The crown prince I was arranged to marry had a little songbird, a pet he spoiled so rotten she had become impossibly arrogant.

Just as I was drafting the agreement to break off our engagement, a comment popped up in my vision, a disembodied text only I could see: 【What did the Crown Prince do wrong?

He’s just trying to get your attention.】 【Sweetie, don’t call off the engagement! If you just shed a few tears, he’ll give you the world.】 I turned my head.

Outside the cafe window, his little songbird, adorned in haute couture jewelry, clung to Eric Stuart’s arm, her smile radiant. He glanced down at her, a lazy, almost careless affection in his eyes.

I smiled and replied to my lawyer's text: 【Continue drafting the annulment agreement.】

1 The moment I sent the message, the comments in my vision exploded: 【Why is she so heartless? The poor Crown Prince is going to drink himself into a stupor at the bar…】 【Sigh, the Crown Prince is just a bit proud and stubborn.

Now he’s lost his wife.】 【It’s fine, he’ll just bankrupt her family. Then she’ll have to come crawling back to him.】 【Then she’ll have to fight with other women for his attention every day.

The Crown Prince will be in heaven!】 I stared at the comments, my lips curling into a series of cold smiles. I glanced outside again, and my eyes met Eric's. He raised an eyebrow, letting the girl on his arm cling to him without a hint of guilt.

When he saw the look on my face, the corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk. His little songbird was a minor influencer. They made a handsome couple, drawing a crowd of onlookers who were busy snapping photos.

The cafe's glass walls were transparent; I wondered if I was in the background of their pictures. I cursed under my breath, grabbed my bag, and called my driver to pick me up somewhere else.

But the moment I stepped out of the cafe, I ran right into them. Me: ? "Were you just heading this way?" I asked. "So you are paying attention to me," Eric said, his eyes crinkling in a lazy smile.

The girl beside him shot me a wary look but said nothing, clearly aware of her place. The comments I’d seen earlier flashed through my mind, and a wave of annoyance washed over me. I tried to walk around them, but he grabbed my wrist.

I turned back. "Upset?" he murmured. My eyes swept over him and the girl. "Not at all. I wish you two a long and happy life together." He still didn't let go. The girl rolled her eyes. "Who are you?

Can't you see you're interrupting our shopping?" She jiggled an expensive bracelet on her wrist and shot Eric a flirtatious look. "Are you just jealous that no one buys you nice things?" "Do you know he has a fiancée?" I asked calmly.

She faltered for a second, then scoffed. "An arranged marriage? There are no feelings involved. If Eric really loved her, would he be with me?" Eric chuckled, his dark eyes fixed on me. My expression didn't Stuartge.

I nodded, then glanced at the hand still gripping my wrist. "Let go." He didn't move. "The banquet in two days," he said, "find another date." The girl was stunned for a moment, then she looked me up and down and giggled. "Oh, so you're the fiancée.

So what? Eric is taking me to the banquet." I calculated in my head.

The annulment agreement should reach the Stuart family by tomorrow. "Fine," I said. "Can you let go now?" Eric froze, his face darkening. "Who are you going with?" I mentally ran through a list of eligible young men from good families, all handsome and wellbuilt. "I haven't decided yet," I said honestly. "But I'm sure I can find someone when I get home." The silence was deafening, broken only by the distant hum of the shopping district and the curious glances of strangers.

More comments appeared: 【Oh my god, the Crown Prince is furious.】 【Crown Prince: Can't you just look at me with teary eyes and give in? Why do you have to provoke me?】 【Sweetie, just act cute! Cry a little!

Don't waste your beauty and his love!】 【Seriously, don't be so stubborn. When the Crown Prince gets angry, there's no telling what he'll do… Bankrupt your family and lock you up.

That'll teach you.】 "Sarah Burrell, you've got guts," Eric gritted out, his voice dropping to an icy whisper. He released my wrist. I took a step forward, my eyes landing on the necklace around the girl's neck.

