"Mabel."

It wasn't Denton's voice on the phone.

I looked at the number again and cautiously asked, "Who is this?"

"5 million dollars in exchange for the photo, and I will guarantee your privacy."

The person said concisely.

It seemed I didn't have a chance to negotiate.

Perhaps it was Denton's agent.

Perhaps they thought I was a paparazzo and wanted to get rid of me with money.

"You can have the photo, but I want a ten percent deposit. Also, we'll trade ... face-to-face."

I didn't know if I was afraid of being tricked or if I wanted to ask Denton why when I saw him for the last time.

The person agreed and then hung up the phone.

Soon, I received a text message saying that 500,000 dollars had been transferred to my bank account.

Another message came from the same unknown number.

[Twenty minutes later, meet me at the Modern Bar.]

Modern Bar was the most luxurious bar in New York.

When I arrived by taxi, the receptionist told me that Modern Bar didn't serve ordinary people.

The worst thing was that I ran into Denton at this time.

Even worse, he was right behind me.

"Hi, Mr. Eland."

The receptionist greeted Denton.

He passed by me and then nodded and smiled at the receptionist. He didn't even glance at me as if we were complete strangers.

Denton wanted to meet me here.

Was he trying to humiliate me?

"Can 200,000 dollars buy me in?"

I took out the card from my bag and handed it over.

Denton paused for a moment and turned to look at me.

In his eyes, there was scrutiny.

And it was mixed with a bit ... pity.

The salesperson next to me heard my words and immediately rushed over.

He swiped my card, and the payment was made in the blink of an eye.

But after I entered, Denton was already nowhere to be seen.

It was so noisy in here.

So, I walked towards the corridor to the restroom.

I took out my phone and was about to call Denton.

A familiar voice nearby suddenly rang out.

"Why bother?"

Denton showed up out of the blue.

"Isn't this my line?"

I looked at him, everything that just happened was vivid in my mind.

"200,000 dollars is all you have, right?"

There was no emotion in his tone.

I had no time to dwell on his words.

Because I didn't want to be photographed by paparazzi and become the victim of cyber violence.

I was about to ask him where should I find the person I was about to trade with.

He suddenly said, "Do you have any money left?

"By the way, I have paid the rent for that apartment for ten years. I will transfer the 200,000 dollars to you later today.

"Mabel, it's over between us. But I hate to see you give up on yourself. You will meet someone better than me."

I was a little confused.

"It wasn't you?"

The person who sent me the messages wasn't him.

He murmured, "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, my phone buzzed non-stop.

Denton seemed to think of something. He frowned and said, sounding displeased, "Who let you come here?"

As he said that, he was about to take my phone.

I leaned to the side to dodge.

"No one."

I pushed him away in a panic and ran out, clutching my phone.

"Mabel!"

Denton chased after me from behind, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the partition of the bathroom.

"Who? Tell me!"

He stubbornly asked me.

"Mabel, do you want to ruin me?

"You want to tell everyone that I abandoned you. Right?"

Denton's eyes turned red, and his voice trembled slightly. Though the environment was noisy, I actually heard a hint of affection in his tone.

I dare not look at him. I just closed my eyes and shook my head hard.

"Please leave here, Mabel, OK? Forgive me.

"I will come back to you.

"Forgive me...

"Please."

He lowered his head.

The messy strands of hair on his forehead covered his eyes.

My phone buzzed repeatedly.

My mind was in turmoil.

I patted his shoulder, and we exchanged a glance.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was hoarse.

It was the understanding we had always had.

I turned around and pushed open the door of the bathroom.

I stumbled towards the exit of the bar.

My phone kept buzzing, so I simply rejected the call.

Suddenly, a push notification about a trending topic popped up on the screen.

For some reason, I clicked on it.

[Breaking News! The first official announcement of the heiress of a business empire!]

I saw the photo attached.

My legs went weak, and I almost collapsed.

