Alice ended her workday and, upon stepping out of the university gates, noticed an official car waiting across the street. She immediately recognized it as the car Louis frequently used for work.
Sure enough, the car door opened, revealing Louis's assistant.
With a smile that held only coldness and mockery, the assistant addressed her, "Miss Alice, please get in."
The assistant never called Alice "Madam," a clear indication that, despite being Louis's legal wife, Alice's status was neither acknowledged by Louis nor accepted by others.
Alice didn't seem to care and silently got into the car. She gazed out the window, the golden hues of the sunset casting an ethereal beauty across the ground.
"Miss Alice, tonight you'll be accompanying the chairman to a party. He asked me to remind you to prepare well and not embarrass him," the assistant said while driving.
Of course, Louis hadn't said the latter part, but she enjoyed embellishing things like this. Having worked for Louis for many years, the assistant secretly longed to become Mrs. Louis herself. She worked diligently while also subtly trying to seduce him. But Louis seemed utterly devoid of romantic inclinations, never even noticing her advances!
In the end, it was baffling to her how Louis could marry a simple country girl like Alice! She could never bring herself to admit that Alice was genuinely beautiful.
The car quickly arrived at the mansion. Before leaving, the assistant gave Alice a mocking glance and added with a sneer, "Oh, by the way, many wealthy young ladies who admire the chairman will be at the party. Who knows, perhaps the chairman might take a liking to one of them. After all, with someone of his stature, having a few mistresses is perfectly fine. Don't you think so, Miss Alice?"
Alice turned to look at the assistant, her emerald eyes seeming to pierce straight into the assistant's frail, ugly soul. Instinctively, the assistant stepped back slightly.
"You're pitiful," Alice said flatly, devoid of emotion.
The assistant's face twisted as though her tail had been stepped on. She snarled, "Me? Pitiful? You're the pitiful one! A substitute will always be just a substitute! Just wait until Miss Maya returns. Then you'll be nothing but a street rat—discarded and despised by Louis!"
With those words, she stomped away, her high heels clattering loudly against the pavement.
Alice lowered her eyes and returned to her room to prepare for the evening's event.
That evening, Louis's car arrived promptly at the mansion. The window rolled down, and Louis instinctively furrowed his brows.
Alice wore an emerald-green evening gown that shimmered subtly in the dim light. While such a bold color might be disastrous for others, her flawless, fair skin made it all the more striking. Her hair was partially pinned up, with the rest cascading over her back, partly obscuring her slender, elegant neck. The soft waves added a dreamlike allure.
As she descended the stairs, the gown's daring slit revealed her shapely, alabaster thigh, immediately drawing attention.
Louis's frown deepened, his lips pressed into a thin line. For reasons he couldn't quite grasp, he felt a wave of discomfort seeing Alice dressed like this, though he couldn't pinpoint anything inappropriate about her attire.
The moment Alice entered the car, she noticed Louis's stormy expression. Worried, she leaned toward him, her fingers gently massaging the crease between his brows. "Why the frown? Is something bothering you? Don't furrow your brow like that, okay?"
Louis looked at Alice. She was always like this—concerned about him, even down to the slightest hint of his displeasure. For some inexplicable reason, her demeanor only heightened his irritation.
Louis couldn't shake the feeling that Alice wasn't soothing his brow but someone else's. He swatted her hand away and snapped, "It's none of your business."
Alice withdrew her hand and sat quietly, her gaze lowered, a faint trace of dejection visible in her posture.
The driver up front remained silent, sensing the tension in the air. It wasn't long before they arrived at the venue.
The event was a charity gala hosted by the city's mayor at the most luxurious hotel in town. A red carpet stretched over the grand staircase, flanked by fresh flowers on both sides and throughout the hall. Crystal chandeliers hung like delicate works of art, casting their light over the opulent decor. Glittering ornaments and radiant lighting transformed the venue into a dazzling realm of brilliance.
However, something seemed to shine brighter than the venue itself. One was Louis, surrounded by countless investors and business executives. The other was Alice, quietly seated in a corner.
Many people looked down on Alice, mocking her behind her back, but every time she appeared, she inevitably captivated them with her rare beauty and aura. Yet no man dared approach her, knowing full well she was Louis's wife—and Louis was akin to a mad dog when provoked.
