The music was still playing.
Guests were still laughing.
Drinks still flowing.
But something had shifted.
People had started to notice.
"Where's Mr. Yu?"
"And Mrs. Yu?"
"They were just here…"
Whispers spread slowly across the hall, curiosity growing louder with every passing minute.
Camilla frowned slightly, scanning the room.
Jemima looked concerned.
Even Raphael paused mid-conversation.
"They didn't say anything?" he asked.
Lewis shook his head.
"No."
Across the room ..
Vivian stood quietly, her eyes moving between the doors and the crowd.
Then..
A slow smile formed on her lips.
Perfect.
This was her moment.
She stepped forward just enough for her voice to carry.
"Oh," she said lightly, "isn't it obvious?"
Several heads turned.
"What do you mean?" someone asked.
Vivian sighed softly, like she was reluctant to speak.
"I saw Tabitha leave earlier… and Simon wasn't around either."
The room went still.
"…What are you implying?" Jemima asked, her tone already sharpening.
Vivian gave a small shrug.
"Maybe he took her home."
Gasps.
Whispers exploded instantly.
"Simon?"
"Her childhood friend?"
"On her anniversary night?"
Far away..
Simon had already left the venue quietly.
He had seen everything.
Louis carrying Tabitha.
The urgency.
The way he didn't even look back.
Simon had simply smiled faintly…
And walked away
Grandpa Yu's cane hit the floor sharply.
Tap.
Silence fell immediately.
His gaze landed on Vivian.
"Be careful with your words."
Vivian quickly bowed her head slightly.
"I'm only saying what I saw."
"You SAW?" Grandpa Yu repeated, his voice cold.
"Yes. They left together."
The tension thickened.
Camilla's lips curved faintly, clearly enjoying the direction things were going.
But before anything could escalate further..
Lewis' phone rang.
The sound cut through the silence.
Everyone turned.
Lewis glanced at the caller ID...
Then answered.
"…Brother?"
A pause.
His expression shifted.
"Yes… I understand."
Another pause.
"Alright."
He ended the call.
And looked up.
"Louis took Tabitha home."
The room stilled.
"She wasn't feeling well."
Silence.
Heavy.
Final.
All eyes slowly turned toward Vivian.
Her face changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Grandpa Yu's expression darkened immediately.
"So," he said slowly, "your assumption was wrong."
Vivian tried to recover quickly.
"I...I only thought..."
"Enough."
His voice cut through hers sharply.
"You speak without certainty."
She lowered her head.
"I apologize...."
"You've caused enough embarrassment tonight."
The words landed like a slap.
The surrounding guests watched closely.
Vivian's pride cracked.
Just a little.
Grandpa Yu didn't stop.
"From this moment," he said coldly, "you are not to attend any Yu family events again."
The room gasped.
Vivian's head snapped up.
"…What?"
"You heard me."
Her lips parted.
But no words came out.
For the first time that night...
She had nothing to say.
The whispers returned.
But this time..
They weren't about Tabitha.
They were about Vivian.
"How embarrassing…"
"She tried to stir trouble…"
"And failed…"
Vivian stood frozen.
Humiliated.
Alone.
Across the room..
Jemima exhaled in relief.
Raphael smirked slightly.
Lewis shook his head.
And Camilla?
For once..
Even she stayed quiet.
Because the message had been made clear.
Very clear.
No one..
Touched Tabitha without consequences.
Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Tabitha stirred slightly in the bed, her head heavy, her body aching faintly. She blinked slowly, trying to gather her thoughts.
Fragments.
The party.
The drink.
The balcony.
Louis…
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait."
Before she could piece it all together..
The door opened.
Louis walked in.
Calm.
Composed.
Holding a cup.
"You're awake," he said simply.
She sat up slightly, her expression instantly hardening.
"What is that?"
"Medicine," he replied, placing it on the table beside her. "You need it."
She stared at him.
Then suddenly..
Her eyes flashed.
"You really have no shame."
Louis paused.
"…What?"
She pushed the blanket aside, anger rising quickly.
"You took advantage of me last night."
Silence.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Louis didn't move.
"What are you talking about?"
Her voice rose.
"Don't pretend! I wasn't in my right state and you.."
"Tabitha."
"No!" she cut him off. "First you act like you hate me, then you suddenly care, and now this? What kind of man are you?"
Louis' expression darkened slightly.
"You don't know what you're saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying!" she snapped. "How do I even know you didn't plan it with Vivian?"
That..
Hit.
Hard.
For the first time..
Louis looked genuinely stunned.
"…You think I would do that?"
Her silence was enough.
Something in his eyes changed.
Not anger.
Not even frustration.
Just...
Hurt.
Before he could say anything..
The door opened again.
"Good morning.."
Summer walked in..
Then immediately stopped.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
"What's going on?"
No one answered.
Louis slowly picked up the cup again...
Then placed it back down.
Harder this time.
"I don't have time for this."
He turned...
And walked out.
The door closed behind him.
After He Left
Silence lingered.
Summer turned to Tabitha slowly.
"…What did you just do?"
Tabitha looked away.
"He..."
"Stop."
Summer's voice was firm.
"You're wrong."
Tabitha frowned.
"What?"
Summer stepped closer.
"Last night, Louis called me."
Tabitha blinked.
"What?"
"He told me to come over and stay with you."
She froze.
"He said you weren't in your right state and he didn't want anything to go wrong. He didn't even stay in your room."
Tabitha's expression slowly changed.
Summer continued,
"He sat outside for a while. Then left me to take care of you."
A pause.
"And this morning?"
Summer pointed at the cup.
