Jude Sheridan was cheating.

Cecilia Croft stood outside the fitting room of the bridal shop, watching her future husband with another woman.

"Jude… does this wedding dress look better on me, or on your fiancée?"

"Of course it's you. I can't get enough of you. Isn't that proof enough of your charm?"

Pleased with his response, the woman let out a coquettish laugh.

"I want you to remember me forever. On your wedding day, on your anniversaries, you'll always think of today, and you'll always think of me."

Listening to the soft moans from inside, Cecilia Croft felt a deathly chill.

On the eve of their wedding, Jude Sheridan, who had always seemed so family-oriented, had been taking frequent business trips. So this was the reason—he had a woman on the side.

Fighting the churning in her stomach, Cecilia turned and walked away, getting into her car.

They had been together for seven years. They started a business together, fought for it together, and built Vantage into what it was today.

Her sister had said Jude Sheridan was bad news. A message from her was still on her phone.

[We, the Crofts, won't be attending your wedding to Jude Sheridan. You're on your own.]

With tears in her eyes, Cecilia Croft opened her phone and replied.

[I'm not going through with this wedding, either.]

It was a long while before a reply came.

[Come back to Karthus in one month. If you do, I'll believe you. Otherwise, we're done as sisters.]

Cecilia replied with a single word, "Okay," then put her phone away.

She started the car and drove away. Just then, Jude emerged from the bridal shop with his arm around the woman. He froze when he saw the familiar license plate.

In the time it took him to hesitate, the car was already far down the road.

He pushed the small hand off his arm, straightened his clothes, and resumed his usual air of distinguished composure.

"I'll have my assistant take you home."

The woman beside him pouted. "No, I don't want to. You promised you'd go shopping with me."

Jude Sheridan raised his hand and patted her head, his eyes holding a coldness that brooked no refusal. "Be good."

The woman didn't dare protest further. She sullenly withdrew her hand and left with his assistant.

After they were gone, Jude walked to his own car. The vehicle's reflective surface showed his image; there wasn't the slightest trace of vice on the man's face.

When he got home, he saw Cecilia's car in the garage. She was sitting in the driver's seat, looking at her phone.

"Been out?" The car door opened. Jude casually tossed the suit jacket draped over his arm onto her passenger seat and leaned in close.

The top two buttons of his black shirt were undone, offering a glimpse of his firm, well-defined muscles.

There was no trace of another woman on him.

When she didn't speak, he leaned in to kiss her.

Cecilia turned off her phone and raised a hand to block him, her tone sharp.

"Are you that scared of me going out?"

The man was silent for a moment. "Of course not. You can go out whenever you want. I just worry you'll be bored without someone to keep you company."

With that, he smiled and reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, his voice a soft, coaxing whisper.

"Come on, tell me. Who got my darling angel all worked up?"

Cecilia didn't answer. She stared quietly at his handsome, striking face, her eyes frosted over with ice.

He was the same as ever—always able to immediately sense when her mood was off, find the reason, solve the problem, and provide the highest degree of emotional validation.

Cecilia shook her head, her gaze shifting away from him. Her voice was flat.

"Jude Sheridan, you seem very busy lately. I don't think there's any need for our wedding to go forward. I'm afraid you won't be able to be in two places at once."

Jude Sheridan felt that Cecilia Croft was being more than a little ungrateful. He was a well-known figure now, after all.

"Say that again!" he snapped, his voice seething with anger.

Cecilia looked him in the eye.

"There is no need for our wedding to be held. I'm afraid you won't be able to be in two places at once."

She finished and turned to leave, but Jude grabbed her arm, the fury in his eyes now plain to see.

"Aren't I so busy for the sake of our company, for our future? Do you want our children to lose at the starting line the moment they're born?"

"I just got back from a business trip, and not only do you not show the slightest concern, you start throwing a fit and being unreasonable. When did you become like this?"

Cecilia stared at him, listening to his baseless accusations, finding it all utterly laughable.

The man standing before her was such a stranger, it was as if she had never known him at all.

'He's full of lies, just like most men. Even after cheating, he'll push all the blame onto the other person.'

'As if his betrayal was a last resort, as if she had held a knife to his throat and forced him to sleep with other women.'

The wedding was in two months. Her sister had given her one month to handle things here.

