Adam leaned back in his seat, one hand resting casually on the armrest, the other tapping lightly against his leg. The faint smirk playing on his lips said it all—he was amused. These days, the truth really did sound more absurd than the lies.It was almost tragic, really.“Where are we headed now?” Tessa asked, her voice still laced with the tremors of uncertainty.“Home,” Adam replied, calm and sure.Tessa turned sharply to face him. “Home?” she echoed, eyebrows drawn tightly together. “Adam, we just pulled the biggest bluff of our lives. We pretended to be the Supreme General and his wife! You think we can just... go home like nothing happened?”Adam didn’t flinch. “Why not?”Tessa stared at him, incredulous. “Are you listening to yourself? We used someone else’s identity—a military identity. That’s not some white lie we can brush off. What if someone finds out? What if it spreads? The longer we stay here, the riskier it becomes. We need to disappear. Now.”Her tone was earnest—ter

Elise flushed with frustration. Her perfectly glossed lips curled into a tight line as she stared at Adam, baffled by how calmly—almost coldly—he had accepted the annulment.She had walked in here expecting chaos. She thought he’d panic, maybe even grovel—beg her not to end the engagement. But not only did he agree immediately, he had the audacity to pull that woman closer, right in front of her.And worse, the woman was stunning.No. Stunning didn’t even cut it.Tessa’s beauty had a softness Elise could never replicate. A natural elegance that didn’t need designer heels or ten thousand–dollar handbags to make a statement. It grated on her nerves like sandpaper.Still, Elise forced a condescending sneer. Her voice dipped low with disdain. “She’s just… a country girl. Nothing more.”She reached into her handbag, pulled out a neatly stapled stack of papers, and slapped them against Adam’s chest. “Since you're so eager to move on, you might as well make it official. Sign the annulment.”

Eleanor nodded so vigorously it was a wonder her neck didn’t snap. “Exactly, Ms. Carter. He’s nothing but a penniless fool. You are the distinguished heiress of the Carter family—he’s beneath you. You’re doing the right thing ending the engagement.”Her voice dripped with exaggerated sweetness, the kind that made Tessa's skin crawl. The fake loyalty. The eagerness to kneel before whoever had the most power in the room. Tessa’s lips pressed into a tight line, suppressing the disgust rising in her chest. If Elise wanted to walk away from Adam, then so be it. Tessa had no reason to object—she hoped it would be over quickly.Elise, clearly pleased with Eleanor’s flattery, gave a faint smirk. Her manicured fingers dipped into her purse, pulling out a sleek black card and holding it out between two polished nails like it was a piece of trash she couldn’t wait to discard.“Here,” she said, waving the card at Adam. “A billion dollars. Consider it compensation for the engagement. That should b

Brielle practically sparkled with envy, her voice laced with admiration and barely concealed jealousy. “Ms. Carter, you truly are extraordinary. I’ve heard that invitations to the Supreme Banquet are incredibly rare—only fifty in total, right? Securing just one is next to impossible.”She clasped her hands together as if trying to physically contain her excitement. “To this day, no family in all of Storm City has ever gotten their hands on one.”Elise straightened her spine and tilted her chin up, her face glowing with pride. “Exactly,” she said, the smugness dripping from her every word. “Only the most powerful and elite families are even considered. It’s not just an invitation—it’s a statement. A symbol of power. Of legacy.”She paused deliberately, letting that sink in before adding with a flourish, “And let me be clear—there are two kinds of invitations. The standard ones… and the VIP ones. The Carters? We received the latter. One of only ten.”The room seemed to go still. Several

“Do you think tearing up the agreement changes anything?” Eleanor’s voice was cold and sharp, slicing through the room like broken glass. “You’ve made enemies everywhere, Adam. And I thought—foolishly—that you could at least rely on the Carters. But now even that’s gone.”Her eyes flared with disdain, lips curling into a sneer. “Whatever mess you’ve dragged yourself into, don’t you dare pull this family down with you. The divorce is not a discussion. It’s a decision. Final.”Richard folded his arms and nodded gravely, his expression hard as stone. “As soon as the one-month cooling-off period ends, we expect you to register the divorce immediately. No delays. No excuses.”Adam didn’t flinch. Without hesitation, he reached for Tessa’s hand and gripped it gently but firmly, as if anchoring her in the storm swirling around them.His voice was quiet but unshakable. “Unless Tessa herself tells me she wants to leave, I won’t agree to a divorce.”Tessa’s hand trembled in his.Eleanor’s patien