Yvaine had known Zachary since they were kids. Everyone expected them to end up together—including Zachary himself. Until he made the mistake of thinking she would always be there, no matter how many times he looked elsewhere. She left. And within weeks, she married someone else entirely. Silas wasn't the kind of man anyone expected Yvaine to choose. He wasn't cold. He wasn't brooding. He was the kind of man who held her hand in public, called her "Baby" like it was her name, and wasn't afraid to look soft in front of anyone—especially her ex. When Zachary cornered them, fists clenched and ego bruised, Silas didn't step forward. He stepped closer to Yvaine. "Baby," he said, his voice dripping with mock concern, "he's so mean." Zachary snapped. "Baby, Baby, Baby—shut your mouth! Are you even a man? Hiding behind a woman like a coward." Silas looked at Yvaine, his eyes wide and innocent. "Baby, he's insulting me." Yvaine didn't miss a beat. "Insult him back." "I don't know how to insult people," Silas said, perfectly deadpan. "Use Docksy dialect." And just like that, Silas—still holding Yvaine's hand, still looking utterly unbothered—launched into a stream of Docksy profanity that left Zachary speechless and Yvaine laughing. "For fuck's sake, you psycho, drop dead asshole!" Zachary stood there, mouth open. Yvaine just smiled...

Chapter 1Yvaine Sterling followed the waiter to the door of the private room. Just as she was about to enter, she heard Ryan Leighton's anxious voice."Why did you bring her here? Yvaine will be here any minute."Yvaine stopped the waiter from opening the door and continued to listen."So what if she's coming?" Zachary Lowell's voice dripped with disdain. "Do you really think I'm scared of her?""Man, please, don't do this," Ryan pleaded. "Whatever you do in private is your business. Yvaine turns a blind eye out of respect for you and the Lowell family. But parading her right in front of Yvaine's face? That's a direct slap to her and the entire Sterling family. You think she is going to swallow this kind of humiliation?"Zachary let out a scoff. "She'll swallow it whether she wants to or not. What's she going to do, break up with me? Does she even have the guts? Would her family even let her?"Unable to get through to him, Ryan sighed. "You're taking this too far. Be careful, or you'll be begging on your knees once she's gone.""Heh..." Zachary sneered dismissively. "Begging on my knees? Are you reading too many romance novels?"Yvaine pushed the door open and walked in. She looked straight at Zachary.He was lounging in his seat, a stunningly gorgeous woman beside him whose chest was practically glued to his arm.Noticing her stare, Zachary merely gave her a flat look, while the girl flashed Yvaine a fleeting, provocative smirk."Yvaine, you made it," Ryan said, flashing a strained smile. "Have a seat."Yvaine withdrew her gaze, nodded, and found an empty chair.Usually, she would sit right next to Zachary, but today, that was clearly inappropriate.Seeing her take a seat further away, Zachary's face darkened with a cold huff, though he didn't say a word.Soon, the rest of the guests trickled in.It was Ryan's dinner party, and the attendees were a tight-knit circle of seven or eight wealthy friends.No one had brought a plus-one, except for Zachary, who had brought this woman.Everyone exchanged loaded glances between Zachary, Yvaine, and Xylia Sutton, but no one dared to address the elephant in the room. They awkwardly made small talk and began to eat.Suddenly, Zachary spoke up. "Xylia, buy Yvaine a drink."Yvaine stared at him.The rest of the table stared at him too.Zachary smiled lazily. "Why is everyone looking at me like that? Shouldn't the new girl pay her respects to the leading lady? Put everything on the table?"The room fell dead silent.Leading lady? New girl? Put everything on the table? Was Zachary seriously forcing Yvaine to acknowledge his side piece?Everyone silently agreed that Zachary had crossed a massive line. Fooling around behind closed doors was one thing, but doing this right to Yvaine's face before they were even married?The Sterling heiress wasn't going to just sit there and take it.Xylia knew exactly what Zachary was playing at, and she felt a twinge of resentment. But knowing her place, she obediently stood up, raised her glass, and smiled at Yvaine. "Yvaine, here's to you. I hope you'll look out for me in the future."Yvaine just stared at Xylia, not moving an inch.Xylia looked at Zachary with teary, victimized eyes. "Zachary, does she hate me?"Zachary flashed a reckless, cocky grin."Doesn't matter if she hates you, as long