In one month, she would make Jude Sheridan disappear from her world completely.

She went straight upstairs, entered her room, and went into the bathroom to wash up.

Jude followed her in, wrapping his arms around her from behind and softening his tone.

"It's all my fault, Cecilia. I've been too busy lately and neglected your feelings. For the next few days, I'll cancel all my social events and come straight home after work to be with you, okay?"

Cecilia looked up at the reflection in the mirror—at the man whispering sweet nothings to placate her—and a mocking smile touched her lips.

"Why bother? I…"

Before she could finish, Jude's phone rang. The ringtone was a sweet, happy little love song that had just gotten popular.

His old ringtone had always been the generic system default. Cecilia remembered back when they were madly in love and the company was just starting out. She had wanted him to change his ringtone to a love duet with her, but he had refused, saying he met with clients often and it would make a bad impression.

'So it wasn't that it would've made a bad impression. It was that I wasn't worth changing it for.'

Jude took out his phone, glanced at it, and immediately declined the call. "Spam call."

Cecilia's lips pressed into a thin line. She had clearly seen the caller ID: "181 Seconds." She just "oh"-ed in response and didn't press the matter.

Jude's phone rang again. He declined it. It rang again. Finally, he turned his back to answer the call.

"The company has a few important projects right now, so I'm very busy. I hope you can be more understanding. I'll be staying late at the office tonight. I'll be back tomorrow morning to go with you to try on wedding dresses. You don't have to wait up for me, go to bed early."

Cecilia didn't look at him, simply continuing to brush her teeth. Through the mirror, she watched him leave the bathroom and walk out the door.

After he left, she took out her phone and searched online for the meaning of "181 seconds."

Among the many replies, the most prominent explanation jumped out at her.

[They say passion only lasts for three minutes, but you are my 181st second.]

Suppressing the unprompted, stabbing pain in her heart, Cecilia casually opened a real estate app and listed the villa they were living in for sale.

She would be returning to Karthus in a month. Her fixed assets in Silvercrest meant nothing to her.

She no longer wanted anything here. That included Jude Sheridan.

...

She listed the villa for several hundred thousand below market price, and it soon attracted a flood of private messages from interested buyers.

It was late by the time she finished replying to the messages.

Wide awake, Cecilia Croft opened an app that was currently trending among women.

As soon as she did, a post on her feed caught her eye.

"My boyfriend is getting married in two months. Today, at the bridal shop, I put on his fiancée's wedding dress and we did it! It felt amazing and so thrilling."

The comments were filled with people berating the original poster. Some even hoped the algorithm would quickly push the post to the fiancée.

Cecilia Croft's hand trembled as she tapped on the original poster's profile.

She scrolled down quickly, all the way to the user's first post. It had no caption, only a single picture.

In the picture, two hands were clasped together, fingers intertwined.

She instantly recognized the small mole on the man's index finger and the ring on his ring finger.

The post had been published six months ago, just a week after Jude Sheridan had proposed to her.

Holding her phone, Cecilia Croft stared blankly at the matching ring on her own finger as a wave of disgust washed over her.

A second later, she pulled the ring off, tossed it into the toilet, and flushed.

'There was no point in keeping something that was already tainted.'

The original poster soon updated her post.

This time, her caption lacked its previous smugness, taking on a pleading tone instead.

"Please stop flaming me. He and I have an agreement. In one month, I'll return him to his fiancée, whole and complete."

The accompanying photo was of a man's back as he lay in bed.

The back was so familiar it made Cecilia Croft's heart pound with dread.

'Return him to me, whole and complete?'

Heh...

In that moment, she finally understood why people laugh when they're at a complete loss for words.

Jude Sheridan didn't come home all night. He called her first thing in the morning and, without any explanation, told her to meet him at the bridal shop.

「The Bridal Shop.」

Cecilia Croft arrived a few minutes before he did.

Her wedding dress hung in the third-floor VIP showroom, looking dignified and pristine, as if it had never been sullied.

"Miss Croft, Mr. Sheridan is on his way. Why don't we help you into the dress first, so that Mr. Sheridan can see how perfectly beautiful you look in it the moment he walks in?"

The staff member was respectful and courteous, but there was a hint of pity hidden in her eyes.

