The next time Joyce Monroe saw Silas Thorne was on her birthday.
Her friends had thrown a small birthday party for her.
When she arrived at the club, her best friend stopped her outside their private room with a warning: "Brace yourself."
"Why? Is there a special performance?" Joyce asked with a smile.
Lily shook her head and held out her phone.
"Your ex-boyfriend was photographed abroad with your stepsister."
Joyce glanced at the photo on the phone, stunned for a few seconds before smiling. "It's actually quite a beautiful shot."
"How can you still laugh!" Lily seethed.
"As I said, he's my ex. Are we supposed to stay celibate for each other after a breakup?"
"It's just that your relationship was so sensational back then. Now he gets caught with your stepsister, of all people. Everyone in our circle is saying he dumped you because he fell for her."
Lily sighed. "Mr. Monroe got divorced and remarried, and then you spent all those years in the countryside because of what happened when you were a kid. Everyone in Graymoor already thinks you're less favored than your stepsister."
"On your birthday, anyone who used to come wish you well could snag a free drink. So today, a lot of people are here just to see you become a laughingstock—some you know, and even some you don't."
Lily then changed the subject. "By the way, your brother usually comes for your birthday. Is he coming this year?"
"He's busy this year, so he can't make it."
Hearing this, Lily gave a mischievous grin. "Good. In that case, I have a special birthday present for you."
"What is it?"
"You'll see in a bit."
The Monroe family's situation wasn't uncommon in their circles.
The parents divorced and remarried. The brother went with his mother to Northgate, while Joyce stayed in Graymoor with her father.
Her father remarried, and her stepmother brought a daughter of a similar age into the family, then later gave birth to a son.
The rumor was that the trauma turned her into a jealous monster who bullied her younger siblings. They said she was arrogant, domineering, and had mental problems, which was why she was sent to the countryside for several years.
Joyce's gaze shifted from the photo on the phone.
'This kind of celebrity gossip is always just one picture at the start, with the rest of the story completely fabricated.'
'But one part of it is true.'
'She…'
'...really was the one who got dumped.'
But as long as she refused to let them, no one could laugh at her expense.
Lily left, saying she was going to prepare the special birthday surprise. Unhurried, Joyce entered the private room.
Her bright yellow, cinched-waist long dress accentuated her slender, delicate waist. Her hair was loosely pinned up, and she carried a small, square Embroidery purse. She looked elegant and languid, yet carried an air of cool pride that made her the immediate center of attention.
Her willow-leaf eyes were as dark as ink.
Her gaze swept coolly over the people in the room.
'She'd like to see just who was tactless enough to dare show up on her birthday to watch her humiliation.'
As her eyes scanned past a corner, they snapped back in an instant…
'He…'
'...why is he here?'
The moment their gazes met,
she froze.
'Could it be that the person Lily mentioned, the one I don't know…'
'...was him?!'
"Joyce, happy birthday." A girl came up to greet her, then gestured with her eyes toward the corner. "By the way, who's that handsome guy? I've never seen him before. A friend of yours?"
Her tone and expression made it obvious she was interested in him.
Joyce had been prepared for a fight when she walked in, but his sudden appearance threw her completely off balance. "He's…"
'Does he even count as a friend?'
Just then, the man who had been slouched deep into the sofa straightened up. In the dim light, his gentle eyes shone with a startling brightness, as if veiled in a soft, twilight haze—pure and elegant.
But that extreme gentleness bordered on indifference, or even…
...ruthlessness.
He curled his lip in a slight smile at Joyce. Tapping his fingers twice on the sofa, he seemed to be signaling to her:
'Come sit here.'
"Who is that guy? Is there someone like that in Graymoor?"
"The vibe between them feels intense. Didn't Joyce just get back in the country? Is something already going on?"
"I haven't heard about her dating anyone. Could he be a potential flame? With his looks and bearing… Joyce really knows how to pick them."
...
Enduring the crowd's curious and surprised stares, Joyce took a deep breath, suppressed her unease, and walked toward the corner.
But she was stopped midway by someone holding a glass of wine.
"Miss Monroe, happy birthday."
Joyce's eyes darkened when she saw who it was. She picked up an untouched glass of red wine from a table and clinked it against the other woman's. "Thank you."
"It's your birthday, so how come no one from your family is here?" Ina Sutton scanned the room, then feigned a sudden realization. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your sister is on an overseas tour. She even made entertainment headlines a few days ago."
"Your dad and stepmom are busy attending her performances, so they have no time to celebrate with you."
Her tone was dripping with schadenfreude. "Anyone who didn't know better would think *she's* the real daughter of the Monroe Family."
All eyes in the room focused on them.
'Ina Sutton really is bold,' they all thought. 'Even those who came for the drama wouldn't dare be so blunt.'
"Whoa, what's going on?"
"You don't know? Those two have always been at each other's throats. It's because Ina Sutton suspects Joyce of seducing her boyfriend."
"Joyce would be interested in that piece of trash?"
"The truth is, her boyfriend was the one harassing Joyce, but this Miss Sutton insists she was the seductress and is always looking for trouble."
