"I''m not a picky eater. Thank you, I appreciate it," Yvonne replied politely.


    Bet, an early riser, had already eaten his breakfast.


    Yvonne found herself alone at the dining table. As she ate, Helen bustled around the kitchen, clearing away dishes.


    Helen was a talker, and she chattered away as she worked. "You young girls are all the same, so careless with your health. I saw you this morning, walking out of your room in that thin dress, barefoot. It may be spring, but these floors are still ice-cold. You''ll catch your death, and what a misery that is. It''s especially bad for women, you know. That kind of chill can lead to terrible monthly cramps."


    "You''re right. I''ll be more careful in the future," Yvonne said, her head bowed as she sipped her porridge. Helen''s words seemed to send her into a brief trance before she murmured a response.


    Just as Yvonne finished her breakfast and returned to her room, the phone on her nightstand began to ring. It was Matthew.


    "Mr. Spencer and your mother said you didn''te homest night. Where are you?” Matthew''s usatory tone crackled through the phone.


    "What business is it of yours?" Yvonne shot back without hesitation.


    "I saw a man with you at the courthouse yesterday. Did you spend the night with him?” Matthew''s voice wasced with cold fury. "Yvonne, we haven''t officially called off the engagement yet. I suggest you show a little restraint!"


    A humorlessugh escaped Yvonne''s lips. "Oh, so now you remember we''re still engaged. You''ve been sleeping with Queena for so long, you''ve made aplete fool of me."


    Silence followed on the other end of the line. For a moment, it seemed Matthew was aware of his own hypocrisy.


    He suppressed his anger and said in a low voice, "I''m leaving for a business trip abroad tomorrow. Come to my office today. We need to talk."


    "Fine." Yvonne hung up immediately, unwilling to waste another word on him.


    Since Matthew hadn''t specified a time, Yvonne felt no need to rush. She left at a leisurely pace after lunch.


    Matthew''spany now upied a high-end office building in a technology park, a ce Yvonne, his fiancée, was stepping into for the first time. She remembered when she had supported him during his startup phase, when conditions were harsh and their office was a rented, dpidated factory. Back then, she would cook and deliver meals to him every day, often bringing homemade drinks and pastries for the


    employees.


    But they had never liked her, finding her presence an annoying distraction.


    As thepany grew and moved


    into the new tower, Matthew found a flimsy excuse to stop her from visiting. Aware of the staff''s dislike, she hadn''t pressed the issue, never understanding that their attitude was a direct reflection of his. They looked down on her, thinking she was provincial and tiresome, because that was exactly how Matthew saw her.


    Today, Yvonne was dressed in a


    white chiffon blouse and a long red


    skirt, her hair pulled into a chic top knot that exposed the elegant line of her neck. It was a beautiful, eye-catching ensemble. The@lick of her heels on the polished floor and her powerful aura made her impossible to ignore as she entered the lobby.


    “Good afternoon, miss. Are you here for a business meeting?” the receptionist


    asked, standing with a polite smile.


    "I''m here to see Matthew," Yvonne stated.