I took a deep breath. I was done arguing with idiots.

"Alright then," I said, playing along. "Aren't you supposed to be escorting me to the hotel? Let's go."

The entire hall erupted into deafening, mocking laughter.

Maya laughed so hard there were tears in her eyes. She looked at me like I was insane.

"The hotel? Chloe, are you actually delusional?"

She pointed at the gold sign in Liam's hand, her voice dripping with venom. "Read the sign! We are waiting for the Wife of the Supreme Dragon Chancellor! You think this VIP treatment is for some broke human like you?"

The Shifter Guards snorted in agreement.

"Yeah right! Chancellor Vance is worth hundreds of billions. He's the apex of this continent. One hair on his head is worth more than your entire life!"

At the mention of Kaelan, Maya’s eyes filled with raw jealousy and longing.

"I heard Mr. Vance is a cold-blooded tyrant, but he spoils his mate rotten. Rumor has it, he dropped twenty million dollars at a top-tier auction without blinking, just to buy her the only 'Dragon Scale Crystal Key' in the world!"

Listening to them gossip about my husband, I lowered my eyes.

A soft, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

That key was indeed my first-anniversary gift from Kaelan. It was full of that cold man's clumsy but direct love.

Just then, Maya’s eyes locked onto my hand like a viper.

"Oh my god!" she let out a piercing screech. "What is that in your hand?!"

The hall fell dead silent.

Every single eye locked onto my fingertips.

I was casually playing with a deep blue crystal key that gave off a cold glow.

Liam lunged forward, grabbing my wrist in a death grip. He let out a nasty, wicked sneer.

"You've got some nerve, Chloe! Buying a cheap knockoff just to pretend you're rich?"

I yanked my hand back with force, keeping my smile as I lightly traced the crystal.

Seeing that I wasn't panicked or embarrassed about being "exposed," Liam’s pupils shrank.

My absolute calm pissed him off.

Without warning, he violently snatched the crystal key right out of my hand.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I scowled.

"Let me see!" Maya snatched it from him, absolute jealousy flashing in her eyes.

"The cutting technique is pretty good. It almost fooled me," she mocked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Too bad. Using a fake to act like high society? You're a joke!"

"Or... Chloe, are you trying to tell us that you are the legendary woman beside the Chancellor?"

The crowd erupted into harsh laughter again. To them, it was the most absurd joke in the world.

Kaelan was a legendary Dragon who controlled life and death. And I was just the lowly human ex-girlfriend Liam dumped three years ago.

She held the key high in the air, treating it like a circus prop.

"A bottom-feeder human like you could never be the Chancellor's woman! Tell you what, I'll pay double to buy this piece of trash off you for a laugh. At least you can skip a month of manual labor."

I stepped forward, worried she'd break it. "Give it back. Kaelan gave that to me—"

Before I could finish, Liam shoved me hard.

Caught off guard, my back slammed heavily into a luggage cart. The back of my hand scraped against the metal, immediately drawing blood.

"Who the hell do you think you are, calling Mr. Vance by his first name?" Liam warned viciously, looking down at my pathetic state.

"The Commander is right! Are you trying to cause a scene and ruin our pack's chance with the Dragons, you bitch?" his lackeys chimed in.

A sharp spike of pain shot through my injured hand, but I bit the inside of my cheek, swallowing my gasp of agony.

Instead of showing weakness, I slowly rose to my feet, my posture stiff as I forced myself to endure the stinging.

Then, I looked up and locked eyes with Liam.

No anger. No hysteria. Just the freezing, dead calm of an apex predator looking at a corpse.

That suffocating gaze sent a wave of inexplicable panic through Liam. He subconsciously took half a step back.

To cover up his ridiculous guilt, Maya immediately jumped in.

"You ungrateful bitch! Liam was nice enough to offer you a place, and you dare look at him like that?"

"She's always been a bitter, jealous woman. Same as three years ago. Trash stays trash."

Liam agreed. Desperate to regain control, he pulled out his checkbook.

He scribbled a number, tore out a check for $200,000, and shoved it in my face.

"Here’s two hundred grand." He looked at me like he was feeding a stray dog. "Take it, go buy some decent clothes, and stop embarrassing yourself here."

