The charity gala was held at the most luxurious hotel in Asterford.

Crystal chandeliers blazed overhead, silk gowns brushed against tailored suits.

By the time I arrived, the evening was already halfway through.

Adrian hadn't shown up yet.

I stood alone in a corner, a glass of champagne in hand.

Whispers drifted toward me.

"Isn't that Mrs. Griffin? Why did she come alone?"

"I heard Mr. Griffin's been obsessed with some intern lately. Takes her everywhere. Doesn't even bother bringing his wife to events like this."

"How embarrassing. If I were her, I'd have left already."

"I heard she came from nothing. Married into the Griffin family by pure luck. Guess the luck's run out."

The wealthy ladies' tongues were always sharper than knives.

Once, their words would have cut deep. I would have felt small, slipped into the restroom, and cried in private.

Now, they were nothing more than noise.

I took a slow sip of champagne and let my gaze sweep over the gossiping crowd.

When our eyes met, they fell silent without meaning to.

A stir rose near the entrance.

"Mr. Griffin's here!"

I looked up.

Adrian had finally arrived.

He was dressed in a white suit, polished and charming.

On his arm was none other than Jasmine—the so-called cousin of Marcus.

Jasmine wore a pale pink couture gown, its hem studded with crystals that glittered under the lights.

I recognized it instantly.

Adrian had ordered it in Hacloustein last month. He had told me it was for our anniversary.

Apparently, it had found another owner.

Jasmine clung to him like a proud peacock, a triumphant smile curving her lips.

Adrian scanned the room uneasily. When his eyes landed on me, he visibly stiffened.

He released Jasmine's hand and hurried toward me.

Jasmine hesitated, then picked up two glasses of red wine and followed behind him.

"Audrey, you're here early." Adrian lowered his voice. "Marcus had something urgent come up. He insisted I bring his cousin along so she could see how these events work. I didn't have a choice."

Marcus again.

Marcus again. Whenever Adrian needed a convenient stand-in, Marcus was the one he pulled out.

Before I could respond, Jasmine approached.

"Hello, Mrs. Griffin. I'm Jasmine. We met earlier today." She smiled sweetly and held out a glass of wine. "Mrs. Griffin, let me toast you. Thank you for lending Adrian to me as a guide."

Lend?

What a convenient word.

I didn't take the glass. I simply looked at her.

"Mr. Griffin charges a high fee for personal guidance. Can you afford it?"

Jasmine's expression froze, her eyes reddening instantly.

"Mrs. Griffin, I think you've misunderstood…"

She stepped closer, as if to take my hand.

The moment her fingers brushed mine, her heel suddenly "slipped."

She lunged toward me as if losing control.

I instinctively stepped aside.

"Ah—!"

Jasmine screamed. Missing me entirely, she crashed straight into the display behind me.

On it stood the final auction item of the night.

A priceless antique porcelain vase.

The vase hit the floor, shattering in a sharp, ringing explosion that echoed through the ballroom.

Silence fell.

Jasmine collapsed among the shards, her palm sliced open, blood spilling onto the marble floor.

She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face, and pointed.

"Mrs. Griffin! Why did you push me? I know you don't like me, but the vase was innocent!"

Adrian went ashen. He rushed over to lift Jasmine up, then turned on me in fury.

"Audrey! Have you lost your mind? That antique belongs to the Chandler family for tonight's auction! The starting bid is fifty million dollars! You're making a scene over jealousy? At an event like this? Can you even afford to pay for it?"

People gathered, murmuring.

"Fifty million dollars. The Griffins are going to bleed for this."

"Mrs. Griffin pushed her in public. How jealous can she be?"

"No class at all."

The disgust in Adrian's eyes pierced like needles.

He didn't ask what happened. Didn't check the cameras. He simply pronounced me guilty.

In his mind, I was nothing more than a jealous shrew.

I looked at the man I had once loved, now unrecognizable, and felt the final trace of warmth inside me extinguish.

I set my glass down slowly and smoothed the folds of my gown.

"Fifty million dollars, is that right?"

I stepped in front of Adrian and met his gaze.

"If I settle the matter of the vase and secure the Skycrown Spire landmark project for Griffin Group, we divorce."

Adrian stared at me, stunned.

Then he laughed in disbelief.

"You? A housewife? If you can take Skycrown Palace, I'll agree to the divorce—and walk away with nothing."

"Fine. It's a deal."

I turned to face the crowd and took out my phone.

Outside, rain lashed against the windows, lightning slicing across the sky.

I dialed the number that had lain dormant for three years.

"Professor, I'm back."

The bidding conference for the Skycrown Spire project was scheduled three days later.

It was set to become Asterford's defining landmark for the next decade, and every top-tier design firm was fighting to win it.

Inside the Griffin Group conference room, the air felt thick enough to suffocate.

Adrian was on the verge of losing control.

The chief designer Griffin Group had hired had been poached by a rival just one day before the bid.

They were heading into battle unarmed.

"Mr. Griffin, what do we do? We present in an hour. Our proposal won't survive five minutes," the vice president said, pacing anxiously.

Adrian yanked at his tie and kicked a chair over.