as I like you. Come here, feed it to me."Xylia blushed deeply. "How?"Zachary's smile was careless and brazen. "You tell me."Throwing a quick glance at Yvaine, Xylia downed the alcohol in her glass, then cupped Zachary's face and kissed him right on the lips, passing the drink by mouth.Zachary didn't resist, casually swallowing the alcohol while keeping his eyes locked onto Yvaine.No one in the room dared to breathe.Yvaine watched the spectacle with absolute calm. She knew, with quiet certainty, that she and Zachary were completely done.After she finished the drink, Zachary gave Xylia an approving pat on the ass. Xylia sat back down, flushed and glowing. She shot Yvaine a look of smug, triumphant provocation."Zachary," Yvaine asked, her voice steady. "Are you having fun?"Zachary raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Why? Do you want to join us?"The others held their breath, practically turning blue.Yvaine shook her head. "I don't play trashy games. If you enjoy them, that's your business, but I'm out. We clearly aren't on the same path. So, let's break up."The group froze, staring at Yvaine in sheer disbelief.Yet, deep down, they completely understood. Being publicly humiliated by Zachary like this was something no one could tolerate. Zachary might be the Crown Prince of Brenok, but Yvaine was a proud, dignified heiress in her own right."Fine," Zachary laughed. "Let's break up."Yvaine nodded. "I'll inform my parents. You can tell yours."The amusement instantly vanished from Zachary's face, replaced by a dark, glaring scowl.Yvaine stood up and addressed the room. "Enjoy your meal. I'm going to head out."She turned to Ryan. "Dinner is on me tonight. Consider it... a celebration of my newfound singlehood, and Mr. Lowell's new fling."With a faint, polite smile, she turned and walked out. She didn't look at Zachary once.Inside the private room, the crowd stared at Zachary's furious, storm-cloud expression, utterly terrified to speak."What are you all looking at?" Zachary snapped with a forced smile. "Eat."He was smiling, but his eyes were pure ice."Zachary..." Xylia reached out, trying to loop her arm through his.Zachary violently shoved her hand away. "Get lost!"Xylia flinched, her eyes instantly welling with tears as she bit her lip, looking at him with deep grievance.Zachary didn't even spare her a glance. He pulled out a cigarette and clamped it between his teeth, but couldn't find his lighter.Just as he was about to explode, Xylia scrambled to light it for him. He didn't speak to her or look at her, merely exhaling a thick cloud of smoke with a frigid glare.—Yvaine walked out of the private dining room and headed toward the lobby to settle the bill when one of her friends chased after her. "Yvaine, don't be mad at Zachary. He was just putting on a show to get a rise out of you."Yvaine nodded smoothly. "I know. I'm not mad."Her friend looked at her perfectly serene face with skepticism. "Are you really not mad?"Yvaine offered a soft smile. "I'm really not. We've broken up. Whatever he does has absolutely nothing to do with me anymore."Her friend frowned. "Yvaine, stop joking around. You and Zachary have been together for years. How could you throw it all away over something like this?""Right after you left, Zachary snapped at that woman and told her to get lost. He doesn't care about her at all."Yvaine let out a quiet sigh. She looked at her friend and asked, "When have you ever known me to joke about breaking up?"Her friend froze. Thinking back, it was true. Throughout their entire relationship, Zachary was always the one messing around, and Yvaine would get upset and argue with him. But no matter how bad the fights got, she had never once uttered the words 'break up.'Zachary... really had gone too far this time. Even his own friends knew it."Zachary treats relationships like a game and tramples on people's feelings. I don't," Yvaine said."I'm completely serious about this."Her friend fell silent.Just then, a large group of people approached from the opposite direction, causing quite a commotion. At the center of the crowd was a man being escorted like royalty.Curious, Yvaine glanced over. The man was breathtakingly handsome, with a sharp jawline and deep, striking features that almost gave him a mixed-race appearance. He was tall and exuded a commanding, intimidating aura. Surrounded by an entourage, he moved with a cold, aristocratic grace.The man noticed Yvaine as well. He gave her a slight, polite nod before continuing into the restaurant with his group.Yvaine felt a flicker of confusion. She was fairly certain she didn't know him, so