The spotlight shone down as Wendy tightened her grip on the violin strings, letting a flowing melody flow into the air.
The men in the audience couldn''t help but turn their heads.
Onstage, the woman in an elegant teal gown yed with effortless grace, her beauty undeniable.
"Which orchestra is this violinist from? Her skills are impressive, and her looks... even more so."
"Indeed. I wonder who she came here with tonight?"
"What a captivating woman."
One greedy gaze after another roamed across Wendy''s body. But instead of shame, she tilted her chin proudly, reveling in the attention.
As long as she wanted it, she could always be the center of admiration.
Little did she know, the lust in those men''s eyes was growing deeper, turning into something far more dangerous.
In the shadows, a group of socialites giggled while a few let out quiet sighs.
"Why does she insist on making herself an object?"
But Wendy didn''t hear them. She basked in the stares, thrived in the attention, her fingers dancing more fluidly across the strings.
More and more men were drawn in-all eyes belonged to her.
She smiled freely, a memory shing through her mind.
Once upon a time, she had been the one in the audience, gazing up at Serena from afar. But now, she was the one standing in the spotlight, admired by all.
Meanwhile, Serena couldn''t even get into this ce. She wasn''t even worthy of standing openly beside Hugh.
In the end, Wendy had won!
However, just then, there was a suddenmotion in the crowd. All eyes turned toward the entrance.
"Mr. Larson is here!"
"Who''s the woman beside him?"
The attention that had been entirely on Wendy was now gone.
She instinctively followed their
gazes and there he was dressed in a sleek ck suit, his hair
meticulouslybed back while his cold eyes swept over the entire venue.
Hugh''s presence alone was enough to silence the chatter.
Beside him, a woman in avender high-fashion gown walked with effortless grace. Her soft waves cascadedzily, and her delicate smile radiated elegance.
"Is this Mr. Larson''stest model?"
"That''s Serena Jansen, the eldest daughter of the Jansen family! I met her once during a business deal. I didn''t know she''s this clost with Mr. Larson!"
Another wave of murmurs swept through the hall.
It wasmon for young scions to bring femalepanions to social gatherings,
just to show off. But this was the Larson family''s charity g.
It was a high-profile, formal
asion where every Larson family member had brought their legitimate partners. So for Hugh to walk in so openly with Serena spoke volumes about their rtionship.
Wendy froze.
She never thought Hugh would actually bring his mistress to an event like this.
At that moment, Zach also turned toward the entrance. His pupils shrank the moment he saw Serena beside Hugh.
Under the scrutiny of hundreds of eyes, he strode straight toward her.
Before Serena could react, her wrist was seized in a firm grip.
"You can''t stay here!" Zach''s voice was urgent.
"The entire Larson family will be arriving soon. If those old, traditional fools find out that Hugh brought his mistress to such a formal asion, your reputation will be ruined for the rest of your life! Hurry,e with me!" s?novel
Serena was startled. She wrenched her wrist free and instinctively stepped closer
to Hugh.
"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to meddle in my affairs?"
Zach''s lips parted. "Because we used to-"
"Serena is my wife." A low, steady voice interrupted him.
It was Hugh. He gently pulled Serena into his embrace, his fingerscing through
hers and stopping at the silver ring on her left ring finger.
There hadn''t been an engagement party yet, no public announcement but they were already married.
For now, the simple silver band on her finger was quietly proiming to the world that Serena already belonged to someone.