Jorge crouched down, his stern face softening as he looked at Rebecca.

"Rebecca, are you hurt?" he asked.

Across the room, Mia threw a sharp look at Averie, not missing a chance to stir up trouble. "Jorge, your house manager is out of control. She actually shoved your future wife. I bet she's jealous of my sister. There's no doubt she did it on purpose. She's downright malicious!"

Rebecca lifted her gaze, her expression gentle. "Jorge, please don't blame Ms. Peters for this. I think she's just upset today. I understand how she feels, truly."

A worried look crossed Jorge's face. "You're too kind for your own good, Rebecca."

He gently scooped her up and gave Averie a cold glare. "Averie, I never expected you to do something like this. I'm really disappointed in you."

Without saying another word, he carried Rebecca upstairs, never once glancing back.

Averie longed to defend herself, to explain everything, but the sting of Jorge's icy reaction lodged in her chest, leaving her unable to speak.

Not far off, Mia's eyes narrowed into a hateful glare toward Averie.

"Shameless bitch!"

Averie caught the insult, her eyes reflecting shock.

After steadying herself, she fixed Mia with a sardonic smile. "Maybe you should ask your sister who's really the shameless one here."

Without waiting for a reply, she picked up her suitcase and walked out of the Hardy Estate. No matter how many insults Mia hurled after her, she never once looked back.

Rain battered the city that night, turning the streets into rivers beneath a stormy sky.

Averie wandered aimlessly, allowing the rain to hide her tears as it soaked every inch of her skin.

Eventually, her feet led her to a run-down apartment complex—the same place her parents had once called home, long before they'd struck it rich.

After all these years, she had ended up right back here.

Sleep proved impossible for her. By dawn, she lay wide awake until her phone broke the silence.

The call was from her best friend, Lainey Holt.

"Averie, check the news right now! You have to see it. That jerk and his mistress have no shame at all!"

Averie's fingers shook at that, nerves sending a chill through her.

She quickly found the news about Jorge and Rebecca.

"The Hardy Group's CEO Jorge Hardy Proposes to Star Designer Rebecca Morley—A Sky Full of Fireworks to Celebrate."

The words hit Averie like a punch.

She and Jorge hadn't gotten a divorce yet, but he had already proposed to Rebecca?

Averie clicked on the photos in the news.

They captured the dazzling celebration, but Averie's attention snapped to the bursts of fireworks that lit up the sky behind them.

A dull ache gnawed at her chest.

Those dazzling fireworks were the ones she had designed for her wedding with Jorge.

But now, Jorge had used them to propose to another woman.

He had never truly cared about her.

On the other end of the line, Lainey's outrage boiled over. "Averie, you're Jorge's wife! The wedding next month is supposed to reveal your identity to everyone. How did that bitch Rebecca suddenly take your place?"

Hearing that shattered Averie, and tears poured down her cheeks. "Lainey, I can't do this anymore. I'm divorcing Jorge."

Lainey's anger sharpened. "What? Are you serious? Is Jorge forcing you out just to give Rebecca your spot? Has he been having an affair with her all along?"

Averie pressed her lips together for a moment, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know, Lainey."

Truthfully, she didn't know how far Jorge and Rebecca's relationship had gone.

She continued, "But I don't want to know anymore. Once I divorce Jorge, I'll finally be able to live for myself. I'm done compromising and chasing after someone who doesn't even care about me."

"Averie, the biggest fireworks designing competition in Crurville is coming up. You have to participate in it! I'll put your name down myself. You are meant for greatness, not for playing housekeeper for Jorge. It's time you chase your own dreams."

Lainey spoke earnestly, not wanting to watch her best friend give up on her dreams for a man.

"Alright," Averie replied without hesitation.

Lainey was caught completely off guard by the quick agreement. "Wait, did you just agree? Are you serious?"

Averie said, "Yes."

With a wide grin, Lainey exclaimed, "That's amazing! Just wait, Averie. When you show everyone what you can do, Jorge will wish he had never let you go."

They talked for hours, Lainey venting nonstop about what a jerk Jorge had been.

"He'll get what's coming to him, trust me..."

After the call ended, Averie found herself drawn to the news again.

Scrolling through the comments, she felt each word like a needle piercing her heart.

"Mr. Hardy and Rebecca look like they belong together; what a gorgeous couple!"

"Jorge is wealthy, charming, and clearly adores her. Rebecca must be the luckiest woman alive!"

"Wish I could trade places with her. He treats her like royalty!"

One tear after another slid from Averie's cheeks to her phone screen.

Just then, a text message from Jorge popped up.

