Anna’s POV
"Yes, after the charity gala, you left with Samuel. Isn’t that a fact?" Mary said venomously, her voice filled with contempt. "Who knows where you two went to fool around afterward?
Everyone in Skyview City knows what kind of woman you are. We don’t even need to sar your reputation-you ve done a fine job of that yourself."
I stood there, feeling ice-cold despite the warm room. I might project strength and confidence, but deep down, I’m still a woman. No woman wants to be labeled as soone who sleeps around casually. And Lucy has made sure that label is firmly attached to . I didn’t even have the courage to find out what people were saying about behind my back.
Lucy’s performance was flawless-tears streaming down her face, the perfect picture of innocence wrongfully accused. But I caught that flash of satisfaction in her eyes before she buried it beneath her carefully crafted vulnerability.
"So, you’re denying it was you?" I stared coldly at Lucy, fury burning through my veins so intensely I could almost feel the heat radiating from my skin.
Lucy’s expression changed subtly, a hint of smugness crossing her features before she quickly rearranged them into a mask of hurt. "Anna, I know you hate , but you can’t just make false accusations. If you’re claiming I did this, you need evidence." She dismissively pointed at the man on the floor. "This doesn’t count. You beat him until he said what you wanted to hear-that’s coercion. Even the police wouldn’t accept his testimony as evidence."
I couldn’t help but feel a cold appreciation for her cunning. Lucy had grown smarter since I’d last dealt with her directly. Evidence-yes, I should have gathered more concrete proof before confronting her. I’d acted too hastily, driven by anger. This woman had systematically destroyed my marriage to Jack; she certainly wasn’t the innocent, naive girl she pretended to be.
I exchanged a glance with Rachel, signaling it was ti to leave. We needed to regroup and return with irrefutable evidence. But before we could move, footsteps echoed from the hallway.
The butler rushed in, his usual composure visibly disturbed. "Madam, sir, Mr. Murphy is here."
My heart skipped a beat, then imdiately accelerated to a thundering rhythm. Marcus is back?
That was impossible. He should be in Europe, managing his business empire.
I stared at the doorway, not even realizing I was holding my breath.
And then he was there, his imposing figure nearly filling the doorfra.
Marcus wore a black coat that emphasized his broad shoulders, looking as immaculate as ever, without a trace of travel fatigue on his face. My mind filled with questions. Why had he returned? I had essentially forced him to leave, made it clear there was no place for him here. So why co back now of all tis?
Mary voiced my exact thoughts:
"Marcus, why are you back?"
"Business," he replied curtly, his tone revealing nothing.
He walked directly to my side, his gaze sweeping over the beaten man on the floor before focusing on Mary. "What’s happening here?"
Mary instantly transford into the gracious hostess, though her eyes remained cold. "This man was brought here by Anna. You’ve just returned, so you wouldn’t know, but the rumors about her lately have beco quite... scandalous."
Marcus turned to abruptly. "You explain."
I hesitated, caught off guard by his sudden demand.
"The trending topic online and all those rumors-they were orchestrated by Lucy. This man is proof." Despite the tension in the room, I felt a wave of relief wash over . I’d planned to gather more evidence before confronting Lucy again, but with Marcus here, I felt my chances of getting justice had suddenly improved exponentially.
Marcus’s face darkened as he turned to Lucy, not even bothering to question the man on the floor. "You have two choices. Either slap yourself now, admit your wrongdoing, and apologize to Anna..."
Lucy’s face instantly drained of all color. When facing Jack’s questioning, she had maintained her composure because she knew Mary would protect her. But now, facing Marcus-a man even George was careful not to offend —she finally looked terrified.
"Mr. Murphy, I didn’t—it wasn’t , I swear." Lucy suddenly burst into fresh tears, this ti genuine ones born of fear. She lunged toward , grabbing my hand. "Anna, please believe ! I never ant to harm you. I don’t even know this man!"
I yanked my hand away, disgust washing over as I thought about all those second-rate trust fund boys thinking they could win a bet by sleeping with . I wanted nothing more than to slap her myself. "Of course you don’t know him. You had Jared do all your dirty work for you."
