The man paused briefly and turned to look at Navia.
Their eyes met.
In the reflection of his dark gaze, Navia could see herself clearly. For some reason, she thought she caught a hint of expectation in his eyes.
"Why would you ask that?" he asked softly. "Do I seem familiar to you?"
Navia instinctively shook her head.
"This is the first time I've met you," she admitted. "Though I've heard your name plenty of times."
"Is that so?"
Something shifted in his expression, his eyes darkening slightly. Even his tone cooled.
"It's getting late," he said. "I'll have someone drive you home."
He was injured and clearly needed rest, so Navia didn't want to disturb him any longer.
"It's fine," she replied. "The police are still downstairs. I'll be okay."
With that, she turned and left.
The moment the door closed, Leonel Crawford slowly rose from the hospital bed and walked to the window, his eyes following Navia's figure until she disappeared completely from sight.
A few minutes later, a man dressed in black hurried into the room.
It was Jason Cole, Leonel's most trusted aide.
"Sir, I had the vehicle inspected immediately," Jason reported. "The tire was definitely tampered with. We should know who did it very soon-"
Leonel was still holding a copy of the hospital paperwork.
Because everything had happened so urgently, Navia had signed her name in the emergency contact section when admitting him.
His gaze lingered on her signature.
His fingertips brushed lightly across the handwriting as the faintest smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"There's no need to investigate," he said calmly. "I did it myself."
Jason froze.
"What?"
Then realization dawned on him.
"Since your return and takeover of the Crawford family business, the other branches have been targeting you nonstop," Jason said carefully. "By getting into a car accident now, you've made the old chairman suspicious of them. It limits their ability to move against you while protecting yourself at the same time."
Leonel lowered his gaze slightly.
"No," he said in a calm voice. "It serves three purposes."
Jason frowned. "There's a third?"
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Leonel's lips, unreadable and cold.
"You'll find out soon enough."
He folded the document with unhurried precision before slipping it into his pocket.
-
Navia returned to the Harrison family villa.
The mansion felt cold and empty.
Silent.
Her mother, Evelyn Harrison, had once been the chairwoman of the Harrison Group. But after a devastating car accident years ago, she had fallen into a coma and never woken up.
Her father, Daniel Harrison, was now acting CEO.
At least, publicly, he claimed to be busy with work and social obligations.
In reality, he had long been living with his mistress and illegitimate daughter behind closed doors.
The family still looked complete from the outside.
But in truth, it had already fallen apart.
Thinking about everything that had happened that night, Navia rushed into the bathroom and splashed cold water against her face again and again.
She stared at herself in the mirror.
Long dark hair framed delicate features and porcelain skin. Her beauty was undeniable.
But tonight, her face was deathly pale.
Tomorrow was supposed to be her wedding day.
Once upon a time, she had been genuinely excited about her future with Liam Crawford.
Now, after discovering his true nature, the thought of marrying him made her physically sick.
Taking a deep breath, Navia opened the anonymous text message again.
[Who are you?!]
If it weren't for that message, she never would have uncovered Liam and Linda's affair.
But who sent it?
And what did they want?
Navia gripped her phone tightly, but no reply came.
Just as she was about to give up, her phone suddenly rang.
A distorted mechanical voice came through the line, impossible to identify as male or female.
"So," the voice said, "you saw everything."
"Yes," Navia replied coldly. "I saw all of it."
"Quite the surprise, wasn't it?"
She let out a self-mocking laugh.
"Yeah. One hell of a surprise. So who are you? What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
The mysterious caller ignored the question.
"If you don't cancel tomorrow morning's wedding immediately," the voice said calmly, "it'll be too late."
Navia narrowed her eyes.
So this person's goal was simply to ruin her marriage to Liam?
She knew she wouldn't get any real answers.
After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath.
"Cancel the wedding?" she repeated softly. "You don't need to worry about that. I'll be there tomorrow morning."
The caller sounded shocked.
"Are you crazy?"
"Maybe I am," Navia replied with a faint smile. "You'll probably be there too, won't you? Whatever your real goal is..." Her eyes turned icy cold. "Just watch carefully."
Then she hung up.
-
Navia didn't sleep all night.
At dawn, she changed into her wedding dress.
Because of her mother's condition, the wedding had been kept simple. There was no lavish ceremony or extravagant celebration-only invited guests and a handful of media outlets covering the event live.
Soon, the car arrived at the outdoor wedding venue on the outskirts of the city.
At the end of the red carpet stood her father, Daniel Harrison.
Beside him was Linda, dressed in a bridesmaid gown.
And next to her stood Liam Crawford in a tailored white suit.
Liam was undeniably handsome.
Elegant. Charming. Perfect.
He walked toward Navia and extended his hand, his eyes filled with affection.
"Navia," he said softly, "you're here."
If she hadn't heard the conversation between him and Linda with her own ears the night before, she might truly have been deceived by him.
The more loving and devoted he appeared in front of others, the more horrifying it became to remember the cold calculations he hid behind that mask.
Navia ignored the hand he offered and walked straight down the red carpet alone.
Liam paused in surprise, assuming she was merely nervous, then smiled and followed after her.
Soon, the two stood before the officiant.
Around them, cameras streamed the ceremony live.
"Liam Crawford," the officiant began, "do you take this woman to be your lawful wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health?"
Liam looked at Navia tenderly.
"I do."
The officiant then turned toward Navia.
"And do you, Navia Harrison, take this man to be your lawful husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health?"
Navia lifted her chin.
Every word fell sharp and clear.
"I do not."
Silence.
Navia stood there in her white wedding gown, graceful and poised like a swan, her slender neck lifted proudly.
Yet the words she had spoken struck the crowd like thunder.
Liam's expression froze.
"Navia..." he said stiffly. "You misspoke just now, didn't you?"
"No," she replied calmly. "I didn't."
"And all of you heard me correctly too."
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
"The man I planned to marry was supposed to love me, protect me, and take responsibility for me."
Her voice turned colder with every word.
"Not a lying hypocrite who pretends to be one person in public while hiding his true face behind closed doors."
Without even looking at Liam, Navia turned toward the cameras surrounding the ceremony.
"So today, in front of everyone, I have an announcement to make."
She took a steady breath.
"I, Navia Harrison, am officially ending my engagement to Liam Crawford."
The instant those words fell, Liam's face darkened completely.
Not only because Navia had humiliated him without mercy-
But because this was happening live, in front of nearly every influential family connected to the Crawfords.
The entire city was watching.
"Ending the engagement?" Liam snapped, his handsome face twisting with fury. "Have you lost your mind?!"
Beside him, Linda covered her mouth dramatically.
"Oh my God, Navia," she exclaimed. "This is a wedding between the Harrison and Crawford families! This isn't the time to throw a tantrum!"
Daniel Harrison's face also changed instantly.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" he shouted furiously. "Calling off the engagement in public-are you trying to humiliate this family to death?!"
Navia looked at him steadily.
"Dad, I know you're angry. But I've already made my decision. I will never marry Liam Crawford because-"
SLAP!
Daniel's hand struck her hard across the face.
A burning red mark instantly appeared on Navia's cheek.
***
