Julian’s brother, Brett, suddenly started speaking in French at the party. “So, Julian,” he slurred, “when’s the big day with Seraphina?” Julian, cool as a cucumber, replied in French, “Family’s set the date. Two weeks from now.” The whole private room erupted in laughter, their eyes twinkling with amusement as they glanced at me. “What about your little Cinderella girlfriend here?” someone else piped up in French. Julian wrapped an arm around me, his voice a lazy drawl, “Seraphina gets the title, Elara gets my love.” My fingertips clutching the glass turned stark white. They had no idea. They saw me as some impoverished girl, but I was actually the only daughter of the world’s richest man. I took a deep breath, then turned to call my billionaire parents. “I’m ready to come home and inherit the family fortune.” After the party, I followed everyone out of the private room. I hadn’t walked more than a few steps when a voice I didn’t recognize called out, “Miss Sterling!” I turned. It was Mr. Davis, a business partner who’d been trying to collaborate with my father for ages. I didn’t want to expose my identity, trying to figure out how to brush him off, when one of Julian’s friends, trailing behind him, scanned me from head to toe. He snorted, ” ‘Miss’ who? Is her entire outfit even worth five hundred dollars? A ‘Miss’? That’s a joke! A total laugh riot.” That comment unleashed a fresh wave of mockery. They weren’t speaking French now, so I heard every word of their taunts, though my face remained expressionless. Julian, on the other hand, bristled. He shot the guy a cold, warning look. The friend, clearly annoyed, toned it down, no longer openly mocking me. The others, receiving the same glare, gradually quieted. With the noise subdued and Mr. Davis not following, I walked behind Julian. We didn’t exchange a single word all the way home. Once inside, he took off his jacket, hanging it on a nearby rack, before finally speaking. “Baby, I won’t take you to these kinds of parties anymore.” My expression was calm, but I asked, “Do you think I embarrass you?” He let out a short, incredulous laugh and reached out to ruffle my hair, but I dodged him. He sighed, “What are you thinking? I just don’t want you to be upset.” “But there’s a difference in our social standing, and we’ll always face situations like this. Haven’t your family pushed you into an arranged marriage?” I watched him, trying to find a hint of guilt in his expression. But even hearing the words “arranged marriage,” Julian’s face only stiffened for a second before quickly returning to his usual composure. “Elara, all you need to know is that you’re the one I love. As for everything else, I’ll figure it out.” If I hadn’t been watching closely, I wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss. After speaking, Julian headed to the bathroom to wash up. Watching him walk away, I said nothing, but a thought gnawed at me: His “solution” was to follow his family’s wishes, marry one woman, and keep another on the side? A notification chime sounded from Julian’s phone on the bedside table. He’d never hidden his password from me, so I easily unlocked it and clicked on the message. It was from Seraphina Beaumont. [Julian, we’re meeting our parents tomorrow. If you don’t stay here tonight, won’t they realize our marriage is just for show? I know you love your girlfriend, but please, just for these few days, can you stay with me?] Though her words were humble, I saw her true intention. First, she’d use their parents as an excuse to make him stay. Then, she’d keep using that excuse, pushing further, little by little. But none of it mattered to me anymore. I was already planning my exit. I marked the message unread and put the phone back. Soon after, Julian emerged from the bathroom, grabbed his phone, glanced at it, and then looked at me apologetically. “Elara, something urgent came up at the office. I won’t be back tonight. You get some good rest.” He left in a hurry, too rushed to notice my reaction, or that I, who usually walked him to the door, whining and asking him to spend more time with me, didn’t try to stop him this time. I just watched his silhouette disappear into the distance. *Ding-dong*. Julian had barely left when my phone chimed. [All it took was one word from me, and Julian came right back. We’re meeting our families tomorrow. Once we’re really married, what will you be? Just… a permanent secret mistress?] Seraphina’s words were vicious, but what hurt more was that the knife used to wound me had been handed to her by the boyfriend I thought