"Averie, stop being unreasonable. Meet me at the courthouse tomorrow for the divorce. I'll transfer five hundred million dollars to your account as compensation."

Averie brushed her tears away, read his message, and typed her answer.

"Okay."

The following morning, at the courthouse.

Averie signed the divorce papers with a steady hand and not a flicker of doubt.

On the other side of the table, Jorge's face tightened, a shadow crossing his features.

Averie's calm demeanor sent a jolt of anxiety through him.

He certainly didn't want Averie to cling to him or drag out the divorce, but he also hadn't imagined she would end things so easily, her face untouched by any hint of distress.

After all the paperwork was finalized, Jorge finally spoke. "Averie, I've already had my assistant transfer the five hundred million dollars to your account. Just wait for me for two years. Then, I'll end things with Rebecca and marry you again."

Laughter suddenly bubbled up from Averie. "Jorge, you don't need to do that."

As she rose to leave, Jorge grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"What do you mean by that? Is the money not enough? How many times do I have to say it? What's happening with Rebecca is all for show, just to keep her stepmother content. Give me two years, and I'll announce to the world that you're my true wife."

Pulling her hand free, Averie looked him straight in the eye, her voice cold.

"Don't pretend you're doing me a favor with that money. You know as well as I do that my fireworks displays brought in fortunes for your theaters and amusement parks. I earned every penny of that. And don't forget—you already asked me to wait three years ago. Now, you want two more? I'm not some fool you can do whatever you want to."

Jorge was shocked that Averie would dare speak to him like this.

His face hardened. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Averie. That fireworks display you did years ago was nothing more than luck. Now that Rebecca's here, the Hardy Group has a true star designer. She'll bring in far more profit than you ever could."

Averie's heart turned completely cold at that.

Her lips curled into a cold smile. "Is that so? Guess we'll find out if that's true soon enough."

Gripping the divorce papers, Averie left the courthouse without hesitation.

Sunlight poured over her as she stepped outside. She felt she could start over in her life now.

At that moment, a sudden screech jolted her from her thoughts.

Averie looked up to see a drunkard man behind the wheel of a speeding car, the engine roaring.

Fear froze her in place.

The drunk driver stomped on the gas, sending the car barreling straight toward her.

Averie wanted to run, but she was unable to move.

Just then, someone darted forward. Powerful arms grabbed her and pulled her backward with force.

Both she and the person hit the ground just as the car sped past, missing them by inches.

With panic setting in, the drunk driver wasted no time in fleeing the scene.

Scrapes and bruises marked Averie's arms and legs, but the stranger who had shielded her had taken the brunt of the impact. Without him, things could have turned out much worse for her.

She passed out from the shock.

Somewhere in her hazy state, she sensed strong arms lifting her, and a low, urgent voice rumbled near her ear.

She instinctively clung tighter to the person, comforted by a familiarity she couldn't name.

"Alfred, get us to the hospital. Hurry!"

When Averie finally came to, an hour had slipped by. Her head throbbed with pain.

Blinking herself awake, she found herself staring at an undeniably handsome man.

"You're finally up?" His tone was cool, a mocking edge curling around every word. "Still stubborn as ever, Averie. Years ago, you shot down my offer to help with your debts, too proud to accept a favor from me. But you ran straight to Jorge for help. Now, here you are, three years later, clutching your divorce papers while he's out parading around with his new love. Is this the outcome you've always wanted?"

Each cutting word landed hard, leaving Averie's eyes burning with unshed tears.

The man before her was Bryan Flynn, the friend she'd grown up with.

Bryan's family had wealth that dwarfed the assets the Peters family had even in their glory days.

When her family lost everything, Averie went out of her way to avoid familiar faces, worried that seeing them would stir painful memories. She also avoided them because of her stubborn pride.

So, she had turned down Bryan's offer to help and walked away without hesitation.

After that, Bryan made several attempts to contact her, but each time, she met him with words sharp enough to drive him off.

There was never any resentment toward him in her heart; she simply refused to let Bryan risk defying his entire family just to help her.

Looking at Bryan's cold expression, Averie couldn't stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Bryan," she muttered.

Bryan caught her chin in his hand. "Is sorry going to fix everything now?"

He then tossed the divorce papers onto her lap.

Lowering her head, Averie let a tear fall onto the divorce papers.

"You just saved me, Bryan. I owe you for that. Whatever you ask of me, I'll do it."

A flash of concern softened Bryan's eyes before he masked it with his usual coolness.

He met her gaze and asked, "Averie, what if I want you to marry me?"

