Isabella felt as though she had been slapped across the face repeatedly.
Every single word Nicholas spoke landed like a brutal, stinging blow to her pride.
Just a second ago, she had been basking in the crowd's envy, assuming the role of his fiancée. She had fantasized that Nicholas would spare her some dignity in public.
She was entirely ready to lean into the illusion and soak up the adoration.
But in the next breath, Nicholas walked straight past her to Serena, declaring to the entire island who his real fiancée was.
Did he really have zero regard for their past?
Isabella stared at Nicholas, her eyes bloodshot. Tears welled up, making her look incredibly pitiful as she stood on the verge of crying.
Yet Nicholas didn't even grant her a peripheral glance.
He completely ignored her theatrical display.
Nearby.
Bianca stared at the billion-dollar cruise ship, her face turning a sickly shade of green.
She had been standing triumphantly in front of her own yachts just moments ago, thinking she could finally flex her wealth and wash away the humiliation of the past few days.
But now.
The Doyle family's multi-million-dollar boats were entirely eclipsed by the colossal mega-ship.
The embarrassment was suffocating.
With nowhere else to direct her rage.
She whipped around and glared at Isabella's tear-streaked face. She let out a vicious scoff. "Stop embarrassing yourself. What kind of delusional daydream are you having?"
She marched over, grabbed Isabella's arm, and yanked her violently. "You're still lusting after Mr. Blackwood? Take a look in the mirror and see what kind of trash you are now."
"Even back when you were parading around as the Lancaster heiress, you couldn't get him to acknowledge you."
"Now you're absolute garbage, and you expect him to give you a second look?"
Isabella stumbled from the force of the pull, the tears finally spilling over her lashes.
Bianca watched her cry with icy detachment, her eyes brimming with disgust. "Save the waterworks."
"If Mr. Blackwood knew you were acting as my brother's obedient little dog, letting him play you like a toy."
"Guess how nauseating he would find you?"
Isabella shuddered violently.
The humiliation was absolute.
The color drained from her face, but she didn't dare utter a single word in her defense.
She could only bite her lip, her fists clenching so tightly they shook as she kept her head bowed.
Just then, a voice in the crowd shouted.
"Look at the side of the cruise ship!"
"Her name is engraved right there!"
"Is this ship... the Code Goddess's?"
Everyone scrambled to look.
Against the pitch-black hull, three massive gold-embossed words glittered brilliantly
under the sun.
-Serena Lancaster.
It was blindingly conspicuous.
A collective gasp swept through the pier.
Everyone stared at Serena, their eyes practically burning with envy.
What kind of fictional romance trope was this?
Not only was the Code Goddess a terrifying genius, but she also had a fiancé who looked like a fallen angel.
And on top of it all, he was one of the ultra-elite billionaires.
That cruise ship was worth billions!
Serena followed the crowd's gaze, an eyebrow inching upward. She turned to Nicholas. "When did I buy a cruise ship?"
Nicholas kept his arm firmly around her waist, flashing a devastatingly handsome smile. "To celebrate you holding first place for elever rounds straight and taking the team championship. Buying a cruise ship to celebrate isn't asking too much, is
it?"
Serena: "..." What kind of normal person buys a billion-dollar mega-ship to celebrate winning a competition?
The surrounding contestants: "!!!" The sheer financial dominance was terrifying!
Not asking too much?
That was his definition of 'not too much'?
The participants were entirely paralyzed by this casual flex of immense wealth.
Lydia whispered to her teammates
"The Captain's fiancé has a celebrating that normal people
literally cannot replicate
1.9xet
Caleb pushed his glasses up. "Normal people don't have the bank accounts to try."
Jasper swallowed hard. "Buying a
billion dollarship like it's a cup onet
Is this how the top one
cent lives?"