Chapter 2: Drinking to Forget

James's expression changed instantly. He set down his wine glass and quickly squatted to check on her condition.

Emily tilted her head, giving Harper a challenging look, and said with a pained expression, "Harper, my foot hurts so bad I can't walk. Mr. Smith, could you please take me to the hospital? I'm really sorry for messing up everyone's fun today!"

As she spoke, Emily started to sob, tears streaming down her face.

Harper saw right through Emily's act, but James bought it. Others started to notice and look over too.

The earlier video and now this staged fall were all Emily's ways of putting pressure on Harper. Was she really that desperate?

James initially wanted to scold Harper, but seeing the curious eyes around them, he forced a smile and said, "Harper, I'll take Emily to the hospital and be right back. Wait for me!"

"Okay!" Harper felt like a knife was twisting in her heart, making it bleed. Before coming in, she had hoped that it was Emily who had seduced James and that James had just lost his mind temporarily. After all, they had been together for five years.

She watched the two of them limp out of the banquet hall.

By the time the party ended, James and Emily still hadn't returned, nor had they called. The nearest hospital was only a half-hour drive away.

Two whole hours had passed, making Harper suspicious. She decided to go to the hospital to check.

"Ms. Anderson!"

As she hurriedly walked out, she suddenly heard someone calling her from behind.

"Mr. Moore?" She instinctively turned around and saw Matthew and his secretary walking towards her.

It was Matthew's secretary, Pax Jones, who had called her.

Harper's steps faltered slightly as she met Matthew's deep, sharp, and cold eyes.

"What is it?" She tried to keep her voice steady.

Matthew's gaze carried a hint of scrutiny and warning.

"I hope you pay more attention to the project, Ms. Anderson, or we might withdraw our investment at any time!"

Harper's heart skipped a beat, understanding the deeper meaning behind his words. Her expression changed slightly, then she said seriously, "Of course, Mr. Moore. Rest assured, I know what I'm doing!"

Matthew stood there with an indifferent demeanor, his gaze piercing through the distance, his face showing no emotion. "That's good to hear."

With that, Matthew got into the Maybach at the entrance, and the car sped away. She couldn't quite understand what Matthew was questioning her about.

The cold wind outside the hotel cut through the air like a knife, making Harper shiver and snapping her back to reality.

Just then, her car pulled up. She got in and headed straight to the nearest hospital.

On the way, Harper kept calling James, but he wasn't picking up. The images from that video kept flashing in her mind. Could they really be that bold?

Suddenly, she hesitated and opened the tracking app she had secretly installed on James's phone. She had first noticed a lipstick mark on James's collar that wasn't hers and a strong perfume scent a long time ago.

Her gut told her James was seeing someone else.

So she had secretly installed the tracker.

Sure enough, the location showed not a hospital but a golf resort.

To avoid tipping them off, Harper had the driver turn back and drove herself to the resort.

She had been to this place with James before; it was only an hour's drive from the city. When she got there, she searched the night for James's car and finally found it.

But when she got closer, the car was empty.

Harper kept following the navigation, arriving at a changing room. Through the door crack, she vaguely heard a woman's moans and a man's heavy breathing, the sounds hitting her like a ton of bricks. 

"James..."

The voice was so familiar, just like in the video.

So it was true?

In a private room at a bar, the music was deafening. The room was empty except for Harper, with dozens of beer bottles in front of her. Harper tried to drown her broken heart in alcohol.

In her mind, those once sweet promises cut through her heart like shards of broken glass.

"Harper, marry me. I want to make you the happiest woman in the world!"

"Harper, my goddess Venus, with the same beautiful imperfections!"

"Harper, being child-free is great; we can enjoy our life together!"

'Bastard! Scumbag!' Harper screamed in her heart, her vision blurred by tears, her heart feeling empty, like it had been scooped out.

What did these five years of love mean?

Was she just a backup option?

Harper staggered to her feet, her bright eyes adding to her allure.

She felt hot all over. The top few buttons of her black-and-white striped shirt were undone, revealing her collarbone. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, swaying with the music. She jumped onto the sofa barefoot, screaming until her throat was hoarse, "James, James!"

