Chapter 6
The air in the hall froze instantly.
Every guest’s eyes turned toward me. Their initial confusion gave way to stunned recognition as they saw my face clearly, and a wave of audible gasps swept through the crowd.
The triumphant smile on Jasmine’s face vanished without a trace.
She subconsciously shrank behind Kenneth, her fingers trembling as they clutched his sleeve.
“W–What are you doing here?” she stammered.
I ignored her completely, my gaze fixed intently on Kenneth.
His pupils contracted sharply–a flicker of panic crossed his eyes–but it was soon replaced by his usual cold viciousness. He let go of Jasmine’s waist and strode toward me, a barely detectable unease threading through his voice. “Sandy? What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at home?”
“Wait for you at home?”
I repeated his words, a faint smile touching my lips as I looked up at that once–familiar face. Then I said softly, “Shall I wait for you to gift my winery to another woman? Or for you to tell everyone that I’m just your maid?”
Kenneth’s expression instantly darkened.
It took him a moment to collect himself.
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Then he lowered his head and voice, whispering almost pleadingly, “There are too many people here. Let’s talk when we get home.
“Sandy, come back with me.
“I’ll explain everything once we’re there.”
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He reached out to grab my wrist–a gesture so familiar, so natural, one he had used to coax me countless times over the past ten years.
But as my eyes fell upon the cheap plastic flower where his cufflinks should have been, as the unfamiliar perfume–not mine–drifted from him,
all I felt was a wave of nausea.
I took a sharp step back, avoiding his touch.
“Explain?”
I laughed a harsh, ringing sound that cut through the silent hall.
“What exactly do you want to explain? Why you’re wearing a suit from the brand of my family’s sworn enemy?
“Why you gifted the winery my brother gave me to your mistress just to please her?
“Or how proud you felt telling everyone I was your maid?”
Kenneth’s face turned pale. He clearly hadn’t expected me to challenge him so directly in front of everyone, and the panic in his eyes was now
unmistakable.
Gritting his teeth, he leaned even closer, his voice a strained whisper almost against my ear. “Cut it out, Sandra!
“Are you really gonna humiliate me in front of all these guests? Come with me. I’m begging you.
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Chapter 6
“I swear–I’ll explain everything to you later. Alright?”
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He tried to soften me with that familiar, doting tone he had used so often before. But now, all it brought me was a cold, bitter wave of irony.
When he was chased and beaten on the streets that year, I carried him on my back and ran for three blocks to find a doctor.
When he was slashed by his rival and sent to the OR, I signed the critical illness notice and waited outside for three days and nights.
“Later?” I repeated, looking at him, my gaze chillingly glacial. “Kenneth, do you honestly believe we still have a future?”
His face turned deathly pale, as he never expected I could be this merciless.
“Do you have to go this far, Sandy?” he hissed through gritted teeth.
“Are you really gonna throw away our ten–year relationship? You even wouldn’t give me a chance to explain?”
“Our relationship?”
I pulled out a stack of documents from my bag and slammed it directly
into his face.
The papers were scattered across the floor, the top one clearly showing his hotel room record with Jasmine from the top–floor suite.
“When you fucked her while I lay unconscious with a high fever, did you ever think about our relationship?”
His head snapped sideways from the impact, veins bulging along his neck.
The next second, he turned back toward me, his eyes filled with a hatred so intense it stunned me.
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Chapter 6
“You leave me no choice, Sandra.”
He spun abruptly to face the guests, his voice sharp and venomous. “Everyone, listen carefully.
“She’s not my wife! She’s just a maid working for my family!
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“Years ago, she was destitute, unable to make ends meet. I took pity on her, sheltered her, and offered her a job.”
He pointed at my nose, the ferocity in his eyes palpable.
“But her greed knows no bounds. Now that my career has thrived, she tried to get into my bed and even had the audacity to deceive all of you into believing she is my wife!”
Jasmine immediately played along.
Tears welled in her red–rimmed eyes as she hid behind him, saying in a sobbing voice, “Kenneth, don’t say that… Ms. Burton probably just… made a mistake in the heat of the moment…”
When saying this, she discreetly scanned the room, gauging the reactions of the crowd, the triumph in her eyes completely undisguised.
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Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