I could entrust my life to. Julian probably didn’t know that even if he didn’t discuss his engagement in French, his upcoming marriage to someone else wouldn’t remain a secret from me for long. Seraphina had already added me on SnapChat, and these past few days, she’d been sending me all sorts of provocative pictures. Photos of Julian helping Seraphina try on wedding dresses, pictures of them picking out engagement rings, photos of them scouting wedding venues… Each picture, one after another, completely shattered any remaining love I had for Julian. That night, Julian didn’t come home. I didn’t care at all. The next morning, after a quick wash, I went straight to the company and resigned. My termination paperwork was processed that same day. Julian was home when I returned. I told him I’d quit, then continued carrying my boxes toward my room. His brows furrowed deeply. “You liked that job so much, why did you suddenly resign?” I paused, looking at him with a smile. “Because I have a job I want to do even more now.”
Julian didn’t press further, only saying, “If work gets too tiring, just come back. Seeing you exhaust yourself like this pains me, Elara. You know I can provide for you.” I shook my head, enunciating each word. “I am no one’s accessory.” Julian looked stunned. “How could you be an accessory…?” I didn’t want to hear it anymore, cutting him off. “Why are you home so early today? Not at the office?” “I’ve been so busy with work lately, no time to spend with you. So today, I thought I’d make some time.” His brow smoothed, and he was back to being my compliant boyfriend. “What do you want to do? Italian or a movie? Whatever you want today, I’ll go with you.” The old me would have been incredibly touched by those words. After all, he was the heir to the Vance Group, with countless responsibilities. The fact that he was willing to carve out time for me showed I held a significant place in his heart. But now, looking at him, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was he truly busy with work, or was he busy planning a wedding? How could he possibly be planning a wedding with another woman while simultaneously sweet-talking me, claiming I was the only one he loved? In the end, I didn’t expose his lies. There were only a few days left anyway. Soon, I would disappear from his life completely. I shook my head, rejecting his suggestions. After a moment, I said, “How about you help me with a big clean-out? A lot of things in the villa are old and useless.” Julian agreed, helping me sort through things. But as we cleaned, everything I pulled out was a matching couple’s item that we’d bought together. From water bottles to accessories, from clothes to slippers—I tossed them all into the trash without a second thought. His smile stiffened with each couple’s item I discarded. By the time the last one hit the bin, his panic was undeniable. “Elara, did you… find out something?” “Find out what? Are you hiding something from me?” I raised an eyebrow, looking at Julian, deflecting his question with one of my own. He averted his gaze, as if afraid to meet my eyes, and remained silent for a moment. In the end, he didn’t answer directly, just clasped my hand. “Elara, no matter what happens, just remember, you are the one I love.” I curled my lip, saying nothing more. After the big clean-out, Julian still insisted on taking me out on a date. Fearing he might sense something was wrong, I didn’t refuse again. We had dinner, watched a movie, and finally, the car pulled up to an auction house. Just as we were about to enter, I saw a woman in a Chanel suit, with immaculate makeup, slowly approaching us. Julian’s expression flickered with a hint of discomfort. “What’s wrong? Someone you know?” As I spoke, the woman stopped in front of us, a warm smile on her face as she greeted us. Julian introduced her, “She’s the daughter of my parents’ friends, Seraphina Beaumont.” He paused, then introduced me, “This is my girlfriend, Elara.” Anyone not deaf could hear the difference in his introductions. Seraphina’s smile immediately faltered, but after a moment, she forced it back and extended her hand to me. “I’ve heard Julian’s girlfriend is beautiful. It’s certainly true.” Just then, the group of friends who had openly mocked me in French the day before approached, winking at Julian, thinking they were being subtle. I immediately understood: this encounter wasn’t accidental. They had deliberately brought Seraphina here. At the auction, Seraphina sat right beside Julian. Unlike her provocative SnapChat messages, in person