Chapter 1

I was known throughout the circle as the biggest gossip around. If someone's dog had a litter, I would be the first one to spread the news.

Back then, I almost lost my life saving a wealthy heir who had fallen into the water. He married me only to repay that debt.

But on the very day we went to register our marriage license, his so-called confidante strutted around our living room in his white dress shirt, her bare legs on full display.

She dropped herself onto my soon-to-be husband's lap and looked at me with a sugary, provocative smile. "Natalie, Yarden and I are just close friends. We had a little too much to drink and took care of each other. You're not jealous, are you?"

Yarden Falkner frowned and pulled her protectively into his arms. "Stop being ridiculous. We're discussing something important. Don't think that just because you saved my life, you get to tell me what to do."

Long before I walked through that door, I had already hidden a micro-camera inside one of my coat buttons.

I curled my lips into a faint smile and, without hesitation, edited the footage into a video with looped audio.

I even came up with the headline in advance. [Shocking! The Benefactor of the Wealthy Heir Turns Sucker. An Inside Look at a Husband's Pure Friendship with His Female Friend.]

Since they had no shame, I would make sure the whole internet got a good look at them.

******

"Of course not. You two are practically closer than family. I wish I could be that lucky," I said, walked over with exaggerated enthusiasm, and started clearing their dishes away.

Lillian Griffin's smile stiffened, and she looked totally thrown off.

Yarden Falkner's brows were furrowed into a knot as he gave me an annoyed look. "What are you doing?"

I turned and brought out a steaming plate of pasta from the kitchen, setting it down hard on the coffee table between them, making a few drops of sauce splash out.

"Since you two are practically inseparable, don't bother with the formalities at dinner," I said and handed them a fork. "Go ahead and share the plate. Nothing like this to deepen your bond."

Lillian's face went pale, then ashen, and she shot Yarden a helpless look, clearly begging him to bail her out.

"H-Hey, Natalie, what do you mean by this? We—" Lillian stammered.

I cut her off, looking completely innocent. "Come on, really? You two are supposed to be best friends, but you're grossed out by sharing a plate? Guess that bond is just for show, so fake."

Yarden was left speechless, his face twisted in embarrassment and frustration.

He couldn't swallow his pride and admit he cared about this, not with me watching.

To keep up appearances, he forced himself to pick up the fork and said stiffly to Lillian, "Just eat. Don't let Natalie's kindness go to waste."

Lillian's glare could've burned a hole through him, but under Yarden's gaze, she had no choice but to bow her head, clearly unwilling.

The two of them awkwardly bumped heads as they fished for pasta in the same plate, careful not to touch where the other had already grabbed. The whole scene was hilarious and downright disgusting.

I sat off to the side, pretending to be absorbed in my phone, fingers flying as I typed away in the gossip group chat.

[Rich Family Live! The Wife vs. the Mistress, Husband Forced to Share a plate of pasta, way too awkward.]

The chat blew up instantly, messages flooding in non-stop.

I switched back to the camera, making sure to catch every second as Lillian, just to gross me out, picked up some pasta with her fork and, in a cutesy voice, fed them right to Yarden's mouth.

"Yarden, here," she cooed.

Yarden instinctively opened his mouth.

Just then, I shot to my feet and said, "Oh, looks like the water's all gone. Let me go get you some more."

As I walked past them, my hand accidentally slipped. The whole glass of ice water spilled from Lillian's bare thigh all the way up to her attention-grabbing white shirt.

Lillian screamed, jumping up in shock. Her soaked shirt stuck to her skin, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Before she could explode, I jumped in, eyes red and voice trembling with fake tears.

"I'm so sorry, Lillian. I just got so mesmerized by how close you two are, I lost focus, and my hand slipped," I said and grabbed a tissue, acting all helpful, but my hand went straight for her chest.

"Here, let me wipe you off, Lillian. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold," I added.

She dodged back like she'd been shocked, practically trembling with anger.

"Natalie, you did that on purpose," Lillian snapped.

Yarden saw how sincere I looked, and remembering I was his life-saver, he had to hold back his temper.

He gave Lillian an impatient look and snapped, "Enough. She didn't do it on purpose. Go change your clothes. Don't waste your time on someone so clueless."

Lillian's face went a mortified shade of purple, humiliated and furious. She didn't have a change of clothes here.

In the end, she had no choice but to throw on Yarden's jacket and make a hasty, embarrassed exit.

I followed her to the door and called out sweetly, my tone full of mock concern. "Next time, remember to wear some pants. My husband doesn't care."

Lillian nearly tripped over herself, practically fleeing out the door.

Late at night, I lay in bed, importing all the footage from earlier onto my laptop.

I snipped out Lillian's infamous "Yarden and I are just close friends" line, blasted some intense electronic beats over it, and turned it into a chaotic crack edit on loop.

A fresh crack video was ready to go. I logged into my throwaway account and dropped it online.