"He woke up early, went to the kitchen himself, and made that medicine and soup for you."
Tabitha's throat tightened slightly.
"No…I"
Summer nodded.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then..
Memories started coming back.
Her holding onto him.
Pulling him closer.
Kissing him..
Her eyes widened.
Her face turned red instantly.
"…Oh my God."
Summer crossed her arms.
"Exactly."
Tabitha covered her face briefly.
"I… I said all that to him?"
"Yes."
"And he..."
"He didn't even defend himself properly," Summer said softly. "He just… left."
Tabitha lowered her hands slowly.
Guilt settled in.
Heavy.
"I shouldn't have said that…"
"No," Summer agreed. "You shouldn't have."
The kitchen buzzed with whispers.
The maids were already gathered.
Whispering.
As usual.
But today...
It was louder.
"Did you hear? He carried her last night…"
"All the way to her room…"
"And this morning..he made her soup himself!"
"That man doesn't even step into the kitchen!"
Sam stood still at the corner.
Listening.
Every word..
Like a knife.
Her hands clenched tightly.
Her chest tightened
"No… that's not true…"
Her hands trembled slightly.
"He wouldn't…"
But the voices didn't stop.
"They even said he kissed her..."
That was it.
Sam turned sharply.
Rushed out.
Her steps fast.
Uneven.
Her chest tight.
By the time she reached her room...
She slammed the door shut.
She leaned against it, her breathing uneven.
Silence.
Then...
She broke.
Tears filled her eyes instantly.
"No… no… no…"
She slid down slowly to the floor.
Crying.
All the images in her head....
Louis carrying Tabitha.
Louis kissing her.
Louis caring for her.
It was too much.
"I was here first…" she whispered.
Her voice broke.
"He was supposed to notice me…"
Her voice cracked.
"I was always there…"
She sank to the floor.
Shaking.
"Why her…?"
But then...
Through her tear-blurred vision...
She saw him through the window
Louis.
Walking out of the house.
His expression cold.
Distant.
Angry
He got into the car without looking back.
The car drove off.
Sam's crying slowly stopped.
Her breathing steadied.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…They fought."
A small, fragile hope sparked.
"…They're not perfect."
She wiped her tears quickly.
Straightening slightly.
"…There's still a chance."
And just like that...
Her heartbreak turned into determination
The city hadn't stopped talking.
Phones buzzed non-stop.
Screens flooded with clips.
Headlines repeated the same thing in different ways...
"The Yu Anniversary That Changed Everything."
"From Scandal to Power Couple."
"Louis and Tabitha: Image or Something More?"
In boardrooms, in cafés, in production studios...
They were the topic.
But inside his office..
Louis Yu didn't look like a man who had just won anything.
The meeting room was filled with investors, executives, assistants flipping through documents...but his attention?
Gone.
"…Mr. Yu?" someone called.
No response.
Andre leaned slightly toward him.
"Sir."
Louis blinked once, snapping back.
"Yes."
An investor smiled.
"We were saying...this is the perfect time to expand. The public trust is back."
Another added,
"And your wife's image? It's working in your favor. People believe in the brand again."
Louis nodded once.
But his fingers tightened slightly around his pen.
Camilla's voice cut through the air.
Sharp.
Precise.
Unforgiving.
"I don't care about public excitement."
The room fell silent immediately.
She looked directly at Louis.
"You have two investor groups waiting. And from what I hear...both are unstable."
A pause.
"You don't have the luxury of hesitation."
Louis leaned back slightly.
His eyes met hers.
Cold.
"I said I'll handle it."
Camilla didn't smile.
But her gaze lingered longer than necessary.
"…Make sure you do."
Because for the first time...
She could tell.
He wasn't in control.
"Cut!"
The director's voice echoed.
Crew members moved around quickly.
Lights shifted.
Cameras adjusted.
And in the middle of it all...
Tabitha stood, flipping through notes like nothing else existed.
"Scene three needs tightening," she said. "The emotions drag too long...cut it halfway."
Reena watched her closely.
"You should be resting."
Tabitha didn't look up.
"If I rest, I'll think."
Reena crossed her arms.
"And that's bad?"
Tabitha finally looked at her.
A small smile.
"Very."
Summer stepped in immediately.
"Call him."
Tabitha groaned softly.
"Summer…"
"You accused him of something serious."
Tabitha's expression flickered.
"I know."
"Then fix it."
Silence.
Tabitha looked away.
"Mimi said the office is packed. He's busy."
Summer stared at her.
"That's your excuse?"
Tabitha didn't answer.
Because it wasn't an excuse.
It was avoidance.
And they both knew it.
At the bar, the three men sat at a round table, drink in their cup but Louis own untouched.
"Bro, you've been staring at that glass like it offended you."
Orlando leaned forward, elbows on the table.
Louis didn't respond.
Andre sighed.
"He's been like this all day."
Orlando studied him carefully.
"…Anniversary regrets?"
Still nothing.
Then...
Orlando's phone rang.
He checked.
Raised an eyebrow.
"Mimi?"
Andre frowned.
"You know Mimi?"
Orlando smirked slightly as he stood.
"Met her last night. Cute. Smart too."
He stepped aside to answer.
Andre leaned toward Louis.
"What happened?"
Louis didn't look at him.
"She thinks I took advantage of her."
Andre blinked.
"…What?"
Louis let out a dry laugh.
"She thinks I planned it. With Vivian."
Andre's face darkened immediately.
"That's insane."
Louis shrugged slightly.
"I didn't even defend myself."
"Why?"
A pause.
Louis stared ahead.
"…Didn't feel like it would change anything."