In the days that followed, scandals about Caspian flooded the internet. One moment, it was about drones scattering rose petals in the sky. The next, he was dropping to one knee with a diamond ring. The spectacle made plenty of people jealous.

Juliet was soon labeled as the abandoned wife in their social circle, but she didn't care. She went to a bar with her friends to blow off steam.

As soon as she walked into the private room, her hoarse voice made her friends furious. "That bitch actually stole your man? We're going to get revenge for you!"

The girls were about to storm out when the door opened, and a young woman with a high ponytail walked in with a crate of alcohol. "Hello. Here are the drinks you ordered."

Realizing who she was, the girls erupted.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this the holy maiden herself?"

"We were just about to look for you, and you walked right in."

Juliet was taken aback when she took in Willow's waitress uniform. Caspian was obsessed with Willow. How could he possibly let her work in a place like this?

Willow spotted her too. Her expression hardened, and she straightened up. "I think I made myself clear, Ms. Bennett. Instead of harassing me, you should be keeping a close eye on your husband.

"Also, as for the rumors online, I don't like any of it. In fact, I think feelings gained that way are the cheapest. I'm working here to avoid him, so I hope you won't tell him I'm here, Ms. Bennett."

Juliet was caught off guard. Before she could gather a response, Willow flipped her ponytail and turned to leave.

Her friends slammed the door shut and pointed straight at her nose. "You've got some nerve acting like the wife when you're the side piece!"

"How dare you raise your voice at Jules, you piece of trash?"

Willow's brows knitted as she argued, "It's her fault for not keeping her husband under control. I didn't spread my legs for him. If anything, I'm the victim here! If anyone should apologize, it should be her—"

"What is she supposed to apologize for?" Juliet's friend slapped Willow across the face before grabbing her hair and dragging her to the table.

"Since you like being the mistress so much, we'll let you be one to your heart's content! Girls, let's strip her and put her on display!"

Startled, Willow screamed, "Let go of me!"

Juliet snapped back to reality and stopped her friends. "Forget it. She's not worth it."

Her friends were about to argue when Willow, who was still on the floor, spat in her face and glared at her with burning rage. "Drop the act, Juliet! You came here just to humiliate me, didn't you? You can't control your man, so you're ganging up on me instead!"

"We're ganging up on you?" Juliet's expression darkened as she lifted her hand and slapped Willow. "Look closely. This is what it means to be ganged up on!"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the door burst open, and a furious voice filled the room. "How dare you lay a hand on her, Juliet?"

Caspian marched in, seized Juliet's wrist, and struck her across the face with full force.

Juliet fell to the floor. Her head was ringing, and her cheek burned. Clenching her fists, she glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

Caspian's chest tightened, and he was about to help her up when Willow demanded, "Ms. Bennett, you wanted to strip me to humiliate me, and now you've slapped me. Have you gotten everything out of your system? Can I go now?"

Willow stood frozen in place. Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, and her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Yet, she stubbornly kept her chin up.

"What did you just say, Willie?" Caspian stared at her in disbelief.

Willow yanked her hand out of his and choked out, "Mr. Henderson, what will it take for you to leave me alone? Your wife wants to rip my clothes off in public. Are you satisfied now?"

Juliet's friends' jaws dropped. They were about to retaliate when a violent crash echoed through the room.

Caspian had grabbed a wine bottle and hurled it at the ground, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

He shifted his ice-cold gaze to Juliet and seethed, "Juliet, did I or did I not warn you to stay the hell away from Willie? Why don't you ever listen?"

Juliet pushed herself up from the floor. Her eyes were blazing red as she glared at him. "I didn't even know she worked here, Caspian!"

Willow let out a shaky laugh. With teary eyes, she sneered, "Right. I accidentally took a job here, and I accidentally walked into this room. Let's just call this a misunderstanding, Mr. Henderson. I'll leave, alright?"

"Drop the act!" Juliet's friends snapped and shoved her.

Willow screamed as she fell backward, her arm landing right on the scattered glass. In an instant, blood gushed out.

Caspian's gaze hardened as he stared at her wound. "Do you all have a death wish?"

The women shrank back in terror.

Juliet stepped between them with a frown. "Stop scaring them, Caspian."

Caspian held Willow, who was trembling in his arms, and gave Juliet a cold look. "Why? Are you going to stand up for them?"

Juliet took a look at Willow's bleeding arm. "It's just a cut. You don't have to make such a big deal out of it," she said apathetically.

