Chapter 147

A hot tear slid down Liliana's cheek, landing with a soft pat on her blouse. She snapped back to reality, turning her head and quickly wiping away the evidence.

*Stay strong? Stay strong being his mistress?* Was Sylvia feeling wronged because their affair had to be kept secret? What was there to feel wronged about? At least she had his private affection and indulgence.

And what did she have? As the official Mrs. Forrest, she had a marriage certificate and nothing else. Was she not the one who should feel wronged?

"It feels wrong to eavesdrop like this. Let's go," Nina whispered, oblivious to Liliana's turmoil. She tugged on her arm, and they tiptoed away from the door. Liliana let herself be pulled along, numb. When Sylvia cried, someone was there to comfort her, to wipe her tears. When she cried, she had to do it in silence.

They had just reached the corner of the hallway when a voice called out from behind them.

"Designer Shepherd. Designer Preston."

It was Sylvia.

Nina stopped, forcing Liliana to halt as well. She could feel two pairs of eyes boring into her back, and the blood in her veins turned to ice. She didn't need to turn around to picture the triumphant smirk on Sylvia's face. This had to be a setup, she realized. Was this Sylvia's revenge for her answering Cedric's phone that night?

The air was thick with Sylvia's need to dominate her. Anyone who knew the three of them would have felt it. Of the four people present, only Nina remained clueless.

And Cedric... he acted as if he didn't notice either. He stood slightly behind Sylvia, his black suit jacket draped over his arm. His gaze was calm as he looked at Liliana and Nina, offering a slight nod of acknowledgment.

He was greeting her. His own wife.

"Mr. Forrest," Nina said, quickly inclining her head. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your meal. We seem to have arrived a bit early."

"It's no bother We were just finishing up, Cedric said. He stepped out from behind Sylvia, exchanged a final glance with her and walked away. As he passed Liliana, the sleeve of his jacket brushed against her fingers. She snatched her hand back as if she'd been burned.

He didn't look back.

"Designer Shepherd, Designer Preston, please, come in," Sylvia said, returning to the private room. "Order whatever you like. My boyfriend is paying." She called a waiter over to clear the remnants of her meal with Cedric.

Nina followed her inside. Liliana stood frozen, staring at the spot where Cedric had just been standing. After a long moment, she finally moved. But she stopped again at the doorway.

The small, round table was set with three chairs. Sylvia was now sitting in the same seat she'd occupied while crying in Cedric's arms, leaving the chair he had used empty Erliana. It was an invitation. A challenge. The memory of what she had just witnessed played out in her mind like a film.

"Come on, sit down," Nina said, her tone impatient. "Why are you always so distracted whenever I take you out?"

Sylvia rested her chin on her hands,

a playful, cruel smile on her face. "Designer Preston seems to get upset every time she sees me with my boyfriend. Why is that? Does it remind you of some sad sto

because your husband can't

compare?"

Nina blurted out, "Who in the world could possibly compare to Mr. Forrest?" She meant it in terms of wealth and power, but the words hung in the air with devastating irony.

"Nina, you're so direct," Sylvia chided gently. "You have to consider Designer Preston's feelings."