She was just a college student; there’s no way she could afford something that expensive.
Chloe shot me a startled look, then, blushing and flustered, quickly shifted her gaze to Sebastian.
As expected, Sebastian spoke up for her. “Evelyn, don’t get the wrong idea. Chloe was mistreated during her internship at the company. As her boss, buying her a gift to cheer her up is the least I can do. There’s nothing going on between us.”
I raised my glass to him with a smile to show I understood, then turned away and called my assistant.
Moments later, his phone started ringing, and Sebastian stepped aside to take the call.
Just then, a society lady I knew came over to greet me and casually asked who Chloe was.
I wasn’t stupid; there was more than a little mockery in that question.
People see everything. No one here was blind. The way Sebastian had just been shielding that little girl—anyone with eyes could tell.
I didn’t bother to sugarcoat it. “Probably a delusional little mistress who thinks she can sleep her way to the top.”
The color drained from Chloe’s face. She looked humiliated and wronged, as if she might burst into tears at any second.
Her pretty eyes filled with tears.
Such an innocent little pure white flower, so fragile and pitiful.
No wonder Sebastian liked her.
The woman who’d asked clearly hadn’t expected me to be so blunt. Sensing the tension, she beat a tactful retreat.
I folded my arms and gave Chloe a long, mocking once-over.
“Chloe Bennett, right? At your age, you’d be better off reading a few more books, doing a few more practice tests, doing something real—like studying for the civil service exam—instead of clinging to these ridiculous fantasies. Otherwise, you’ll end up losing your body and your heart, and for what?”
She knew I was humiliating her in public. Her lips trembled for a long time, but in the end she couldn’t force out a single word.
I laughed coldly to myself. I’d played the gentle, gracious wife for so long everyone seemed to think I was some docile little vine waiting to be cut down.
“Evelyn, I…”
“Don’t.” I lifted a hand, cutting her off. “My mother only gave birth to one child—me. I don’t have a younger sister. And this is the twenty-first century; we don’t do that ‘concubine’ shit anymore.”
Chloe’s tears started falling even harder.
I was just about to twist the knife when Sebastian came back.
He walked straight up to me and asked bluntly, “You ordered the necklace?”
Little Song worked fast. I met his eyes calmly. “Yeah.”
“Why the hell did you order so many? It’s not like you ever wear them.”
I leaned back against a pillar and let out a soft, amused laugh. “I was helping you curry favor, of course. College students have it rough these days—working themselves to death at internships. Buying each of them a little gift to coax them along seems only fair.”
For the first time that night, a flicker of emotion crossed Sebastian’s usually unreadable face.
But it vanished just as quickly. He’d always been good at hiding his feelings.
Without missing a beat, he slipped an arm around my waist, pulled me close, and murmured against my ear with a teasing lilt, “It’s just a necklace. If you like it, I’ll buy you another one. Scaring the newbies doesn’t matter, but if you make yourself sick from anger, I’d actually feel bad.”
His voice was as low and hoarse as ever, like on all those nights when we’d whispered in the dark. His cool breath brushed my ear—once used for seduction, and now, clearly, to shield Chloe from the fallout.
I slid my hand up his back, using his pull on my waist to draw him even closer. Matching his tone, I murmured, “You know better than I do what Chloe’s after. That necklace is the least of what I care about, Sebastian. I didn’t mind what you did before we were together, but don’t forget—I’m Mrs. Harrington now. If this blows up, it won’t end well for either of us.”
“Today,” I added, my voice dropping, “had better be the last time.”
That final sentence came out between clenched teeth.
There was steel in it.