Everyone was guessing who the man was.

Even though it was a picture of his back, I still recognized him.

Denton held Simona in his arms horizontally with one hand.

And he held her high heels with the other hand.

She posted the photo, and the words attached were, [He is my glory, and I am his champion.]

But just a few minutes ago, Denton told me with tears in his eyes that he had no choice.

I trembled all over.

Why did he cheat me and fail me again and again?

He had never held me like this.

His hands were so precious, so why would he carry my shoes?

Just when I was about to collapse, a strong hand held me and pulled me into his arms firmly.

"Miss Woodward, you failed to keep your promises."

The man whispered in my ear.

I panicked.

He held my waist tightly from behind.

I was both anxious and annoyed. "Let go of me!"

The man leaned close to my ear again. "What did you say? I couldn't hear you.

"There's a police car parked outside the door. Don't forget that my money is on your card.

"Miss Woodward, if you want to leave now, when do you plan to pay me back?"

The man let go.

Then I saw an extremely handsome face.

It was Shawn Byrd, a current popular male star.

His face was a hundred times more stunning than on the screen.

I was stunned, and Shawn lowered his hat to signal me to follow him.

The private room became much quieter.

"I'll give you back the money.

"Simona has already made an official announcement. The photos pose no threat to Denton."

After saying that, I turned around and left.

"I think you got something wrong.

"The photo I want is of you and Denton."

I doubted if I misheard.

"What? A photo of me and him together?"

He nodded without hesitation. "Yes.

"I can pay more."

He took a step closer and continued, "I know everything between you.

"Cooperate with me.

"And Denton will lose everything."

Shawn's voice was slightly tempting.

"Simona is your sister. How is this any good to her?"

"She is not my sister.

"My sister died a long time ago."

"She is the daughter of my stepmother. She took the name of my sister."

Shawn raised his phone.

I saw the photo of a death certificate on the screen.

"It's going to be a win-win situation, don't you think?"

I hesitated.

But then Denton's face emerged in my mind, and I left.

"I'll bet with you.

"Simona has already arrived by now. If you were kidnapped, do you think he'd leave her to save you?"

Denton had always been kind-hearted. He would even help a stray on the roadside, let alone me, his girlfriend of three years.

No matter what, he'd help me, wouldn't he?

"Aren't you curious?

"He broke up with you without any warning. You should have guessed he was with someone else.

"But aren't you curious if he still cares about you?

"Even just a little?"

I said nothing, which suggested I agreed.

I was indeed curious.

Shawn looked at me and reached out his hand. "Miss Woodward, you can leave now."

The bar was busting.

Denton was at the perfect distance from the booth Simona was sitting in.

"Whose woman is this?"

A drunken man suddenly showed up and held a sharp knife to my throat.

The music stopped at once, and the scene turned chaotic.

"300,000 dollars and I will let her go.

"I was unlucky and lost some money. It'll be a debt."

The man waved the knife.

Unintentionally, he pointed it in the direction where Simona was sitting.

Denton suddenly smashed a wine bottle towards the man's wrist with great force.

A crisp sound rang out.

The knife in the man's hand fell to the floor.

I collapsed and knelt on the floor, looking at Denton for help.

He walked over quickly.

Sure enough, he'd protect me.

To my surprise, in the next second, he held Simona in his arms without hesitation.

"Are you scared?"

I heard his every word clearly.

I wanted to reach out, but my hand froze.

I laughed self-deprecatingly.

The man ran away as if he had sobered up.

He was subdued by a group of men in black at the corner.

"Wow, what a perfect match!"

"Denton is so badass! The men in black must be his bodyguards, right?"

"Who is the woman who was held hostage? She kept staring at Denton. Is she insane or something?"

"A delulu, I guess. She's so obsessed with him that she used up all her money to come in."

I braced myself and stood up.

How ridiculous.

What was I expecting anyway?

Was I a fool?