When Andrew reached the door, he turned back and said one more thing to me.

"Jade. Be good. Wait for me to come home."

Hazel stood beside him. At the moment she turned her back to me, she tilted her face slightly—and hooked the corner of her lips at me in a lightning-fast smile.

There was not a trace of apology in that smile. Only open provocation and victory.

The door opened.

I watched Andrew follow her out without the slightest hesitation, and the last bit of warmth left in my chest completely dissipated.

"Andrew. If this is how you choose to handle things—"

"I'm not satisfied. I'll deal with it in my own way."

Andrew finally turned around. His face was calm, as if he thought I was merely throwing a tantrum. He even chuckled softly, offering a perfunctory kind of reassurance.

"Alright, Jade."

"Don't overthink it. Wait for me to come back."

With that, he pulled the door open and left together with Hazel.

The door wasn't closed tightly. Sounds from the hallway drifted in, broken and intermittent.

First came Hazel's lowered voice, carrying careful grievance and worry.

"Andrew..."

"Jade is so spoiled and domineering. Her family background is so powerful too. If she really wants to go after me, what should I do...?"

Then came Andrew's voice—not loud, but clear enough for me to hear.

"Jade is just angry right now. She'll calm down in a bit."

"And besides—"

There was a certainty in his tone that chilled me to the bone.

"With me here, who could possibly bully you?"

"All that little temper of yours is used on me. You're just acting tough at home. Look how scared you got from just a few words."

Their footsteps faded into the distance.

The office was left with only those few stunned girls, their gazes toward me tinged with pity.

I wearily covered the words stamped on my face and spoke softly.

"Could someone please lend me a mask... or a hat?"

One of the girls hesitated before handing me a brand-new mask.

"This one is clean."

I glanced at the name badge on her chest, my voice catching slightly.

"Thank you. I'll remember you."

Her face flushed, and she hurriedly stepped aside.

I covered most of my face with the mask, pulled the hat low, and left the company.

Once inside the car, I sent a message to the Clark family—the hosts of tonight's charity auction.

"Tonight, Andrew will attend with a secretary named Hazel Garcia."

"Send Hazel to me."

In the highest circles of Massachusetts, people would kill for a chance to curry favor with me. Hazel had just handed the Clark family that opportunity.

I made another call.

"Find a shop that makes stamps. I want one hundred pork-quality stamps. The ink has to be the reddest kind—the kind that won't wash off."

The moment the car stopped at the villa entrance, Butler John hurried over.

"Mr. Martin came back briefly just now. He said he's taking Miss Garcia to the charity auction tonight, but she lacks a suitable gown."

"He... he took her straight into your dressing room."

My heart sank, but my voice remained steady. "Which dress did Hazel choose?"

Butler John took a deep breath, clearly suppressing his anger. "'Star Sea.'"

My breathing stopped for a split second.

Star Sea...

That was the gown I wore to my engagement banquet with Andrew.

It wasn't bought from any haute couture brand.

Andrew had personally drawn the design, found the finest craftsmen, and had it hand-sewn stitch by stitch.

Hundreds of natural sapphires of varying sizes were set across the skirt.

He once said it was like plucking the stars from the night sky—and laying them across my body.

The value of that dress could no longer be measured in money.

It represented a promise—a magnificent, radiant dream Andrew had once woven for me with his own hands.

I closed my eyes.

For a moment, I could still see the day of our engagement—Andrew gazing at me as I wore Star Sea, light blazing in his eyes.

He had said, "Jade, all the luck I'll ever have in this lifetime was probably used up the moment I met you."

I never doubted that Andrew had once been sincere with me.

It was only now that I understood—sincerity was something that could change in an instant.

Exhausted, I sank into the sofa.

A servant immediately brought over a basin of warm water and a soft towel, carefully wiping the marks from my face.

The water was changed several times.

The rubbing made my skin sting faintly. But the blue characters seemed to have grown into my skin, leaving behind a pale cyan shadow—like a birthmark that refused to fade.

My phone began vibrating wildly. There were more than a dozen messages from a close friend.

[That woman with the surname Garcia—has she lost her mind?!]

Below it was a link, along with a photo that had already been shared countless times.

In the photo, my face was turned slightly to the side.

The shock and anger on my expression hadn't had time to fade. The blue words "Pork Quality—Grade A" on my face were painfully clear.

My hair was disheveled. My makeup was smeared.

I looked utterly humiliated.

The caption was posted by Hazel with just three sentence, paired with a hand-over-mouth laughing emoji.

[Some people get overly sensitive as they age. It was just a small joke, yet they lost their temper.]

[You're better off when you're young—no burden, no limits on how you play~]

My friend's call came through immediately.

"It's spreading everywhere in our circle. The wording isn't that nasty, but..."

She trailed off.

I understood without her finishing.

But my dignity had been completely trampled.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say I was fine. But my throat felt stuffed with wet cotton. No sound came out. I could only take a breath and force my voice to stay steady.