Cecilia Croft's expression was impassive. "No, thank you," she refused.

'The thought of it disgusted her.'

The words had barely left her lips when a large hand snaked around her waist from behind, pulling her into an embrace. A familiar scent, mixed with the fresh fragrance of body wash, filled her nostrils.

"Why not? Cecilia, do you have any idea how long I've waited for this day? Put it on for me, can you?"

Cecilia Croft glanced at the man beside her. He looked refreshed, not at all like someone who had pulled an all-nighter. She sneered inwardly.

He hadn't come alone. A short distance behind him, a girl followed.

The girl wore light-blue jeans and a simple white shirt. A sweet smile graced her face, giving her an air of youthful innocence.

Cecilia Croft's gaze went past Jude Sheridan and settled on the girl, her eyes turning icy.

'Is this another part of their little game, designed for a thrill?'

Jude Sheridan noticed where she was looking. The arm around her waist tightened, but his expression remained nonchalant.

"She's a young woman from a partner company. Her personality reminded me a bit of you from years ago. I thought you might like her, so I brought her over as an introduction."

He beckoned, and the girl trotted over happily, extending a hand to Cecilia Croft.

"Hi, Cecilia. I'm Jessica Keller. My name means 'beautiful,' like a beautiful, dream-like encounter. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Cecilia Croft didn't shake her hand. She looked away, her voice flat.

"'A beautiful encounter, like a dream.' That is a lovely sentiment. I imagine few men can truly tear themselves away from such a fleeting, dream-like tryst, can they?"

Sensing the sarcasm in her words, the girl put on an aggrieved expression.

"Cecilia, are you implying I'm good at seducing men?"

The hand on her waist suddenly dug in. Cecilia Croft glanced at the man beside her, saw the displeasure in his eyes, and only then did he relax his grip slightly. He leaned in and whispered softly in her ear.

"If you're angry, you can hit me or scream at me all you want when we get home. But she's a sensitive girl; don't embarrass her in front of everyone."

"For now, let's just try on the dress."

Snapping out of their shock, the staff hurried to take down the dress and usher Cecilia Croft over to try it on.

Cecilia Croft looked over at Jessica Keller and saw her staring at the wedding dress in the staff's hands, her eyes gleaming with desire.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she spoke.

"Do you like it?"

Without a second thought, Jessica Keller answered directly.

"I love it."

After replying, she glanced cautiously at Jude Sheridan. Seeing the chill that surfaced in his eyes, she timidly added, her voice full of envy,

"I love it, but not every woman is as lucky as you, Cecilia. Getting to wear the dress you love and marry the man you love."

She kept her eyes downcast as she spoke, her disappointment and sadness palpable.

Cecilia Croft glanced at the man beside her, his expression unreadable, then said to the staff in a flat voice, "I'm not feeling well today and don't feel like moving. I noticed her build is similar to mine. Let her try it on for me."

'She wouldn't even touch a dress they had defiled; she was afraid she'd catch something.'

The staff didn't dare to move, glancing cautiously at Jude Sheridan for approval.

Jude Sheridan lowered his gaze to stare at Cecilia Croft, his face grim.

Jessica Keller, on the other hand, had no such qualms. She stepped forward, her trademark sweet smile plastered on her face.

"Of course. It would be my honor to try on the dress for you, Cecilia."

With that, she reached for the dress.

The staff: "..."

Unsure of what to do, they could only look to Jude Sheridan for help.

A chill radiated from Jude Sheridan's deep, dark eyes. His expression was grim, a warning hidden in their depths.

Jessica Keller bit her lip, her gaze turning helpless.

Cecilia Croft pushed his hand off her waist, sat down on a nearby sofa, and urged,

"Go ahead."

Only then did Jessica Keller's smile return. She took the wedding dress from the staff member and walked into the fitting room.

Jude Sheridan frowned, walked over to Cecilia Croft, and sat down beside her. Just as he was about to voice his displeasure, Cecilia looked up at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Aren't you going in to help?"

The moment she said it, everyone froze.

The staff members who had served Jude Sheridan and Jessica Keller the day before were screaming internally.

'Thank goodness none of them had taken the day off, otherwise they would have missed being on the front lines of this drama.'

