A full month passed before I heard from him again.
Accompany me to a banquet tomorrow.
No time.
I had the Cox family gala tomorrow anyway. Didn't even think twice before declining.
Kevin hadn't expected this. A whole month of silence from me, and when he finally extended an olive branch, I slapped it away. He was so furious he smashed his phone.
When I walked into the venue, his expression curdled.
"I already have Serena as my date. What are you doing here?"
I gave him a single glance and turned to leave. He grabbed my arm.
"Rachel, what kind of attitude is that?"
"Mr. James, we're in public. The grabbing and pulling isn't a good look."
That shut him up. He wasn't about to embarrass himself further. Fine—let him watch. He wanted to see what I could possibly do without him.
Serena and her little entourage blocked my path.
"You're in my way."
The contempt in my eyes clearly offended them. These were high society princesses—when had anyone ever looked through them like they were nothing?
"Just a discarded wife, acting all high and mighty. The James family threw you out. How did a country bumpkin like you even get in?"
"Oh my god, did you sneak in to chase after Mr. James?"
"None of your business. I'd suggest you stay out of it—unless you want trouble you can't handle."
That did it. They closed in around me like mean girls from a bad high school drama.
Mr. Rodriguez had left early for another engagement, and I didn't actually want a scene. This was the Cox family's event. Causing problems here wouldn't benefit me.
Kevin watched me get surrounded and didn't lift a finger. He wanted me to understand that without him, I couldn't survive. If I just bowed my head and begged, he'd swoop in to save me.
He was dreaming.
"Where do you think you're going? Mr. James doesn't care about you anymore. Without him, you're nothing—and you still dare to bully our Serena."
In their eyes, I was just a pathetic leech clinging to Kevin. Laughable, really. But I couldn't be bothered to explain.
As I turned to leave, someone's foot shot out.
I stumbled. A dress worth tens of thousands hit the floor, and a glass of red wine splashed across it perfectly.
"Oh no, this is that heiress's gown! Even if I sold myself, I couldn't pay for it. What do we do?"
The Cox family's daughter hadn't planned this far. They'd only wanted to put me in my place and curry favor with the James family.
When I heard them trying to pin it on me, I helped the servant up.
"It's fine. Give it to me. You can go."
The moment she heard someone would take the fall, she bolted.
"Rachel, what is wrong with you? This belongs to a VIP guest. You got it dirty, and now you're trying to take it? Do you know how much trouble this could cause the Cox family?"
Clever girl—she knew exactly when to pivot. Smart people always do.
Since this happened on Cox property, someone had to answer for it. They needed a scapegoat.
The group marched me out to the garden. I frowned, trying to figure out what they were planning.
"I don't have time for games. Move."
"Rachel, we go way back. If you don't want to take the blame, you'll just have to suffer a little."
Before I could react, they grabbed their wine glasses and drenched me. In an instant, I was a complete mess.