Lucy shook her head frantically, tears flying from her cheeks. "No, it really wasn’t , Anna! Please, you have to believe !"
Her performance was so heart-wrenching that if the offense hadn’t been so severe, I might have softened.
But Marcus remained unmoved, his voice dropping to a dangerous pitch.
"Your second option: if I find the evidence myself, your entire family disappears from Skyview City."
Lucy stiffened as if struck by lightning, her face turning even paler than before. Mary imdiately moved forward to shield her, pulling Lucy behind her.
"Marcus, what’s wrong with you?" Mary hissed. "Lucy is about to beco Jack’s fiancée. How dare you side with an outsider against family? Making Lucy’s family ’disappear? What are you suggesting—murder?"
Marcus completely ignored Mary’s outburst, his focus solely on Lucy.
"Will you apologize or not?"
Lucy cowered behind Mary, visibly trembling. She understood perfectly what Marcus ant-with a single word from him, her family would find themselves ostracized from Skyview City’s elite circles. Without Skyview City, forget marrying into the Simpson family; she’d lose even her current privilege of accompanying Mary and Jack into high society.
"Uncle Marcus." Jack finally broke his silence, his tone strained. "T’ll handle this situation."
The rigidity in his voice betrayed his displeasure at Marcus’s intervention.
After all, this was the Simpson residence; Jack was supposed to be in charge here. Marcus’s intrusion as an elder relative clearly stung him, especially since Marcus had imdiately taken my side without hearing all the facts-making Jack, my ex-husband, look weak by comparison.
Lucy imdiately latched onto this lifeline. "Jack, I really didn’t-"
"Shut up!" Jack’s sharp command instantly silenced her.
Lucy fell quiet, her eyes wide with desperation as she looked to Jack for salvation. He turned to with a serious expression. "Anna, I’ll make Lucy apologize to you and ensure she never appears at any event you attend.
I’ll also discipline her strictly from now on. Would that be acceptable?"
I couldn’t hold back a cold laugh. "Is that your idea of punishnt? Mr. Simpson, is your precious Lucy’s apology really worth that much?"
"Lucy deserves consequences, but the situation isn’t beyond repair," Jack insisted, his tone reasonable. "She’s young; please give her a chance to correct her mistakes."
I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you suggesting that because I’m still standing here, because I haven’t been completely reduced to being treated like a prostitute, Lucy should be forgiven? Is that your point?"
Jack’s brow furrowed deeply. "That’s not what I ant. I’m not saying you should forgive her—"
"Forgiveness is impossible!" My anger finally exploded, the control I’d maintained completely shattering.
"Jack, when it cos to defending Lucy, you never disappoint, do you?"
Lucy’s POV
Anna’s words hung in the air for a mont before she turned and stord out, leaving a thick cloud of tension behind her. Jack’s face contorted with a mixture of frustration and regret as he moved to follow her.
"You stay right where you are." Mary’s voice cracked like lightning, freezing Jack in his tracks.
Marcus gave a slight nod to Rachel and Sean, silently instructing them to remove the beaten man from the floor.
Then those penetrating dark eyes turned toward , and I felt a chill creep up my spine. There was nowhere to hide from that cold, assessing gaze.
"You want to marry Jack?" Marcus asked, his voice so low it seed to rumble from the depths of the earth.
My throat constricted painfully, leaving unable to either confirm or deny. I could only stare at him, my heart hamring so violently I thought it might burst from my chest. This was the first ti I’d felt Marcus Murphy’s intimidating presence up close, that invisible force that seed to suck all the oxygen from the room.
"I will never accept soone like you as Jack’s wife." His declaration fell like a death sentence, cold and final. He turned away, his perfectly tailored suit jacket creating an elegant arc as he moved. "Rember my words."
In that mont, the entire living room seed to freeze. The blood drained from my face as a bone-deep coldness swept through my body. I had only heard his verdict, but it was enough to make understand that my fate had been sealed. My legs weakened beneath , my heart turned to ash, and all of my carefully crafted appearance suddenly felt ridiculous.
"He doesn’t get to decide! What does this have to do with him?" Mary snapped, her voice echoing sharply through the living room. She turned to , her tone softening slightly. "Lucy dear, don’t worry. As long as you do as I say, the position of Simpson family’s daughter-in-law is yours."
