Their table upied the best spot in the entire hall-a vantage point with a perfect view of everything.


    It wasn''t just Timothy who noticed Jessica; the moment She nced up, she saw her too.


    Almost immediately, She''s gaze shifted to Timothy.


    Timothy was staring intently at the entrance, his eyes locked on Jessica.


    "Timothy, is Jessica here for you? I tried to wave her over, but she didn''t seem to notice us."


    "She," Timothy''s deep, cold eyes flickered as he finally looked away. Cigarette smoke curled between his fingers, and the way he sat―elegant,posed-only made him more dangerously attractive in the low light. "Leave her be."


    She stared at him in disbelief.


    Kane nced at She, then at Timothy, picking up on the tension.


    Yates was watching them too, curiosity piqued.


    Kane couldn''t hold back any longer; with his trademark roguish grin, he drawled, "So, who''s this Jessica you''re all talking about? Where is she?"


    She looked even more surprised. "You don''t know Jessica, Kane?"


    "Jessica... who? Some icy queen? Never heard of her. Yates, do you know?"


    Kane''sid-back attitude was genuine, but even he could tell Jessica had something to do with Timothy. Yet in all these years, he''d never heard of a woman named Jessica in Timothy''s life.


    Yates just shrugged; he hadn''t the faintest idea, either.


    The truth was, Timothy had never let Jessica meet any of his friends. At first, Kane and Yates were curious-they''d asked about her, tried to arrange introductions. Timothy refused, acting as if his wife didn''t exist.


    To their minds, Timothy''s marriage was just a rebellious stunt after not being able to marry She-a way to spite his family. Eventually, they stopped asking. Since Timothy never acted like a married man, they simply treated him as single.


    But that changed the day Phelps publicly revealed Timothy and Jessica''s marriage certificate, causing a media frenzy that cornered Timothy and She at the airport.


    On the way back from that chaos, Timothy had already ordered Secretary Allen to clean up the mess.


    Some people had learned the truth; others remained in the dark.


    From the way Kane and Yates were reacting now, it was clear they hadn''t seen the news.


    She was genuinely shocked. "Timothy, Kane and Yates have been your closest friends since childhood. You never told them Jessica was your wife?"


    Kane and Yates both looked thunderstruck.


    Especially Kane, who blurted out, "Where is she? Which one''s Jessica? Point her out-I want to see what kind of woman Timothy married!"


    He craned his neck, scanning the room.


    Before, Timothy''s refusal to introduce her hadn''t bothered them. But now that she was suddenly here, their curiosity was definitely piqued.


    After all, she was Timothy''s wife.


    Yates, too, was watching Timothy, waiting for some kind of answer.


    She hadn''t kept in touch with Kane and Yates much over the years, so she was floored to realize just how tightly Timothy had kept his marriage a secret.


    Even though a small part of her felt a strange sense of satisfaction, her expression stayed somber. She said quietly, "Timothy,ing back this time, I can''t believe how unfair you''ve been to Jessica. You''ve been married for seven years, and your closest friends don''t even know her name. How do you think that makes her feel? No wonder she''s been upset with youtely. Honestly, what woman could put up with this for so long?"


    Kane tugged at She''s sleeve. "Isn''t it obvious? Timothy only married her as a ceholder. The woman he "


    She smacked Kane''s arm, cutting him off. "Don''t talk nonsense."


    Kane shut his mouth, knowing better than to argue.


    Everyone at the table knew the history between Timothy and She-the scandal


    all those years ago was impossible to forget.