Chapter 4
Grandma Helen’s funeral arrangements were completed two days later.
And today was also the celebration party Julian had prepared.
I thought Julian would take me, but then I received a message from him on my phone.
“Sorry, Anya, I have some company matters to handle today. Please take a cab there by yourself.”
I’d seen excuses like this far too many times this week.
Julian hadn’t even attended Grandma Helen’s funeral.
He always claimed it was work issues.
But in reality, he was just off seeing that wretched Seraphina.
But I didn’t care.
Julian and I had long since lost any affection for each other.
All that was left was hatred.
In the end, I didn’t bother to dress up. I checked the time and headed to the party venue.
Soon after I entered, everyone around me turned their gazes my way.
“Is that Mr. Hayes’s wife? She’s dressed so shabbily.”
“I know, right? Her clothes are stained, and she smells faintly of smoke. I don’t know how Mr. Hayes ever fell for her. She doesn’t even deserve such a brilliant young man.”
I heard every whisper around me.
However, I felt no emotional stirring whatsoever.
Not even being compared to someone else bothered me.
I didn’t deserve Julian? Sorry, they had it all wrong.
Suddenly, the crowd stirred.
“Wow, is that the doctor who saved Mr. Hayes? She looks so elegant! Looking at them, they’re truly a match made in heaven! As for that so-called wife, she’s just a piece of trash!”
Following everyone’s gaze, I saw Julian and Seraphina slowly approaching from a distance.
And everyone in the room had their eyes fixed on Seraphina.
They kept talking, comparing me to Seraphina.
Julian didn’t stop them.
In fact, his expression grew even more delighted with the compliments.
It wasn’t until a moment later that Julian finally noticed my presence.
Immediately, his smile vanished, and he walked towards me with a sorrowful, troubled look.
“Anya, I’ve been so busy with work lately, I haven’t been able to pay attention to you. Please don’t be angry.”
Hah, busy with work?
You couldn’t bother with me, but you could bother with that cheap woman, Seraphina.
Listening to Julian’s flimsy excuses, I didn’t even want to argue.
He must have realized something, then quickly added.
“As for Seraphina, I just ran into her on the way. She said she wanted to attend my celebration party, and of course, I couldn’t refuse. After all, you know she saved my life. But don’t worry, there’s only one leading lady tonight, and that’s you.”
I glanced at Seraphina, who was standing not far away.
She was wearing a luxurious gown, her entire demeanor refined and elegant, as if she were the center of attention. Anyone who didn’t know might have thought she was tonight’s main attraction.
Thinking of this, I found Julian’s words even more laughable.
The gown Seraphina was wearing, purely in terms of its purchase price, was astronomical.
With her intern doctor’s salary, she definitely couldn’t afford such an expensive dress.
So, it could only have come from Julian.
Hah.
He kept saying I was the lead, but behind my back, he was supporting another woman.
Julian, do you honestly think I’m a complete idiot?
He didn’t know what I was thinking. After his explanation, he began to mingle. Soon after, the banquet began.
Julian, as the host, stood at the front of the stage, giving a speech.
He spoke emotionally about his entrepreneurial journey and my silent contributions behind him all these years.
If I hadn’t already seen through him,
I might have even been moved.
As the speech continued, Julian extended an invitation to me.
He still looked at me with tender affection, his eyes filled with love.
“Anya, thank you for all your silent contributions these past years. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. In the future, I will continue to work hard to grow this company, making it bigger and stronger, reaching global heights! And you, will you continue to walk this path with me?”
Julian’s impassioned speech deeply resonated with the audience.
However, as his last sentence fell, many onlookers expressed their displeasure.
“Hah, does a woman like that even deserve Julian? What is she? She’s not even fit to carry his shoes!”
“Exactly! Compared to Ms. Seraphina, she’s like heaven and earth! I have no idea how Julian ever liked her!”
The crowd’s constant praising of Seraphina while putting me down made Seraphina, sitting in the middle of the room as if surrounded by stars, very pleased. A hint of smugness entered her gaze as she looked at me.
But I didn’t care.
I even thought, since everyone believes I don’t deserve Julian,
Why don’t I just grant their wish?
“I don’t.”
My ice-cold reply stunned Julian for a moment.
“What? She actually refused? Does this woman think she can do whatever she wants just because she has Mr. Hayes’s affection? Or is she out of her mind? Such a great opportunity, and she refuses? Doesn’t she look in the mirror and know her place?”
“I think she’s just playing hard to get. This woman is so cunning! I knew Julian couldn’t possibly like her; looks like this b*tch really knows how to play games!”
The people below looked incredulous.
Clearly, they had never expected me to reject Julian’s proposal.
But even so, the crowd continued to hurl insults at me.
After a moment, Julian snapped back to reality. Just as he thought I was joking and wanted to inquire further,
His assistant suddenly burst into the hall.
“Boss, it’s bad! Our company’s stock has crashed!”
0Julian froze.
A moment later, he came back to his senses and gasped, demanding to know.
“Crashed! How is that possible! It was just fine a moment ago!”