NovelEnglish“I have nothing to say to you,” | muttered, stepping around him and striding off.
‘What does Edward even want to talk about? Does he just want to hearsay, to his face, that | must've been
blind to choose Ryan?’ | thought.
| don’t owe it to him to feed his sad little ego.
| hurried to the restaurant, and Isabelle had already taken care of the ordering. But she wasn't sitting alone.
Next to her sat a girl with a refined, elegant beauty.
There was a quiet pride about her, along with an effortless grace that spoke of a privileged upbringing.
Only someone raised in an elite family could have that gentle, polished, and slightly aloof vibe.
“Victoria, you finally made it! Was traffic bad? It’s always a nightmare around here,” Isabelle greetedwith a
bright smile.
| nodded. “Yeah, traffic was pretty rough.”
Isabelle looked a bit embarrassed for a second, then got all formal. “This is my friend, Fiona Chamberlain. She's a
future judge.”
Hearing that, | thought, ‘Wow, she’s kind of a big deal too.”
Fiona gavea polite nod. “Hello, Ms. Murphy. Nice to meet you.”
| actually had my wits abouttonight. Just from the look in Miss Chamberlain's eyes, | could already guess
who she really was.
She had to be Ryan's fiancée-the one he was set to marry.
From the way she acted, she seemed even more eager than Ryan to meet me, probably wanting to see what
kind of competition she was up against.
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Honestly, there was no point in comparing us. | knew | couldn't compete with her-if | could, Ryan wouldn't be
marrying her in the first place.
| knew exactly what was going on, but I just pretended not to notice.
Isabelle was basically just being used by Fiona as a tool. She was extra nice tothe whole time,
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almost like she was trying to get on my good side.
Fiona remained composed at first. The three of us chatted about all the usual things women talk about-gossip,
clothes, handbags, and style. When the topic turned to fashion, | joined in confidently, keeping the conversation
lively.
Halfway through the meal, Fiona, still impulsive with youth, couldn’t hold back anymore. She fixed her gaze on
Isabelle’s hand shook as she held her fork, and she gavea sheepish, apologetic look.
| set my fork down, took a calm sip of tea, and asked with cool curiosity, “Oh? You chere just for me?”
Fiona nodded, biting her lip. “The Chamberlain and Jennings families are arranging a marriage betweenand
Ryan. And soon, | might bechis wife.”
The air froze.
Isabelle glanced between Fiona and me, looking like she wanted to say something, but thought better
of it.
“Ms. Murphy, from now on, please cut off all contact with Ryan. It's better for everyone,” Fiona said, her voice
making it sound like an order.
| knew it was my cue to bow out.
But what | didn’t expect was for his future wife to barge in and say it herself, instead of hearing it
straight from Ryan.
“Victoria, I'm sorry, I...” Isabelle looked at me, her eyes full of guilt.
Fiona turned to Isabelle and said, “Isabelle, I'm sorry, but thanks for lettingtalk to her this.”
Isabelle was caught in the middle, looking super uncomfortable.
“Ms. Murphy, if you have any requests, just letknow. As long as it's within my power...” Fiona began.
“No need!” | cut her off, my voice calm but firm. “I was in a relationship, not a business deal. There are no
conditions to negotiate.”
Fiona froze, and Isabelle looked atwith surprise in her eyes.
They were just girls in their early twenties, so it was no wonder they were both caught off guard by my
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response.
| stood up, grabbed my bag, and said, “Thanks for the dinner, Isabelle. As for breaking up with Ryan, I'd rather
hear it from him personally.”
With that, | turned to leave. Fiona, clearly stung, shot to her feet and called after me, her voice trembling with
humiliation, “You never should've gotten involved with him. If you two had never dated, none of this would be
happening. This is all your fault.”
| paused mid-step, turned around, and looked her straight in the eye. “Honestly, | have no idea what you're
talking about. When | was with Ryan, I'd never even heard your name. So tell me-what exactly did | do wrong?”
Fiona’s eyes filled with angry tears, but she couldn't get a single word out.
Isabelle quickly jumped in to smooth things over. “Con, Fiona. | can vouch for Victoria-she never tried to
seduce Ryan. He was the one who made all the moves. Don’t blher.”
“Not knowing where you stand-that’s your biggest mistake,” Fiona shot back, her anger boiling over as she spat
out something even harsher.
| let out a cold laugh. “Yeah, not everyone's born a princess in sfancy family. But | pay my taxes and I've got
every right to live my life just like anyone else.”
Fiona was stunned, realizing | was calling her out for acting all high and mighty.
Isabelle hadn't expectedto be so blunt-she was momentarily stunned, then said, “Victoria, you should head
home. Stay safe on your way.”
| stormed out of the restaurant, but it wasn’t until | was outside that the suffocating frustration really
hit me.
It felt like | was the homewrecker here, the one sneaking around in the shadows.
‘Screw this, I'm not taking any of their crap,’ | told myself.
| yanked my mask on, still fuming, and stomped off toward the parking lot.
When | got there, seeing Edward's car still parked out front caughtoff guard.
He sawcoming, stepped out, and just leaned against his car, eyes fixed on me.
In the chill of the night, the dim glow fell over him, his tall figure standing there like suntouchable deity.
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There was no dodging him, no escaping.
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