she was gentle, refined, and knowledgeable. Upon learning of Julian’s interest in antiques, she conversed eloquently about the subject, and Julian, initially distant, gradually leaned closer to her. It wasn’t until I cleared my throat that Julian seemed to snap back to reality, realizing he’d been ignoring his actual girlfriend for too long. He quickly took off his jacket and draped it over me, his voice gentle. “Are you cold? Is that better? Elara, I know you’re not interested in these things, but if anything catches your eye, just bid on it.” I hadn’t even spoken when whispers from his friends behind us drifted over. Though they deliberately lowered their voices, we were only one row apart, and I heard every word. “Julian really knows how to play the hero for her. Even if she *were* interested, what would she know? She probably doesn’t even know how to raise a paddle, ha ha ha ha.” “Exactly. A high-society auction? She’s definitely a newbie.” I knew they were saying it for me to hear. I didn’t bother reacting. Soon enough, when we met again, they’d have to stand before me, respectful and calling me Miss Sterling. At that moment, the previous item was sold, and the next one was brought up. It was an ‘Imperial Swan’ Fabergé egg, crafted from the finest gold and encrusted with diamonds. What truly made it exceptional was the auctioneer’s announcement: it was a lost masterpiece by the legendary artisan, Master Dubois. As soon as I heard Master Dubois’s name, I instinctively looked at the piece on the stage. After just a glance, I retracted my gaze, my voice flat. “That one’s fake.” Seraphina’s smile almost fell off her face. “How can Miss Sterling tell?” “Because the real one was given by the world’s richest man’s daughter, Miss Sterling, to her grandmother.” There was only one in the world. The real one was at my house. The one on stage had to be fake. I was trying to be helpful, but my words made Seraphina burst into laughter. Even Julian’s friends behind us began to openly mock me. “Elara, if you don’t know, just don’t pretend to. It’s embarrassing.” “Yeah, and ‘given by the richest man’s daughter’? Did you see it with your own eyes from under her bed? Just because your last name is Sterling, you think you’re related to Miss Sterling?” The laughter grew louder until Julian, his face cold, finally silenced their taunts. He looked at me, taking my hand. “Elara, I know you’ve been reading some art appreciation books lately, but you can’t improve your appreciation skills just from books. Seraphina has been attending auctions since she was a child and is quite knowledgeable about such art. She naturally understands more than you.” He didn’t say anything overly harsh, but his meaning was clear: he thought I was talking nonsense. I let out a soft laugh, saying nothing. In the end, Seraphina paid a staggering twenty million dollars for that Fabergé egg. Watching her swipe her card, I smiled. I wondered what Mrs. Vance would think when she learned Seraphina had bought her a fake for $20 million. I didn’t stop her, nor did I care. I stood up and went to the restroom. Just as I finished washing my hands, a familiar voice came from behind me. “I thought I’d made myself clear enough. How can you still shamelessly hang around? Do you really want to be a homewrecker?” Her voice was sharp and grating, completely unlike the gentle, refined socialite she’d been moments ago. I calmly raised my eyes, turning to face her. “Miss Beaumont, I hope you understand that I’ve been with him for five years. The term ‘homewrecker’ certainly doesn’t apply to me, does it?” With that, I prepared to walk past her, but she wouldn’t let me go, sneering, “Yes, five years together, and he still won’t marry you. Haven’t you ever wondered why? I’m Miss Beaumont, and he’s the heir to the Vance Group. Our families are perfectly matched. But you?” “With a gambling father and a sick mother, such a pathetic background, nothing to your name. How could you possibly deserve him?” My steps faltered. This background was a complete fabrication, but I never imagined Julian would tell Seraphina even that. