Chapter4

A cluster of wealthy socialites blocked the entrance to the private dining corridor. Spearheading the group was Asher’s biological mother, Mrs. Sterling.

"I was just wondering who was making such a racket at the door, disgracing high society." Mrs. Sterling held a flute of champagne. "Sienna, it seems three years without proper discipline has stripped you of whatever little decency you had left."

I stopped in my tracks.

Behind me, Asher hurried in with his arm wrapped defensively around Chloe. The moment he spotted his mother, his arrogance flared up tenfold.

"Mom, don't even waste your breath on her." Asher stepped forward, shielding Chloe. "With her current status, she can't even afford a decent car. She took an Uber here and tried to force her way in. Security probably only held back from tossing her on the street because she used the Sterling name in the past."

At this, the socialites surrounding Mrs. Sterling let out a collective chorus of mocking laughter.

"Such bad luck." Mrs. Sterling delicately pinched her nose. "Our family despises nothing more than those infected by the stench of the lower class. Sienna, if you’re really starving, go find a soup kitchen. Le Bernardin is not a place for your kind to run a scam."

Chloe peeked out from behind Asher right on cue. "Mrs. Sterling, please don't be mad. Sienna probably just wants to crawl back into this circle so badly..."

"Shut up. You have no right to speak here." Mrs. Sterling shot Chloe a freezing glare. Though protective of her son, she looked down on Chloe’s humble background just as much. Still, right now, her main priority was to publicly stomp on me—the "former future daughter-in-law" she had never been able to control.

She turned her contempt back on me. "Get out of my sight. Now."

[Warning! The plot of the vicious supporting female being publicly humiliated has reached its peak!] The piercing static in my mind surged again: [Host! You must immediately talk back, then be tripped by the female lead during a scuffle to deeply experience the despair of class bullying! Failure to comply will initiate a Level-2 electric shock!]

So damn loud. I ignored the robotic voice screaming in my head, just as I ignored Mrs. Sterling’s arrogant posturing, and smoothly pulled my phone from my bag.

"What are you doing? Calling security to carry you out?" Asher sneered.

I didn't even look at him. I just tapped the video call button on the screen.

The call connected.

I flipped the phone around, facing the screen directly at Asher and his mother.

On the screen was a man who had clearly just stepped out of a pool. Drops of water slid down his sharp jawline, tracing over thick, highly defined pecs and an eight-pack, before disappearing into the white towel slung loosely low on his waist.

"Darling, who's bothering you?" Alex's deep, flawless British accent echoed through the phone's speaker, laced with a hint of indulgence.

Several of the wealthy women in the hallway who had just been mocking me suddenly found their eyes completely glued to the screen.

Meanwhile, the system that had been incessantly hollering in my head let out a violent stutter the exact second it scanned Alex's image.

[Beep—Bzzzt—] [Error! Unknown top-tier male entity detected!] [Error! Energy/Power index exceeds the original male lead Asher by 10,000%!] [Base code conflict! Fate line collapsing! P-plot cannot be loaded...] The floating pop-up window froze, exactly like a computer crashing from a fatal virus.

My lips twitched upward. I raised my eyes to look at Asher.

His face was an ugly shade of green.

"Three years apart... and to think you've degraded yourself to paying for male models on the side?" Asher’s voice was squeezed through clenched teeth. "Sienna! Is this cheap escort the reason you dare to play high-and-mighty with me?!"

Before the last word completely left his mouth, Asher lunged forward and viciously slapped the phone out of my hand. The device slammed onto the tile floor. The call abruptly ended.

"Ah!" Chloe let out a terrified shriek, covering her mouth as she stumbled backward.

Asher's chest heaved violently. "You refuse to marry me now because of this kept trash? You've completely embarrassed all of high society!"

Everyone in the lobby was staring at the spectacle. I glanced down at my shattered screen, then slowly lifted my head.

My gaze drifted to the liquor cart a waiter was pushing nearby.

I walked over and grabbed the neck of an opened bottle of wine.

The waiter instinctively reached out to stop me, but the moment he caught my eyes, he yanked his hands back.

Holding the bottle of red wine, I turned and walked right back to Asher.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't you dare throw a tantrum—" Mrs. Sterling shrieked, rushing forward to protect her son.

Without so much as blinking, I flicked my wrist.

The dark red liquid cascaded directly over Asher’s head. The splashback violently splattered all over the limited-edition designer bag clutched in Mrs. Sterling’s hands.

"Ah!" Mrs. Sterling gasped, clutching her ruined bag in sheer agony.

A collective, sharp intake of breath echoed through the lobby.

"Sixty thousand dollars' worth of wine, just to wash that self-righteous look off your face." I pulled a napkin from the cart and wiped my fingers. "Consider it charity for the poor."

Driven completely over the edge, Asher lunged and grabbed my wrist. "You dare defy me for some kept man!"