The crowd buzzed with whispers.
People craned their necks to get a better look.
"What's the deal with that Sophia Sullivan?"
"Even the Sullivans treat her differently."
Someone immediately chimed in.
"You don’t know who she is?"
"She’s Crimson Serpent, the champion of the Italian perfumery competition."
"Now she’s the chief perfumer at Breeze Perfumes."
Another voice added,
"She also won gold in the short track speed skating competition recently."
"A true prodigy."
The murmurs grew louder.
"Did you see the auction earlier?"
"She pulled out a VIP card from The Decagon."
"A platinum one!"
Someone lowered their voice.
"Our boss specifically called to remind us."
"We must establish good relations with Miss Sullivan."
"Preferably recruit her to our company."
Every word reached Liam Winston’s ears.
His expression darkened.
"When did she get to know so many men?"
A suffocating weight pressed against Liam’s chest.
He remembered the moment Sophia produced that platinum card.
He had been publicly humiliated.
Now the entire elite circle was laughing at him.
Some probably even called him blind.
His reputation was ruined beyond repair.
Yet Sophia had become the moon everyone worshipped.
Untouchable.
Out of reach.
Chloe Evans sidled up to him.
"Aren’t you proud of your ex-wife, Liam?"
"So many men are willing to spend fortunes for her."
Her tone dripped with false admiration.
Inside, jealousy burned like acid.
Why did Sophia always get special treatment?
What did that orphan have that she didn’t?
But Liam’s silence unsettled her.
She needed to stoke the flames.
"Though it’s strange."
"She swore you were her one and only when you were married."
"Yet right after the divorce, she’s entangled with all these men."
Normally, such remarks would ignite Liam’s fury.
Today, he remained impassive.
Not a word.
Not a reaction.
Alarm bells rang in Chloe’s mind.
She quickly changed tactics.
"Never mind that."
"Mother’s headaches are getting worse."
"Last time, Sophia refused to help."
She hesitated deliberately.
"If she rejects us publicly again today..."
"We’ll be complete laughingstocks."
Her implication was clear—Liam should give up.
Sophia would never lift a finger for them.
Today’s humiliation was already unbearable.
That heartless woman wouldn’t lift a finger.
The auction fiasco still enraged Chloe.
She had meant to expose Sophia’s true colors.
Instead, the orphan had connections to The Decagon.
Their dignity had been trampled into the dirt.
The bitterest pill?
The woman who was once her stand-in.
Now lived a life a hundred times more glorious.
Liam clenched his fists.
"I have to try."
His gaze locked onto the three men surrounding Sophia.
Each exuded power and wealth.
Their lavish gestures made him feel small.
But more than that—
He felt the loss of something irreplaceable.
Something he had pushed away with his own hands.