I looked at Eric, my gaze deep and meaningful. "You once told me you were going to give me that necklace." Then I turned and walked away.

Eric caught up to me, his tone unreadable. "You remember?" "But I don't need it anymore." "She knows how to be cute, she follows me around all day… she even calls me 'hubby'," Eric said, his voice low and rumbling.

So that’s why he gave her the necklace he had promised me? A wave of nausea churned in my stomach. The comments erupted: 【He's dropping hints!】 【The Crown Prince is finally making a move, hehe.

Sweetie, just call him 'hubby' once, and he'll give you his life.】 【The Crown Prince dreams of you calling him 'hubby'. He has to Stuartge his sheets when he wakes up…】 I stopped and faced him, my voice slow and deliberate. "You're right.

From now on, I'll be cute for other men. I'll call other men 'hubby'. And they'll give me whatever I want." "Say that again," Eric's voice was colder than I had ever heard it.

He grabbed my shoulders, his grip so tight I thought he would crush my bones. Just then, the girl who had followed them over piped up, her voice timid. "Eric, what's wrong?" He didn't spare her a glance, his eyes still locked on me.

She pouted, glaring at me. "Did you make him angry? He's never unhappy when he's with me." The nausea intensified. I turned my head away, unwilling to say another word. After a long moment, Eric's hands dropped.

He closed his eyes, a storm cloud of frustration enveloping him. "She knows not to make me angry, Sarah," he said coldly, then turned and walked away. The girl immediately followed, cooing and trying to soothe him.

From behind, they looked like a perfect couple. The comments flooded in: 【She just won't give in. She's pushing away the one who loves her.】 【All she had to do was say a few nice words to him.

Why let that white lotus have her way?】 【I can't believe this. Look at the trending topics! Someone posted photos and videos of them online.】

2 I got in the car and opened my phone. Several messages from my friends were waiting. 【Oh my god, Sarah, you're trending! Did you know the woman with your fiancé is an influencer?】 【Are you okay, sweetie? Someone just sent me the pictures.

How dare Eric flaunt his mistress in front of you? That scumbag!】 【That influencer with your fiancé is always on her live streams talking about a man who loves her and buys her everything… so it was Eric all along.】 【I can't believe it.

Eric never used to have so much as a female mosquito around him. We all thought he was so clean. Why is he suddenly keeping an influencer?】 I carefully crafted my replies, then clicked on the trending topic.

The photos and videos were crystal clear, capturing every moment of the tense confrontation between Eric and me.

The comments were overwhelmingly in support of the influencer. 【Is this woman trying to steal our Lingling's boyfriend?】 【Did you see how her boyfriend treated her? He was so harsh.

But he's always so sweet to Lingling.】 【This woman just lingered around them. After they left, she kept staring. Is she trying to look heartbroken?】 【Ugh, get lost, you green tea bitch.

Stop trying to seduce someone else's boyfriend.】 So, my fiancé was now someone else's boyfriend. I sank into the back seat, my mind a blank.

The fact that this topic was still trending, and even gaining traction, meant that Eric had to have approved it. Did he really love me, as those comments suggested? Was his love allowing the internet to twist the truth and hurl endless abuse at me?

I closed my eyes in pain. After a long while, I made a call, my voice hoarse. "Get this trending topic taken down. Now." The comments became active again: 【My heart aches for her.

If only she had just given in, acted a little cute, it wouldn't have come to this…】 【These braindead netizens are just following the crowd. Song Ling is the real other woman!

I'm so angry.】 【The Crown Prince did go a little too far, but Sarah is too independent. He wants to see her rely on him, to be helpless without him.】 【I have a feeling this topic won't be easy to take down. Someone is already doxxing her.

Once the Burrell Group sees this, it's going to affect their stock prices.】 My eyes lingered on the last comment. Sure enough, my phone rang a few moments later.

