Chapter

Caleb held Yasmin's hand as they exchanged pleasantries with the newly arrived guests. Across the room, Brenda arrived arm in arm with George. She spotted Yasmin from a distance and started to wave hello, but her eyes landed on Yasmin and Caleb's intertwined hands. Yasmin stiffened, feeling like someone caught sneaking around with another's boyfriend.

George handed the gin they'd brought to the household staff. Its label flickered briefly in the light reflecting off Caleb and Yasmin's clasped hands, and he smirked. "You seem to be in a good mood today, Mr. Grast. Are you celebrating something other than your grandmother's birthday?"

Caleb's eyes briefly swept over Brenda, who was still holding George's arm. Their words carried unspoken meanings, and the air between them grew tense. Yasmin and Brenda exchanged a knowing glance before instinctively withdrawing their hands from their respective companions.

"George, I need to use the restroom," Brenda announced.

Yasmin pointed toward Brenda. "I'll take her."

Without waiting for a response, the two women linked arms and walked off together. Caleb and George watched them leave speechlessly.

When Yasmin and Brenda reached the quiet seclusion of the garden, they stopped simultaneously, turned to each other, and asked in unison, "You got something to tell me?"

Brenda was the first to speak. "In my eyes, being Mrs. Howard is a professional role. And I take my work seriously." She had walked in holding George's arm, not as Brenda, but as Mrs. Howard.

"My situation is... a bit more complicated," Yasmin admitted.

"Then give me the interesting version," Brenda said.

"The interesting version?" Yasmin considered for a moment, then delivered it in the simplest way possible. "I slept with Caleb last night—on purpose."

Brenda's eyes widened in sheer shock before she slowly raised a thumbs-up. "Nice work." She cleared her throat. "Why? Was it some kind of reward? Did he do something that deserved a prize?"

"I just thought, since we're still married, we might as well. And honestly, aside from not loving me, he's been doing everything else pretty well," Yasmin said. Then, she added, "Especially these past few days. And seeing him forcing himself to take cold showers looked rather pathetic."

Brenda stared at her, then shook her head.

"I just think Mr. Howard's quite pitiful," Yasmin said.

"Yasmin, you're too soft-hearted. I don't care about playing nice." Brenda grinned mischievously. "If it were me, I'd let him suffer."

Yasmin sighed. "Just keep that between us. You'd better not let others know."

Everyone knew Yasmin and Brenda were close; they were practically inseparable throughout the event. Yasmin was the beloved granddaughter-in-law of the birthday star, while Brenda was notorious for being spoiled, a rich heiress with no parents to rein her in. No one dared to mess with either of them. They enjoyed the peace of being left alone until a woman openly shot Yasmin a sharp, warning glare.

Brenda, intrigued, asked, "Who's that?"

Yasmin glanced at her. "Jayden's mother."

Yasmin hadn't slept well the night before, so she found a quiet spot to take a nap. She had no idea how long she'd been resting when a knock on the door woke her. Frowning, she got up and opened it. Standing outside was a young man in his early twenties. He was attractive, dressed in a formal three-piece suit. There was a resemblance to Caleb, but his gaze lacked Caleb's cold intensity, and he didn't carry the same air of maturity. Instead, he exuded a mix of privileged upbringing and the awkwardness of someone freshly entering the professional world.

The warmth in Yasmin's expression immediately disappeared. Without hesitation, she moved to shut the door. But the man was quicker, pressing his hand against it to stop her. Stuck between closing the door and getting rid of him, Yasmin felt nothing but irritation.

"You have five minutes," she said flatly, glancing at her watch. "Speak."

Jayden stared at her with wide eyes, his expression overflowing with excitement and affection. "Yasmin! I heard you're divorcing Caleb! I've never stopped loving you. I still love you! I want to take care of you for the rest of my life! For three years, I've been waiting for you and Caleb to separate! I want to—"

He was nearly shouting at the end, as if making some grand declaration. It seemed he was out of his mind.

Suppressing her frustration, she said, "Jayden, please."

"Yasmin, Caleb has never loved you! He only married you because he had no choice! But I'm different! I love you! I don't care that you were married! I'll take care of you forever!"

Yasmin was tired of hearing him say that Caleb had been forced to marry her. She laughed helplessly. "Jayden, it seems like you think a married woman is worthless."

"N-No," Jayden stammered. "That's not what I meant... but most people do think that way..."

Yasmin didn't want to waste her time talking to him. "Jayden, you and your parents were the ones who canceled our engagement when I needed you the most. What right do you—"

Jayden was the fifth son in the Grant family and Caleb's cousin. Jayden's mother and Yasmin's mother had been university roommates, settling down in Dunville and maintaining a close relationship. Before Yasmin's mother passed away, she arranged a marriage between Yasmin and Jayden, hoping that after her death, her daughter would have someone to protect her. However, trust was a very fragile thing.

As soon as Yasmin's mother passed away, the engagement was annulled without hesitation. Two years later, using Yasmin's supposed assault on Veronica as an excuse, they had her, alone and defenseless, committed to a psychiatric hospital. "Yasmin, I never wanted to cancel the engagement! That was my parents' decision, not mine! But it's different now. I've grown up... I can care for you. I—"

Jayden's words were cut off by a familiar voice. A chill ran down his spine. His body stiffened as he turned around. Yasmin leaned against the door, watching Caleb approach casually. Caleb's expression remained composed, but his eyes held a vicious glint. "I have the ability to protect you, and I can take—"