He Married My Parents' Killer, Then Regretted It

Chapter 3 A Lesson in Humiliation

He scooped Beatrice up with one arm and slapped a thick wad of cash down in front of the store manager with the other. "Nobody gives her a single stitch of clothing. She walks out exactly like this. And if anyone even thinks about touching Beatrice... consider this your warning."

They climbed into the car and sped off, leaving Cordelia alone on the floor, barely able to cover herself with her own arms.

The whispers from the crowd sliced into her ears like knives.

"You really gonna film this? That's the Gomez family heiress—the one the blind CEO used to keep on a pedestal..."

"Why not? Didn't you see? The blind CEO's got a new girl now! The wedding dress he never let her wear, he put it on somebody else..."

"Tsk, heiress my ass. She's just another toy he got tired of and tossed aside..."

Every word landed like a guillotine blade, carving Cordelia up until she felt nothing but blood and ruin.

The old Adrian—even when he couldn't see—would get jealous for days if she wore a short skirt and would cover her skin with frantic kisses every single night.

Now, just to get back at her for another woman, he had stripped her naked and left her there for strangers to gawk at and film.

In the end, one kind stranger couldn't stand it anymore and tossed her a jacket.

Cordelia had no idea how she made it home.

In the mirror by the entryway, she saw herself—hair a mess, face streaked with tears. On the low cabinet beside her, the smiling photo of her parents watched over her.

The pain was almost too much. Her whole family had died without any dignity, and the one who was still breathing had just been dragged through the mud like trash.

All of this... was because of Adrian.

Hatred burned through her, swallowing up every bit of love and fluttering heart she had felt for him over the past fifteen years.

She pulled out her phone and opened the chat she had once left on read.

Cordelia: I'm in on the deal. I only have one condition—find the evidence, no matter what it takes. Clear my parents' names and get the company back for me!

The message had barely gone through when a new one popped up.

Beatrice: Want to know exactly when Adrian got his sight back? One hour from now, the coffee shop is downstairs from your place. Be there.

When Cordelia reached the coffee shop, Beatrice was already waiting.

She had changed into a fresh outfit and sat primly in a small private booth.

With Adrian nowhere in sight, she finally dropped the sweet, innocent mask. Her smile turned vicious. "Cordelia, the video of you buck-naked is already trending on the Aetheria City news list. How does it feel to be famous?"

Cordelia sat down across from her, face cold. "I only came to hear what you teased in your text. I don't have time for your bullshit."

"What's the rush?" Beatrice gave a light laugh and slipped the huge gemstone necklace from around her neck, setting it on the table.

"This necklace came with one point three million worth of matching pieces when Adrian took me to Bellevista last year to fix my legs. He said my pure, kind heart looked best with pink diamonds."

Cordelia's breath caught. She remembered those exact days when Adrian had been in Bellevista on "business." She had stayed up all night, skipped meals, even flipped her entire sleep schedule upside down just so she could answer the second he called, terrified his blindness would cause him to get hurt.

When he came back, he brought her a few expensive wool rugs. She had loved them so much she hand-washed every single one. Turns out they were just the leftover matching gifts Beatrice hadn't wanted.

Beatrice smiled sweetly and lifted her left ring finger, flashing the diamond. "I told him I wanted a proposal on the first snowfall. So the year before last, when the first snow fell, he waited outside the jewelry store all night long just to buy this and propose to me."