—- Chapter 8 At the end of the month, Daniel and Cheryl’s engagement party was held as scheduled. The event was packed with big names from Kaverton’s elite. Cheryl, dressed in a custom designer gown, floated effortlessly through the crowd, glowing like the center of the universe, adored by all. Daniel’s friends gathered around, visibly impressed. “Congrats, Daniel! You and Cheryl finally made it official!” “You two were the perfect couple back in school.
If it hadn’t been for Elizabeth messing things up, you wouldn’t have been apart all these years.” “Speaking of Elizabeth , does anyone know how she’s doing now?” “Didn’t she get a hundred million from Daniel as a breakup fee? She’s probably living it up overseas right now. Daniel’s just too soft-hearted…” At the mention of Elizabeth’s name, Daniel’s brow twitched. After the kidnapping incident, Elizabeth left the country.
The prevailing rumor was that the scandal —- surrounding the leaked video had driven her to flee in disgrace, a narrative Daniel had readily accepted. What he hadn’t anticipated was the utter finality of her vanishing act. It had been more than two weeks, and she hadn’t posted a single update on any social media platform. It was like she’d disappeared off the face of the earth.
One of his friends noticed Daniel spacing out and nudged him, teasing, “Don’t tell me you actually caught feelings for Elizabeth?” Daniel snapped back to attention, his expression turning cold. “After everything she did to Cheryl? All feel for her is hate. Don’t joke like that.” “Right, right, our bad. We’ll drop it.” None of them dared say another word after that. Just then, Cheryl walked over from across the room. She slipped her hand into the crook of Daniel’s arm and said sweetly, ”Mrs.
Warner’s husband just bought her the most gorgeous sapphire necklace . I want one too.” Daniel didn’t hesitate. “Isn’t my black card with you? If you want it, buy it. You don’t need to ask me about little things like that.” His friends immediately groaned and laughed, playfully. —- “Damn, Daniel’s out here feeding us couple goals without warning!” “Cheryl, how did you manage to tame Kaverton’s most infamous playboy? You gotta share your secrets!
” Cheryl beamed under the praise, her vanity completely satisfied. Daniel had been spoiling her endlessly over the past few weeks. He took her shopping at luxury boutiques, dined with her at Bichelin -starred restaurants , brought her to high -society events, and did everything he could to make up for the two years they’d been apart. Cheryl soaked it all in, quickly settling into the role of Mrs. Woolridge like it had always been hers. “T don’t have any real secrets.
Dan and I just love each other. That’s all there is to it,” she said with a coy laugh, eyes glinting with smug pride. The engagement party officially began. Right before they exchanged rings, the emcee smiled brightly and said, “As many of you know, Mr. Woolridge and Ms. Cheryl have been together since university.
—- “We’ve put together some special footage from their student days. Let’s take a walk down memory lane on the big screen.” All eyes turned toward the screen, but what came next hit the room like a tidal wave. “Elizabeth, I heard you slept with Daniel, and now the video’s everywhere . Did you think cheap, disgusting tricks like that would make him fall for you? “Let me spell it out for you-he doesn’t like you.
In fact, he can’t stand you.” The moment Cheryl’s sharp voice filled the room, it fell into stunned silence. It was only then that the guests realized the footage playing wasn’t some sentimental highlight reel from their university days-it was surveillance footage. The setting was in the lounge at the welcome party. Cheryl and Elizabeth stood face to face, mid- argument. Things escalated quickly. Cheryl raised her hand, ready to strike. Just then, Daniel walked through the door.
Ina flash, Cheryl pulled her hand back, grabbed a piece of cake from the table, shoved it into her mouth, and collapsed to the floor in tears. —- Throughout the entire exchange , Elizabeth hadn’t even touched her-not a single strand of hair. Watching Cheryl pull off such a flawless performance, the crowd was stunned into silence. Even Daniel looked shell-shocked. He had been so sure Cheryl was the victim that day.
He never imagined her allergic reaction had been nothing more than a staged act. Before he could process the betrayal, the screen cut to anew scene, one even more horrifying. Awoman, her face blurred, was pinned to the ground by several men. One by one, bottles of bright red pepper liquid were forced into her mouth. She begged them to stop, choking and writhing in pain, but they only laughed , their taunts sharp and cruel.
Then, they tore her clothes and took photo after photo of her broken, humiliated body. Daniel felt his heart seize in his chest, the air sucked from his lungs. Even with her face pixelated, he recognized her instantly; that woman was Elizabeth.
