Dorothy stared at Jason with bitter mockery, but his next words plunged her into an icy abyss.

“Ten years without children, and you’re still jealous of a younger woman? She’s seven years younger than you.”

A sour, bitter taste flooded her mouth. His words stabbed deep, each syllable a fresh wound.

It all traced back to when Jason won that bid. A rival, seeking revenge, had tampered with the car’s brakes.

They crashed together. Terrified for his life, she’d demanded the doctors treat him first.

She missed the critical treatment window. The damage was permanent, leaving her unlikely ever to conceive.

When Jason woke, his eyes held a tenderness that ached. He’d gripped her hand, vowing he’d never let danger touch her again.

But even that sea-deep devotion—she’d given everything—he had long since cast aside.

Seeing Dorothy silent, Jason took her arm without a word and steered her into the banquet hall.

“As my wife and a board member, cutting her cake would be the proper gesture.”

The crowd swarmed Katherine, celebrating her new luxury brand endorsement.

And there she was—Katherine, the undeniable center of attention, stunning in her designer gown.

As if the endorsement hadn’t been Jason’s gift to bestow all along.

Guests pressed forward with congratulations and gifts. Katherine’s bright eyes locked onto Dorothy, gleaming with malice.

“Mrs. Jason, might I trouble you for a gift as well?”

Under the public gaze, Dorothy chose not to make a scene. She offered the custom necklace she’d ordered six months prior.

Katherine made no move to take it. Her eyes instantly welled with tears.

“Do you despise me so much, Mrs. Jason, that you’d insult me with this… cheap trinket?”

Jason frowned, his reproachful gaze landing heavily on Dorothy.

“This is a significant occasion. The brand partners are watching. How could you bring something like this?”

Dorothy snapped the necklace case shut, ready to turn and leave. Why waste another breath on these two?

But Katherine’s eyes had caught the heirloom jade pendant at Dorothy’s throat. She spoke up at once.

“Mr. Jason, perhaps your wife could give me that jade pendant as an apology instead.”

Jason hesitated. That pendant was a family heirloom.

Yet in the next breath, Katherine’s expression soured. “Didn’t you promise I could pick any gift today? You said you’d make things right for me.”

Jason’s gaze flicked to Dorothy’s profile for a split second before the command dropped. “Give it to her.”

Dorothy stared, disbelieving. “Jason, have you lost your mind? You know what that is—”

He cut her off, impatient. “Dorothy, if you’ve done wrong, you make amends. Give it to her.”

Dorothy froze. What wrong had she done?

As Jason motioned for a bodyguard to seize it, something in her shattered. She shoved the guard away, and the jade pendant struck the floor.

Her eyes glistening with furious tears, she met his gaze. “Who gave you the right to lay hands on me?”

Jason’s displeasure sharpened. “Dorothy, must I spell it out? You schemed to blind Katherine. That debt remains unsettled!”

Dorothy almost laughed at the grotesque lie. “It was Katherine who paid someone to blind *me*! Her own wickedness came back to haunt her—”

***Crack!***

Before everyone, Jason’s palm connected hard with her face. “Enough! How long will you disgrace the Zhang family?”

“Slandering Katherine like this—is this how the wife of the Zhang family should act?”

Dorothy’s ear rang from the blow. His infidelity wasn’t a disgrace, but her speaking truth was.

A dull ache began in her chest, tightening, pulling at every nerve until she could barely breathe.

Feeling her heart rebel, Dorothy fumbled desperately for her emergency pills. Her pockets were empty.

Her breath grew ragged, as if a vise gripped her throat. Her face drained of color, and her legs gave way.

“Ja… Jason…”

The plea was instinctive, torn from her. But as it left her lips, she caught the sly, triumphant curl of Katherine’s smile.

“Ah… my eyes! The pain!”

Dorothy watched Katherine cry out. Instantly, Jason pulled back his arm, scooped her up, and carried her away.

Dorothy herself kept convulsing, foaming at the mouth, until she finally lost consciousness.

She didn’t know how long she was out. Eventually, she opened her eyes.