Willow bit through the pain and forced out, "Ms. Bennett, you can look down on me all you want, but don't you dare treat me like an easy target!"

Tears cascaded down her face right after she said that.

Caspian looked heartbroken as he wiped away her tears. "Don't cry, Willie. I'll get back at them for you!"

"I don't need your help! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be getting picked on!"

Willow thrashed wildly, yet he only tightened his hold on her.

"I know, I know. I'm at fault too. I'll make it up to you after I deal with them." He lowered his head and pressed a light kiss on the top of her hair. "I'll show you something new I learned later tonight. I'm sure you'll like it!"

With that, he shot daggers at Juliet. "Why do you always have to pick on Willie, Jules?"

Juliet clenched her fists when she heard his accusation. "Caspian, if I really wanted to pick on her, do you think she'd still be alive right now?"

Last time, she had only called Willow a homewrecker, and she had ended up hanging above the ocean. She wondered how far he would go this time.

"So, you'd rather lie to my face than tell the truth, huh?" There was a cold glint in his eyes as a mirthless smile curled at his lips. His long fingers slid across his phone screen, and he started naming her friends' families. "The Lawson family. The Sandler family…"

Juliet's friends blanched as he continued.

Right after listing their families, he made a call. "In three days, I want—"

Before he could finish, Juliet snatched his phone out of his hand. "What are you trying to do, Caspian? If you've got a problem, take it out on me!"

She stared him down. She was furious, yet her vision was already clouded with unshed tears. The more she looked at this man, the less she understood him.

"So, you admit it, after all?" he said with a mocking curve of his lips, his gaze growing colder.

Juliet gritted her teeth, dug her nails into her palms, and looked up at him. "Caspian, you won't believe me no matter what I say, will you?"

"How am I supposed to believe you?" Caspian lunged forward, gripping her chin. Anger swirled in his eyes. "You've been lying to me since the day we got married!"

Right after saying that, he shoved her away and gestured to the bodyguards at the door. "My wife loves glass. So smash every bottle here and cover the floor with it. Then, bring everyone in the bar here and tell them drinks are on me tonight."

Juliet felt the blood drain from her face. "What are you trying to do, Caspian?"

"You're about to find out," he responded with a lazy smile.

Within minutes, the floor was littered with sharp glass shards. A huge crowd gathered outside the room to watch the scene unfold. Soon, the room was buzzing with ridicule and amusement.

"Isn't that the abandoned wife from the Henderson family?"

"Yeah, she's not even worth a strand of Willow's hair now."

Juliet lowered her gaze, hiding the storm in her eyes. When she looked up again, her gaze was cold as frost. "Are you sure you want to go this far?"

Caspian leaned against the couch's armrest, swirling a wine glass between his fingers. "Are you going to take your clothes off, or should I have someone do it for you?"

Before she could respond, he jerked his chin at the guards. "Forget it. You guys, strip her and throw her on the floor."

As soon as his words fell, several guards swarmed her, pinning her down as she thrashed wildly. Rip after rip, the sound of fabric tearing filled the room, and in seconds, Juliet was left in nothing but her underwear.

Then, someone shoved her from behind, sending her stumbling and falling onto the bed of broken glass.

Juliet's scream tore through the room. Pain spread through her limbs as glass shards pierced deep into her skin. Blood pooled beneath her almost instantly.

Her whole body trembled uncontrollably from the pain, her nails scraping across the glass, creating a shrill, grating sound.

The crowd erupted with excitement. "Damn, her body's insane! Quick, record it! This will go viral for sure."

The onlookers raised their phones, and the flashing lights were so bright that Juliet couldn't even open her eyes. She lifted her head and looked at Caspian with teary eyes, only to find him holding Willow and whispering in her ear. His expression was so tender—it was as if he had never been angry at all.

The metallic tang of blood filled Juliet's mouth as she bit down on her lip, a hollow, bitter chuckle twisting in her chest.

In the end, her vision blurred, and she lost consciousness. Yet Caspian never spared her a glance.

Juliet didn't come to until three days later. Her wounds weren't deep, but they were scattered all over her body, as if something had gnawed holes in her skin. Thin streaks of blood seeped from them, making her look disturbingly ghastly.

Caspian was lounging in a leather chair with a book in his hand. The moment he noticed her stirring, he closed it and said coldly, "If you're awake, go apologize to Willie."

Juliet froze for a second before letting out a derisive chuckle. "And how is she worthy of that?"

