Chapter 2

Jocelyn Reed’s POV

“Beep—”

The sharp alert from the machine rang out inside the VIP private room, sounding especially piercing to my ears.

“Heart rate sixty-five. Not even a ripple, Theodore!”

The rich heirs around him stared at the polygraph and burst into undisguised laughter.

I looked toward Theodore Shaw, who was sitting in the center of the sofa. He tugged at his tie, his deep-set brows and eyes carrying a careless arrogance.

Polygraph sensor pads were still stuck to his skin, and my portrait filled the large display screen.

Someone who apparently had no fear of death kept stirring things up. “Then switch to another photo and try again?”

The image on the big screen flashed. My photo disappeared, replaced by a picture of a girl with a bright, radiant smile.

Lily Vance. Theodore’s first love. The woman who had gone abroad for further studies for a full three years.

She was also the one who got away, the woman he had always kept at the very tip of his heart.

“Beep, beep, beep, beep!”

The alarm instantly became rapid. The heart-rate number on the screen soared all the way from 65 to 120.

The red peaks jumped violently, exposing the test subject’s uncontrollable heartbeat at that moment.

The private room fell eerily silent for one second. Then even harsher whistles erupted.

“Holy hell, this polygraph doesn’t lie! Theodore, your heart’s screaming what you refuse to say out loud.”

“I told you, didn’t I? Jocelyn Reed has been running herself ragged at Theodore’s side as his fiancee and free nanny for four years, and in the end, she still can’t compare to a single photo of Lily Vance!”

Theodore did not get angry. Instead, he let out a low laugh.

He casually tore the patches off his body and tossed them onto the coffee table, then turned to look at me, who had been standing quietly in the shadows the whole time.

I was still holding a cup of freshly poured warm water, ready to soothe Theodore’s throat after he finished drinking.

Not a flicker crossed my face, not even a flutter of my lashes—as if the woman being mocked in front of everyone was a stranger, not me.

I knew Theodore hated this dead-water look of mine the most.

He leaned back against the leather sofa, legs crossed, his gaze like he was assessing a useful object. “Did you hear that? The machine is honest.”

In the most casual tone, he said the cruelest words. “Jocelyn Reed, you really have been obedient these past four years, and I’m used to having you around to handle everything. But habit is not a heartbeat.”

“But don’t worry. Our wedding is next month. Since I promised to marry you, I’ll still give you the position of Mrs. Shaw. After all, I need a sensible wife.”

As soon as he said that, the way everyone around us looked at me filled with ridicule and contempt.

I had been publicly labeled as nothing more than an emotionless ornament.

A shameless, pathetic woman who clung to him for the status of his wife. If it were any other woman, she would have slammed the door and left by now.

But I did not.

I walked forward and gently set the cup of warm water, exactly forty degrees, beside Theodore’s hand. My voice was mild. “Your stomach isn’t good. Drink less iced wine.”

The people in the room looked at one another. Then even louder laughter burst out.

“Holy shit, she really is the ultimate ninja turtle.”

“Theodore, you trained her so well. She won’t hit back or talk back no matter what!”

Theodore seemed very satisfied with my reaction. He picked up the cup and took a sip. Just as he was about to speak, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

The screen flashed: Lily Vance.

Theodore’s expression changed instantly.

He shot to his feet. Because he moved too abruptly, he knocked over the cup of water I had just placed on the table.

Warm water splashed all over me, but Theodore did not even glance at me. He answered the call and strode outside.

“Lily? You returned to the country? Wait for me at the airport. I’m coming right now!”

The door to the private room slammed shut with a bang.

To pick up Lily, Theodore left me behind in the private room without a second thought.

“The real woman he loved is back. Looks like the good days are over for certain stand-ins.”

The crowd mocked me mercilessly as they left.

I pulled out a tissue and unhurriedly wiped the water stains from my clothes.

I did not feel even the slightest bit sad.

I merely lifted my head quietly and looked at the translucent countdown panel in midair, visible only to me.

[System Alert: 30 days until the wedding mission checkpoint.]

“Thirty days.” I tugged coldly at the corner of my mouth and repeated silently in my heart, “If I endure 30 more days, I can take the mission reward and go back to save my Ethan Cole.”