"What good are any of you? Where am I supposed to find someone now?"

Jasmine sat beside him, handing him a glass of water with a gentle smile.

"Adrian, don't be angry. Maybe a miracle will happen."

"A miracle?" He let out a harsh laugh. "Unless L descends from the heavens."

At that moment, the conference room doors swung open.

I walked in wearing a tailored white suit and high heels.

My hair was swept into a sleek updo, gold-rimmed glasses resting on my nose.

I carried myself with deliberate authority.

Everyone froze.

Adrian's brows knitted together when he saw me, the disdain in his eyes unmistakable.

"Audrey? What are you doing here? Did you bring lunch? Or are you here to beg for forgiveness? Get out. This is a senior executive meeting, not a place for you to throw a tantrum."

Jasmine stood up as well, her voice soft and sugary.

"Mrs. Griffin, Adrian is still upset about what happened at the gala. Please don't make things worse right now."

The Griffin executives snickered under their breath.

"Mr. Griffin, seems you've lost control at home."

"Letting your wife storm into a meeting like this? Highly inappropriate."

I ignored them all and walked straight toward the head seat at the bidding table.

It had been reserved for the project's mysterious lead adjudicator and chief overseer.

Adrian's face drained of color when he saw where I was headed.

"Audrey! Have you lost your mind? That seat isn't for you! Get down! Security! Where's security?"

He lunged toward me, his hand only inches away from touching me, when the conference room doors suddenly opened again.

The event organizers entered, accompanied by several internationally renowned architects.

The moment they saw me standing before the main seat, their faces lit up with unmistakable excitement.

The elderly masters hurried toward me and bowed respectfully.

"Master! You've finally returned!"

"We've been waiting for you, L."

Silence swallowed the room.

Adrian's hand froze midair, his eyes bulging in disbelief.

The pen slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the table.

The vice president's jaw nearly hit the floor.

Jasmine's smile stiffened into something grotesque.

I sat down slowly, crossed my legs, and let my gaze sweep across the room with quiet superiority.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Audrey Lawson. And I am the chief director of the Skycrown Spire project—L."

I looked at Adrian's ashen face and smiled coldly. "Mr. Griffin, can I afford that vase now?"

The conference room was so silent that a pin dropping to the floor would have echoed like a gunshot.

Adrian trembled all over, his face shifting from deathly ashen to a dark, mottled red.

"You're L? That's impossible. You're just…" Adrian stammered.

"Just a stupid woman who cooks for you and cleans up after you?" I cut him off, my gaze utterly devoid of warmth. "Adrian, were you blind, or just that stupid? Over the past five years, every award-winning design Griffin Group bragged about came from my hands. Did you honestly think your useless design team was capable of producing any of that?"

Adrian staggered back a step and slammed into the corner of the table.

His memories began to unravel.

The countless nights he had seen my silhouette bent over drafts in the study. The blueprints he never understood, yet somehow always won the bids.

The truth had been there all along.

I pulled a document from the folder and slapped it onto the conference table.

"You lost. Own it. Sign, Adrian."

It was a divorce agreement.

Adrian stared at the papers, then suddenly lunged forward like a madman and dropped to his knees in front of me.

He grabbed my hands, tears and mucus running down his face in humiliating streams.

"Audrey! I was wrong! I didn't know you were this capable. I love you, I swear! Jasmine meant nothing. It was all for show. Marcus pushed her on me. I never liked her! Please, don't divorce me. Griffin Group can't survive without you!"

The man who had strutted in like a king moments ago now groveled at my feet like a stray begging for scraps.

Jasmine stood off to the side, her face drained of color as she tried to slip away unnoticed.

"Stop." My voice was cold as ice.

Jasmine froze mid-step, too afraid to move.

"Ms. Jensen, as Adrian's so-called personal assistant, you're the perfect witness for this divorce."

I took out the remote and pressed play.

The large screen flickered to life. Surveillance footage from the campsite appeared.

Then photos of Adrian and Jasmine kissing inside a car.

And finally, an audio recording from one of Adrian's business dinners.

"My wife's useless. Can't do anything except cook. If she weren't so obedient, I'd have dumped her already."

Adrian's voice rang out with unmistakable clarity.

The investors looked at Adrian with open contempt.

"Mr. Griffin, I didn't expect this from you."

"If your character is questionable, our partnership has to be reconsidered."

"Ms. Lawson, you have our full support."

Adrian's face turned ashen.

He knew that if he refused to sign today, Griffin Group was finished.

They would lose the project and likely be blacklisted by the entire industry.

Under the weight of every gaze in the room, Adrian picked up the pen with trembling fingers.

Each stroke felt as if it carved into his own flesh.

In addition to walking away with nothing, he had to transfer thirty percent of Griffin Group's shares to me as compensation for emotional damages.

When he finished signing, Adrian collapsed into the chair, limp and hollow, like a dog with its spine ripped out.

I gathered the agreement and rose to my feet.

"That concludes today's meeting."

When I stepped out of the conference room, the sunlight outside was dazzling and brilliant.

I took a long, steady breath.

The air no longer carried that sickening stench of hypocrisy.

For the first time in years, it felt good.