Ina Sutton gloated, "Oh right, what was that headline again? 'Miss Monroe's Ex Has Secret Overseas Tryst With Her Stepsister; Couple Gets Intimate on Cruise After Meeting Parents'…"
Joyce clutched her wine glass and stepped closer. "What's this? So concerned about my ex-boyfriend. Are you in love with him?"
Ina Sutton froze for a second. "Who's in love with him? I'm just kindly reminding you to watch out for your stepsister. Be careful you don't raise an ungrateful wolf!"
"I've received your reminder. Now you can get lost."
"Get lost? I'm a guest!"
"An uninvited one hardly counts as a guest."
"You…"
"Or is it that Miss Sutton has become so poor she has to freeload for drinks?"
Ina Sutton had come to see her humiliated, not to be mocked herself. Her gaze shifted to the man in the corner. "Excuse me, sir. Do you know Joyce? Are you close?"
"Ina Sutton!" Joyce snapped, furious that she was dragging him into this.
This reaction only excited Ina Sutton.
'Every time I provoke her, she's always so nonchalant. It's rare to see her get emotional. This man must be important to her. How could I possibly let this opportunity go?'
The man raised an eyebrow, glanced at Joyce, and said, "Not close."
Joyce's breath caught in her throat.
'Not… not close?'
A flicker of disbelief crossed her eyes.
Seeing this expression, Ina Sutton's smile grew even more triumphant.
"Good. You probably don't know this, but Joyce... her father doesn't dote on her, her mother doesn't love her, and she grew up in the countryside after all. She throws herself at any man she sees. She's cheap, chasing after some illegitimate son…"
"You'd better be careful she doesn't latch onto you!"
Before she could finish, Joyce suddenly raised her hand.
The wine glass full of red wine went flying toward Ina's face.
The entire room fell into a dead silence.
Ina Sutton stood there, completely stunned. The red wine stained her face, ruining her delicate makeup. Her body tensed with rage, and the hand holding her own glass trembled with fury.
She almost instinctively tried to splash her own drink back at her, but Joyce was faster, grabbing her by the wrist.
As they struggled, the wine sloshed and spilled all over the floor.
"Joyce, you lunatic, what do you think you're doing!"
Ina Sutton struggled, but she didn't expect Joyce to suddenly yank her forward—
The sudden proximity made her breath catch in fear.
"Ina Sutton," Joyce deliberately lowered her voice, "stop provoking me. I have a bad reputation. They all say I'm mentally ill. If I really were to snap…"
"...it wouldn't be good for you if I killed or crippled you."
With that, Joyce abruptly threw her hand aside. Caught off guard, Ina Sutton nearly fell to the ground. The friends who had come with her rushed to help, but she shoved them all away.
She hated Joyce's perpetually proud, holier-than-thou expression more than anything. She wanted nothing more than to tear that face apart.
Just as she tried to lunge forward, someone grabbed her arm.
Her arm was twisted behind her back, her neck was seized, and her face was forcefully slammed onto the table in a standard takedown hold.
The move was so clean and ruthless that everyone in the room held their breath.
Lily had just returned to the room and was completely baffled by the scene. She rushed to Joyce's side. "Joyce, are you okay? What's…"
Joyce shook her head, signaling for her to stay out of it.
"Who are you? Let me go!"
The more Ina Sutton struggled, the more her arm hurt.
"Do you have any idea who my parents are? I'm warning you! Let go of me!"
At that moment, the man from the corner slowly rose to his feet. He wore a modern Chinese-style suit, looking refined and elegant. The stark black color made his already imposing aura seem even more restrained and formidable.
"Trying to start a fight?"
"She started it!"
"That was only after you insulted and provoked her first."
The voice was exceedingly gentle, yet utterly ruthless.
"Who are you? Didn't you say you weren't close with Joyce? Why are you helping her? Are you interested in her? Want to pursue her? She shamelessly chased after that illegitimate son! You should stay far away from someone like that!"
The moment the words left her mouth, she met his gaze.
He seemed to emanate an icy aura, a bone-chilling cold that sent a shiver down her spine.
"It's true we are not close. But I never said we don't know each other."
"Stay away from her? No one tells me what to do."
"And no one…"
"...dares to lay a hand on her in my presence."
Hearing this, Joyce's heart gave a violent tremor.
But then she heard him continue, "Your parents? If we're comparing fathers, I've never lost."
"Go home and tell your parents I'm from Northgate…"
"...and my surname is Thorne."
With a single look from him, Ina Sutton was thrown out of the room.
The entire room instantly fell into a dead silence.
'The Thorne Family of Northgate?'
'When did Joyce get to know such a top-tier magnate?'
By now, he had walked over to Joyce. As he leaned down to look at her, he smiled, his breath brushing against her face and leaving a trace of warm humidity.
His features were incredibly gentle, the smile in his eyes faint and measured, yet it managed to stir up a sense of intimacy.
"What? Are you angry because I said we weren't close?"
Joyce pursed her lips and shook her head. "No."
"Then is it because we haven't seen each other in a long time, so you don't recognize me anymore?"
'How could she not recognize him...'
'After all,'
'...they had been married for over two years.'
'And he was telling the truth.'
'The two of them really were...'
'...not that close.'