Alice found it all unbearably dull. Every time she attended these parties, she felt like an exotic animal on display in a zoo. And, as always, there was one unavoidable occurrence…
"Oh my, no wonder the air feels stifling tonight. It turns out there's someone utterly shameless sitting here!"
Here they come, Alice thought to herself.
She raised her eyes to see a group of young women standing before her. They were all heavily made-up, some even quite attractive. These were women who harbored feelings for Louis, and every time they saw Alice, they couldn't resist coming over to hurl a few insults her way.
"You still haven't divorced Louis? How thick-skinned of you! It's obvious he doesn't love you!"
"Exactly! I don't even understand how Louis could choose you. Besides your face, do you have anything else to offer?"
"Hahaha! She really does only have that face. Lucky for her, it happens to resemble Miss Maya's. Otherwise, how could someone like her ever have gotten close to Louis in the first place?"
"Hahaha! So true. What a pitiful existence! Hahaha!"
The group lowered their voices, snickering as they ridiculed Alice. She sat in silence, seemingly enduring their jeers. Her quiet demeanor only fueled the young women's anger. Why wasn't Alice reacting? Her lack of response made their words feel ineffective, like arrows that failed to hit their mark.
"Having a bit too much fun, aren't we?"
Suddenly, a cold voice cut through their laughter, silencing them instantly.
The women turned their heads to see Louis standing there, glaring at them with eyes as cold as death itself. They admired Louis, but they also feared him.
"L-Louis, we were just—"
"Get lost." Louis wasn't interested in their excuses.
Startled, the women hastily dispersed, but not without casting resentful glances at Alice before disappearing.
"You couldn't be more useless, could you? You don't even know how to talk back when people insult you? If I weren't here, you'd just let them bully you again. Every single time! I'm not always going to be around to protect you, you know. Useless!" Louis scolded, his voice sharp with irritation.
Alice looked at Louis, and despite his harsh words, she smiled. Standing up, she took his hand and said softly, "Yes, it's a good thing you were here."
Her emerald eyes held an unmistakable devotion and longing. Alice was always so composed, yet whenever Louis appeared, her love for him seemed ready to overflow. No one could doubt Alice's feelings for Louis—not even Louis himself.
Louis snorted, his face still annoyed, though the anger in his heart had already dissipated.
"Well, Louis, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
A cheerful voice interrupted them.
Both turned to see an older woman, well-maintained and elegant, her eyes fixed on Louis as if Alice were invisible.
Louis let go of Alice's hand and nodded slightly at the woman. "Madam Adel, it's been a while."
Madam Adel—Maya's mother, and the parent of Louis's unrequited love. Alice recognized her immediately.
Beaming, Madam Adel looked at Louis. Though the Adel family was no longer as prominent as it once was and had been in decline in recent years, no one dared belittle them. After all, Maya was Louis's long-admired love, a fact known throughout the city.
Madam Adel smiled warmly and said, "I heard from Maya that she's coming back to the country soon."
Louis's face lit up with surprise. He instinctively wanted to glance at Alice but stopped himself, feeling there was no reason to do so. Instead, he smiled and said, "That's wonderful. I hope she'll give me a call when she arrives."
Madam Adel's grin widened. "I'll be sure to pass that message along to her."
Their brief conversation carried weighty news, and those who overheard couldn't help but glance at Alice. Many looked on mockingly, eager to see how she would react.
But Alice simply stared at Louis's profile, as if lost in her own world. Many scoffed at her perceived naivety, eagerly anticipating the day she would be abandoned.
After finishing his conversation with Madam Adel, Louis turned to Alice and smirked. "You heard her, didn't you? I'll be leaving you soon."
He spoke half-jokingly, but Alice stared at him, her expression dazed. Moments later, tears rolled down her flawless face, her emerald eyes like precious gems submerged in water.
Louis froze, stunned. Before he could say anything, Alice turned and walked away.
As he watched her retreating figure, Louis felt a strange, unfamiliar pain in his chest—a faint ache, coupled with the impulse to chase after her.
But how could that be? Alice loved him, but he didn't love Alice!