Her words hit a nerve. Caspian's expression hardened in an instant, and he shot to his feet before stalking toward the bed.

He towered over her, exuding that familiar, suffocating pressure. "I must've spoiled you rotten if you've already forgotten your place."

Juliet abruptly burst into laughter. Her fingers dug into the sheets as she responded lazily, "Aren't you giving yourself a little too much credit, Mr. Henderson?"

If it hadn't been for her, Henderson Group wouldn't be what it was today. If not for her, he wouldn't be standing here so comfortably.

That title dropped between them like a stone in a well. It grated on him in a way he couldn't explain. She had always called him Cas, or Caspie, or anything playful she could come up with. Juliet had never addressed him in such a distant manner.

His expression darkened, and his tone turned frosty. "Don't forget your little group of friends."

"Caspian Henderson!" Juliet shot upright, bracing herself on the bed. The sudden movement tore at her wounds, making the color drain from her face, but her eyes burned with fury. "You're despicable!"

Caspian curled his lips in satisfaction as he took in her reaction.

"Oh, and one more thing. Willie is injured and can't work. So, you'll have to cover her shifts at the bar for a few days."

Right after saying that, he left.

Juliet trembled with rage as she watched his figure disappear through the door. Deep down, she felt nothing but disgust.

It turned out he did know how to love someone. He just never loved her.

He was willing to grind her into the dirt for another woman.

…

Night fell, and Juliet pushed through the stabbing pain and dragged her body to the bar.

The moment she entered, a set of clothes was tossed at her. The bar manager took one look at her and said, "Put that on and get to work."

Juliet pinched the fabric between her fingers. It was barely enough to cover anything. Her brows drew together. "I'm not wearing this."

Under the lights, her scabbed wounds looked dark and rough. These clothes would only draw more attention to the scars and make people stare at her like she was some kind of monster.

The bar manager sneered, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. His eyes were full of disdain as he said mockingly, "Do you still think you're the lady of the Henderson family? In this bar, whatever Mr. Henderson says goes."

That was right. She was in Caspian's territory, and she was nothing more than a drifting weed.

Juliet closed her eyes for a moment before pulling the outfit on. The fabric scraped over her scabbed wounds, making her suck in a sharp breath from the pain.

As soon as she emerged from the changing room, a crate of beer was shoved into her arms. "Deliver this to room 2061."

Juliet slowly carried the crate upstairs. When she reached the private room, loud laughter exploded from inside. "Ms. Everly, you lost the dare! You know the rules—you have to Frensian kiss the guy next to you for 30 seconds!"

"What a coincidence! The guy next to her is Mr. Henderson!"

Willow's clear, crisp voice followed, dripping with practiced innocence. "It's just a dare, Mr. Henderson. Please don't take it to heart."

Juliet had grown up in high society. She had seen all kinds of women, yet this was her first time seeing a mistress act so pure and unapologetic.

Then, she heard Caspian chuckle. "It'll be my pleasure," he rasped.

A heartbeat later, wet kissing sounds and soft moans seeped through the door. Juliet's stomach twisted, and she burst through the door, only to see Caspian cupping the back of Willow's neck.

He kissed her as though he couldn't breathe without her. Their tongues tangled in the dim light, and they were so lost in each other that they didn't even notice her walk in.

Juliet slammed the beer crate onto the table. "Here are your drinks."

The room went still in an instant.

Willow hurriedly pushed Caspian away. Then, she grabbed a tissue and wiped the corner of her lips.

Her cheeks were burning, yet her eyes were clear and bright. When she shifted her attention to Juliet, her tone was innocent. "Please don't get the wrong idea, Ms. Bennett. Mr. Henderson and I were just playing truth or dare. If it bothers you, I'll just kiss someone else next time. It's not a big deal."

"Don't you dare!" Caspian seized Willow's wrist. The desire that lingered in his eyes turned into blazing anger. He yanked her straight into his arms and kissed her cheek again and again, his voice thick with possessiveness. "You're mine."

Juliet couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a derisive chuckle. She spun on her heel and bolted out of the private room. She hurried into the restroom. Gripping the sink, she stared at herself in the mirror.

The woman staring back at her looked hollow. Her face was gaunt, her body marked with scars, and her complexion was pallid.

She was worlds apart from the woman who had married Caspian with a heart full of joy. The higher she had been then, the harder she crashed now.

Juliet splashed water on her face and turned to leave, but before she could take a step, someone grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward the door.

"Mr. Henderson asked for you."