Sadie looked down. She could not help thinking about how ironic this was. She pushed away the glasses on the table, picked up the case of vodka from the floor, and put it on the table.

"It's pretty slow to drink by the glass, Mr. Umbridge. It would be insincere of me to start small. How about drinking by the bottle?"

Sadie did not become the top social butterfly of Seaport because of her beauty alone. She had brains and great emotional intelligence.

Men would always become full of themselves when their careers took off.

Men who proclaimed to be self-made always desired to conquer women. They had no interest in submissive women who gave in to their every whim.

The more rebellious and uncontrollable a woman was, the more they admired them.

"You have a great spirit, Miss Ellis. If you can finish this case tonight, you'll get the contract."

Sadie did not waste any time. She grabbed the vodka and guzzled down bottle after bottle.

She started to feel tipsy when she felt the burning sensation in her stomach.

Chad quickly grabbed her. "You can hardly stand, Sadie. Can you still drink?"

The alcohol had gotten to Sadie. She humiliated herself by asking, "If I can't do it, are you willing to let Josie take over?"

Chad looked at her with clear eyes. "Don't be absurd, Sadie. She's not good enough to take over drinking with Mr. Umbridge."

That made Sadie feel horrible. She smiled self-deprecatingly.

When Chad saw her smile, he felt a tinge of unhappiness.

Late that night…

Sadie finished every bottle of vodka. Mr. Umbridge applauded her as he heaped praises on her.

"You really live up to your name, Miss Ellis. I can't outdrink you. I admit defeat!"

Sadie finally smiled. "That means we'll get the contract for that land development project in South City, right?"

Mr. Umbridge looked bewildered when he heard her. "What land in South City? Are you drunk, Miss Ellis? Mr. Simmons is here to talk about City Hall's refurbishment."

Was this meeting not about her mother's grave? Chad lied to her!

Sadie's arm weakened, and the empty bottles smashed on the ground.

She glanced around. Chad and Josie were gone from the private room.

Sadie brushed aside Mr. Umbridge's surprised questions and apologized for remembering the wrong details because she was drunk. She asked to leave for the washroom to throw up.

Mr. Umbridge nodded understandingly, dismissing her.

Sadie could hardly walk when she left the room. She headed straight for the washroom.

She really wanted to throw up.

Sadie did not expect to hear a satisfied man's moaning coming from the female stall next to her.

"Chad, you said…

"You said you wanted me to replace Sadie in getting to know these VIPs. Why did you separate me from Mr. Umbridge?"

The crisp clanging of the metallic door locks echoed around them. The man laughed softly and huskily.

"You silly thing! Mr. Umbridge is a known lecher. I brought you here to learn to talk business, not let an old man molest you."

Josie's seductive moans got increasingly passionate. "I knew you loved me the most, Chad. Would Sadie get revenge on me if she found out it was my idea for you to trick her tonight?"

Chad was silent for a few seconds before replying, "She won't know it was you, but it doesn't matter even if she does. Sadie is so in love with me that all I need to do is beckon her, and she’ll come running.

"Besides, she's already thirty years old. It takes someone youthful to be a social butterfly. Who else can she go to besides me? Those old men who ravaged her for an entire night?"

Josie's laughter echoed in the washroom. "Chad, let's get married on the day you leave her at the altar!"

Sadie could not bear to listen any longer. Their conversation was too disgusting.

She stumbled out of the washroom.

It was raining late that night. Sadie walked through the rain, feeling numb.

She knew what kind of person Chad was.

However, she was still stupid enough to believe his lie tonight. She even dared to think he still cared a little about her.

In the end, it was nothing but his scheme. He was unscrupulous enough to squeeze every drop of value she had for his gain.

Sadie had drunk a lot and got wet in the rain. She had gone through an emotional rollercoaster, and she finally fell apart as she passed out on the ground.

Many people passed by, but none of them stopped to help her.

A limousine drove by slowly and eventually stopped next to her.

