Claude's brow creased with undisguised contempt：“Being with someone as dull and boring as you? I'd rather be toyed with and betrayed by a cheating woman like her. At least it's interesting.”
My heart seized so tight I couldn't breathe.
He'd proved it with his actions, time and time again. No matter how many times Isabel toyed with him and threw him away, he would never spare me a single glance.
He'd rather throw a punch at Isabel's new boyfriend in front of everyone, go to war with her sugar daddy, and burn his own reputation to the ground until he had nothing left.
Than let her go.
But all that searing devotion still couldn't keep Isabel.
“I just wanted to see what it was like to pluck the untouchable flower. Now I'm bored. Bye.”
That same night, Isabel posted a photo from a luxury yacht, draped in the arms of an international magazine CEO, captioned：
【Next target: becoming his muse.】
Isabel pulled the same routine all over again, throwing herself at this new billionaire until the spectacle made headlines at home and abroad.
Claude said nothing. He just handed me a partnership proposal：
“You said we were cut from the same cloth. Help me reclaim my position as heir. Once it's done, I'll only have you by my side.”
……
Women always dream of being the one who saves him.
Nine full years.
I thought I'd pulled Claude out of the mud.
Helped him become the sole head of the Gilberts.
But he turned every one of those achievements into bargaining chips to chase Isabel again.
The old me had been consumed with bitterness.
How could I possibly lose to a woman that shallow?
The me standing here now just felt sick.
If he was determined to chain himself to that waste of a human being, then all I could do was wish them a lifetime of happiness. Preferably locked together forever.
News that Claude had canceled the wedding spread through every circle that mattered.
Plenty of people laughed at me. Threw herself at him for free and still got rejected.
Grandfather Fox called：
“Sure the wedding's still on?”
I gave a quiet "mm."
He sighed, reluctant but resigned：“If you don't want to go through with it, just say the word. I won't force you.”
I kept my voice light：“A stray mutt off the street will never compare to the loyal one you raised at home. Besides, if I don't get married, my uncles will never stop circling.”
“I've been playing around long enough. Time to settle down. The wedding goes on. No sense wasting a hundred-million-dollar ceremony over a groom who ran. All I need is a different one. It's not a big deal.”
Real love was a rare thing among the wealthy.
I'd accepted that a long time ago.
I went to the bridal shop alone for my fitting. The moment I reached the entrance, the attendant's face hit me with a look caught between shock and awkwardness.
Something was wrong. I walked in.
The gown my mother had custom-made the day I was born.
Isabel was wearing it.
I turned on the attendant：“That gown belongs to the Fox family. It was left here for safekeeping. Who gave you permission to let someone try it on?”
The attendant rolled her eyes at me：“Fox family? This is the wedding gown for Mr. Gilbert's future wife. Everyone knows you've been dumped. What does this dress have to do with you?”
“Can't even hold onto your man, and you think you can hold onto a dress worth a fortune.”
The attendant positioned herself between me and the gown, blocking me like a guard.
I let out a cold laugh and turned to Claude：“Funny. I don't recall this gown changing owners.”
Claude stood there in a matching suit, not a flicker of guilt on his face. He answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world：
“Isabel is the woman I've chosen as my wife.”
He tossed a gold card onto the counter：“There's thirty million dollars on this. Consider it payment for the gown. Don't push your luck.”
Isabel pressed her fingers to her lips, stifling a laugh：“Claude, even if this dress were covered in diamonds it wouldn't be worth thirty million. You really do spoil me.”