Every shifter in the room watched with amusement, waiting for me to cry tears of gratitude and snatch the check.

But instead, under their shocked stares—

I slowly raised my hand, batted the pathetic check away, and snatched my crystal key right back from Maya’s frozen grip.

"Keep your money," I said coldly. "I have no need for your charity."

I couldn't be bothered to look at his rage-reddened face anymore. I turned to leave.

But before I could take a step, Liam reached out and clamped his hand tightly around my wrist.

"Chloe, what the hell is your problem? Why are you pushing me away?"

I violently shook off his grip, staring straight into his eyes without flinching.

"What else should I do?" I looked at him with ice in my veins. "We were done three years ago. Since we broke up, it's best we cut all ties. I don't want my mate getting the wrong idea."

My mind flashed to Kaelan’s handsome but ruthless face. That insanely possessive dragon.

If he smelled another male shifter's scent on me, he would instantly go feral.

I didn't need that kind of trouble.

I pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned the wrist he had just touched, right in front of his face.

But to Liam, my disgust was just a cheap "playing hard to get" act.

He glanced at Maya, then let out a self-righteous scoff, acting like he had me all figured out.

"Alright, stop playing the saint. You're just pissed I chose Maya over you back then, aren't you?"

He adjusted his collar, slipping right back into his arrogant savior routine.

"In three days, the North City Wolf Alpha is hosting a top-tier welcome banquet for the Dragon Chancellor. For the sake of the seven years we shared, I can take you. Show you what real high society looks like."

He looked me up and down, his eyes full of disdain.

"On one condition: you change out of those pathetic rags. Don't embarrass me."

I didn't hesitate for a single second. I shattered his delusion instantly. "No thanks."

Liam’s face darkened like a thundercloud.

"Ungrateful bitch!" He gritted his teeth, his wounded pride making his true colors bleed through. "Three years on your own and your temper got worse. But you're still cheap to the bone!"

With that, he turned and wrapped his arm around Maya.

"Since she doesn't know what's good for her, I'll take you to the banquet."

Maya was thrilled. She immediately chimed in, "Liam, I'll be so good. I promise I won't embarrass you."

I had zero interest in their pathetic drama. I turned and walked away, leaving them with one final shot.

"I hope you're still this confident in three days."

Stepping out of the hall, I took a deep breath, finally leaving those sickening faces behind.

But the memories from three years ago flashed through my mind, completely uninvited.

I had swallowed my pride for seven whole years for that relationship. I even proposed to him.

And my reward? Walking into the Mating Center and seeing him holding his freshly widowed sister-in-law, Maya.

"It's just a formality. Maya’s carrying my dead brother's pup, it needs a legal guardian. It's just a temporary mating for the bloodline registry."

That was his excuse.

At that moment, my heart completely died.

I opened the registry database and, without hesitation, accepted the mysterious application that showed a 100% compatibility match.

That night, I married Kaelan. The supreme, untouchable Dragon Chancellor who treated me like his absolute treasure.

Even though shifter lore said Dragon offspring were incredibly rare, I was finally carrying our first precious dragon pup.

If my mother hadn't gotten sick, I would never have crossed paths with Liam again.

…

Three days flew by.

Wearing light makeup and a low-key haute couture gown, I walked into the banquet hall alone.

Due to a delayed international conference, Kaelan was running a little late.

The moment Liam saw me, a flash of undeniable awe crossed his face.

But he quickly fixed his face, swaggering over with a smug look.

"Said you weren't coming, but you still blew all your savings renting that dress just to sneak in and see me?"

His sheer narcissism actually made me laugh.

"You're delusional. Move."

I ignored him and walked right past, looking for a quiet place to sit.

But before I could take two steps, Liam angrily grabbed my arm. "Chloe, I am talking to you! Where do you think you're going? Our seats are over here."

I shook him off and answered calmly, "Those are your seats. In the common section. Mine," I said, pointing, "is over there."

Following my gaze, Liam looked at the Chancellor’s main table—reserved only for the most elite VIPs. His face instantly turned ugly.

Just then, Maya, who had been glaring at me from a distance, charged over.

She shot me a venomous look, then pointed at the crystal key in my hand and screamed, "Chloe, how did you sneak in?! Are you here to ruin everything? You actually brought that fake key?!"

