Chapter 3

3..

I turned toward the voice. A tall man with an intimidating aura was standing in a shadowed corner.

His face was incredibly handsome, but his expression was like a thundercloud.

The entire room went silent. A few seconds later, someone whispered in shock.

"Mr. Pierce!"

The name hit the crowd like a bomb.

It was Preston Pierce, the head of the Pierce conglomerate.

He was the kind of man who could bankrupt a company with a single phone call. Most of us would never even get a chance to see him in person.

Everyone looked confused. Why was he here?

"Big brother! Please tell this lady I didn't mean it!"

The little girl ran into his arms, sobbing. She looked at him like he was her savior.

"Mr. Pierce! This is all a misunderstanding! A total mistake!"

Silas's father, a seasoned businessman, rushed over with a fake smile to shake his hand.

Preston ignored the hand and stared at Wanda with lethal eyes.

"Since there are so many witnesses, we should give Mrs. Sterling a fair resolution. Let's just check the security footage."

Wanda's entire body went stiff at the mention of cameras.

She looked at Silas frantically, pleading for help.

"Honey... we don't need to check the cameras. I actually bumped into Miss Pierce! It was my mistake! I apologize!"

But it was too late.

Preston didn't care about her apology. He gestured, and the security footage began playing on the giant ballroom screens.

The video showed Silas flirting with other women earlier in the night. Wanda had been seething with rage but was too afraid to confront him.

Instead, she had targeted the young girl who was standing alone and looked vulnerable.

The footage clearly showed Wanda deliberately walking into her.

Wanda's face turned bright red as her lie was exposed to everyone.

She kept signaling Silas to save her.

But Silas was struggling to maintain his own position in the family. This embarrassment made him want to strangle her, not help her.

Preston spoke up again, his voice smooth but dangerous.

"Since the Sterling family has such a low opinion of my sister, I think it's best if we cancel our current contracts with you."

With those few words, the Sterling family's hard work to partner with the Pierces was destroyed.

Silas's grandfather looked like he was about to have a heart attack right then and there.

The hall descended into chaos. The Sterlings knew that offending Preston Pierce meant ruin.

They tried to beg, but Preston didn't give them a second look. He started to lead his sister out.

As he passed me, he stopped.

"Is your name Chloe Jenson?"

I was startled. "You know who I am?"

He gave me the first hint of a smile I had seen all night.

"A name as elegant as its owner. Thank you for speaking up for my sister today."

His sister, Piper, was so grateful she insisted on getting my number. This was a huge win for me.

As she left, she kept waving.

"Thanks, Chloe! Let's hang out soon!"

Preston then swept her away before she could say another word.

In the hall, Silas was dragging a crying Wanda away. The guests were already gossiping like crazy.

By tomorrow morning, this story would be everywhere.

Wanda's life was about to get much harder, but she brought it on herself.