"I'm confessing to the woman I love today. If you sit next to me, she might get the wrong idea."
"Why come back now?"
I glanced down at the invitation in my hand, about to answer, but before I could speak, a reporter beside me cut in.
"Mr. Dumont, there are rumors that you're proposing to Miss Bellucci today! Is it true? Can you confirm?"
A swarm of reporters surrounded us, their cameras flashing relentlessly. Nicholas’s voice carried a teasing edge.
"That’s a secret."
His ambiguous response instantly sent the press into a frenzy.
Amidst the commotion, a few sharp-eyed reporters turned their focus to me.
A young woman in a red hat blurted out, "Isn't this the Vasquez Family’s daughter who used to chase after Nicholas Dumont? I heard she insisted on debuting alongside him in pursuit of love and even spent a fortune to be his co-star. Then she vanished without a trace. Why is she suddenly back now?"
"Could it be that she heard Mr. Dumont is confessing today and refuses to give up? Is she here to chase after him again?"
The moment she finished speaking, every camera lens and pair of eyes zeroed in on me.
Under the harsh glare of the cameras, I simply smiled and waved.
"You’re mistaken. I have nothing to do with any of that. I was merely invited to attend the event."
Beside me, Nicholas let out a cold scoff.
"Drop the act. You deliberately arranged to sit next to me. Who knows what you're up to?"
He turned to face me fully, his voice laced with warning.
"I'm telling you now. If you dare do anything to hurt her, I won’t show you any mercy."
Gasps rippled through the crowd as Nicholas’s words were captured in full by the rolling cameras.
The red-hatted reporter’s excited voice rang out,
"Our Best Actor fiercely defending his woman. This is sensational! A guaranteed headline!"
Before I could respond, a rough grip yanked my wrist.
"Isla Vasquez, who gave you permission to be here?"
That familiar voice. It was my half-brother, Matteo.
His grip was painfully tight, his expression dark with fury.
"This isn’t a place for you to stir up trouble. Come with me!"
A sharp pain shot through my wrist as I instinctively struggled.
"I'm here for business. Let go of me!"
My resistance only fueled his anger.
"Do you think I don’t know what you're up to? I've warned you before that love isn’t something you can buy! Are you really going to repeat the same mistake? Stop disgracing the Vasquez Family!"