"I..."

Averie froze, Bryan's words catching her completely off guard.

Confusion clouded her wide eyes.

Not once had she imagined that his request would be for her to marry him.

Yet now, with her family bankrupt and herself newly divorced, how could she possibly measure up to Bryan, the man every woman in the country dreamed of marrying?

Catching the turmoil in her expression, Bryan let his voice turn cold. "You have one day to decide. Marry me, or we will never see each other again for the rest of our lives."

He understood her better than anyone. Three years ago, he'd stepped back out of respect for her pride, not wanting to force his help on her.

And what had come of that choice?

Averie had sought shelter in another man's arms, burying her brilliance to play the role of a housekeeper, sacrificing everything while receiving nothing.

He had watched from a distance, unable to intervene, as she bent herself small just to stay by Jorge's side.

To lighten her burden, he had even secretly backed more than one of the Hardy Group's projects.

His motives were simple.

Helping Averie's husband was equal to helping her.

He loved her so much that he didn't even mind her marrying someone else as long as she was happy.

Yet after three long years, Jorge had never acknowledged her openly as his wife, and more than once, Bryan found himself on the verge of confronting Averie, desperate to understand why she remained loyal to a man who kept her in the shadows.

But before he could do that, word reached him that Averie and Jorge got a divorce.

Disbelief still lingered around Averie like a thick fog at that moment.

Seated beside Bryan in his car as the city drifted by, she couldn't shake his words from her thoughts.

He wanted her to marry him...

That was a wish she'd cherished since childhood, but now that it was about to be real, a sense of uncertainty took hold of her.

Years ago, stubborn pride had kept her from accepting Bryan's help. She had convinced herself she wasn't worthy and poured all her feelings into Jorge, who was nothing more than a pale imitation of Bryan, the man she truly loved.

While Averie drifted in her own thoughts, a sudden shift in the air snapped her back to the moment; a strong presence leaned in.

Bryan's face appeared right in front of hers, leaving almost no space between them.

Warm breath brushed her cheeks, the closeness sending a tremor through her.

For a moment, their lips seemed only a breath apart.

Averie instinctively pulled away. "Bryan, what are you—"

Was he about to kiss her?

Before she could finish, Bryan's hand moved between them and, with a gentle motion, unbuckled her seatbelt with a faint click.

A glimmer of mischief flickered in his eyes, though his voice stayed level and cool.

"What's the matter? Did you honestly think I was about to kiss you?" he asked.

Averie quickly shook her head, flustered.

"Averie, think carefully about what I said," Bryan continued.

Averie was still in a daze when she returned home.

She barely had time to collect her thoughts before someone started pounding at her door, the noise echoing through the old building.

"Averie! Open the door!"

There was no mistaking Mia's shrill voice.

It didn't matter to Averie how Mia had tracked her down; she wanted nothing to do with Mia or her circle anymore.

But Mia's shouting only grew louder with each passing second.

The thin walls offered little privacy, and soon, an elderly neighbor upstairs was shouting complaints. With a weary sigh, Averie reluctantly opened the door.

Mia wasted no time, shoving an envelope into Averie's hands, her glare dripping with scorn.

"You know, my sister told me all about your little schemes. It turns out you seduced Jorge and tricked him into marrying you before. You are shameless. Good thing he has finally realized who really deserves him. My sister's so kind; she doesn't blame you for any of it. In fact, she even wants me to deliver this to you personally. You're officially invited to her wedding with Jorge. The celebration's on the seventh of next month, Skyline Hotel."

Mia spoke with so much smugness that it was almost as if she were the one who was going to marry Jorge.

Without missing a beat, Averie responded coolly, "Let those two have each other for the rest of their miserable lives. I want nothing to do with their circus."

Clearly not expecting such a response, Mia stood stunned for a moment. She had thought Averie would become furious, but Averie not only stayed calm but also mocked her sister.

Rage flashed in Mia's eyes. She lunged at Averie, hand raised as if to strike. "You bitch! Who do you think you are to talk about my sister and her future husband like that? It serves you right that your family fell apart; you bring nothing but bad luck!"

That insult was over the top. Her family was where Averie drew the line.

Without hesitation, she caught Mia's wrist, her grip unyielding, and delivered a sharp slap across Mia's face.

"Watch your mouth!"

Mia wasn't finished, still spitting venom.

"Your parents deserved—"

Averie cut her off with a flurry of slaps, her fury blazing as she gripped Mia's wrist tightly.

By the end of it, Mia's cheeks burned and swelled up.

Averie then shoved her, tossing the invitation onto her face.