why had he greeted her?She recognized a few faces in his entourage—prominent businessmen she had seen at various industry events. It seemed he was a businessman too, and judging by the heavy hitters flocking around him, his status was exceptionally high.But since when did Brenok have such a dazzling, top-tier elite without her knowing?Yvaine told her friend to head back to the room while she walked up to the reception to settle the bill.This restaurant was a highly exclusive, members-only establishment, catering strictly to the wealthy and powerful.The beautiful receptionist smiled warmly. "Hi, Ms. Sterling."Yvaine nodded. "Who was that man just now?"The receptionist smiled. "Are you asking about Mr. Sheridan?""Sheridan?""Yes, the son of the Sheridan family from Docksy. He's been here twice now, and our boss specifically instructed us to give him the absolute best service."Yvaine nodded in realization. She knew of the Sheridan family—they were a mega-wealthy dynasty from Docksy.For the past two years, rumors had circulated that the Sheridans were planning to move a significant portion of their operations to mainland, and local officials everywhere had been aggressively trying to woo them.After thorough scouting, the Sheridan family finally chose Brenok, and the local government was eager to lock them down permanently. They even came up with the idea of a marriage alliance.The Sheridans had put their second son in charge of the Brenok expansion. Since he was unmarried, the city scrambled to select suitable heiresses for him to wed.Yvaine herself had been on that government shortlist, but because she was dating Zachary, the Sterling family had politely declined.The man she had just seen was undoubtedly the second son—Silas Sheridan.She had heard the name plenty of times, but this was her first time actually seeing him. She had been out of town on a business trip and had only returned a couple of days ago. As a result, she had missed the official welcome banquet the city threw for the Sheridan family.Yvaine didn't think much more of it. She paid the bill and left.—Back in the private room, the friend returned alone.Zachary noticed instantly. His expression darkened even further. He spent the rest of the meal completely silent and terrifyingly grim.Beside him, Xylia sat frozen, not even daring to breathe too loudly.—Yvaine arrived back at the Sterling estate. Both of her parents, Lucius and Hester, happened to be home without any evening engagements. She calmly told them that she and Zachary had broken up.Knowing Zachary, he probably thought she was just throwing a tantrum and would brush it off in a few days. Because that was exactly how it always played out in the past.But she was genuinely exhausted.Hearing this, her parents frowned. "Are you completely sure about this?""Yes," Yvaine nodded. "Zachary is becoming more reckless by the day. If this continues, he'll only end up humiliating both our families even more."Truthfully, over the years, her boundaries had slowly eroded. Until today, she had convinced herself that as long as Zachary kept his wild behavior out of the public eye and away from their families, she could pretend not to see it. For families of their standing, reputation and face were everything.But whatever had possessed Zachary today, he had chosen to publicly slap her in the face. If he was doing this before they were even married, God only knew how arrogant and unbearable he would become afterward.Lucius nodded slowly.It was true that the Lowell family was the wealthiest in Brenok, but the Sterling family wasn't lacking either. If they weren't equal in status, the Lowells wouldn't have approved of Yvaine in the first place.Zachary might be the Crown Prince of Brenok, but Yvaine was the meticulously raised pride and joy of the Sterling family. If Zachary was going to be this disrespectful, they certainly weren't going to offer their daughter up on a silver platter just to be publicly humiliated.Chapter 2Yvaine Sterling followed the waiter to the door of the private room. Just as she was about to enter, she heard Ryan Leighton's anxious voice."Why did you bring her here? Yvaine will be here any minute."Yvaine stopped the waiter from opening the door and continued to listen."So what if she's coming?" Zachary Lowell's voice dripped with disdain. "Do you really think I'm scared of her?""Man, please, don't do this," Ryan pleaded. "Whatever you do in private is your business. Yvaine turns a blind eye out of respect for you and the Lowell family. But parading her right in front of Yvaine's face? That's a direct slap to her and the entire