The voice on the other end was exasperated. "Someone is constantly buying up this trending topic. We're trying to take it down, but it's a constant backandforth. The effect is minimal." I said nothing. The person sighed. "Did you piss someone off?

This topic is being pushed so hard, it's impossible to get it down. This is a major operation. Isn't your fiancé doing anything? Is he just going to sit there and watch?" Because the one buying the topic is my fiancé. But… not for long.

My father's call came next. His voice was laced with fury. "Sarah! What is going on? If someone hadn't told me, I would have never known!" I took a moment to compose myself. "Is it my fault that Eric is cheating?" "Plenty of men cheat!

But how could you let this become a public spectacle? And let that woman flaunt it in your face?!" my father's voice rose to a shout. I explained patiently, "Eric bought the trending topic. He's the one keeping the mistress.

Dad, this has nothing to do with me. I'm already trying to get it taken down." My father scoffed. "If you can't keep a man's heart, it's your fault." He hung up. The car came to a stop. "Miss Burrell, we've arrived at the villa," the driver said.

I moved like a zombie, pushing open the car door and walking, step by step, towards the dark, silent house. My father's words were so selfrighteous.

When he cheated, when he kept a string of mistresses, he blamed my mother for getting old and losing her charm.

He conveniently forgot who had used her entire dowry to support his business, who had been the one sacrificing everything for him in the background.

3 That night, I called Eric. He answered almost instantly. "What?" he asked, his voice lazy. "Stop buying the trending topic," I said softly. He paused, his tone lifting. "Why so listless?

Are you sad?" "What do you want?" I couldn't control it anymore, my voice cracking.

He didn't answer. "Are you happy now?" I asked, my voice hoarse, my body trembling. "Watching me get doxxed, being called the other woman, seeing the Burrell Group's stock plummet? Are you satisfied?" How could such an unreasonable madman exist?

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice soft. "Don't cry, baby. Do you want to see me? I can come over right now." I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I stood on the balcony, the cool night wind drying the fresh tears on my face.

I was a complete and utter joke. Finally, I managed to force out two words: "No.

Don't." Eric repeated my words, his tone unreadable. "Don't?" "What do you mean, Sarah?" his voice turned cold. "I don't want to see you." I used the last of my strength to hang up. I collapsed onto my bed, but sleep wouldn't come.

The trending topic was still there, a glaring accusation. In the family group chat, my relatives were tagging me, their messages full of blame.

Then, a younger cousin posted: 【Honestly, cousin, if you can't keep Uncle Eric, then you should just step aside. Don't you know how much this is affecting us?】 Once the floodgates were open, my other cousins chimed in.

Another cousin posted a facepalming emoji: 【So embarrassing. Letting the other woman walk all over you. If I were you, I wouldn't be able to show my face in public.】 【Uncle Eric is spending all his money on that influencer.

Hasn't he ever spent any money on you, cousin?】 【Maybe you should just let someone else have the engagement. It's not like Uncle Eric likes you anyway.】 The chat fell silent after that last message. I laughed bitterly.

I wished I could just pass the engagement on to someone else. But my father was still in charge of the Burrell Group, and I was his only daughter. He would never let go of this opportunity to curry favor with the Stuart family.

I muted the group chat and scrolled through my social media feed. The first post was a group photo from a young heir. In the center… were Eric and Song Ling. Eric had his arm around her waist, a lazy smirk on his face as he looked at the camera.

His friends were on either side, raising their glasses in a toast. What did it look like? Right. An official relationship announcement. I liked the post and turned off my phone. The comments flooded in again: 【Don't be sad, sweetie. It's all an act!

We all know the Crown Prince loves you the most.】 【Yup, after his friend posted that, he's been checking every minute to see if you liked it.】 【He really wants to see you. He was so sad when you rejected him tonight.】 【Sweetie, call him!

Tell him you're jealous! He'll come running, hehe!】 I closed my eyes, numb. I banished the comments from my mind. After what felt like an eternity, I sat up, my body cold, and sent a message to my lawyer: 【Send the annulment agreement to me first.

