Chapter 130

“Don’t. Just drop me off at the next intersection. I don’t want to stay at a hotel tonight; I’m thinking of crashing with a friend.”

Her voice, heavy with emotion, barely rose above a whisper as she dabbed at the tears streaking down her face. The villa had been her only property, and now that it was gone, her only option seemed to be to check into a hotel. And Spencer, being a part of the Dorsey clan, couldn’t possibly bring Lillian back to the Dorsey estate.

Suddenly, Spencer felt utterly useless for letting her be put through such an ordeal. “Lillian, I’ll find you a new place soon. Just bear with a hotel for tonight.”

“Spencer, I’m just so tired.”

Her words pierced straight through Spencer’s heart. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, a wave of guilt washing over him. If Lillian were his rightful fiancée, she wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s just that I love you too much. I’m willing to lurk in the shadows, but tonight, I really do want to be with a friend.”

Spencer nodded, unable to muster any more words, his resentment towards Brielle growing stronger.

After dropping Lillian off, he reached into his pocket and handed her a card.

“There’s ten million in here, for your trouble.”

“I can’t accept this.”

“Keep it. That villa was rightfully yours, and I’ll make it up to you later.”

Leaving the card with her, Spencer drove off with a heavy heart.

Lillian glanced down, a flicker of satisfaction crossing her eyes before she slipped the card into her pocket.

The friend she was seeking out was Sophia, who was also in that chat group but had been oddly silent to her messages. Lillian had just seen Sophia’s update at Tequila Sunset. It was time to see what was going on in person.

With a knack for navigating social waters, Lillian quickly found Sophia’s private booth. Sophia herself wasn’t feeling great, still fuming over that thirty–million–dollar debacle. Most of those surrounding her were from the same social circle, now all hunched over their phones, whispering amongst themselves.

“Can you believe it? That’s Lillian in the video?”

“It’s so clear, it has to be her. Who knew she had such a thing going with Spencer?”

16:37 “That makes her the other woman, doesn’t it? How much of what she tells us is actually true?”

The murmurs grew louder.

Given Sophia’s closer relationship with Lillian, coupled with the incident involving Emily, she believed Lillian to be a very loyal and righteous person. Now, hearing everyone discussing Lillian, she couldn’t help but inquire. “What’s going on?”

“Sophia, you gotta check the group chat. Spencer and Lillian got caught in the act. The video’s gone viral. It’s all over the socials.”

Sophia thought she must have misheard. Such a scandal in their circle was social suicide. She opened her phone and, upon seeing the crystal–clear video, her face turned ashen. The others, sensing an opportunity, began to tear Lillian down.

“I knew she wasn’t all she pretended to be, always playing the victim.”

“She grew up with Brielle, didn’t she? Birds of a feather.”

“She wanted to join me for high tea just now. I turned her down, thank goodness.”

“She tried to chat with me too. Looks like she’s clueless about what happened. How embarrassing! I’d be scolded by everyone if I were seen with her now.”

In their world, reputation was everything. After that video, Lillian would be seen through a tainted lens, her social standing in tatters.

They gleefully slapped every derogatory label they could think of on Lillian, enjoying the gossip. In the midst of their cackles, the door swung open, and Lillian stood at the threshold.

The room turned frigid with discomfort as Lillian, followed by a waiter in pristine white gloves, sauntered in, feigning generosity. “I heard you were all dining here. I was free, so I thought I’d buy you a round.”

The waiter rolled in a cart laden with expensive bottles, each worth a small fortune. Lillian was splurging, fresh off a ten–million–dollar consolation and with the promise of a new villa from Spencer. A few million was nothing to her, especially when it usually bought praise.

Tonight, the room was suffused with a strange silence. Everyone was unusually quiet, deliberately avoiding her gaze.