Chapter 6
he moment Nathan’s eyes met mine, the enlor drained from his face.
He stood frozen like a Wall Street trader watching the market crash.
His expression morphed into pure terror.]
Before Nathan could speak, Victoria’s voice cut through, dripping with contempt.[]
“Ashley, who do you think you are? Using my flance’s first name so casually?”
The crowd of former classmates Joined in, their voices rising with self–righteousness.]
“Exactly! Don’t think Mr. Bradley will save you. Without Victoria, you’re nothing to him!“]
“Right! You’re just a nobody! You think you’re worthy of even breathing the same air as Mr. Bradley?” T
“Seriously, you think being Victoria’s old classmate gives you special privileges? Know your place!“[]
As the insults flew, an eerie calm settled over me.[]
But Nathan’s expression grew darker by the second.
I couldn’t help but smirk at him and asked casually, “Nathan, hear that?
“They say I’m not worthy of using your name. What’s your take?”
My casual words nearly knocked Nathan off his Ferragamos; he stumbled slightly, struggling to maintain composure.
Just as he opened his mouth, Victoria jumped in.]
“You gold–digging whore! How dare you address my fiancé like that?1]
“Clearly you need another lesson in manners!”
She lunged at me, manicured hand raised to strike.
But Nathan moved faster, catching her wrist mid swing
shock.[]
Victoria gasped, staring at him in shock.
ne?
“Baby, why are you stopping me?
“Feeling sorry for this loser?
“Or is she really your side piece?“]
The Plaza’s marble lobby erupted with gasps and whispers.
Everyone turned to Nathan and me, their eyes wide with speculation.
“Oh my god, is Ashley really Mr. Bradley’s mistress?”
“Must be! Why else would Mr. Bradley defend her?“]
“She’s just a side chick. No way she compares to Victoria!”
“Obviously! Mr. Bradley’s just stopping Victoria to avoid police involvement. He’s protecting her.”
Victoria clutched Nathan’s Brioni sleeve, shaking him.[]
“Even if she is your mistress, you don’t have to protect her! I’m your future wife!”
Her voice dripped with entitled certainty.]
Nathan suddenly jerked away from her, snapping, “Get off me!”
Victoria stumbled back in her Louboutins, face frozen in shock
The crowd stood bewildered. “What’s happening?”
In front of everyone, Nathan dropped to his knees.
“I’m so sorry, darling!” he trembled.
Nathan publicly submitted to me, calling me “darling” before the entire crowd
Our former classmates stood speechless.
Victoria gaped like a Botox injection had frozen her face, questioning everything she thought she knew.[]
“What’s going on? Why is Mr. Bradley calling Ashley ‘darling”
“What’s their real relationship?“||
Questions flew like arrows.
Victoria’s perfectly contoured face turned ashen, as if she’d just lost her trust fund
After a long moment, she snapped back and turned to Nathan, voice shrill with hysteria
“Nathan, what the hell? Why are you calling this tramp darling?
“This is supposed to be our wedding day!
How dare you call someone else that in front of me?
Her emotions spiraled as reality crumbled around her.
“You said I was your only one! You said you were single! You said the marriage license didn’t matter as long as I had my dream wedding at The Plaza! How could you lie? Answer me!”
Victoria grew more frantic, grabbing Nathan’s hand and shaking it violently
Nathan yanked away, fury exploding as he shouted. “Will you shut up?]
“Do you realize what you’re doing? You’re destroying everything!”
Victoria staggered back from the brutal rejection.]
She stared at him, mascara running, unable to recognize the man before her
This wasn’t the Nathan who’d promised her the world. How could her perfect flancé turn into such a monster?
Nathan, at that moment, couldn’t care less about Victoria’s feelings; he was too busy sweating through his Tom Ford suit in pante.
Turning to
o me with desperate eyes, he pleaded. “Please, sweetheart, I know I screwed up.
“Just this once, can you forgive me?||
It was astounding how quickly the mighty CEO had crumbled. His usual Harvard Business School confidence had evaporated, replaced by pathetic groveling.
I met his gaze with arctic coldness, disappointment crushing my chest.
“Nathan, before our wedding, you swore to love me forever. What happened to that?”
I gestured at Victoria, my voice steady but sharp. “You declare your love while planning another wedding? How exactly did you think that would work?
birou
“It all makes sense now. That ‘chance‘ meeting when I hit you with my car – you didn’t even flinch, just walked away.
“Those convenient rescues when I was in trouble you appeared from nowhere, then brushed it off like it was nothing. Why?
“I brought you home, and when my real identity came out, you weren’t even shocked.
“You’d been stalking me all along, hadn’t you?[]
“You orchestrated that car accident to get close to me, didn’t you?]
“You knew exactly who I was and what I was worth, and you played me perfectly–using me as your ticket to the top while spending my money on your other women.
“Nathan, you really deserve an Oscar for this performance.”
For years, I’d basked in what I thought was genuine love, convinced of his unwavering devotion.]
I never imagined those touching moments were just carefully calculated moves in his social climbing game.
How pathetic.
I felt like such a fool, believing I’d found true love, thinking Nathan was my soulmate.
“Please, darling, I really do love you! I’ll fix everything, this will never happen again,” Nathan begged, grabbing at my Chanel sleeve, pure panic in his eyes, terrified of losing his meal ticket.[]
Victoria, still processing, blinked at Nathan, confusion written across her face.
“Nathan, why are you begging her? You’re the CEO of Global Prime! So what if she’s your wife? You don’t need to grovel!]]
“Why are you debasing yourself for her?““]
Nathan’s eyes flashed with rage as he glared at Victoria, practically spitting as he shouted, “Because I married into her family! Everything I have. It’s all thanks to her“]