Sterling family. You think she is going to swallow this kind of humiliation?"Zachary let out a scoff. "She'll swallow it whether she wants to or not. What's she going to do, break up with me? Does she even have the guts? Would her family even let her?"Unable to get through to him, Ryan sighed. "You're taking this too far. Be careful, or you'll be begging on your knees once she's gone.""Heh..." Zachary sneered dismissively. "Begging on my knees? Are you reading too many romance novels?"Yvaine pushed the door open and walked in. She looked straight at Zachary.He was lounging in his seat, a stunningly gorgeous woman beside him whose chest was practically glued to his arm.Noticing her stare, Zachary merely gave her a flat look, while the girl flashed Yvaine a fleeting, provocative smirk."Yvaine, you made it," Ryan said, flashing a strained smile. "Have a seat."Yvaine withdrew her gaze, nodded, and found an empty chair.Usually, she would sit right next to Zachary, but today, that was clearly inappropriate.Seeing her take a seat further away, Zachary's face darkened with a cold huff, though he didn't say a word.Soon, the rest of the guests trickled in.It was Ryan's dinner party, and the attendees were a tight-knit circle of seven or eight wealthy friends.No one had brought a plus-one, except for Zachary, who had brought this woman.Everyone exchanged loaded glances between Zachary, Yvaine, and Xylia Sutton, but no one dared to address the elephant in the room. They awkwardly made small talk and began to eat.Suddenly, Zachary spoke up. "Xylia, buy Yvaine a drink."Yvaine stared at him.The rest of the table stared at him too.Zachary smiled lazily. "Why is everyone looking at me like that? Shouldn't the new girl pay her respects to the leading lady? Put everything on the table?"The room fell dead silent.Leading lady? New girl? Put everything on the table? Was Zachary seriously forcing Yvaine to acknowledge his side piece?Everyone silently agreed that Zachary had crossed a massive line. Fooling around behind closed doors was one thing, but doing this right to Yvaine's face before they were even married?The Sterling heiress wasn't going to just sit there and take it.Xylia knew exactly what Zachary was playing at, and she felt a twinge of resentment. But knowing her place, she obediently stood up, raised her glass, and smiled at Yvaine. "Yvaine, here's to you. I hope you'll look out for me in the future."Yvaine just stared at Xylia, not moving an inch.Xylia looked at Zachary with teary, victimized eyes. "Zachary, does she hate me?"Zachary flashed a reckless, cocky grin."Doesn't matter if she hates you, as long as I like you. Come here, feed it to me."Xylia blushed deeply. "How?"Zachary's smile was careless and brazen. "You tell me."Throwing a quick glance at Yvaine, Xylia downed the alcohol in her glass, then cupped Zachary's face and kissed him right on the lips, passing the drink by mouth.Zachary didn't resist, casually swallowing the alcohol while keeping his eyes locked onto Yvaine.No one in the room dared to breathe.Yvaine watched the spectacle with absolute calm. She knew, with quiet certainty, that she and Zachary were completely done.After she finished the drink, Zachary gave Xylia an approving pat on the ass. Xylia sat back down, flushed and glowing. She shot Yvaine a look of smug, triumphant provocation."Zachary," Yvaine asked, her voice steady. "Are you having fun?"Zachary raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Why? Do you want to join us?"The others held their breath, practically turning blue.Yvaine shook her head. "I don't play trashy games. If you enjoy them, that's your business, but I'm out. We clearly aren't on the same path. So, let's break up."The group froze, staring at Yvaine in sheer disbelief.Yet, deep down, they completely understood. Being publicly humiliated by Zachary like this was something no one could tolerate. Zachary might be the Crown Prince of Brenok, but Yvaine was a proud, dignified heiress in her own right."Fine," Zachary laughed. "Let's break up."Yvaine nodded. "I'll inform my parents. You can tell yours."The amusement instantly vanished from Zachary's face, replaced by a dark, glaring scowl.Yvaine stood up and addressed the room. "Enjoy your meal. I'm going to head out."She turned to Ryan. "Dinner is on me tonight. Consider it... a celebration of my newfound singlehood, and Mr. Lowell's new fling."With a faint, polite smile, she turned and walked out. She didn't look at Zachary once.Inside the private room, the crowd stared at Zachary's furious, storm-cloud expression, utterly terrified to speak."What are you all looking at?" Zachary snapped with a forced smile. "Eat."He was smiling, but his eyes were pure ice."Zachary..." Xylia reached out, trying to loop her arm through his.Zachary violently shoved her hand away. "Get lost!"Xylia flinched, her eyes instantly welling with tears as she bit her lip, looking at him with deep grievance.Zachary didn't even spare her a glance. He pulled out a cigarette and clamped it between his teeth, but couldn't find his lighter.Just as he was about to explode, Xylia scrambled to light it for him. He didn't speak to her or look at her, merely exhaling a thick cloud of smoke with a frigid glare.