"Wait a minute. I''m Lynne''s boyfriend. Who are you guys?"


    "I''m her boyfriend! We''ve been together for three months!"


    "That''s a lie! She told me she broke up with you ages ago!"


    "She did not! We just hooked up two days ago!"


    "Two days ago? She spent the night at my ce two days ago!"


    "Spent the night?! No way! We just got together yesterday, and she told me it was her first time!"


    The five or six handsome young men, realizing they were all there to see Lynne and all believed they were her boyfriend, erupted into a massive argument.


    These were Lynne''s recent conquests. She never dated just one man at a time, preferring to juggle at least two or three. She''d had close calls before, but with her sweet talk and innocent act-plus her rapid turnover of partners—she''d never experienced such a catastrophic implosion.


    Afterparing notes, all the men turned on Lynne with furious res. Having just escaped the clutches of the women whose boyfriends she''d stolen, she now had to face her own. Her eyes were swollen nearly shut from the ho stings, and her face was inmed. Now, covered in new scratches and bruises from the women''s attack, she was a horrifying sight, all her previous beauty gone.


    The men looked at her grotesque appearance with pure disgust, any feelings of affection long since vanished. They grabbed her by her gown, demanding answers. Lynne was a pathetic, sobbing mess, more humiliated than she had ever been in her life.


    Themotion attracted a crowd of onlookers, all eager to watch the drama of a cheater''s downfall unfold. Many people began taking pictures of the explicit photos scattered on the floor, eagerly posting the scene to their social media.


    ...


    Across the way, Leonard lowered his binocrs with a distinctck of interest.


    This oue was exactly what he''d expected; it held no surprises. He used to think Simone was a fool, but Lynne was on another level of stupid, allowing herself to be Joshua''s ything for so long.


    With the chaos in the hospital escting, someone soon called the police.


    After they left, Joshua said to Ste, "Star, it''s probably best to keep your distance from people like Lynne."


    Ste had only met Lynne a few times and felt no deep connection to her or the Cameron family. Hearing Joshua''s advice, she readily agreed. "I will but next weekend is Old Mrs. Cameron''s birthday banquet it''s not just me; the entire Williams family is expected to attend."


    The Williamses could avoid regr contact with the Camerons, but missing the elders'' birthday celebration was not an option. The Camerons always invited all the prominent families to the event The two elders were still alive, but they only held onerge banquet a year to avoid overstaying their social wee. Though the Cameron family had declined, they had once been glorious. Given the elders'' age and respected status, most major families would attend to show them


    face.


    ...


    In the days that followed, Lynne made no further attempts to contact Joshua. It was


    clear she had finally realized she''d been yed.


    Life was calm and uneventful, and soon it was time for Old Mrs. Cameron''s banquet. During that week, the Camerons had tried several times to invite Ste to


    their home under various pretexts, all of which she refused.


    There is no love or hate without reason. The Camerons'' sudden warmth toward her had to be driven by an ulterior motive. Ste felt. was best to keep them at arm''s length. The Camerons might not be the Williamses, but she knew that sometimes, the lesser threats were the hardest to shake.