Chapter 1 To celebrate my sister - in - law Emily hitting a million followers , I treated her to dinner at my husband Jacob's newly opened upscale restaurant . We were halfway through our meal , busy taking pictures , when suddenly my phone was snatched away and thrown into the ice bucket chilling our red wine . Before we could even process what had happened , a shrill , piercing tirade assaulted our ears . " All you do is pose and post your way through a meal ! Trying to package yourselves as socialites to snag a sugar daddy , huh ? Did your mother never teach you what shame is ?! " Emily and I stared at each other , stunned , as my phone emitted a final crackle and died in the water . " Are you out of your mind ? What business is it of yours if I take pictures ? " I stood up , my face cold as I confronted her . She only grew more arrogant and aggressive . " I'm the owner here ! You've been here for forty minutes . I have every right to throw you out ! " " Disgusting . I can't stand gold - digging wannabes like you - broke but putting on airs , just a bunch of aspiring mistresses ! " I was speechless with anger . Since when did Jacob Kingsley have a second wife ?! She glared at me , her expression venomous as she pulled out her phone . " Just you wait . My husband will be here any minute to deal with you two pathetic little bitches who don't know your place ! " She crossed her arms over her chest , her face a mask of contempt . " Don't think I don't know what you're up to . You see a nice restaurant and think you can just waltz in with your cheap phones and snap away . Shameless ! Fakes !" When we didn't respond , she seemed to gain even more momentum . With a cold laugh , she fished the ruined phone out of the bucket , threw it on the floor , and stomped on it with her glittering stiletto . Chapter 1 12.50 % " What ? Cat got your tongue ? Hit a nerve , did I ? We get pretentious wannabes like you in here . every year , taking their tacky photos . This is a fine dining establishment ! Not a brothel ! " Emily shot me a glance . Her live stream had been running , and the camera had perfectly captured the entire scene . The comments section exploded . [ What's going on ?! Who does this woman think she is ?! ] [ That's The Starlight Rotunda - the most exclusive rotating restaurant in the city . It's a Kingsley Group development . Lots of influencers come here for those fancy meal pics . I recognize the woman causing trouble ; she's the manager here . ] [ Manager or not , she can't act like that ! ] The live chat was going wild . Emily , naturally a bit timid , immediately grabbed her other phone and poured out her sense of injustice in the Kingsley family group chat . [ Mom , Dad , some lunatic is harassing Scarlett and me at Jacob's restaurant ! ] She then tagged Jacob directly . [ Jacob ! Get down to the restaurant now ! ] Without waiting for a reply , she timidly tugged on my sleeve . " Scarlett ... " I patted her hand reassuringly before fixing a cold stare on the glaring manager . " If you're sick , go see a doctor . Don't take it out on us like some rabid dog . " Her heavily lined eyes widened , a flash of jealousy crossing them before her words turned even sharper . " Me ? Rabid ? Ha ! " She looked us up and down with disdain . " I've seen plenty of women like you . Pretending to be somebodies online for attention , loving it when men kiss your Don't act all innocent when you're just setting up your profile ! " ass ! I closed my eyes , taking a deep breath . Arguing with her was pointless . It was like trying to reason with an animal - we simply existed on different planes . " Right now ! " I paused , my gaze darkening . " Get the owner - your so - called husband - down here . Now ! " I fell silent then , my eyes sweeping over her once more until they landed on the ' Ocean's Heart ' necklace at her throat . Chapter 1 12.50 % It was as if the sun was eclipsed without warning . A sudden , deep cold - like a splash of ice water - shot through me.The ' Ocean's Heart ' was crafted from the most exquisite sapphires . There were two identical pieces . Jacob had won them both at a Sotheby's auction this year . He'd given one to me . When he'd placed the other in the safe , he'd said , " When we have a daughter , this will be my gift to her . Then you two will match . " Back then , bathed in sweetness , I truly believed I had married the most wonderful man a man who adored his wife and would cherish his future daughter . But now , seeing that deeply symbolic necklace around another woman's neck ... it felt like a sharp blade slicing through the beautiful illusion I'd built for myself . Thinking of her wealthy man , her expression grew even more haughty . " You pathetic nobodies . Just you wait until my husband gets here . You'll be run out of this city ! " Emily leaned closer , her voice a whisper , clearly shaken by the woman's sheer audacity . " Scarlett ... the owner she's talking about ... it couldn't be ... Jacob , could it ? " I took a deep breath but said nothing . My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant , merciless fist , making it hard to breathe . Emily , realizing the implication , grew angry herself . She immediately reopened the family group . [Mom , Dad , you need to get to Jacob's new restaurant NOW ! If you don't come soon , our family is going to fall apart ! ] She snapped a picture of the manager and sent it to the group , tagging Jacob again . [ Jacob ! Who is this woman ?! Have you lost your mind ?! ] She didn't hold back , desperately hoping her worst fears weren't coming true . Jacob's mother was furious . [ That bastard Jacob! Tell Scarlett not to be worried . The Kingsleys will only ever acknowledge her as our daughter - in - law ! ] But after waiting for what felt like an eternity , there was still no reply from Jacob . Our argument was drawing stares from other diners . Unwilling to be a spectacle , I stopped engaging . Chantor 1 12.50 % But if I disliked the attention , someone else clearly reveled in it . An older woman standing near the manager glared daggers at us . " Get out ! And before you go , delete all those photos from your phones ! Our restaurant doesn't allow trash like you to take pictures here ! " The older woman turned to the manager . " Don't you worry , sis . As long as I'm here , no one's causing trouble ! And besides , your husband will be here any minute ! " Thinking of Jacob , the manager's face instantly broke into a sickeningly sweet smile . It was nauseating and painfully obscene . Feeling utterly empowered and arrogant , she snarled , " I was just going to throw you out , but I've changed my mind . You will publicly post online , admitting you're gold - digging , social - climbing nobody ! " 12.50 %