Chapter 482

Isabella crossed her arms, her lips forming a petulant pout. "Alexander, you're completely under her spell!"

His eyebrow arched in response. "A spell? Perhaps. But answer me this—Evelyn is my wife. What gives you the right to disrespect her in my presence?"

His displeasure was palpable.

Tonight, Isabella had repeatedly made snide remarks about Evelyn, and as her husband, Alexander refused to let it slide. "Isabella, Evelyn is kind-hearted and wonderful. She doesn’t deserve your disdain."

As he spoke, his gaze instinctively searched for Evelyn, but she was nowhere in sight.

A flicker of surprise crossed his features. She left already? Without me?

They hadn’t even exchanged a single word tonight.

Just then, an attendant approached hesitantly.

Alexander assumed it was time to settle the payment—after all, he had just spent a staggering hundred million on a bracelet.

But the attendant’s next words made his expression darken.

"The auction organizers have decided to retract the sale of the bracelet."

His jaw tightened. Is this some kind of joke?

He had never heard of an auction house backing out of a finalized bid.

The attendant, sensing his rising anger, quickly added, "As an apology, we’d like to offer you a complimentary gift."

Alexander barely spared it a glance. "Keep it."

The attendant pressed on nervously. "Please, it’s a token of goodwill from the organizers."

With a dismissive sigh, he finally looked.

Two tickets.

Not just any tickets—VIP passes to Cresthaven’s annual fireworks gala, the most coveted seats in the city.

After a brief hesitation, he accepted them.

A memory surfaced—months ago, beneath a sky ablaze with fireworks by the shore, he and Evelyn had confessed their love.

Maybe this time, watching the fireworks together would rekindle what they’d lost.

Isabella wanted Alexander to give her a ticket, but before she could blink, he had already tucked them away.

The attendant turned to her with a polite smile. "Ms. Morgan. Mr. Powell requests your presence."

At those words, Isabella's instincts flared to life.

Everyone knew the Powell family was hosting tonight's auction. So… the attendant had to be referring to Dominic, her fiancé.

"Why does he want to see me?" Isabella pressed her lips together, an uneasy weight settling in her chest.

She and Dominic had been engaged for over a decade, yet they had never once met.

Whispers painted him as cold, unpredictable, and impossible to please. After spending ten years behind bars, who knew what kind of man he had become?

Their engagement had been arranged when she was just a child—barely ten years old. Back then, the Morgan family had already crumbled, leaving her to fend for herself among distant relatives.

The Powells had been the ones to ruin her family, yet they had never lifted a finger to help her.

Naturally, she held no affection for this stranger who was supposed to be her future husband. All she wanted was to sever this cursed engagement and be free of him.

Now, hearing that Dominic wanted to see her, dread coiled tight in her stomach.

"Ms. Morgan, that was an exquisite waltz."

The staff member's smile was polite but carried an edge. "I'm referring to the one you danced with Mr. Caldwell in front of everyone. Wasn't it all to catch Mr. Powell's attention? Congratulations—it worked."

At those words, Isabella's gaze instinctively sought out Alexander.

"Alexander, will you come with me?"

With him by her side, she could face anything. He had always been her anchor, the one who made her feel safe.

Before Alexander could respond, the staff member cut in sharply. "Ms. Morgan, Mr. Powell was very clear—he will see only you."