—Yvaine walked out of the private dining room and headed toward the lobby to settle the bill when one of her friends chased after her. "Yvaine, don't be mad at Zachary. He was just putting on a show to get a rise out of you."Yvaine nodded smoothly. "I know. I'm not mad."Her friend looked at her perfectly serene face with skepticism. "Are you really not mad?"Yvaine offered a soft smile. "I'm really not. We've broken up. Whatever he does has absolutely nothing to do with me anymore."Her friend frowned. "Yvaine, stop joking around. You and Zachary have been together for years. How could you throw it all away over something like this?""Right after you left, Zachary snapped at that woman and told her to get lost. He doesn't care about her at all."Yvaine let out a quiet sigh. She looked at her friend and asked, "When have you ever known me to joke about breaking up?"Her friend froze. Thinking back, it was true. Throughout their entire relationship, Zachary was always the one messing around, and Yvaine would get upset and argue with him. But no matter how bad the fights got, she had never once uttered the words 'break up.'Zachary... really had gone too far this time. Even his own friends knew it."Zachary treats relationships like a game and tramples on people's feelings. I don't," Yvaine said."I'm completely serious about this."Her friend fell silent.Just then, a large group of people approached from the opposite direction, causing quite a commotion. At the center of the crowd was a man being escorted like royalty.Curious, Yvaine glanced over. The man was breathtakingly handsome, with a sharp jawline and deep, striking features that almost gave him a mixed-race appearance. He was tall and exuded a commanding, intimidating aura. Surrounded by an entourage, he moved with a cold, aristocratic grace.The man noticed Yvaine as well. He gave her a slight, polite nod before continuing into the restaurant with his group.Yvaine felt a flicker of confusion. She was fairly certain she didn't know him, so why had he greeted her?She recognized a few faces in his entourage—prominent businessmen she had seen at various industry events. It seemed he was a businessman too, and judging by the heavy hitters flocking around him, his status was exceptionally high.But since when did Brenok have such a dazzling, top-tier elite without her knowing?Yvaine told her friend to head back to the room while she walked up to the reception to settle the bill.This restaurant was a highly exclusive, members-only establishment, catering strictly to the wealthy and powerful.The beautiful receptionist smiled warmly. "Hi, Ms. Sterling."Yvaine nodded. "Who was that man just now?"The receptionist smiled. "Are you asking about Mr. Sheridan?""Sheridan?""Yes, the son of the Sheridan family from Docksy. He's been here twice now, and our boss specifically instructed us to give him the absolute best service."Yvaine nodded in realization. She knew of the Sheridan family—they were a mega-wealthy dynasty from Docksy.For the past two years, rumors had circulated that the Sheridans were planning to move a significant portion of their operations to mainland, and local officials everywhere had been aggressively trying to woo them.After thorough scouting, the Sheridan family finally chose Brenok, and the local government was eager to lock them down permanently. They even came up with the idea of a marriage alliance.The Sheridans had put their second son in charge of the Brenok expansion. Since he was unmarried, the city scrambled to select suitable heiresses for him to wed.Yvaine herself had been on that government shortlist, but because she was dating Zachary, the Sterling family had politely declined.The man she had just seen was undoubtedly the second son—Silas Sheridan.She had heard the name plenty of times, but this was her first time actually seeing him. She had been out of town on a business trip and had only returned a couple of days ago. As a result, she had missed the official welcome banquet the city threw for the Sheridan family.Yvaine didn't think much more of it. She paid the bill and left.