Harper crouched on the bathroom floor, holding her head as she sobbed.

These past few years, she had thrown herself into getting the company ready for its IPO, neglecting James, who had taken advantage of the situation. What could she do about her unwillingness to accept it?

After crying for what felt like forever, Harper slowly got up and splashed cold water on her face repeatedly, gradually pulling herself together.

She felt around and realized her glasses were missing again.

Behind her stood a man, his gaze fixed on her. Under the bright lights, Harper's beauty was breathtaking.

Since being with James, Harper had dimmed her radiance, wearing old-fashioned clothes. Because he once said, "I don't want others to gaze at your beauty!"

But what did she get in return?

James had just proposed to her, and then he was holding another woman, professing his love.

Why should she remain faithful to such a scumbag? Harper's eyes were filled with resentment.

It was James who was unfaithful. Harper gritted her teeth tightly!

Harper turned around with a determined look, only to be startled by a man leaning against the wall, doing something inappropriate. She was about to get angry but realized she had entered the wrong place.

She had mistakenly entered the men's restroom.

Harper, her face flushed and burning, hurriedly ran out. The hallway lights flickered, and she carefully avoided the drunken men stumbling around.

Feeling dizzy, the alcohol still not worn off, she stumbled and pushed open a door. The next second, her body went limp, about to fall, but a man behind her instinctively caught her.

Harper was carried to a sofa in a room. The people inside, upon seeing him, stood up and respectfully greeted, "Mr. Moore!"

Matthew's brows furrowed tightly as he watched her cry and pour out her emotions without any defenses. A pang of sympathy welled up in his heart.

He had followed her here after seeing her enter the wrong restroom in a daze.

"Harper!" His voice was cold.

"I'm hot!" Harper began to tear at her shirt, revealing a pink bra underneath. Her feet rubbed back and forth, her seductive appearance stunning everyone in the room.

Everyone thought she was a new hostess, watching as the usually aloof and distant Matthew took off his coat and covered her. They were all shocked and then tactfully left the room.

Leaving the two of them alone.

In a daze, Harper heard someone calling her. She opened her eyes slightly, her vision blurry.

"James?" She called softly but received no response.

Her head was still spinning, but her mind was a bit clearer. Who was this person?

Just as she was about to stand up, she met Matthew's cold gaze and exclaimed, "Matthew? Why is it you?"

Matthew sat down directly, his gaze piercing as he stared at her. "You wouldn't be here drowning your sorrows in alcohol like this, would you?"

Was it worth it for a man who betrayed her?

Harper felt like she was suffocating, her mind filled with that unbearable scene over and over again. James was no longer worth her love!

She could find another man? After all, she was unmarried now.

So she leaned in, straddling Matthew's lap and kissing his lips in a nearly intimate gesture.

She wrapped her arms around Matthew's neck. Matthew wanted to push her away, but his hands instinctively held her waist.

The warmth from her waist made Harper kiss even more passionately.

It had been a long time since she felt this way, not since the first year she and James were together. After graduating and starting the company, she got busier, and James got lazier, and their kisses became fewer.

Matthew hesitated, a ripple of emotion stirring within him, igniting a long-lost heat.

He turned, pressing Harper beneath him. He could clearly see the long-lost desire in Harper's eyes.

Her body trembled slightly.

Matthew also felt the heat rising. He forcefully tore off his tie and unbuttoned his collar. In the dim room, the temperature was rising, and soft moans could be heard.

Harper's body was gently lifted by warm hands, her entire being moving rhythmically. She felt an unprecedented thrill.

She endured Matthew's passionate kisses.

"What are you afraid of?" Matthew looked at her tightly closed eyes. "Look at me!"

Matthew's domineering voice growled in Harper's ear, his cold, proud eyes staring at her. "Forget about him. He's not worth your love. Say my name!"

"Matthew." Harper opened her eyes, saw Matthew, and shyly turned her head. Deep down, she was afraid.

The two could almost hear each other's heartbeats.