The back door opened, and a young man in casual attire got out of the car with an umbrella in his hand.

He passed the umbrella to his driver, who jogged over to him.

The man knelt on one knee to carefully pick Sadie up in his arms.

His driver quickly shaded him with the umbrella and opened the car door for him.

The man carried Sadie into the back of the car. He wiped away the rainwater and dirt from her face without hesitation and took off his coat to put it on her.

He leaned close to look at Sadie's pale face. There was fury deep in his eyes.

It took him five minutes to finally give instructions softly.

"Take her to the hospital. No need to mention me."

"Yes, Mr. Walker!" His driver quickly started the car without daring to glance at the rearview mirror.

He was a personal driver sent to Blake by Old Mr. Walker.

The driver had been working with Blake for two years. He had witnessed Blake's playboy antics and ruthless business executions.

He had never seen his powerful boss, who could have anything he wanted, rush to a little city by sea in one day just to tear up over a woman covered in dirt and rainwater.

Chad was already sitting by Sadie's side when she woke up.

"You're awake, Sadie. You've been unconscious for a day.

"Why did you leave alone last night? I looked all around for you. I only found out later that you passed out and got admitted to the hospital."

Chad's concern looked real, but Sadie did not bother to act alongside him. She replied coldly, "I left first because I wasn't feeling well."

"Does it hurt anywhere? Is it your stomach again? I made some nutritious soup for you. Have some! It will warm you up."

Chad opened a thermos beside him and poured out a bowl of soup. He scooped some soup with a spoon and gently blew on it before feeding it to Sadie.

"You're not feeling well, Sadie. Let me feed you."

Sadie frowned. She did not understand why Chad kept acting like he still loved her.

He had gotten everything he wanted. Why was he still doing this with her?

Was there a final revenge plot he had not gone through with yet that required him to continue this pretense with her?

Chad felt a little guilty when he noticed Sadie looking at him strangely.

"Why are you looking at me that way, Sadie? Did I do something wrong?"

Sadie took a deep breath and controlled her emotions. She said, "I'm fine. I can feed myself."

Chad did not object. "Have more soup. I'll fill the tub with hot water, so you can take a bath after you're done eating.

"I know how particular you are with hygiene. You must be feeling uncomfortable after a day and night of not washing up."

Sadie's fingers stiffened slightly.

Chad was putting up a really good show. He could totally qualify as an actor. He remembered all of her habits well.

Sadie hid the emotions in her eyes and drank her soup numbly. Suddenly, Chad's phone buzzed.

Numerous messages popped up on his phone. They were from Josie.

[Chad, why are you with that old woman? Hurry back. I'm waiting for you in your favorite outfit!]

[By the way, remember to get a nurse to disinfect you before you return from the hospital. That old woman's body is dirty. Make sure you don't get us infected.]

[Can you find a way to make her move out? She's dirty, Chad. She'll just stick out like a sore thumb if she stays with us.]

Sadie felt chills all over when she saw the messages. They made her feel even worse.

She was dirty?

Sadie had given herself only to Chad and had never slept with another man. She thought this was the greatest respect she could give him.

When they started dating, she had talked about changing jobs numerous times, but Chad always objected.

He told her that his company was at a critical point in its climb in the business world and that he needed her network to help him. The company could not survive without her.

Sadie believed him, but Chad took her trust for granted and even lied to her about business dealings.

She had no idea whether to describe Chad as generous or ruthless.

Chad walked out to see Sadie's pale face. He frowned with worry and placed the back of his hand against her forehead.

"Why do you look so pale, Sadie? I'll call the doctor over."

Sadie stopped him. "It's fine. I'll be okay after some rest."

It was not long before the end of the month arrived. Sadie could leave forever in a few days.

Chad was worried but still nodded. "We should be trying on our wedding outfits tomorrow, Sadie, but your condition isn't allowing you to move about.

"Josie looks around your size. Why don't I get her to stand in for you tomorrow? We'll share the pictures with you, and you can decide which wedding gowns you like best."

