"Don't blame Evan for looking elsewhere. It's Mrs. Delgado who's useless," Bonnie sneered. "When you're old and your beauty's faded, you should know when to step aside for someone more deserving."
In the background, Evan had his arm around Bonnie's waist, a smirk of satisfaction playing on his lips.
I looked away from the screen and glanced at the brightly lit villa on the hill behind me. A bitter smile touched my lips.
I designed that villa.
It was my masterpiece, a project into which I'd poured years of effort and love. When construction was completed, Evan had made a vow.
"Alice, we'll live happily here for a lifetime. This will be our home."
Now, that sanctuary had been reduced to Evan's harem. Any woman in Harbor City could enter that house—except me.
Mr. Porter noticed my gaze lingering on the screen. For a moment, a flicker of compassion crossed his stoic face.
"Madam... actually, Evan still has feelings for you," he said quietly. "If you were willing to lower your head, just a little, and offer an apology, his heart would soften."
"There's no need," I replied, my voice steady.
My flight was scheduled to depart soon. Whether Evan allowed me into that villa no longer mattered. I'd already used the portfolio of that villa as my admission ticket to a prestigious university abroad.
From this moment on, I was no longer the puppet Mrs. Delgado. I was Alice Henson, and I would become the most outstanding female architect in the world.
As the plane soared over Harbor City, piercing the clouds, Evan sat by the pool at the hillside villa. He slowly raised his head, looking up at the endless stretch of blue sky.
Suddenly, a strange panic seized his chest.
He shoved Bonnie aside, the realization hitting him like a blow.