"I'll handle it."

Then I hung up.

Almost at the same moment, footsteps echoed outside the villa.

More than a dozen men in black walked in first, then threw a bound Hazel onto the floor.

She steadied herself and snapped her head up.

"Jade! All you know how to do is use your family's power to bully people, isn't that right?!"

"Besides relying on your background, what else are you capable of?!"

I slowly sat up from the sofa and looked at her.

I even let out a soft laugh.

"Hazel, my name is Jade Elizabeth Davis."

She froze, clearly not understanding why I suddenly said that.

"In Massachusetts, there's an unspoken rule about names with doubled characters."

"It means the child was born destined to be cherished and indulged. She doesn't need to compete like men do—no fighting for power, no business, no politics."

"The only thing she needs to do in this lifetime..."

"...is to enjoy life."

I paused, watching the color drain from Hazel's face.

"And you must know what the Davis family represents."

Hazel's lips began to tremble.

Of course she knew.

In Massachusetts, what the Davis family stood for was a height she couldn't reach even standing on tiptoe.

She forced herself upright, but her voice wavered.

"I—I only wore one of your dresses! What's the big deal?! I'll give it back to you!"

As she spoke, she fumbled desperately for the zipper of the gown.

"No need."

"I don't want clothes that have been dirtied."

I stood and walked slowly toward her, looking down at her from above.

"People who are dirty—"

"I, Jade Elizabeth Davis, don't want them either."

Hazel froze abruptly. Her hand, still tugging at the zipper, stopped midair as the color drained from her face.

A heavy cardboard box was carried in. Inside was a full box of pork-quality stamps.

I nodded slightly to the bodyguards.

One of them picked up a stamp, dipped it thoroughly into the ink, and pressed it down onto Hazel's calf.

Hazel screamed.

Stamp after stamp fell—onto her arms, her neck, her face—leaving behind glaring crimson marks.

She cried. She begged.

In the end, only broken whimpers remained.

One hundred stamps. Not a single one missing.

When the last stamp was pressed down, Hazel collapsed onto the floor, her entire body covered in grotesque red lettering.

I wiped my hands and spoke calmly. "I forgot to tell you—this ink is specially made. It won't wash off."

"It'll stay with you for the rest of your life."

"I was just joking with you, Miss Garcia. You're not angry... are you?"

Still crying and screaming, Hazel was dragged away by the bodyguards.

Just then, the familiar sound of a car engine came from outside.

Andrew was back. He wore the gentle, coaxing smile he always used on me.

"The auction ended and I rushed straight back. Look—guess what I brought you."

Inside the jewelry box lay a priceless emerald necklace.

Andrew stepped closer, circling his arms around my neck as he lifted the necklace to put it on me.

"You said you liked this kind of design."

"The moment I saw it, I thought it would suit you. Come—try it on."

As he leaned in, a fragrance drifted unmistakably toward me.

Sweet, cloying gardenia.

The scent Hazel wore.

A wave of nausea surged up inside me, and I shoved Andrew away instinctively.

At that moment, Hazel suddenly rushed in, stumbling as she threw herself into Andrew's arms.

"Andrew!"

"Jade is insane! She had people stamp ink all over my body!"

"Didn't you say you'd protect me forever?!"

Andrew's breathing faltered.

Looking at Hazel's pitiful state, his tone sank. "Jade, when did you become like this?"

"So... vicious?"

"Hazel is still so young. You've done this to her—how is she supposed to face people in the future?"

His voice grew harsher. "Is destroying her the only way you'll be satisfied?"

I watched the way he shielded Hazel, and remembered the youthful vow he once made before the Buddha.

He said he would earn an unimaginable fortune—and marry Jade in glory.

I forced down the ache in my chest and steadied my trembling voice.

"Then did you ever think—if marks like that stayed on my face, what would I do for the rest of my life?"

Andrew opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Seeing him hesitate, Hazel burrowed deeper into his arms and screamed hysterically.

"Andrew! I'm already pregnant with your child!"

"You can't let her treat me like this! Take me away—please, take me away!"

It felt like a thunderbolt struck me.

I stood frozen, watching the flash of uncontrollable joy pass through Andrew's eyes.

He carefully lifted Hazel into his arms, holding her as gently as if she were a priceless treasure.

Joy overflowed from his eyes and brows.

"Our child? That's wonderful! We're going to the hospital right now."

Cradling her, Andrew hurried toward the door.

As he passed me, his steps never slowed. He only tossed back a single sentence. "Jade, you should calm down."

"And learn properly how to be a Martin family wife."

Just as Andrew prepared to leave with Hazel—more than ten impeccably dressed lawyers strode in swiftly, blocking their path.

The middle-aged man at the front placed the notice of equity freeze in front of Andrew.

"Mr. Martin. According to the prenuptial agreement you signed with the eldest miss..."

He pushed the document forward. "All shares you hold in Martin Group have been frozen."