Chapter 102

Ever since discovering Thalia's true identity, Celine had gossiped about Sienna countless times with their friends. Of course, she would never say such things to Sienna's face; even the most superficial friendships demanded maintaining appearances. Celine patted Sienna's shoulder reassuringly. "Come on, Sienna, don't talk about yourself that way. If you ask me, Thalia's the real joke here. When you first returned from abroad, we all saw how Drake was totally into you. Thalia's been cheated on countless times—she's the one everyone's laughing at, not you!"

Sienna smiled, her mood brightening. "You're right. Thalia's the real joke."

Celine took a sip of tequila, smiling. "I heard Thalia has a new boyfriend. Doesn't that mean things are looking up for you and Drake?"

The bar's dim lighting masked Sienna's gloomy expression. She forced a smile, a cold light glinting in her eyes. This was clearly deliberate. News of Drake's suicide attempt over Thalia had spread; Celine couldn't be unaware. Asking such a question was a blatant attempt to mock her. Sienna had always known Celine wasn't to be trusted. Seething, her face twitching with anger, Sienna composed herself. "Not exactly," she replied in a measured tone. "Drake's company has just reopened, and he's incredibly busy with work. He doesn't have time for dating."

"Is that so?" Celine's laughter rang out. "Oh right, I heard Drake was hospitalized recently. Must have been from overwork, I guess? I've been too busy to visit him. Mason mentioned it was serious—he was hospitalized for several days. What happened exactly?"

Sienna's face darkened. Casually flipping her hair, she feigned nonchalance. "Nothing major. Just his immune system taking a hit from too many all-nighters. When the temperature dropped, he caught a bug."

Celine covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise. "Really? Hospitalized for so long over a cold? His immune system must be terrible."

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Sienna steadied herself, then asked with feigned casualness, "By the way, Celine, how are things with your boyfriend?"

Celine deflated, squeezing out two words through clenched teeth: "We're done."

Celine had been dating a man named Kevin Han, three years her junior, who had worked as a dancer in Magic Mike Live. When Celine first saw him—tall, over six feet, with a boyish, handsome face—she was smitten. Kevin calling her "baby" had her swooning, and after a few dates, she fell head over heels. Later, Sienna learned from mutual friends that Kevin wasn't actually 5'9"—he'd worn platform shoes with nearly three-inch lifts during performances, plus additional inserts.

Celine's family owned a company, and she ran a mid-to-high-end women's clothing shop, making her relatively wealthy. After getting together with Celine, Kevin quit his dancing job and moved into her villa. He spent his days lazing around—sleeping, eating, and occasionally flirting with female influencers behind Celine's back, spending her money while pursuing other women.

Sienna mimicked Celine's earlier gesture, covering her mouth with a small laugh. "Ha! Finally dumped him, have you? He turned you into such a cliché with all his cheating. I honestly felt bad for you. Didn't he hint that he wanted you to buy him a Ducati?"

Celine sat stone-faced, silent.

Sienna continued unperturbed, "I heard those aren't cheap—like eighty grand for one bike? I really don't get it. It's just a motorcycle, right? Is it really worth that much? And wasn't he also involved with that Instagram model who went viral recently? He pretended to be single, got caught red-handed… Good thing you ended it. Bullet dodged, girl!"

"Cheers to that!" Sienna raised her glass to clink with Celine's, cold mockery flashing in her eyes. Ha, you're no match for me.

Sienna sipped her drink, her mind racing. Celine's thinly veiled jabs meant that people were laughing at her. She absolutely had to win Drake back, to silence them all!

Chapter 102

On Monday, Thalia went to work at Sinclair & Klein. She had prepared the arbitration request forms and evidence for Mark's case, which needed to be submitted to the Department for Work and Pensions that day. The Bentley Continental Asher had given her was too ostentatious for work; Thalia typically drove an understated BMW for court appearances and client meetings. There was no parking directly in front of the DWP office, so Thalia parked in an open-air car park a short distance away. To reach the office, she needed to cross a road.

Thalia stood at the roadside, waiting for the pedestrian light to change. Suddenly, a powerful force from behind shoved her forward. Caught off guard, Thalia stumbled uncontrollably toward the street, a busy main road with the pedestrian light still red. An approaching car couldn't brake in time—the driver's eyes widened in horror as the vehicle bore down on her. In that instant, Thalia felt as though Death itself were beckoning.

At the crucial moment, strong hands yanked her back. It all happened in less than a second! Thalia was badly shaken, gasping for breath, her heart pounding violently. After a moment, she regained her senses. She had nearly lost her life.

"Miss Winters, are you all right?" The security guard's face was pale with shock. They had very nearly failed in their duty to protect her. Fortunately, the car had been far enough away to allow them to react.

"Miss Winters, this man pushed you!" The other security guard had restrained a thin man, twisting his arms behind his back. Thalia's heart raced, her body trembling slightly. She felt dazed. "Who are you? Why did you push me?" Thalia's voice quavered.

Chapter 102

The man's eyes darted nervously as he stammered, "I… I accidentally bumped into you. I'm… I'm so sorry… I really didn't mean to…"

"You're lying," the security guard said coldly.

The man hurriedly protested, "No, no, I really didn't do it on purpose…"

"Crack!"

The security guard applied pressure, dislocating the man's arm. "Aaah!" The man screamed in agony. The pedestrian light turned green, and the onlookers who had gathered began crossing the road, leaving just the four of them.

The security guard said firmly, "Miss Winters, I saw him push you. It was deliberate."

Thalia's brow furrowed, anger rising in her eyes. "Why did you push me?"

The man was in too much pain to speak, his face contorted.

"Right. If you won't talk, I'll call the police."