Yvonne Sung's expression was icy cold as he fixed a penetrating stare on her, as if he could bore a hole right through her.
Lauren Shaw forced herself to look calm as she met his gaze.
She didn’t know why, but Yvonne Sung right now simply disgusted her. The feelings she once had for him made her question her own judgment in the past.
“Why are you breaking off our engagement?” he demanded. When she stayed silent, he slammed his hand on the table and leaned close, his eyes burning with anger.
Watching Yvonne Sung's furious face, Lauren Shaw couldn't help but remember what she’d seen at the bar last night. He and Yana Quinn had looked just like a pair of ill-fated lovers—so what right did he have to come here and question her now?
Shameless, isn’t he?
“Why I broke off the engagement? Don’t you know exactly why?” Her voice trembled with suppressed rage.
“I already told you—Yana Quinn isn’t any threat to your status. Why can’t you just accept her? Lauren Shaw, is your heart really that small?”
His words were so absurd that Lauren Shaw couldn’t help but laugh. A small heart? So he expected her to watch him sleep with someone else and still smile sweetly at him?
“You’re making such a fuss over something so trivial, and you want to break off the engagement? Seems like you never loved me that much, after all.” All these years, she’d been trailing behind him, quietly harboring feelings for him.
And now, he used something like this to humiliate her.
Whatever fondness Lauren Shaw had for him disappeared completely, leaving not a trace behind.
“Yvonne Sung, you think this is all just trivial? Sure, I liked you before. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to become pathetic. I’m not unwanted—you think I’m so desperate as to beg for your humiliation?”
As she spoke, her anger grew uncontrollable. All her years of affection suddenly felt cheap and degrading.
“You want to take responsibility for Yana Quinn? Fine, go ahead and do it—why drag me into your filthy life? You’re not even worthy!”
Seeing Yvonne Sung’s face as dark as thunder, Lauren Shaw grabbed a glass of water and hurled it at him.
He stepped back, but water still splashed onto the leg of his suit pants.
Looking at the shards scattered on the floor, Lauren Shaw suddenly let out a laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” His voice was cold as he looked down at her, no trace of pity in his eyes.
“I’m laughing at how selfish you are, and at how foolish I was these past three years. What did I ever see in a man with no backbone? You wanted to marry me only for the resources of my family, the Shaw family, didn’t you?”
Lauren Shaw was frighteningly clear-headed now. She knew everything but had chosen not to say it before—she’d believed that if she treated him well, he’d eventually fall for her.
What a ridiculous fantasy.
Yvonne Sung glanced at her, unnerved.
Lauren Shaw went on, “You want your white moonlight and my family’s support. Yvonne Sung, you want everything—why don’t you just keep dreaming? You can have it all in your dreams.”
“Shut up! Lauren Shaw, don’t try to play hard to get with me. Don’t think I don’t know what tricks you’re playing.” Even now, Yvonne Sung convinced himself that Lauren Shaw was doing all this just to provoke him.
Lauren Shaw shouted, “Get out! I never want to see you again!”
Yvonne Sung was furious. He snorted coldly, “Fine. I thought you were just being impulsive—I even came to apologize. Looks like there’s no point. Just don’t come crying to me later.”
He turned on his heel and stormed out.
Lauren Shaw watched him leave her studio, tears streaming down her face in spite of herself.
The next time the studio door opened, she thought Yvonne Sung had come back. She choked back her sobs and snapped, “If you’re gone, then stay gone. What are you even doing back here?”
She had her back turned and didn’t see who came in.
The man who’d just entered stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
When he didn’t answer, she twisted around and saw a stranger standing in the doorway. She wiped her tears, forcing a sheepish smile.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that at you.”
The man gave her a surprised look. Strictly speaking, this wasn’t their first meeting—last time, she’d rushed past him in a panic, eyes red with unshed tears.
This time, her eyes were even redder, as if she might fall apart any second.
“I’m here to pick up a suit,” he said, staying right where he was.
Lauren Shaw suddenly remembered. She fetched the suit and handed it to him.
He reached out to take it, his fingers grazing the back of her hand—his touch was cool and soft, sending a jolt through her.
She couldn’t help but glance at his hand a few extra times. His hands were beautiful, with neatly trimmed nails and slender fingers, and his face—flawless.
But for some reason, his face looked familiar.
“Thank you,” he said, accepting the suit and heading for the door.
All at once, she remembered—this was the man she’d accidentally bumped into the night before! “Excuse me, could you wait a second?”
He stopped, looking at her in mild confusion.
Lauren Shaw rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a tie.
“I bumped into you last night and never apologized. Here, take this tie as a gift.”
After all, he was a client and she’d made a mess of things—this tie was a small peace offering, and she hoped he wouldn’t mind.
He accepted the tie, his eyes lingering on her face for a moment longer than necessary.
“No need to be so polite, Miss Li.”
Hearing him call her by name, Lauren Shaw looked at him in surprise.
He pointed at the nameplate on her desk. “It’s written right there.”
Lauren Shaw laughed wryly at herself—what a night for making a fool of herself.
“And you are…?” She quickly changed the subject to hide her embarrassment.
“Yancy Shaw.” And with that, he turned and left.
After stepping out of the studio, Yancy Shaw glanced back through the window and saw Lauren Shaw wiping her tears away with a tissue.
He curved his lips in a faint smile before driving off.
Lauren Shaw went home for a hot bath, then collapsed onto her bed. Everything that had happened in the past couple of days flashed before her eyes like a carousel.
Her phone buzzed—an incoming message from Claire Xu. She sat up and called Claire Xu back.
“Sheng Sheng, I heard Yvonne Sung went looking for you. Did he cause any trouble? Did he bully you?”
“No.” Thinking of everything that had happened tonight, Lauren Shaw heaved a weary sigh. “He asked why I broke off our engagement, accused me of being petty, said I was ending things over ‘such a small matter.’”
Some men really took the cake—cheat on you, then act like you’re the problem for not forgiving them.
“So what are you thinking now?” Claire Xu worried Lauren Shaw might have second thoughts. After all, three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere—why throw away your future on a jerk?
Lauren Shaw went silent for a few seconds. How to describe her feelings? Part of her pitied herself for three years of one-sided love, but mostly she was grateful she’d finally seen Yvonne Sung for who he truly was.
She should feel lucky—better to see the truth before the wedding, rather than lose herself completely.
Claire Xu comforted her, “Sweetheart, time to broaden your horizons—a breakup is just a chance to forget and move on! There, there!”