Devion walked out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, the damp fabric of his bathrobe clinging to his skin. He paused just by the door, his entire body going still as he realized the blonde girl was gone. The suite was silent, empty except for the lingering scent of her, a faint, floral scent that only emphasized her absence. He didn't even know who she was, this mysterious woman who had appeared in the depths of his most sorrowful night and, with her drunken insistence, had made his night uniquely unforgettable. His eye caught the bold, glaring stain of crimson on the bed, and that mark told him she had been pure before last night. A profound, possessive curiosity gripped him. He couldn't help but wonder what was really up with her.
He got dressed with efficient movements, the fine fabric of his suit clinging onto him. Not long after, a knock sounded on the door. "Come in," he said, his voice flat. The door opened and a bald-headed man stepped in, his posture respectful. This was Ethan, his assistant. "Good morning, sir," he greeted. Devion merely hummed in reply, his gaze distant. "I was with a girl last night," Devion stated, his tone leaving no room for discussion. "Get me all the information about her." A look of pure surprise flashed across Ethan's face before he could school his features. He knew Devion was engaged to the daughter of the Williams family, Adele Williams, a very successful model that he cherished and loved a lot. So who was it, exactly, that had the power to make him cheat on his love? Ethan didn't question him, though. "Yes, sir," he replied obediently, then added, "The old madam requests your presence."
Devion could immediately tell why. Adele had gone to the family house. Well then, he wasn't going to be so magnanimous. With his expression becoming colder, he walked out of the hotel room to his car and drove straight to his family house, the Montgomery Palace, the family house of the richest family in J City. As the last scion of the family and one of its most successful business tycoons, the sophisticatedly decorated castle was his birthright. He parked his car with a sharp turn of the wheel and walked straight into the castle, his shoes padding firmly on the marble floor. Servants bowed as he walked by, his cold aura creating a chill in the air.
Just like he thought, the scene in the main sitting room was exactly as he'd expected. Adele was leaning on his grandmother's shoulder, the head of the Montgomery family, crying so hard her body shook. Her grandfather, Old Sir Williams, sat across from them with a stormy expression, while some other family members looked on, waiting for answers for whatever was going on. They definitely didn't know what happened yet. Seeing her swollen, red-rimmed eyes and her overall devastated appearance, Devion actually felt a sharp, unwelcome pang of pity for her, and he immediately hated himself for that feeling.
"Grandma," Devion called as he settled into a sofa opposite them, his posture rigid.
The old lady raised her head, her expression filled with anger. "Devion, what's going on? Your fiancée said she made a little mistake, and you left her yesterday evening because of it. What could she have done that is so unforgivable?" Old Lady Montgomery questioned, her voice echoing in the tense room.
Without sparing Adele a glance, Devion spoke, his voice like ice. "Seems she couldn't even bring herself to tell you what she did." Then he dropped the bomb. "I want to call off the engagement. I think it's better that way."
This shocked everyone in the room, including Adele, who let out a choked gasp. "Please, don't do this!" she cried, her voice breaking, looking more pitiful than ever. "It isn't what it looks like!" Devion turned his face away, scared that he might actually succumb to the pity she evoked. No, he couldn't. Not after what he had seen with his own eyes, not after what he had heard.
"Would someone give me a good explanation!" Old Lady Montgomery yelled, her patience thinning.
With no ceremony, Devion gave them a simple but brutal explanation. "I caught my loving fiancée with my chauffeur, having the best time in my bed." He let the image sink into the horrified silence before delivering the final blow. "Not just that, she was asking him why he didn't come when I was on a business trip."
This shocked everyone more; the air was sucked out of the room. Old Lady Montgomery, finding it unbelievable, turned to Adele, her voice trembling. "Tell me he lied."
Adele cried, her words tumbling out in a desperate sob. "Mike drugged me! I didn't know what was going on, I swear!"
Devion frowned in disgust, the lie only solidifying his decision. He wondered what exactly had blinded him from seeing this deceitful part of her from the very beginning. The Montgomerys, of course, would never take such a betrayal. Never. But the Williams weren't ready to give up.
"I am sure something happened somewhere," Lady Cecily Williams, Adele's mother, interjected, her voice filled with panic. "There must be something attached. My daughter isn't like that; you've known her since she was a child!"
But Devion knew. It wasn't really about her daughter; it was about the immense privileges and status the Williams family would lose as a result of this severed alliance.
"This engagement is over," Devion said without ceremony and walked out. He could hear Adele's desperate cries behind him, "Devvy, please! We can fix this; we can fix this! Don't do this!"
Only he knew how hurt his heart was, a deep, aching wound that throbbed with every step. He still found it hard to believe that his little flower had betrayed him like that, and not with anyone remarkable, but with his own chauffeur. But he couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. The evidence was seared into his mind. She had been cheating on him.