"Sylvia, you said you were too busy to hang out with us—turns out you were dating a senior citizen? What's next, flying to heaven?"
"Let's go. I don't want to be seen with someone like her."
The guests didn't even bother to hide their disgust. They turned and left without looking back.
"Mr. Wang, wait—Mr. Qian, please—"Charles Su tried to stop them, but no one turned around.
The grand hall that had been lively moments ago now felt hollow and eerily quiet.
"Charles, what just happened? Who was that old man?" Lillian asked in a panic.
Charles turned to her, face flushed with fury. "That man was Nathaniel Fu's butler. Everything that happened today was Nathaniel's doing!"
"What? That's impossible!" Sylvia shook her head violently. "Nathaniel wouldn't humiliate me like this. He was fine yesterday. He promised he'd come today and announce our relationship publicly!"
Charles's face darkened even further, practically glowing red with embarrassment. He had dreamed of riding the Fu family's coattails to the top—but now, the entire city would be laughing at them.
"Useless!" he roared, raising his hand and slapping Sylvia across the face.
Her cheek instantly swelled up. She collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Go fix this. Win Nathaniel back, or don't bother calling me your father again!"
He stormed off.
"Charles!" Lillian called after him, running to catch up.
Sylvia sat on the floor, her legs too weak to support her, tears streaming down her face. She didn't understand. Why would Nathaniel treat her so cruelly?
Now, the entire city thought she was dating a wrinkled old man.
And her neck felt cold—the Emperor Star necklace was gone.
She had really liked that necklace.
Just then, she looked up and saw Celia standing quietly in the corner. Her eyes were calm, detached, and piercing—watching everything unfold without a trace of sympathy.
"Celia, are you laughing at me?"
Celia replied coolly, "If you know the answer, why ask?"
With that, she turned and walked away.
"...!"
Sylvia trembled with rage. The next moment, her vision blurred, and she let out a sharp scream.
Celia couldn't understand what Nathaniel was thinking.
Didn't he love Sylvia?
He had made her take the birth control pill and warned her not to tell Sylvia. And yet, today, he had publicly humiliated Sylvia in front of the entire city.
What on earth was this man planning?
Back at T University, Celia returned to her studies. But a dull ache started to spread through her abdomen—it had to be the aftereffects of the pills. Her face grew pale.
She had known she was allergic to one of the ingredients and never intended to take them. She could've handled contraception herself.
But Nathaniel had insisted on watching her swallow it, fearing she might trick him.
Celia pressed a trembling hand to her lower stomach, trying to walk it off.
"Hey, Harley Quinn!"
Julian Fu ran up to her cheerfully. "You free tonight? Let's go on a date!"
A date? That was all this guy ever thought about.
Celia didn't even glance at him. She turned and walked away quickly.
"Harley! Don't run!" Julian called, reaching out to grab her arm—
But before his hand touched her, Celia's eyes rolled back. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed.
"Celia!"
Julian caught her just in time, panic filling his voice. "Celia—what's wrong?! Say something!"
Yipinlan Villa.
In the study, Nathaniel sat behind his desk in a tailored black suit, flipping through documents. His expression was cold, his demeanor composed.
The butler entered, holding a sleek velvet box.
"Sir, I retrieved the Emperor Star, as you instructed."
Without looking up, Nathaniel replied, "Throw it in the trash."
"Yes, sir."
The butler dropped the necklace straight into the bin.
Mr. Song, standing nearby, couldn't help wincing. That necklace was worth hundreds of millions—and now it was trash.
Nathaniel really didn't hold back.
Sending his butler to the Su family like that… Sylvia had wanted to make the relationship public, so he'd let her—just not in the way she expected.
At that moment, Nathaniel looked up from his files. His voice was icy.
"Did you get the divorce certificate?"