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. If I truly came from such a background, would my so-called boyfriend, the one who said I was the only one he loved, have handed another woman a second knife to hurt me with? “You’re right, I don’t deserve him.” A pang of pain shot through my heart. I glanced back at Seraphina, and the pent-up frustration I’d held inside suddenly dissipated. “You two are a perfect match. I wish you both a successful marriage.” With that, I turned and walked away. I hadn’t gone far when my phone rang. It was my mother. “Elara, hurry home. Everyone’s waiting for you, and we’ve prepared tons of gifts.” “Your father and I bought you a castle overseas, your aunt bought you a diamond crown—they say it was once worn by the Queen of England—and your uncle, he’s got a garage full of luxury cars waiting for you…” Listening to my mother’s endless stream of gifts my family had prepared for my return, I couldn’t help but sigh. “Mom, I’m coming home to inherit the family fortune, not to squander it.” The moment my words fell, a familiar voice came from behind me. “Inherit the family fortune? What are you talking about?”
I froze, instinctively hanging up the phone, but couldn’t help but marvel at how much these people loved to suddenly speak from behind others. I turned around, seeing Julian’s distinctly unhappy expression. After a moment of hesitation, I explained, “Oh, nothing. Just some old colleagues asking what I plan to do after resigning. I was just joking with them, saying I’m going home to inherit the family business.” Julian frowned, about to speak, but I had already walked several steps away. I looked back and called out, “Coming? There are still a few jewelry pieces to be presented.” Hearing that, Julian stopped himself, nodded, and followed me. Back in the auction hall, Julian bought several more jewelry pieces at high prices, had them wrapped, and presented them to me. I looked at the boxes in my hands. “I don’t wear this kind of jewelry,” I said softly. Julian smiled, ruffling my hair. “You’ll get used to it. Don’t worry about wasting money. I’ll buy you diamonds for life.” My lips moved, but I ultimately held back the rest of my words. I don’t wear these million-dollar jewels. My jewels, each piece, are worth hundreds of millions. The auction was over, and people were gradually leaving. Julian and I, along with our group, didn’t linger. Everyone had driven their own cars, and we should have just gone our separate ways. But as soon as we got into the car, before it even started, Seraphina knocked on the passenger window. The window slowly rolled down, revealing her bashful face, her voice equally sweet and delicate, completely devoid of the sharp-tongued venom she’d shown me in the restroom earlier. “Julian, my car broke down. Could you give me a ride home?” Julian frowned, about to refuse, when she added, “Your parents asked you to look after me. You haven’t forgotten, have you?” Julian’s expression darkened, clearly remembering something. He finally agreed. Seeing him nod, her smile visibly brightened. She then pushed her luck, looking at me. “But I get motion sickness. What if I can’t sit in the back?” Julian looked at me, but before he could speak, I had already pushed open the car door, stepped out, and swiftly moved to the back seat. My movements were so quick that Julian hadn’t even reacted before I was settled in the back. His words were stuck in his throat, making him look uncomfortable. He seemed hesitant, wanting to say it was just a seat, nothing to fuss over. When his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and saw me with my eyes closed, pretending to rest, he stayed silent. Just then, Seraphina got into the car. The door closed, and seeing me resting in the back, a triumphant smirk touched her lips. Her voice was soft and sweet, her eyes coyly on Julian. “Is Miss Sterling tired? Let her rest for a bit then.” Perhaps sensing my unusual quietness, Julian didn’t engage much with Seraphina. He just nodded and silently started the car. I must have actually fallen asleep at some point, because when I woke up, the car was already parked in the Vance family villa’s garage, and Seraphina was long gone. Julian stroked my face. “Awake? You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you.” Still a little groggy, I nodded, opened the car door, got out, and walked straight towards the front door without waiting for Julian. Julian caught up to me at the entrance, blocking my way. “Are you mad? Seraphina really is just the daughter of my parents’ friends. Don’t worry about it.” I hummed in response. Julian thought I was still angry. He took my hand, coaxing softly, “She’s truly just the daughter of my parents’ friends, baby. You know I only love you.” After speaking, he caught a whiff of my rose perfume, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he leaned in to kiss me, but I pushed him away. Watching his astonished expression, I walked directly inside. “I’m on my period and not feeling