—Back in the private room, the friend returned alone.Zachary noticed instantly. His expression darkened even further. He spent the rest of the meal completely silent and terrifyingly grim.Beside him, Xylia sat frozen, not even daring to breathe too loudly.—Yvaine arrived back at the Sterling estate. Both of her parents, Lucius and Hester, happened to be home without any evening engagements. She calmly told them that she and Zachary had broken up.Knowing Zachary, he probably thought she was just throwing a tantrum and would brush it off in a few days. Because that was exactly how it always played out in the past.But she was genuinely exhausted.Hearing this, her parents frowned. "Are you completely sure about this?""Yes," Yvaine nodded. "Zachary is becoming more reckless by the day. If this continues, he'll only end up humiliating both our families even more."Truthfully, over the years, her boundaries had slowly eroded. Until today, she had convinced herself that as long as Zachary kept his wild behavior out of the public eye and away from their families, she could pretend not to see it. For families of their standing, reputation and face were everything.But whatever had possessed Zachary today, he had chosen to publicly slap her in the face. If he was doing this before they were even married, God only knew how arrogant and unbearable he would become afterward.Lucius nodded slowly.It was true that the Lowell family was the wealthiest in Brenok, but the Sterling family wasn't lacking either. If they weren't equal in status, the Lowells wouldn't have approved of Yvaine in the first place.Zachary might be the Crown Prince of Brenok, but Yvaine was the meticulously raised pride and joy of the Sterling family. If Zachary was going to be this disrespectful, they certainly weren't going to offer their daughter up on a silver platter just to be publicly humiliated.Chapter 3Yvaine Sterling followed the waiter to the door of the private room. Just as she was about to enter, she heard Ryan Leighton's anxious voice."Why did you bring her here? Yvaine will be here any minute."Yvaine stopped the waiter from opening the door and continued to listen."So what if she's coming?" Zachary Lowell's voice dripped with disdain. "Do you really think I'm scared of her?""Man, please, don't do this," Ryan pleaded. "Whatever you do in private is your business. Yvaine turns a blind eye out of respect for you and the Lowell family. But parading her right in front of Yvaine's face? That's a direct slap to her and the entire Sterling family. You think she is going to swallow this kind of humiliation?"Zachary let out a scoff. "She'll swallow it whether she wants to or not. What's she going to do, break up with me? Does she even have the guts? Would her family even let her?"Unable to get through to him, Ryan sighed. "You're taking this too far. Be careful, or you'll be begging on your knees once she's gone.""Heh..." Zachary sneered dismissively. "Begging on my knees? Are you reading too many romance novels?"Yvaine pushed the door open and walked in. She looked straight at Zachary.He was lounging in his seat, a stunningly gorgeous woman beside him whose chest was practically glued to his arm.Noticing her stare, Zachary merely gave her a flat look, while the girl flashed Yvaine a fleeting, provocative smirk."Yvaine, you made it," Ryan said, flashing a strained smile. "Have a seat."Yvaine withdrew her gaze, nodded, and found an empty chair.Usually, she would sit right next to Zachary, but today, that was clearly inappropriate.Seeing her take a seat further away, Zachary's face darkened with a cold huff, though he didn't say a word.Soon, the rest of the guests trickled in.It was Ryan's dinner party, and the attendees were a tight-knit circle of seven or eight wealthy friends.No one had brought a plus-one, except for Zachary, who had brought this woman.Everyone exchanged loaded glances between Zachary, Yvaine, and Xylia Sutton, but no one dared to address the elephant in the room. They awkwardly made small talk and began to eat.Suddenly, Zachary spoke up. "Xylia, buy Yvaine a drink."Yvaine stared at him.The rest of the table stared at him too.Zachary smiled lazily. "Why is everyone looking at me like that? Shouldn't the new girl pay her respects to the leading lady? Put everything on the table?"The room fell dead silent.Leading lady? New girl? Put everything on the table? Was Zachary seriously forcing Yvaine to acknowledge his side piece?Everyone silently agreed that Zachary had crossed a massive