I listened to her words but felt only absurdity and helplessness wash over . How could Mary be so naive? One word from Marcus Murphy in business and family matters was enough to destroy all my hopes and dreams. I knew the truth all too clearly—if Marcus disapproved, it ant William Murphy and Phillip Murphy would stand with him; if the Murphy family opposed, George Simpson would certainly not allow this marriage either.
Their family ties were too close, and my carefully laid plans had completely fallen apart.
All my hopes, all my plans, all my efforts to beco the Simpson family’s daughter-in-law had evaporated in an instant. The future I had ticulously constructed was rcilessly shattered.
There would be no mansion in Skylake District, no status and glory of the Simpson family, none of the high society life I had always craved.
I stood there feeling as though I’d plunged into an icy lake. The cold wasn’t from Skyview City’s winter winds but spread from deep within my core. My eyes felt dry and scratchy —I didn’t even have the energy left to cry. Everything was over, completely over.
Anna’s POV
I stord out of the Simpson estate, anger burning through my veins like wildfire. The air outside felt crisp against my flushed skin, but it did nothing to cool the rage bubbling inside .
I had just reached my car when a strong hand gripped my elbow. Before I could react, Marcus was pulling away from my vehicle with surprising force.
"What are you doing?" I gasped, finding myself being practically lifted off my feet.
"You’re not driving in this state," he stated flatly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Before I could protest further, he had opened the passenger door of his sleek black Bentley and all but deposited inside.
"Uncle Marcus!" I objected, but he had already closed the door and was walking around to the driver’s side.
As he slid into the seat beside , I couldn’t help but notice how the steering wheel looked almost delicate in his large hands. His broad shoulders nearly filled the entire driver’s area, making the spacious luxury vehicle suddenly feel intimate.
A strange flutter rose in my chest— that familiar feeling that only seed to appear in his presence.
I quickly pushed it away, focusing instead on my indignation. "My car is right there. I can drive myself."
Marcus didn’t even glance my way as he started the engine, the powerful motor purring to life. "No."
That single syllable, delivered with such absolute finality, sohow managed to silence all my protests.
The car pulled away from the Simpson estate, leaving Rachel and Sean standing bewildered next to my abandoned vehicle.
"Uncle Marcus, how co Peter isn’t with you? Don’t tell you ca back alone?" I asked, my heartbeat still not recovered from that unexpected flutter monts ago.
Marcus turned his gaze from the road briefly, his dark eyes studying with an intensity that made want to squirm in my seat. "Are you upset?"
I blinked in confusion, then caught a glimpse of my reflection in the side mirror. My eyes were noticeably red-rimd, giving the impression I’d been crying rather than seething with fury.
"It’s anger," I managed a strained smile. "I haven’t been this angry in a long ti."
As I said this, unwelco mories of Lucy’s past transgressions flashed through my mind-Jack forcing to share Phoenix Project’s core technology, Lucy taking over the Phoenix project managent position despite her complete lack of qualifications. Each instance was connected to her, like a tumor attached to my life, periodically flaring up to make sick. This ti, I silently vowed, I wouldn’t let her off so easily.
I didn’t want to dwell on this humiliating topic any longer. These weren’t achievents to be proud of.
After Marcus left, my life had resembled a rollercoaster ride, with one misfortune following another. I had no desire for him to know about my struggles, to see how pathetic things had beco.
"By the way, Uncle Marcus, why did you suddenly return?" I asked, deliberately changing the subject.
"So business to attend to," he answered tersely, his tone giving away nothing.
"I just had a video call with you at William’s place. You didn’t ntion you were coming back. When did you arrive?" I pressed, feeling an inexplicable anticipation building inside .
Marcus glanced at sideways before turning his attention back to the road, his expression unreadable as he accelerated smoothly through the traffic.
"Not long ago," he said.
Hearing this, I felt an involuntary sense of relief wash over , followed imdiately by confusion at my own reaction. Why did I keep connecting "the mysterious man from room 3303"
with Marcus? It made no sense.
Marcus’s personality was straightforward—if he wanted sothing, he would simply take it openly. He would never engage in secretive gas.
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