Sadie looked at him and said with a smile, "If you can change the woman trying on the wedding gowns so easily, it won't be difficult for you to change you bride, too, right?"

A guilty look flashed across Chad's face. "Are you teasing me, Sadie? You're my only bride. How can there be anyone else?

"If you don't like the idea of Josie trying on the wedding gowns, I'll stop her from going."

Chad was giving in to Sadie in every way.

Sadie said, "It was just a slip of the tongue. Miss Moore is about the same size as I am, so we should let her try out the wedding gowns in my place."

Chad was clearly relieved. He held Sadie's hand and said, "Once the wedding is over, you can retire and have a good rest."

Sadie stared at Chad. She had no idea what he really meant.

He was the one who hurt her, but he was also making plans for her to rest.

However, Sadie no longer trusted Chad.

No matter what Chad said, all Sadie replied was, "All right."

Chad refused to leave Sadie's side the entire day. He was worried something might happen to her. Even the nurses praised his considerate demeanor.

"You're so lucky to have a boyfriend who loves you so much, Miss Ellis."

When it was close to evening, Chad claimed his buddies wanted to meet her, so he went downstairs to bring them to her ward.

Sadie got out of bed and went to see a nurse at the counter.

"May I know who sent me to the hospital?"

When she passed out on the road, she vaguely remembered seeing Blake walking toward her with an umbrella.

However, Blake was disabled. How was he able to walk?

The nurse said, "A man admitted you to the hospital, but he didn't leave a name."

Sadie looked disappointed. She did not even have a chance to repay the person who saved her.

While she was in a daze, she suddenly heard familiar voices behind her.

"It's your wedding in a few more days, Chad. If you plan to dump Sadie on your wedding day, you need to make sure you don't come out of it with a bad name.

"Everyone in this circle knows you have an intimate relationship with her. If you choose to dump her on your wedding day, you'll be remembered as a heartless bastard. That’s why we came up with a good plan for you.

"We can put together a video edit of her AIDS report and the men she slept with and play it for everyone. That way, your reputation won't be affected, and everyone will feel sorry for you. Isn't this a good plan?"

Chad frowned at the plan. He said grimly, "I do hate her, but isn't it too cruel to treat a woman this way?"

His buddies got upset on his behalf. "You're being too soft on her, Chad. She never gave you a second thought when she betrayed you back then."

"That's right, Chad. Have you actually fallen for her? Marrying a slut like her would kill your family."

Chad was silent for a while before replying, "Go ahead and do what you need to."

"All right. Will you make her sleep with men again before the wedding?"

Everyone started discussing this. Sadie could not stand to hear any more, so she ran toward the stairs.

She crouched in a corner and curled up there, trembling.

Chad had never trusted her. He even thought she had cheated on him.

She should have known that her job as an escort would always be dirty in the eyes of others, regardless of whether she sold her body or not.

When Sadie vanished, Chad turned the hospital upside down in search of her.

His eyes reddened when he finally found her at the stairs. He acted as if he were deeply in love with her.

"What happened to you, Sadie? You scared me when you disappeared. I can't live without you!"

Chad pulled her into his arms and refused to let her go.

Sadie had gone numb from crying. She made up a random excuse. "I was just missing my mom."

Chad was relieved and comforted her gently. "It's okay. You still have me. I'll always stay by your side."

Sadie closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face and fell to the ground.

Besides the day he went off to try on his wedding suit, Chad kept close to Sadie the next few days.

The day before the wedding, Chad's buddy dragged him off, claiming to hold a bachelor party for him.

That night, Sadie and Josie were the only ones left in the villa.

Josie served Sadie a glass of milk with a smile. "Tomorrow is your wedding, Sadie. Chad reminded me to get you a glass of milk to help you sleep better."

Despite knowing the truth, Sadie still felt a sharp pain in her heart as she watched everything unfold right in front of her.

Chad was not willing to dirty his hands for the last time, so he got someone else to do the work for him.

Sadie sneered.