line. Fooling around behind closed doors was one thing, but doing this right to Yvaine's face before they were even married?The Sterling heiress wasn't going to just sit there and take it.Xylia knew exactly what Zachary was playing at, and she felt a twinge of resentment. But knowing her place, she obediently stood up, raised her glass, and smiled at Yvaine. "Yvaine, here's to you. I hope you'll look out for me in the future."Yvaine just stared at Xylia, not moving an inch.Xylia looked at Zachary with teary, victimized eyes. "Zachary, does she hate me?"Zachary flashed a reckless, cocky grin."Doesn't matter if she hates you, as long as I like you. Come here, feed it to me."Xylia blushed deeply. "How?"Zachary's smile was careless and brazen. "You tell me."Throwing a quick glance at Yvaine, Xylia downed the alcohol in her glass, then cupped Zachary's face and kissed him right on the lips, passing the drink by mouth.Zachary didn't resist, casually swallowing the alcohol while keeping his eyes locked onto Yvaine.No one in the room dared to breathe.Yvaine watched the spectacle with absolute calm. She knew, with quiet certainty, that she and Zachary were completely done.After she finished the drink, Zachary gave Xylia an approving pat on the ass. Xylia sat back down, flushed and glowing. She shot Yvaine a look of smug, triumphant provocation."Zachary," Yvaine asked, her voice steady. "Are you having fun?"Zachary raised an eyebrow, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Why? Do you want to join us?"The others held their breath, practically turning blue.Yvaine shook her head. "I don't play trashy games. If you enjoy them, that's your business, but I'm out. We clearly aren't on the same path. So, let's break up."The group froze, staring at Yvaine in sheer disbelief.Yet, deep down, they completely understood. Being publicly humiliated by Zachary like this was something no one could tolerate. Zachary might be the Crown Prince of Brenok, but Yvaine was a proud, dignified heiress in her own right."Fine," Zachary laughed. "Let's break up."Yvaine nodded. "I'll inform my parents. You can tell yours."The amusement instantly vanished from Zachary's face, replaced by a dark, glaring scowl.Yvaine stood up and addressed the room. "Enjoy your meal. I'm going to head out."She turned to Ryan. "Dinner is on me tonight. Consider it... a celebration of my newfound singlehood, and Mr. Lowell's new fling."With a faint, polite smile, she turned and walked out. She didn't look at Zachary once.Inside the private room, the crowd stared at Zachary's furious, storm-cloud expression, utterly terrified to speak."What are you all looking at?" Zachary snapped with a forced smile. "Eat."He was smiling, but his eyes were pure ice."Zachary..." Xylia reached out, trying to loop her arm through his.Zachary violently shoved her hand away. "Get lost!"Xylia flinched, her eyes instantly welling with tears as she bit her lip, looking at him with deep grievance.Zachary didn't even spare her a glance. He pulled out a cigarette and clamped it between his teeth, but couldn't find his lighter.Just as he was about to explode, Xylia scrambled to light it for him. He didn't speak to her or look at her, merely exhaling a thick cloud of smoke with a frigid glare.—Yvaine walked out of the private dining room and headed toward the lobby to settle the bill when one of her friends chased after her. "Yvaine, don't be mad at Zachary. He was just putting on a show to get a rise out of you."Yvaine nodded smoothly. "I know. I'm not mad."Her friend looked at her perfectly serene face with skepticism. "Are you really not mad?"Yvaine offered a soft smile. "I'm really not. We've broken up. Whatever he does has absolutely nothing to do with me anymore."Her friend frowned. "Yvaine, stop joking around. You and Zachary have been together for years. How could you throw it all away over something like this?""Right after you left, Zachary snapped at that woman and told her to get lost. He doesn't care about her at all."Yvaine let out a quiet sigh. She looked at her friend and asked, "When have you ever known me to joke about breaking up?"Her friend froze. Thinking back, it was true. Throughout their entire relationship, Zachary was always the one messing around, and Yvaine would get upset and argue with him. But no matter how bad the fights got, she had never once uttered the words 'break up.'Zachary... really had gone too far this time. Even his own friends knew it."Zachary treats relationships like a game and tramples on people's feelings. I don't," Yvaine said."I'm completely serious about this."Her friend fell silent.Just