Chapter 3

Three days after the wedding was called off, I became the laughingstock of Omandoria.

Public opinion was completely on William's side.

Social media influencers were all spreading rumors that I was a gold-digger who ditched the wedding and cheated, painting me as the villain of the story.

Of course, people believed that the rich boy from the Stokes Group could never be wrong.

I scrolled through the comments on my phone, my face expressionless.

[A woman like Louise totally deserves to be sent back like a defective product.]

[I heard she called off the wedding because she traded up for someone richer?]

[Mr. Stokes is so devoted. Even after what she did to him, he still released a statement wishing her happiness.]

I found it funny that they said he was devoted.

I never realized in my previous life that William was such a drama king.

The doorbell rang.

My mom called from downstairs, "Louise, someone's here to see you."

I wondered who would come looking for me.

I went downstairs and froze.

Quinn was standing in the living room, with two assistants behind him, carrying loads of gifts in his hands.

Quinn said with a polite nod, "Mrs. Cantrell, sorry for the sudden visit. I hope I'm not being too forward."

My mom was taken aback by the whole situation. "No, it's fine. And you are?"

He said, "Quinn Bradley. I'm a friend of Louise's."

I wondered when Quinn and I became friends.

My mom's eyes lit up instantly. She knew exactly how much influence Quinn had in Omandoria. If we could get close to the Bradley family, it would be great.

"Louise, why don't you invite Mr. Bradley to sit down?" My stepmom suddenly popped up, bustling around to serve tea and water.

I rolled my eyes and walked straight up to Quinn. "What are you doing here?"

He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I'm here to pick you up. Didn't we agree you'd give me your answer today?"

I never agreed to that.

But when I saw the shocked looks on my stepmom and mom's faces, it all clicked.

Quinn was doing this on purpose. He was backing me up.

I said, grabbing my bag, "Let's go. We'll talk outside."

Quinn opened the car door for me, as if it was second nature to him.

The black Maybach slipped away from the Cantrell estate.

Inside the car, I asked him, "Did you do this on purpose?"

He said, eyes still on the road, "I am standing up for you. William's been trying to steal some of Bradley Group's deals lately. If he's your enemy, then he's mine too."

I wondered if it was really that simple.

I shot him a suspicious look. "Mr. Bradley, what exactly do you want?"

He finally looked me in the eye, "Like I said, this is a win-win. Louise, I'm dead serious."

"Does that include marriage?" I asked.

"Yeah, marriage too," he replied.

I went quiet.

I wondered what Quinn was playing at.

"We're here," he said, pulling over.

I looked up and realized he'd brought me to one of Bradley Group's shopping malls.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.

He said, handing me a black card, "Shopping. Spend as much as you want. Your mission today is to flip all those negative headlines into positive ones."

I looked at the black card in my hand and could only shake my head, half amused, half helpless.

I felt that he had such a strong drive.

For the next three hours, I experienced what it truly meant to go on a shopping spree that took over social media.

His assistant trailed behind, snapping photos. Every time I tried on a new outfit, it was instantly posted online with headlines.

It read: [Louise makes first public appearance after breakup. She is absolutely radiant!]

Another read: [Louise's new love interest revealed. It's the CEO of Bradley Group!]

By evening, the whole narrative online had completely flipped.

[So it was Quinn all along. I knew Louise wasn't some fool.]

[Mr. Bradley is so hot. They're such a power couple!]

[William's out of the picture? Serves him right!]

I stared at the comments on my phone, feeling kind of out of it.

Last time, people trashed me for ages, but now, it only took a single day for everything to turn around.

I wondered if this was what power tasted like.

"Are you satisfied?" Quinn appeared at my side before I even noticed.

I said genuinely, "I'm satisfied. Thank you."

He leaned in close, his voice low and playful in my ear, "A simple thank you won't cut it. Next Wednesday, I'm coming to formally propose."

His warm breath tickled my ear, and my face instantly flushed bright red.

I felt that his flirting skills were quite impressive.