Wesley's face darkened, a flash of surprise and annoyance in his eyes.

"Renee, don't be childish." His voice carried an unmistakable note of impatience. "You're not stable right now. You need someone to look after you. I'm making these arrangements for your own good."

"I said I don't need it," I replied, my voice steady. "I can handle my own affairs."

A murmur spread through the guests. Clearly, none of them had expected me to refuse Wesley's "kindness" in public.

In their eyes, a jilted woman with nothing to her name being offered a place to stay by her ex was a tremendous favor.

"What do you mean by that?" Cassidy snapped, her voice sharp. "Wesley is being kind enough to arrange a place for you, and someone with nothing to her name has the audacity to be picky?"

"I'm not being picky," I said coolly. "I'm refusing."

"Refusing?" Wesley's voice rose, laced with anger. "You're nobody, Renee. Where could you possibly go if you leave New York? Are you trying to ruin my party?"

Those words stabbed into my chest like a knife.

It was always the same insult—that I was just an ordinary girl. A nobody.

To them, that label was my entire identity. It was proof of my inferiority, the excuse they used to justify every insult and humiliation.

"Wesley is right," a sharp female voice interjected.

Cassidy's sister, Veronica Sterling, sauntered over. She was just as arrogant and cruel as Cassidy, draped in an expensive, custom-made gown.

"A gold digger trying to climb the social ladder really thinks she's something, doesn't she?" Veronica sneered, her tone venomous. "What, you think playing hard to get will get his attention? That Wesley will suddenly change his mind? Don't make me laugh."

I clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig deep into my palms. I bit my lip, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

"Veronica," Cassidy said, feigning conciliation, but her eyes glinted with triumph. "Even if her circumstances are unfortunate, we shouldn't hurt her feelings like this."

Veronica let out a loud scoff for everyone to hear. "If she had any dignity, she wouldn't still be standing here. She's been officially dumped, and she still has the nerve to show up at her ex's engagement party. Does she have any shame at all?"

The whispers grew louder.

Some snickered, others shook their heads. Many looked at me with a mixture of pity and contempt.

Every glance was like a knife, every laugh like salt on my open wounds.

An older woman sighed and said, "Young girls these days have no sense of propriety."

Another man chimed in, "Exactly. He's made it clear he wants nothing to do with her, yet she's still clinging on. It's so embarrassing."

I wanted to argue, to tell them the truth. But my throat felt locked, and not a single word would come out.

Just then, Veronica's expression changed. Her eyes lit up with excitement. She looked almost ecstatic, as if she had just won the lottery.

"Oh! I almost forgot—I have the most incredible news to announce!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chatter and capturing everyone's attention. "Everyone, I have something thrilling to share with you all!"

The ballroom quieted down, and all eyes turned to her.

She raised her glass, her smile radiant. "Our Sterling family is about to enter a landmark partnership with the Amberclaw Group! And I will be marrying its CEO, Shane Amberclaw! The wedding is next month!"

The room erupted in a chorus of murmurs.

The Amberclaw Group was the top conglomerate in New York. Its CEO, Shane Amberclaw, was a business legend, his name spoken with a sense of awe.

Guests swarmed Veronica, congratulating her, flattering her, desperate to get a piece of this connection.

"That's incredible!"

"Congratulations!"

"Veronica, you're so lucky!"

Greed flickered in Wesley's eyes. He immediately abandoned Cassidy and strode toward Veronica. "This is fantastic news! Veronica, if you need anything at all, Sterling Holdings is ready to assist!"

Everyone crowded around Veronica, praising her, fawning over her, as if she were now the most important person in the room.

No one looked at me anymore.

I stood alone in the corner, completely forgotten. It was as if I didn't exist.

Their snobbery and cold-heartedness were on full display.

"Renee, this is a happy occasion for the Sterling family," Wesley said coldly, without even looking at me, his tone a warning. "Behave yourself. Don't make a scene here."

I looked at Wesley's excited expression and how he unabashedly flattered Veronica. A deep chill ran through me.

This was the man who had once sworn eternal loyalty to me.

When it came to his own interests, he couldn't even be bothered to pretend anymore.

"I'm not making a scene," I said coldly. "The engagement is off. There's nothing between us anymore, and it's perfectly reasonable for me to refuse your arrangements."

Wesley's head snapped toward me, his expression darkening. "Renee, are you jealous or something? You can't stand to see others doing better than you, can you?"

"Jealous?" I couldn't help but laugh mockingly. "Jealous of what? Your sham of a relationship, or your blatant business transaction?"

The guests immediately started whispering again, their gazes shifting to me.

"What did you just say?" Cassidy snapped. "Renee, you're crossing a line!"

"Pushing my luck?" I scanned the room, looking at the well-dressed people around me. "I'm just telling the truth."

"You're calling us a sham?" Wesley strode toward me, his eyes filled with a warning. "Renee, your behavior tonight has been a huge disappointment. You're just jealous that I found someone who's right for me, jealous that my life is better than yours!"