Chapter 8
At the end of the month, Nathaniel and Dorothy’s engagement party was held as scheduled.
That day, many prominent figures from New York attended. Dorothy, dressed in a haute couture gown, moved gracefully among the guests, like a favored daughter of the heavens surrounded by adoring stars.
A few of Nathaniel’s close friends looked on with envy.
“Congratulations, Nathaniel! You and Dorothy have finally made it!”
“Back in school, you two were the model couple. If it hadn’t been for Josephine stirring up trouble, you wouldn’t have been apart for so long.”
“Speaking of Josephine, I wonder how she’s doing now?”
“She took Nathaniel’s 15 million dollars breakup fee. She must be living it up abroad by now. Nathaniel, you really are too soft–hearted…”
Hearing Josephine’s name, Nathaniel frowned.
After that kidnapping incident, Josephine went abroad. The rumor was that she left New York because she was too ashamed to stay after the video was exposed, and Nathaniel believed that too.
He just hadn’t expected Josephine to disappear so completely.
For more than half a month, there had been no activity from her on any social platform, as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.
Seeing Nathaniel momentarily lost in thought, one of his friends couldn’t help but tease, “Nathaniel, don’t tell me you actually had real feelings for Josephine?”
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Nathaniel snapped back to reality, his expression turning cold.
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“After everything she did to Dorothy, all I feel for her is hatred. Don’t joke with me about that.”
“Alright, alright, we won’t say another word.”
No one dared to provoke Nathaniel further, and they quickly shut their
mouths.
At that moment, Dorothy walked over from a distance.
She stepped forward and took Nathaniel’s arm, her tone sweet and coy: “Mrs. Crossley’s husband bought her a beautiful sapphire necklace. I want one too.”
Nathaniel replied without hesitation, “Isn’t my black card with you? If you want it, just buy it. You don’t need to ask me about such small things in the future.”
The friends around them immediately started to tease:
“Nathaniel really caught us off guard with that public display of affection!”
“Dorothy, how did you manage to win over a playboy like Nathaniel? Share your secrets with us!”
Listening to everyone’s praise, Dorothy’s smile grew even brighter, her vanity thoroughly satisfied.
During this time, Nathaniel had practically spoiled her beyond measure.
He took her shopping for luxury goods, dined with her at Michelin- starred restaurants, brought her to all kinds of high–end events, as if trying to make up for all the neglect of the past two years in one go.
And she accepted it all without hesitation, quickly growing accustomed to
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the identity of “Mrs. Gordon.”
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“I don’t have any special secrets. It’s just a matter of exchanging true feelings with Nathan,” Dorothy said with a soft laugh, though the pride in her eyes was impossible to hide.
The engagement ceremony officially began.
Before the exchange of engagement rings, the officiant on stage smiled and said:
“As everyone knows, Mr. Gordon and Ms. Dorothy have been together since college. We’ve specially collected some precious footage from their student days. Now, let’s all look at the big screen…”
All the guests turned their eyes to the screen in unison.
But in the next second, the scene that appeared on the screen swept through the entire venue like a storm!
“Josephine, I heard you slept with Nathaniel, and the video is everywhere. Do you really think you can tie him down with such cheap tricks?”
“Let me tell you the truth: he never liked you. Not only does he not like you, he absolutely despises you!”
The moment Dorothy’s harsh voice sounded, the entire room fell into a dead silence.
Only then did everyone realize that what was playing on the screen was not some precious memory, but a surveillance video.
The video was shot in the lounge of the banquet hall. Dorothy and Josephine stood face to face, seemingly in the middle of an argument.
As their quarrel escalated, Dorothy raised her hand as if to strike.
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Just then, Nathaniel pushed open the door and walked in.
Quick as lightning, Dorothy pulled her hand back, grabbed a piece of cake from the table and stuffed it into her mouth, then collapsed to the floor crying..
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Throughout the entire process, Josephine hadn’t even touched a single strand of Dorothy’s hair.
Watching Dorothy’s flawless act of playing the victim, everyone present was stunned–including Nathaniel.
He had always thought Dorothy was the one who had been wronged, but never imagined that her allergic reaction that day was all a performance!
Before Nathaniel could recover from the shock of Dorothy’s malicious actions, the video shifted to an even more explosive scene.
A woman with her face blurred was pinned to the ground by several men, who poured bottle after bottle of fiery red pepper water into her mouth.
Ignoring her pleas for mercy, the men only responded with harsh, mocking laughter.
Next, they tore her clothes and took one humiliating photo after another.
Seeing the woman’s miserable state, Nathaniel’s heart clenched so tightly it was almost suffocating.
Even though her face was blurred, he recognized at a glance that it was Josephine.
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.