then, a large group of people approached from the opposite direction, causing quite a commotion. At the center of the crowd was a man being escorted like royalty.Curious, Yvaine glanced over. The man was breathtakingly handsome, with a sharp jawline and deep, striking features that almost gave him a mixed-race appearance. He was tall and exuded a commanding, intimidating aura. Surrounded by an entourage, he moved with a cold, aristocratic grace.The man noticed Yvaine as well. He gave her a slight, polite nod before continuing into the restaurant with his group.Yvaine felt a flicker of confusion. She was fairly certain she didn't know him, so why had he greeted her?She recognized a few faces in his entourage—prominent businessmen she had seen at various industry events. It seemed he was a businessman too, and judging by the heavy hitters flocking around him, his status was exceptionally high.But since when did Brenok have such a dazzling, top-tier elite without her knowing?Yvaine told her friend to head back to the room while she walked up to the reception to settle the bill.This restaurant was a highly exclusive, members-only establishment, catering strictly to the wealthy and powerful.The beautiful receptionist smiled warmly. "Hi, Ms. Sterling."Yvaine nodded. "Who was that man just now?"The receptionist smiled. "Are you asking about Mr. Sheridan?""Sheridan?""Yes, the son of the Sheridan family from Docksy. He's been here twice now, and our boss specifically instructed us to give him the absolute best service."Yvaine nodded in realization. She knew of the Sheridan family—they were a mega-wealthy dynasty from Docksy.For the past two years, rumors had circulated that the Sheridans were planning to move a significant portion of their operations to mainland, and local officials everywhere had been aggressively trying to woo them.After thorough scouting, the Sheridan family finally chose Brenok, and the local government was eager to lock them down permanently. They even came up with the idea of a marriage alliance.The Sheridans had put their second son in charge of the Brenok expansion. Since he was unmarried, the city scrambled to select suitable heiresses for him to wed.Yvaine herself had been on that government shortlist, but because she was dating Zachary, the Sterling family had politely declined.The man she had just seen was undoubtedly the second son—Silas Sheridan.She had heard the name plenty of times, but this was her first time actually seeing him. She had been out of town on a business trip and had only returned a couple of days ago. As a result, she had missed the official welcome banquet the city threw for the Sheridan family.Yvaine didn't think much more of it. She paid the bill and left.—Back in the private room, the friend returned alone.Zachary noticed instantly. His expression darkened even further. He spent the rest of the meal completely silent and terrifyingly grim.Beside him, Xylia sat frozen, not even daring to breathe too loudly.—Yvaine arrived back at the Sterling estate. Both of her parents, Lucius and Hester, happened to be home without any evening engagements. She calmly told them that she and Zachary had broken up.Knowing Zachary, he probably thought she was just throwing a tantrum and would brush it off in a few days. Because that was exactly how it always played out in the past.But she was genuinely exhausted.Hearing this, her parents frowned. "Are you completely sure about this?""Yes," Yvaine nodded. "Zachary is becoming more reckless by the day. If this continues, he'll only end up humiliating both our families even more."Truthfully, over the years, her boundaries had slowly eroded. Until today, she had convinced herself that as long as Zachary kept his wild behavior out of the public eye and away from their families, she could pretend not to see it. For families of their standing, reputation and face were everything.But whatever had possessed Zachary today, he had chosen to publicly slap her in the face. If he was doing this before they were even married, God only knew how arrogant and unbearable he would become afterward.Lucius nodded slowly.It was true that the Lowell family was the wealthiest in Brenok, but the Sterling family wasn't lacking either. If they weren't equal in status, the Lowells wouldn't have approved of Yvaine in the first place.Zachary might be the Crown Prince of Brenok, but Yvaine was the meticulously raised pride and joy of the Sterling family. If Zachary was going to be this disrespectful, they certainly weren't going to offer their daughter up on a silver platter just to be publicly humiliated.