Her shrill voice instantly drew the attention of every elite in the room.

"Isn't that the 'Dragon Scale Crystal'? Tonight is Mrs. Vance's first public appearance, and she brought a fake? Is she trying to humiliate the North City wolves?"

"Liam, is this your friend?" a high-ranking wolf elder asked with a frown.

"No."

Facing the questioning stares of the entire room, Liam took a half-step back, adjusting his tie, desperate to distance himself from me.

"I told her bringing a fake to an event like this was just asking to be humiliated."

He glared at me coldly, like I was a hopeless criminal.

Maya strutted over, high on her superiority complex. She pointed right in my face and ordered, "Hand over the fake key! Then get the hell out! Stop dirtying our pack's territory!"

I looked at her arrogant face and asked coldly, "Are you sure you want me to leave?"

My calm reaction triggered Maya instantly.

In her twisted mind, I was supposed to be on my knees, sobbing and begging for forgiveness, not looking down on her.

"Give it to me!"

Maya lunged at me, screeching like a madwoman.

Instinctively shielding my bump, I quickly stepped back.

But as I moved, one of Maya’s fox-shifter minions shot out her foot.

Caught off guard, I tripped. Losing my balance, I crashed hard onto the unforgiving red carpet.

My palms scraped against the rough floor, burning with pain.

Before I could even try to get up, a sharp stiletto heel viciously stomped right onto the back of my hand.

"Still talking tough?!"

Maya ground her stiletto heel right into my wound.

My skin tore open. Blood mixed with the dust on the floor.

She snatched the crystal key, smashed it onto the ground, and stomped on it. The crystal casing shattered.

"Piece of garbage. How dare you show this off!"

I stared coldly at the shattered crystals scattered across the floor.

"Grab her and throw her out!" Maya ordered arrogantly.

"Stop!" I snapped. "I am Mr. Vance's—"

Before I could finish, Maya slapped me hard across the face. Twice.

"Oh, let me guess. Still spreading lies? Calling yourself Mrs. Vance? A bottom-feeder like you? Don't make me laugh."

A suffocating wave of pain and humiliation crashed over me.

Right then, Liam squatted down, looking at me with dead eyes.

"Chloe, stop acting. You only caused this mess to get my attention, didn't you?"

He lowered his voice, sounding incredibly arrogant. "If you get on your knees and beg Maya for forgiveness right now, I’ll consider getting you out of this mess. Even keeping you as my mistress would be an upgrade from lying here like a dog."

I bit my trembling lip, my bleeding hand shaking as I looked at the sheer cruelty in his eyes.

Liam’s arrogant sneer faltered. Seeing me so broken, a rare flicker of pity softened his eyes.

He reached out, opening his mouth as if to comfort me, but suddenly, the banquet hall went dead silent.

Everyone held their breath. Every single eye locked onto the grand gilded doors.

Liam quickly pulled me to my feet, lowering his voice: "The VIP is here. You better behave."

"But don't worry. My temporary bond with Maya ended ages ago. If you're obedient, I might just take you back."

Even though my wound still throbbed with sharp pain, my stomach churned with an even deeper, overwhelming disgust.

What on earth gave him the delusion that I was still waiting for him?

At that exact moment, dressed in a sharp black bespoke suit and surrounded by heavily armed guards, Kaelan stepped into the hall.

His apex-predator aura instantly dropped the temperature in the room below freezing.

And in his hands, he held an exquisite bouquet of rare, glowing starlight roses.

The sight of the ruthless Dragon Chancellor carrying such a romantic gift immediately drew gasps of envy from the entire crowd.

"Oh my god, are those for his wife? She's so incredibly lucky!" someone whispered in awe.

Liam kept whispering his pathetic promises in my ear.

"Listen, just go be Maya's nanny. Don't cause trouble. I'll forgive you. I might even give you the chance to bear me a hybrid pup..."

But my eyes shot past the crowd and locked perfectly with Kaelan’s deep, icy stare.

The second our eyes met, the coldness in his expression melted into unparalleled tenderness.

A moment later, the supreme, untouchable Dragon Chancellor Kaelan...

He walked right past the stunned, silent crowd.

And came straight for me.