Chapter 9

Ethan saw the love in her eyes, and for a moment, his heart tightened inexplicably. But he suppressed it before it could become anything more.

He pried Christina's fingers from around his neck, one by one. "Christina, are you out of your mind?"

Her hands fell limply to her sides.

"Our relationship was written into the agreement on our wedding day." Ethan grabbed a dry towel nearby and wiped the water from his hands, his tone cold. "I paid to save the Reed Group, and you became Mrs. Carter. This is a transaction."

"As for love?" He let out a scornful laugh. "Christina, don't be too greedy. You've got the title of Mrs. Carter, you've spent the Carter family's money, and now you want my heart too? Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

His words stabbed into Christina's heart like a knife.

Yeah. It really was ridiculous.

Christina forced a smile. "Yeah... I was being greedy."

Seeing her like this, Ethan felt inexplicably irritated.

"Enough. Stop putting on a show. You have half an hour to shower. Tonight is my brother's welcome dinner. All family members will be there. Don't embarrass me."

With that, he strode out of the bathroom without looking back, slamming the door behind him.

The bathroom fell silent again, broken only by the sound of water running from the faucet.

Christina slid deeper into the tub until the warm water covered her mouth and nose. Only when the suffocating feeling hit did she feel like she was still alive.

Twenty minutes later.

Christina changed into a green velvet gown, put on full makeup, covered the finger marks on her cheek with concealer, and applied red lipstick.

She tugged at the corners of her mouth in the mirror, then pushed open the bedroom door. Her eyes swept over the empty living room. "Where's Ethan?"

"Mr. Carter, he..." Uma stammered. "Mr. Carter got a phone call. It seemed Ms. Cooper had some emergency... He left first."

He left first. He had left her alone at home to go to his first love.

Ethan couldn't even give her the basic dignity of accompanying her to the party.

"I see." After a long pause, she answered flatly. "Get the car ready."

The Carter Manor.

The most prestigious estate in Emerald City, it was a hundred-acre Georgian manor. Tonight, luxury cars lined the entrance, and elegance filled the night.

By the time Christina arrived, the party had already started.

She walked into the banquet hall alone, her dignified, radiant appearance drawing many eyes.

Ethan's wife had come alone, and his absence was enough to become the talk of the room.

"Isn't that Christina?" A sharp female voice cut through the crowd.

Christina looked toward the sound and saw Ethan's cousin, Rachel Carter, holding a champagne glass as she walked over with several socialites.

Rachel had always looked down on Christina, seeing her as a fallen heiress who had bought her way into the Carter family.

"Rachel." Christina nodded slightly.

"Why did you come alone? Where's Ethan?" Rachel made an exaggerated show of looking behind her. "I heard Emily came back to Emerald City. Ethan didn't go to pick her up, did he? Well, of course—she's the woman he actually loves."

A few snickers rose from the crowd.

Christina tightened her grip on her clutch, but her face remained calm. "Ethan has business at the company. He'll be here later. As for Ms. Cooper, she's a guest of the Carter family. It's only proper for Ethan to pick her up."

Rachel rolled her eyes, then her gaze suddenly fixed on Christina's neck.

They were marks left from last night, when Ethan had taken her to bed.

Although Christina had covered them with foundation and let her long hair fall loose, her movement had still exposed a faint trace of red.

Rachel leaned closer, pointed at her neck, and said loudly, "Oh my God! Christina, what's that on your neck?"

That shout drew everyone's attention.

Christina's expression shifted slightly as she instinctively reached up to cover her neck.

"Why are you covering it?" Rachel pulled her hand away and even rubbed off some of the concealer, exposing the dark red hickey under the lights.

"Oh, Christina, really?" Rachel gasped, her hand fluttering to her mouth. "It's Michael's welcome dinner, and you couldn't even be bothered to cover that up? Or did you want everyone to know exactly how... dedicated you've been?"

The murmuring around them immediately grew louder.

"This Christina acts so high and mighty, but who knew she was so shameless in private..."

"Rachel, watch your mouth." Christina's face turned cold. "This is between Ethan and me. It's not your place to comment."

"Private matter?" Rachel laughed. "Everyone knows Ethan doesn't even like you. Now that Emily's back, you show up with hickeys like these—are you trying to show off in front of her? As if you're worthy!"

"Exactly. Look at yourself." Someone beside Rachel chimed in. "The Reed Group is nearly bankrupt. It's only because Elizabeth was kind-hearted that you got to marry into the Carter family. Don't get ahead of yourself."

Christina stood in the center of the crowd, surrounded by mocking stares.

She felt as though she'd been stripped naked and thrown into the middle of the room for everyone to humiliate.

And the husband who should have been standing beside her, shielding her from all of this, was with another woman.

"What's going on?" a gentle voice suddenly asked, cutting through the commotion.

The crowd automatically parted, and a man in a white suit with gold-rimmed glasses walked over.

He carried himself with quiet elegance. His features were somewhat similar to Ethan's, but without the sharp aggression—only gentleness.

This was Michael, the eldest son of the Carter family, the heir, and tonight's guest of honor.