Chapter 2

Seraphina POV

After leaving the charity auction, I drove aimlessly. By the time I came to my senses, I'd stopped by a lake near a university.

The lake surface rippled with fragmented silver light under the moon. This was where Adrian and I had our first date, our first time holding hands, our first kiss.

Adrian and I first met at a party.

At the time, I'd refused the persistent advances of a wealthy man in our circle. He'd publicly thrown a drink on me and verbally humiliated me.

Everyone knew I was the adopted daughter of the Palmer family. With the return of their biological daughter, I was no longer favored.

When no one would speak up for me, Adrian stepped forward. He punched the wealthy man to the ground and forcefully made him apologize to me.

From that moment on, I couldn't control my feelings for him.

Adrian liked me too. He pursued me actively.

After we got together, he treated me so well. All my friends envied me.

If only there hadn't been Vivian...

Vivian appeared two years ago.

Adrian said that when he was a teenager, he was targeted by his family's enemies. Vivian's father had taken a fatal knife wound for him. He owed the Whitmore family a life, so he had to take responsibility for caring for her.

At the time, I thought repaying kindness was the right thing to do.

But later, Adrian 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 meticulous care of her during her period.

"Her father died for me," Adrian would explain whenever I showed the slightest unease. "Seraphina, I have to repay this debt."

Back then, I was foolish enough to believe that Adrian's special treatment of Vivian was purely because she was his savior's daughter. Despite my discomfort, I endured it.

Until a year ago, when I saw Vivian wearing my pajamas, running out of Adrian's bedroom. Adrian still made excuses, saying he'd been drugged and mistook Vivian for me.

I thought that after that, I'd never cry for Adrian again.

But now, the tears still wouldn't stop.

My phone vibrated repeatedly in my bag. All calls from Adrian.

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

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

The enormous house was empty. The festive wedding decorations hadn't been removed yet. The bright flowers now looked particularly harsh.

I showered, buried myself under the covers, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

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

I groggily answered. Before I could speak, my friend Lillian's urgent voice exploded through the line. "Seraphina! Have you seen the news? Look now! Right now!"

"What news..." My voice was hoarse.

"Adrian and that Vivian! Their story is all over social media!"

I was instantly awake.

I hung up and opened Twitter.

I didn't need to search. The top trending topic was #Hunt Corporation CEO Pays Fortune For Mysterious Woman's Dinner Date#.

I clicked in. There were nine photos.

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

In the photos, Adrian and Vivian were having dinner at an upscale restaurant. Afterward, they left the restaurant together and got into Adrian's car.

The car stopped in front of a five-star hotel. Adrian and Vivian walked in side by side, eventually entering a hotel suite together.

The caption was ambiguous and detailed.

[Hunt Corporation CEO Adrian Hunt paid one hundred million for mysterious woman Vivian Whitmore's "dinner date." After a romantic dinner, the two entered a hotel together and haven't left as of this morning. Sources say Adrian recently married his wife Seraphina Palmer in a high-profile wedding of the century...]

The comments had exploded.

"Holy shit! One hundred million! Just for dinner? Who believes that! This obviously has deeper meaning!"

"This Vivian is really something. She can make Mr. Hunt spend that much money and abandon his newlywed wife on the spot."

"Adrian is so handsome. Spending so much money just for Vivian's smile. Their relationship is so touching!"

"Am I the only one who feels sorry for the wife? She was there last night, right? Watching her husband bid insanely for another woman—what kind of hellish scene is that? Their wedding billboards are still up..."