Jude Sheridan's brow furrowed. He pressed his lips into a thin line, his expression wary. "Cecilia, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. I just thought you'd be eager to help." Cecilia Croft smiled, then turned to an attendant and asked for a cup of coffee.

The large curtain of the fitting room was drawn back. Jessica Keller stood in the center, wearing the wedding dress. She looked shy and demure, a sweet smile on her face.

The dress, which had been designed for Cecilia, looked as if it were tailor-made for Jessica Keller.

Cecilia Croft glanced at Jude Sheridan's face, the smile in her eyes devoid of any warmth, and asked him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

With a dark expression, Jude Sheridan refused to look over, his voice low and resonant.

"Cecilia, what the hell are you playing at?"

Cecilia Croft didn't answer. She picked up her coffee and walked slowly toward Jessica Keller.

As she approached, Jessica Keller threw her hands up to cover her face, thinking Cecilia was about to splash the coffee on her.

The expected scalding splash never hit her face. Instead, a series of gasps erupted from the onlookers.

Jessica Keller lowered her hands and looked down, only to see that the priceless wedding dress was now stained with a dark brown liquid.

A staff member rushed over with tissues to wipe it, but the stain wouldn't come out.

Cecilia Croft stared at her, expressionless, and sneered.

"How can you return something to me 'whole and complete' when it's already been stained beyond repair?"

Jessica Keller's face went deathly pale. She stood frozen, at a complete loss.

Jude Sheridan frowned, his face grim. He strode over, grabbed Cecilia Croft's wrist, and tried to pull her away.

Cecilia used the momentum to swing her free hand, slapping Jude Sheridan across the face.

SLAP.

The room fell silent.

She had put all her strength into it, and her palm throbbed.

Jude Sheridan stared at her, his face dark, his eyes filled with an indescribable coldness.

The shop staff barely dared to look at Jude Sheridan's expression. Even Jessica Keller didn't dare to breathe.

Ever since Vantage had established a foothold in Silvercrest, he had never been publicly disrespected, much less slapped by a woman.

Cecilia Croft looked at the vicious coldness in his eyes, and her heart began to pound. The difference in strength between them was too great; if he hit back, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Jude Sheridan's gaze fell, sweeping over her trembling eyelashes. He let out a soft breath and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Feel better now?"

...

"Not yet."

How could a single slap be enough to vent her anger?

Jude Sheridan lifted the hand she had just used to slap him and pressed a light kiss to it.

"Did that hurt your hand? When we get home, I'll get you some ice for it and give you a reasonable explanation, alright? Don't be mad at me over someone so unimportant."

Cecilia Croft lowered her gaze, a flash of sorrow in her eyes.

'This must be a man's true nature,' she thought. 'Unless you catch them red-handed, they'll never admit they were wrong.'

"Someone unimportant?"

"Are you referring to Ms. Keller?"

Cecilia Croft tilted her head to look at Jessica Keller's face.

Her face was ghastly pale, and she stood frozen in place like a lifeless mannequin, completely devoid of the provocative glare she had shot Cecilia when she first entered the shop.

"Yes."

Jude Sheridan's voice was firm, without a hint of hesitation.

The color drained further from Jessica Keller's face.

Leaving the bridal shop, Cecilia Croft walked toward her car.

Jude Sheridan grabbed her hand, forcefully pulling her to his side.

"Get in my car. I'll take you home."

Cecilia struggled for a moment but found his grip was too strong. Unable to shake him off, she was forced to let him drag her toward his car.

Jude Sheridan opened the passenger-side door. Lying quietly on the gray-and-black seat was a pink and white hair clip.

He calmly reached out, picked it up, and moved it aside, his expression unruffled.

Cecilia Croft sneered.

"Shouldn't you check a little more carefully? Are there any other... personal items? If I happen to see some lingerie in there, I'm afraid I'll get a stye."

The man, who had been composed just a moment ago, suddenly flew into a rage, as if she had stepped on a cat's tail.

"Cecilia, must your mind always be so filthy?"

"I love you, but I will not tolerate this. This is the first time something like this has happened, and I hope it's the last. Vantage is at a critical stage of growth. It's impossible for me not to have female colleagues."

