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    65 vouchers


    Ynda was seated by the window with Charles. Then she opened Sophie’s post, erging the photo toy it side–by–side with the real–life scene before her. It was a perfect match.


    A faint smile touched her lips. She took a sip of juice, snapped a photo, and posted it to the private Twitter ount Sophie followed. If Sophie keeps clinging to Charles, she thought, ‘he won’t have any time left for <ol><li>me<b>. </b></li></ol>


    Then Charles’s phone buzzed when their food had just arrived. He took his phone and got up briskly. “I need


    to take this.”


    Ynda didn’t ask anything. She simply bowed her head and focused on the food quietly.


    Charles slipped out into the hallway, phone in hand. But before he could find a quiet spot, an arm reached out from the next booth and pulled him inside.


    There was Rachael, who only moments before had been all sharp edges, now wrapping her <b>arms </b>around his neck and leaning in for a kiss.


    He tilted his head away, a faint glint of amusement in his eyes.


    Rachael pouted, tracing idle circles on his chest with one finger. “What’s this? Staying loyal to the wife, Mr. Sinir?”


    Charles stood tall, his features strikingly handsome under the soft lighting. “It’s our anniversary,” he said simply.


    Rachael’s eyebrow arched in understanding. Anniversary rules: no funny business. She sighed dramatically, “Fine. And here I thought I’d get to <b>steal </b>you for a minute.”


    His gaze drifted over her suggestive posture. “I heard you’ve been cozying up to some actortely.”


    Rachael lit a cigarette, a sly smirk ying on her lips. “After a man like you, everyone else is a letdown, event celebrities. But he’s… entertaining. Besides, I invested in a show backed by your Starlight Entertainment. Consider it a favor.”


    Charles checked his phone. Five minutes had passed. “I’ll make it up to you.”


    Her eyes glittered as she twisted his tie around her finger. “Someone was just mentioning his anniversary, no? Poor girl, it must be exhausting being married to you.”


    “Ynda is innocent, he replied coolly. “She doesn’t suspect a thing.”


    In his eyes, Ynda was pure. He left traces all the time–perfume, lipstick, andte nights. She’d ask, of course, but a few sweet lies were always enough. She had no other experience topare it to. But her unquestioning trust eventually bored <b>him</b>.


    He gripped Rachael’s neck and kissed her, and then pushed her away. “That’s enough. I have to go.”


    “Always so cold. Mr. Sinir,” she murmured.


    But he was already walking away, straightening his tie. Then he returned to his booth and slid the <b>door </b>open,


    Ynda was still by the window, meticulously cutting her steak into neat pieces.


    Outside, fireworks burst into the night sky, painting brilliant, flecting patterns across the ss. She turned to watch, her eyshes fluttering as a delighted smile spread across her face.


    Cheating had never weighed on Charles’s conscience. He’d never been particrly fond of Ynda to begin with. But the sight of her, so innocent and captivated by something so simple, made something in him soften.


    He took his seat across from her. “Do you like the fireworks?”


    Ynda propped her chin on her hand. This was surprising, and no wonder Sophie was so obsessed with him. “They’re lovely. I suppose all women are swayed by pretty things like this, aren’t we?”


    Charles picked up his wine ss and gently tapped the rim against the tip of her nose. “It’s our wedding anniversary. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”


    Her eyshes fluttered again. This time, she caught the faint, clinging scent of perfume on his <b>sleeve- </b>Rachael’s perfume.


    She thought, ‘How can Charles just sit here, smelling of another woman on our anniversary? And I’m suffocating under the memory of being drugged and spending those hours with Ian. I can’t even talk about him. God, I shouldn’t have been this sensitive.


    “What did I say on thest anniversary? Oh, right. He hasn’t even been there. He was with Sophie and talked to me on the phone.


    A faint, ironic smile touched her lips. “Same asst year, honey. I wish every year would be just as good as today,”


    Charles’s brow furrowed. For some <b>reason</b>, the words left him strangely unsettled.


    Just then, his phone buzzed. It was a call from Sophie.


    Sophie had seen Ynda’s post after finally getting service in the mountains, and she was livid. She’d bombarded Charles with a series of provocative photos, but he hadn’t responded. ‘Is he really going to spend the night with his boring wife?‘ she wondered.


    Panicking, she made this call, her voice a pained whimper. She imed she’d been hurt, that there was no hospital nearby, and that she was in agony and needed him.


    But a quiet warning bell often rang just before one lost their grip on something important. Tonight, it was ringing for him. He found he didn’t want to leave.


    He remained seated across from Ynda, watching her slowly finish her steak, and for the first time all evening, a strange sense of calm settled over him.


    After dinner, he slid a bank card <b>across </b>the table <b>toward </b>her. “For your studio renovations.” <fn3b98> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on f?ndnovel</fn3b98>


    He’d always <b>given </b>her sixty thousand <b>a </b>month <b>but </b>never a dor more. Now, he was offering six million all at


    7:44 Thu, Sep 11


    5


    once. Ynda figured it was fairpensation for fifteen years. She picked up the card without a second thought. “Thanks, honey.”


    Charles was used to getting what he wanted. Life had always handed him wins. He enjoyed pulling <b>strings </b>in business and with women<b>. </b>It was a game he knew how to y.


    Her easypliance reminded him ofst year’s birthday. She’d shown upte, worried about his stomach. bringing food as a devoted wife. He’d been in bed with Sophie at the time. He saw her calls but didn’t answer. <b>And </b>Ynda waited downstairs all night.


    The memory put him in a good mood. He leaned in to kiss her. But she turned her face away, looking out at the fireworks.


    They said the showsted half an hour, and this was the best view in the city. It was hard for regr people to book, but Charles had a permanent booth here. The restaurant belonged to the Sinir <b>Group</b>, after all.


    His expression cooled. ‘ying hard to get? Pointless, he thought.


    The colored lights glittered in her eyes. “I heard this fireworks show has run every night for ten years. This is my first time seeing it, though.”


    He’d brought so many other women here. She used to wonder what was wrong with her. She’d learned everything she thought might please him. But Charles never came home.


    Now she understood: a man like him wasn’t meant to be kept. He didn’t value what came too easily.


    She stood. “Megan’s workingte alone at the studio. I should go check on her. Thanks for dinner. She tucked the card into her pocket.


    Charles stayed seated, momentarily caught off guard. It wasn’t until the door clicked shut that he let out a low chuckle. ‘Still mad at me, then.‘


    He lit a cigarette, gaze drifting downward. He’d never seen her act like this before. And he had to admit it was interesting.


    The door to the private booth swung open, and Rachael’s voice cut through the quiet. “Don’t tell me you just got stood up by your own wife.”


    She sauntered in, perching familiarly on the edge of the table. “A man like you, getting turned down? Hard to picture.”


    7:44 Thu, Sep <b>11 </b>