“Have I?” His voice cracked. “You know the answer. How dare you pose as the Wen family heiress from Ethgard? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?”
Stella stepped forward, her chin high. “Well, well. You had the nerve to impersonate the Wen family heiress. You’ve got a death wish.”
Ryan inserted himself between us. “Ethan, Stella, you’ve both got it wrong. She’s not Aurora Wen.”
“Ryan Gao, you can’t cover for her just because you have a crush on Aurora Wen.” Stella’s laugh was ugly. “I’m dying to know what on earth you see in her. If I hadn’t left the country back then, chances are she wouldn’t have been Mrs. Key for four years.”
I turned to face her fully. “So you’re the one who dumped Key back then.”
“Who are you calling a—”
“I’m talking about you. What about it?”
Stella’s face flushed. “Back then, Ethan fell ill. The whole city of Vidia was buzzing about it. Word is this Aurora Wen didn’t even care and took care of him for four years. So what now? You want to crawl back?”
“So she’s the heartless woman from back then,” I said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. “Ethan Key must be blind—ditching such a good wife to get back with her.”
Stella screeched, “Shut your mouth! There were circumstances back then. That’s why this woman was able to sneak in. Besides, today she’s posing as a member of the Wen family from Ethgard. If you can’t clear this up, you’re not leaving this place.”
Ethan grabbed my wrist. His grip was desperate, possessive. “Aurora Wen, I never imagined the divorce would hit you this hard. By doing this, you’re only making a fool of yourself.”
I pulled free. The ring mark on my finger—the pale band where my wedding ring had sat for four years—was gone. I’d stopped wearing jewelry entirely. “Mr. Key, you’ve really got the wrong person. I’m not Aurora Wen.”
“Still playing dumb?” Stella hissed.
Security guards appeared at my sides. “Everyone,” I said, raising my voice, “I am Aurora, the heiress of the Wen family of Ethgard. I’ve come to Vidia to develop all of its major projects. Funding starts at one hundred forty million dollars.”
The room erupted.
Ethan stared at me like he’d never seen me before. “No way. This can’t be happening. You’re really not Aurora Wen.”
“Mr. Key,” I said, “you’ve got the wrong person.”
I walked out. Ryan followed. Behind me, I heard Stella’s shrill voice and Ethan’s stunned silence. The glass doors swung shut, and I was gone.
—
The invitation came three days later. A formal dinner at the Key family home—Caleb’s birthday. I RSVP’d yes before Ryan could warn me.
“This is a trap,” Ryan said as we drove through Vidia’s old money district. “Ethan’s going to confront you.”
“Let him.”
