Chapter 463
Susy had to use every ounce of strength she had to deliver the heavy crate of live crabs to the address the customer specified. But the
moment she arrived at the party, she realized with a jolt that every guest mingling in the garden was someone she knew.
“We didn’t order anything like this.”
The Burtons’ butler strode over, pinched his nose in distaste, and barked
at Susy, “You need to leave immediately. If you don’t, I’ll have security escort you out.”
“Wait-I’m not here to cause trouble, I really am just delivering the seafood order-”
Susy tried to explain, but a guest’s mocking voice cut through the chatter. “Whoever placed the order, it’s here now. Just let her bring it in.
Otherwise, she won’t get paid for the delivery, and how else will she afford her big dinner tonight?”
“Is that Susy? After the Fraser family went bankrupt, she’s reduced to delivering takeout now?”
“Didn’t you used to chase after her?”
“Yeah, right! Who’d chase after a woman who reeks of fish? Wasn’t she supposed to be Julian Neville’s fiancée?”
Susy’s hands trembled as tears stung her eyes, humiliation burning in her cheeks.
Then, out of the crowd, she spotted Niamh.
Niamh, decked out in designer clothes and glittering jewelry, looked every inch the elegant socialite.
And Susy? She was wearing a delivery uniform, stained and smelling of seafood, looking nothing like the wealthy heiress she once was.
1/2
17:04
Niamh noticed Susy glaring at her.
She could guess what Susy was thinking-that she had somehow engineered this delivery to embarrass her in front of everyone.
But the truth was, Niamh hadn’t done anything. Sure, Susy had wronged her in the past, but Susy was already paying for her own mistakes. Niamh had no interest in wasting her precious time on someone like her.
Not worth it.
She looked away, ignoring Susy as if she were invisible.
Susy clenched her jaw in frustration, and then the same group who’d mocked her before piped up again:
“Speak of the devil-look, isn’t that Julian?”
Susy’s head snapped around, eyes wide.
There he was-Julian, immaculate in a tailored suit, strolling into the ballroom with an elegantly dressed woman on his arm.
“That’s the granddaughter of the Astraeon Networks CEO, right? I heard they’ve already set a wedding date.”
“No wonder Mr. Neville ditched Susy. With a face like his, he can always trade up in a heartbeat.”
Susy, clutching the basket of crabs, turned to flee, panic rising in her
chest.
She couldn’t let Julian see her like this.
+
But the crate was heavy, and her arms were shaking. Before she could get away, the whole basket tipped over, sending crabs scuttling across the polished floor.
Even losing one crab meant her pay would be docked-she was already deep in debt, and every penny mattered.
2/3
17:04
Desperate, she dropped to her knees and tried to gather up the crabs with her bare hands, only to yelp in pain as their pincers caught her skin. The scene was chaotic, humiliating.
Laughter erupted through the party.
“Best entertainment all night-who needs a clown when you’ve got her?”
Susy scrambled after the crabs, crawling right to Julian’s feet before she froze, mortified.
Julian glanced down at her, his face etched with distaste, then turned away, leading his companion onward without a second thought.
That was the final blow. Susy’s tears finally spilled over as she watched
them leave.
After Susy stumbled out, the laughter faded, and the guests resumed their polite, sophisticated conversations, as if nothing had happened.
Niamh watched Julian chatting and mingling with his new date. He looked healthy, as if he’d bounced back from everything.
But something about him felt different now-distant, almost unrecognizable.
Meanwhile, Marina excused herself from Jonathan’s side, claiming she needed the restroom. Alone in the quiet, marble-floored halls of Aurelian Pavilion, she pulled out her phone and sent Susy a message:
Have you really decided not to reconsider what we talked about last
time?
She waited for a while, until a reply finally appeared:
I’ll do it.
The words made Marina’s lips curl into a sly, satisfied smile.