well, so I’m heading to my room to rest.” With that, I locked the door, completely cutting off Julian’s chance to come in. The next morning, in the downstairs dining room, as Julian and I ate breakfast, my phone, which was lying nearby, suddenly rang. It was a timed alarm I’d set a while ago. The reminder: “Meet the Parents.” Julian also saw the message. Before, I had planned to reveal my identity to him and suggested he come home to meet my parents, which he had agreed to. We exchanged glances. I was wondering how to cancel the meeting when, the next second, his phone also rang. It was Seraphina. I couldn’t hear what she said, but his expression changed slightly. When he turned back to me, he apologized and called off our meeting. “Elara, something’s suddenly come up that I need to deal with. How about we meet your parents another time?” I nodded calmly. “Perfect, I have something to take care of today too.” Julian left soon after, and I followed suit. I went shopping, buying a gift for each of my girlfriends whom I was meeting later. When we met, everyone opened their packages, gasping as they saw a brand new luxury item in each box. “Elara, where did you find so many high-end fakes? They look so real!” “They’re all real.” Seeing their surprised faces, I couldn’t help but chuckle. After explaining, and seeing they still looked unconvinced, I revealed my true identity. “Actually, what I told you before about my father gambling and my mother being sick—that was all fake. My real identity is the sole heir to the world’s wealthiest family. I’m saying goodbye to you all because I’m going home to inherit the family fortune.” Hearing me say this, everyone was first shocked, then overjoyed, exclaiming that a real-life heiress had been right among them. Their screams nearly blew the roof off the restaurant. After their excitement, someone remembered Julian and quickly asked, “But if you go back, what about Julian? Does he know your real identity?” At the mention of Julian, the smile on my face faded slightly. “He’s planning to marry someone else.” “No way!” My friends were incredulous. “He always seemed like such a devoted rich guy to us!” “Exactly! Three years ago, you said you liked night-blooming orchids, and he spent a fortune buying every rare one in existence just to see you smile. Two years ago, when you got the flu, he cancelled a multi-million-dollar deal and flew back from overseas to personally care for you, staying awake all night. And a year ago, your car got into an accident. The truck was headed straight for you, but he swerved to protect you. You didn’t even lose a hair, but he broke three ribs and was in the hospital for three months, almost not waking up. Now he’s getting married? How could the bride not be you?” Hearing my friends recount those past events, I still felt a surge of emotion. Back then, Julian truly loved me enough to risk his life. But now… I shook my head, smiling faintly. “He did love me, but his family thinks I’m not good enough for him and forced him into an arranged marriage. Before I even had a chance to tell him the truth, he’d already printed the invitations. From what he said, he probably intended to keep me as his mistress after the wedding.” My friends exploded instantly. “What? A mistress?!” “Asking the world’s richest heiress to be a mistress? The Vance family must be insane!” “Oh, really? He’ll regret this, just you wait!” “Exactly! If he knew you were secretly leaving, and his family found out your real identity, they’d go crazy!” Just then, Julian and Seraphina walked in from outside, frowning as they overheard our conversation. “What real identity?” Seeing them enter together, one of my friends, absolutely furious, was about to speak but I stopped her. I looked at the two newcomers, my expression cold. “What are you two doing here?” At my question, Julian couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, his eyes flickering. “The Vance and Beaumont families have a collaboration, so we arranged to meet and discuss it.” Hearing his reply, I just smiled. Of course, I knew about their “collaboration” – a marriage alliance. Because they were discussing “business,” Julian and Seraphina didn’t sit with us, but at a separate table nearby—close enough for me to witness their intimate interactions. Like him cutting her steak, her sharing her favorite food with him, him handing her a napkin, her wiping a smudge from his lips… The two exchanged affectionate gestures, infuriating my friends, but my face remained calm.
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