"I let it slide when you embarrassed Jessica Keller today because she's just a junior employee. But if in the future you get suspicious of some powerful, high-ranking woman and act this willfully, how is Vantage supposed to succeed in the long run?"

Cecilia Croft watched him silently, her clear, beautiful eyes as cold as ice.

She was only now discovering just how masterful Jude Sheridan's PUA techniques were.

Cecilia didn't argue with Jude, nor did she get into his car. She simply turned around, got into her own car, and drove away.

The area outside the bridal shop was bustling with people, so Jude Sheridan didn't stoop to stopping her. With a grim face, he opened his own car door. Just as he was about to get in, he saw Jessica Keller walk out of the shop, her face pale.

He paused for a moment, then waved her over.

"Get in."

「Meanwhile.」

Cecilia Croft stared in frustration at the dented rear of the black luxury car in front of her, its license plate a string of 8s.

A momentary lapse in concentration had caused her to have an intimate encounter with the car ahead.

It was a rear-end collision, and she was completely at fault. She would have to pay the price for her distraction.

She opened her door and got out to apologize to the person emerging from the other car.

"I'm sorry, I..."

The other driver glanced at her without a word, instead respectfully opening the rear passenger door.

As the door opened, a tall, handsome figure stepped out. The buttons on the man's shirt were done all the way to the top, and his sharply defined features were set in an expression of arrogant indifference.

The moment she saw him, a memory flashed through Cecilia's mind. She knew this man. He was Huo...

Before she could speak, the man had already walked away. He leaned casually against a roadside railing, holding a phone to his ear with his left hand. A few gusts of wind lifted strands of his hair, revealing a high forehead.

"Miss, just contact me after the car is repaired. I'll have someone come pick it up."

The driver handed Cecilia a business card.

Cecilia stole a glance in his direction. The man was still on the phone, and from his slightly furrowed brow, she guessed the call wasn't going well. Every so often, he would reach out and playfully poke at a bird resting on the railing.

Ten minutes later, a business van pulled up. The man got in without fuss. Before he did, his gaze swept over to her, and Cecilia guiltily looked away. The driver stayed behind to handle the situation.

By the time everything was handled and all the information was exchanged, it was late at night when she finally got home.

During that time, Jude Sheridan had sent her another message, which Cecilia once again ignored.

She was exhausted. After washing up, she collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, she scheduled a viewing with a potential buyer from a real estate platform and took the opportunity to pack up some things to throw away.

Most of it consisted of little trinkets Jude Sheridan had given her when they were students.

These things she had once treasured, she now saw—after her disillusionment with Jude—were just as cheap and shoddy as the man himself.

「Three days later.」

When Jude Sheridan returned, Cecilia Croft was in the courtyard, tending to some newly bloomed roses.

He came in through the gate and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pressing himself against her intimately.

"Honey, did you miss me?"

Cecilia sneered. "With a beauty by your side, do you really need me to miss you? I'd imagine you'd rather I not think of you at all, so I don't interrupt your little tryst."

She responded coldly and, in the moment he was caught off guard, wrenched herself free from his embrace.

The scent of another woman's perfume clung to him, a faint but nauseating smell.

Jude Sheridan reacted instantly, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back into his arms.

His powerful muscles felt scalding hot, even through his shirt.

Cecilia struggled, but he only tightened his grip on her waist, holding her immobile.

"I only love you. Stop making a scene, hmm?" He bent down slightly, his voice a low, husky whisper in her ear as he tried to make peace.

Cecilia's fingers clenched suddenly, and a rose thorn pricked her, drawing blood. But the pain in her fingertip couldn't mask the wave of disgust rising within her.

She let her hand fall, and the rose stem dropped to the ground.

Jude noticed and took her hand, frowning at the wound on her finger.

He bent down, about to suck the blood from her still-bleeding finger.

The instant her fingertip touched the man's warm lips, Cecilia's expression changed drastically.

How could he, after spending three days entangled with Jessica Keller, still put on such a deeply affectionate act for her without batting an eye?

'His lips... who knows how many times they've kissed Jessica.'

'Filthy! So filthy!'

In a visceral reaction, Cecilia Croft swiftly and cleanly slapped Jude Sheridan across his handsome, chiseled face.

Her palm went numb.

The man didn't move. He just stared at her with a grim expression, an indescribable coldness in his eyes.