Chapter 1
The day I returned to my alma mater for the centennial celebration, my assistant sent me a screenshot of an Instagram post:
[Hoping my darling girl’s first performance at eighteen goes perfectly.]
In the photo, an unfamiliar girl stood backstage wearing my custom designed gown, looking like a graceful white swan.
The post was from my husband–and he’d specifically blocked me from seeing it.
As I stared at the photo, ready to confront him, the girl suddenly appeared on the celebration stage while I sat in the front row of the audience.
She was dressed exactly as she had been in the photo, singing a melody my husband had composed for me,
After a moment of contemplation, I took out my phone, snapped a picture of her performance, and sent it directly to my husband:
Honey, what a coincidence! I just spotted my missing gown and necklace at school.]
This girl is even singing the song you wrote for me.]
Anyone watching might think she’s some obsessed fan of mine.]
Wonder how many years in prison she’d get if I called the police right now?]
Just as I hit send, the spotlight swept across the audience, illuminating my husband’s face.
There he was, holding a support banner full of encouraging words for the girl, his image projected on the big screen.
Without hesitation, I stood up, turned toward him, and smiled:
Darling, what a surprise to see you here.”
Our eyes locked, and Calvin Blackwell’s face instantly turned ghastly.
approached him as if nothing was wrong, looking concerned.
‘Calvin, why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?”
The university president beside me also stood up, curiously observing us both.
Violet, you know Mr. Blackwell?” he asked, gesturing toward Calvin with admiration. “This gentleman is our school’s newest major benefactor! The two new academic buildings and our latest batch of laboratory equipment–all donated by Mr. Blackwell. One building has even been named after him!”
The president then turned enthusiastically toward Calvin. “Mr. Blackwell, if you’d told us you were coming to the celebration, we would have arranged front row VIP seating for you.”
Apparently, it had been too noisy for him to hear my “darling” comment earlier.
I smiled and affectionately linked my arm through Calvin’s rigid one.
03:44 0
Bankrupt My Cheating £500 Donel
Chapter 1
“President, we’re more than just acquaintances,” I said sweetly. “We’re husband and wife, aren’t we, darling?”
Calvin’s body tensed noticeably as he forced a smile.
“I was just passing by, saw the celebration, and decided to come in. Didn’t want to trouble the school staff,” he mumbled to the president before reluctantly introducing me. “This is my wife, Violet Reid.”
He could barely look me in the eye, guilt written all over his face.
I didn’t expose his pathetic lie on the spot. Instead, I turned to look at the stage with feigned curiosity.
“President, who is that young lady on stage? The song is quite beautiful.”
The president spoke of her with clear admiration. “That’s Naomi Winters. She’s a promising talent–comes from humble beginnings but has extraordinary abilities. One of our most outstanding students this year. Mr. Blackwell is her sponsor, and since her enrollment, he’s made numerous donations to our school.”
I nodded, masking my emotions perfectly.
After the ceremony, the president enthusiastically brought Naomi to meet us.
“Naomi, come meet one of our distinguished alumni, Violet Reid! Our school’s famous ‘Launching Dreams‘ scholarship was established by her,” he said cheerfully. “What a coincidence–your sponsor happens to be Ms. Reid’s husband.”
Naomi immediately greeted us, expressing admiration for me and gratitude toward Calvin.
Her voice was meek and humble, but the calculation and contempt hidden in her eyes was impossible to miss.
I stared pointedly at her gown and spoke lightly. “How does Ms. Winters afford such an expensive custom gown when she comes from such humble beginnings? Strangely, it looks almost identical to the auction piece I lost a few days ago.”
Naomi’s face instantly paled as she looked desperately toward Calvin.
Yet Calvin shot her a warning glance.
She immediately lowered her head, explaining in a pitiful voice: “The dress… I made it myself, stitch by stitch, using photos of the auction piece as reference. The pearl necklace is just a replica too. Though everything I’m wearing is fake, I really wanted to present myself perfectly on stage.”
After hearing her explanation, I didn’t call her out. Instead, I turned to Calvin with a meaningful smile.
“Darling, I really loved that dress and necklace. If I ever find out who was thoughtless enough to steal them, I’ll make sure they pay back a thousand times over!”
Now, Calvin’s face couldn’t merely be described as “difficult to look at“-he looked absolutely mortified.
He grabbed my wrist tightly and said with tension in his voice, “Violet, the celebration’s over. Let’s go home.”
03:44
