Chapter 2: Her Revenge Begins
The cameras flashed like lightning.
Li Yuyan stepped out of the sleek black car, her heels clicking against the marble steps of the Grand Orchid Hotel. Her crimson dress clung to her curves like a second skin, bold and unapologetic.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Who is she?
That's Jiang Zhen's wife?
She looks like trouble.
Exactly the reaction she wanted.
Across the grand hall, Jiang Zhen stood in conversation with a board of shareholders. Impeccable suit. Cold eyes. A man carved from ice.
But when he turned and saw her—really saw her—his expression flickered.
Just for a second.
"You wore red," he said quietly when she reached his side.
"I thought your enemies should see me coming," she whispered with a smile.
He didn't reply.
But his eyes lingered too long on the bare skin of her shoulders. And when he placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her inside, his touch burned.
The gala had only just begun, but the game was already in motion.
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Later that night…
The penthouse was silent when they returned. He loosened his tie as she kicked off her heels.
"Was I convincing enough for your investors?" she asked casually, pouring herself a glass of wine.
"You looked like a walking scandal," he replied, unamused.
She sipped. "Good. Let them talk."
He stepped closer. "You're playing with fire."
She met his eyes, unblinking. "So are you."
A long pause stretched between them—tense, electric.
Finally, he turned away.
"You'll sleep in the guest room. First door on the right."
"Charming," she said dryly, but her chest tightened.
She didn't expect warmth. She wasn't here for love.
But part of her had still hoped… for something.
Anything.
As she lay alone in the cold guest bed that night, staring at the ceiling, she reminded herself: This is war. Not a fairy tale.
But even wars have casualties.
And she was starting to wonder if her heart would be one of them.