Chapter 2

Seraphina's POV

After leaving the charity auction, I drove aimlessly. When I came back to my senses, I'd stopped by the lake near the university district.

The lake surface glittered with fragmented silver light under the moon. This was where Ashton and I had our first date, first held hands, first kissed.

Ashton and I first met at a party.

At the time, I'd rejected the advances of a man in our circle, and he publicly dumped a drink over me and verbally humiliated me.

Everyone knew I was the adopted fake heiress of the Hart family. With the return of the real heiress, I'd fallen out of favor.

When no one was willing to speak up for me, Ashton stepped forward and punched the man to the ground, forcing him to apologize to me.

From that moment on, I fell helplessly for him.

And Ashton seemed to like me too. He pursued me actively.

After we got together, he treated me incredibly well. My friends all envied me.

If only there had been no Vivian...

Vivian appeared two years ago.

Ashton said that when he was a teenager, his family's enemies came for revenge. Vivian's father had taken a fatal knife blow meant for him. He owed the family a life, so he had to take responsibility for taking care of her.

At the time, I thought it was right to repay kindness.

But then Ashton started frequently taking Vivian's calls, even during our dates.

He remembered all of Vivian's preferences. He knew she was allergic to mangoes, knew she was afraid of the dark, would take care of her during her period.

"Her father died for me."

Whenever I showed even a hint of insecurity, Ashton would explain it this way.

"Seraphina, I have to repay this debt."

Back then, I naively believed that Ashton's special treatment of Vivian was purely because she was his savior's daughter. Despite my misgivings, I endured it.

Until a year ago, when I saw Vivian running out of Ashton's bedroom wearing my pajamas. Even then, Ashton claimed he'd been drugged and mistook Vivian for me.

I thought after that, I'd never cry over Ashton again.

But now, the tears still wouldn't stop.

My phone vibrated in my bag again and again. All calls from Ashton.

I didn't answer. Finally, I just turned it off.

At one in the morning, I finally returned to the villa.

The massive house was empty. The festive wedding decorations in the bridal suite hadn't been taken down yet. They looked particularly glaring now.

I took a shower, buried myself in the blankets, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning, I was woken by my phone ringing.

I groggily answered. Before I could speak, my best friend Lily's urgent voice exploded through the line.

"Seraphina! Have you seen the news? Look now! Right now!"

"What news..."

My voice was hoarse.

"Ashton and that Vivian! They're trending!"

I was instantly awake.

I hung up and opened social media.

No need to search. The top trending topic was #Blackwood CEO Spends Fortune on Mystery Woman's Dinner Rights#.

I clicked in. Nine photos arranged in a grid.

The first three were from last night's charity auction. The rest were candid shots from various angles.

In the photos, Ashton and Vivian shared dinner at an upscale restaurant. After they left the restaurant, they got into Ashton's car together.

The car stopped at a five-star hotel entrance. Ashton and Vivian walked in side by side, eventually entering a hotel suite together.

The caption was suggestive and detailed.

"Blackwood Group CEO Ashton Blackwood spent one hundred million to win the 'dinner rights' of mystery woman Vivian. The two shared a romantic dinner before entering a hotel together, not leaving until this morning. Reportedly, Ashton and his wife Seraphina Hart were recently married, having held a high-profile wedding of the century. The vows are still ringing in our ears."

The comment section had exploded.

"One hundred million! Just for dinner? Only an idiot would believe that! This is obviously 'dinner' turning into 'all night'!"

"This Vivian's got something. She can make Mr. Blackwood throw money around like that and publicly slap his legitimate wife in the face."

"Ashton is so handsome though. Spending a fortune just for one dinner? Why do I find this kind of sweet?"

"Am I the only one who feels bad for his wife? She was there last night, right? Watching her own husband bid frantically for another woman. What kind of hellish scene is that? Their wedding billboards aren't even down yet..."