Chapter 1
On the night of the top socialite charity gala, the girl I'd been sponsoring suddenly posted on Instagram. [Mr. Chapman says I'm his little princess who just came of age.]
In the photo, the girl I'd been sponsoring was wearing the engagement dress my fiancé had designed just for me, her cheeks pink with shyness as she snuggled up in Houston's arms.
Houston's face wasn't shown, but that signature mole on his Adam's apple gave him away instantly.
It was my fiancé, Houston Chapman.
I stared at the photo, stunned, about to screenshot it and call him out.
Suddenly, the emerald my grandmother had left me showed up on the auction block.
I narrowed my eyes, shot a quick pic, and sent it to Houston right away.
I said: [This is mine, right?]
[Why did the host introduce Willow Frost as the donor?]
[If I called the cops right now, who do you think would get arrested, you or Willow?]
As soon as my message showed as sent, Willow's face appeared on the big screen.
And right next to her was Houston, with that lovestruck look on his face.
Everyone was wondering which wealthy family in Redfield had a princess like Willow.
I shot up from her seat and marched straight up to Houston.
I said, "Not going to reply? So you want to answer me in person instead?"
I gave him a half-smile, a mocking glint in her eyes. Houston glanced down at his phone, and his face instantly turned ashen.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" I asked.
Just then, my face popped up on the big screen, and Gianna Shepherd, the organizer of the charity auction, came over right away.
Her curious gaze darted back and forth between me, Houston, and Willow.
"Isabelle, are these two your friends?" Gianna asked.
Gianna clearly showed more respect for me than for Houston.
"Mr. Chapman is one of Redfield's rising stars. He even donated a whole lot of stuff to my auction today, totally free of charge," she said.
"And Miss Frost, the emerald she donated? The experts say it's worth 20 million dollars," Gianna chimed in.
She turned to Houston and thanked him.
"Mr. Chapman, you really went all out for us today," she teased.
I gave a smile that didn't reach he r eyes, watching Houston's stiff grin. I walked up and hooked my arm through his.
"Not just a friend, he's my fiancé," Isabelle declared.
As the future head of the Ward family, marrying Houston was basically me settling for less.
To protect his fragile pride, we kept things under wraps from day one.
But I never thought my thoughtfulness would just give him the chance to mess around behind my back.
Willow's head snapped up at my words, shooting me a death glare, jealousy and scheming practically oozing from her eyes.
I met her stare head-on, but honestly, all I felt was disappointment.
I put her through school, hoping she'd make something of herself through education.
Who could've guessed she'd just take a shortcut and cling to a rich guy instead?
Gianna's eyes grew sharp and calculating as she glanced between Houston and Willow.
She gave Willow a probing look and asked, "Miss Frost, which family are you from? You showed up out of the blue, and now everyone's super curious."
Just a few words, and Willow's cheeks burned red with shame.
Seeing this, Houston brushed my hand off and moved to shield Willow, his face clouded with irritation.
"Miss Shepherd, don't you think that's a little out of line?" Houston said.
He was really putting on an act. Watching Willow gaze at him like he was her whole world, I couldn't help but let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"If anyone's being rude here, it's you, Houston. If I'm not mistaken, the dress Miss Frost is wearing is the engagement gown you designed for me," I said.
"She's your date tonight. How could you let her show up in a hand-me-down?"
Willow's face went pale. She bit her lip, looking up at Houston with those big, sad eyes, like she was begging for help.
Houston shot her a comforting look, then yanked me aside.
"Isabelle, why are you going after her like this?" Houston said, frowning.
"I just felt bad for her, wanted to show her a bit of the high life. That's all," he said.
I shot him a long, meaningful look, making him squirm until I finally spoke, my voice low and cold.
I said, "Fine, it's just a dress. I'm willing to let that slide.
"But the emerald my grandmother left me, you were dumb enough to steal it from me. You owe me big time. I want payback, a hundredfold, a thousandfold."
"You heard it yourself, 20 million dollars. So, how many hundreds of millions are you going to pay me back?"
Houston's face went rigid. He was silent for a moment, jaw clenched.
"Yeah, I get it. I'll get it back," he said, his voice tight with anger.
When we got home, I didn't beat around the bush.
"From now on, you don't need to sponsor Willow anymore," I said.
I'd been sponsoring Willow since she was in sixth grade, all the way up to now. But once I started training to take over the company, I handed the sponsorship over to Houston.