secretaries are all the same. She even dressed herself up to look like Ms. Wheeler. A knockoff will always be a knockoff. Did she really think she could take Ms. Wheeler's place with a few cheap tricks?"

"Exactly!" another woman scoffed. "First she tries to steal someone else's man, and now she's stealing her engagement ring? Throw her out!"

The accusations came from every direction, each one more vicious than the last.