The sound of Jason’s typing stopped. He sighed.

“Was that really necessary? All I asked was for you to admit you were wrong.”

“Consider it a small lesson. If there’s a next time, you know how far I’ll go.”

Dorothy couldn’t bear to look at him. Grabbing the nearest thing she could see, she threw it at him.

“Enough!”

Jason seemed to have lost all patience. “You’re being utterly unreasonable,” he said finally, and turned to leave.

Utterly unreasonable?

Dorothy let out a low, bitter laugh.

So this was where they had ended up—unable to stand the sight of each other.

After a few days in the hospital, Dorothy finally regained a bit of strength.

But the peace didn’t last. An uninvited guest arrived: Jason.

His face had regained its usual calm, though a hint of guilt lingered at the edges.

“Dorothy, what happened to us? You seem so different now…”

She found it bitterly ironic. What woman wants to share her husband? And no fire burns forever in the same hearth.

Jason took a deep breath. “Dorothy, I’m sorry. Let’s go to the auction. I heard there’s a lead on that antique Chinese lute you’ve always wanted.”

A flicker of interest stirred in her. They could fight all they wanted—but that instrument, she was determined to have.

It was the final lot. Noticing Dorothy’s distraction, Jason tried to make conversation.

“Dorothy, this painting of two phoenixes soaring together—it’s clearly by your favorite artist. Do you want it?”

But the vibrant, flamboyant style was unmistakably Katherine’s taste.

When she didn’t respond, Jason mistook her silence for consent and eagerly prepared to bid. Just then, Katherine glided over.

“Jason, however did you know this is my favorite painter?”

Jason froze, his eyes darting guiltily toward Dorothy.

She couldn’t stand to watch them and turned to leave.

But Katherine tossed out a light remark: “Decided to join us, Dorothy?”

Seeing Katherine’s confident, triumphant expression, a fire ignited in Dorothy’s chest. A cold smile touched her lips as she sat back down.

“Since you want to play, I’ll keep you company.”

Every time Katherine placed a bid, Dorothy raised it by another ten thousand, publicly undermining her at every turn.

Katherine’s face grew increasingly strained. She pouted, blaming Jason with a coquettish whine.

His own pride wounded, Jason leaned in and warned Dorothy under his breath, “Let her have this one. Katherine rarely comes to auctions. You’re a regular. Don’t embarrass her.”

Dorothy didn’t even look back, raising her paddle again. “I have the means, and I’ll use them.”

Whispers began to ripple through the surrounding crowd of wealthy heirs.

“Isn’t that Mr. Jason? Which one is the real wife?”

“The one with class is obviously the wife. The other one’s all act—the classic other woman.”

Tears welled in Katherine’s eyes. “If Mrs. Jason dislikes me, there’s no need to humiliate me over and over…”

With that, she turned and fled in tears.

Jason’s face darkened terrifyingly. He twisted the beads on his wrist, his gaze fixed on Dorothy—inscrutable, heavy.

…

The next day was the class reunion. Despite multiple refusals, Dorothy ended up going.

At eighteen, he was all bright eyes and perfect smile; that first kiss behind the library sealed everything.

By twenty-two, he was the rising star downtown, and she had blossomed into a stunning, sophisticated woman.

At twenty-four, he launched his own company, and she became Jason’s most formidable partner.

But now…

Before she could sink further into memory, crude, lewd chatter reached her from the banquet hall entrance.

“…those legs, so pale… and the most tantalizing part is that red mole in the small of her back… utterly seductive…”

“Absolutely genuine, no edits. This was from a private auction Mr. Jason hosted last night. They were auctioning off Dorothy’s private photos.”

Dorothy stood frozen at the door, her face deathly pale. A tidal wave of nausea crashed through her, leaving her speechless.

She could never have imagined—Jason would auction her private photos for Katherine.

She found him looking utterly relaxed. “Do you have any idea what your so-called friends are looking at right now?”

But Jason’s expression remained calm, laced with sarcasm. “You love auctions so much? I decided to give you a personal one.”