I'll find a Stuartce to give it to Eric later.】 I needed a day to transfer my assets without anyone noticing. After the banquet, I would take a redeye flight to another country.

The annulment agreement would be sent in two copies, one to my father and one to Eric. If I stayed, even if I refused to marry Eric, my life would never be peaceful. My father would just marry me off to someone else.

4 Everything went smoothly. ... I had even chosen a beautiful mermaidstyle gown. As I walked into the banquet hall, a smile on my face, my friends rushed over to ask how I was doing. One of them nudged me with her elbow. "No date, huh?

I can lend you my brother." I thought for a moment. "No, thanks. I don't think it's a big deal to come alone." "True. A man would just get in the way of our chatting!" she giggled. Suddenly, there was a commotion from across the room.

We followed the sound. Eric, in a silvergray suit, looked effortlessly cool, a faint smile on his lips. Song Ling was on his arm, her eyes sparkling. Ah… So when Eric said he was going to be with Song Ling, he meant he was taking her to this banquet.

My eyes fell on Song Ling's dress. It was the exact same mermaid gown as mine. When I ordered it, I was told it was the only one in the country. Had hers been flown in from abroad overnight? Eric was deliberately trying to humiliate me.

Sure enough, the moment Song Ling saw me, her face Stuartged. She bit her lip and whispered something to Eric. He then slowly turned to look at me.

Song Ling trotted over, her almondshaped eyes glaring at me. "Did you have someone find out what dress Eric ordered for me so you could copy me?!" The commotion drew a crowd.

My friend was shocked. "Don't be ridiculous…" Song Ling scoffed. "You're just jealous that Eric is good to me! This pathetic trick is disgusting. And you don't even look as good as me in it." "She looks better than you," my friend muttered.

Song Ling fumed and ran back to Eric, shaking his arm. "Eric, look at them!" Eric's dark eyes lingered on me for a long time. Finally, he smiled. The comments went wild: 【Ahhh, the Crown Prince smiled!

He thinks she looks better in it!】 【The eyes never lie, hehe. Crown Prince and sweetie 4eva!

I'll throw in a bag of sunflower seeds.】 【But wait… to provoke her, to make her come to him, all pitiful and obedient, he's going to…】 I was still wondering about that last comment when the microphone crackled to life. Everyone looked over.

A senior secretary from the Stuart Group was holding a microphone and a card. "Thank you all for attending this evening. I have a major announcement to make—by a resolution of Mr.

Stuart and the board of directors, 2% of the Stuart Group's shares will be gifted to Ms. Song Ling, free of charge." The entire room erupted. I looked up, my eyes wide with disbelief.

Eric had a certain amount of shares, I didn't know the exact number. But another 2% was reserved for his future wife… Even just 2%, in a massive corporation like the Stuart Group, represented a staggering annual income. He had given it to Song Ling.

And announced it at this very moment. The comments were scrolling frantically: 【Here it comes, the psycho Crown Prince's move!

The poor sweetie is being laughed at by everyone, her only option is to go and beg him!】 【Yes, and then she'll have to helplessly stay by his side, to be endlessly taken… so hot, so hot.】 【What is she still holding on for!

The Crown Prince loves you so much! Just slap Song Ling and take his arm, be cute and win him over.】 Under the weight of everyone's mocking, pitying gazes, I walked towards Eric, step by step. His eyes followed my every move. I stood before him.

He looked down, a smirk on his lips. I smiled back, the words rolling from my throat, one by one: "The annulment agreement is on its way. It will be in your hands soon.

Whether or not you continue your partnership with the Burrell Group is your decision. "I'm out." I looked him in the eye, my face impassive, and turned to leave.

Eric grabbed my wrist, his fingers trembling with the force of his grip. "What do you mean? Sarah, what do you mean?" I didn't turn back. "Annulment.

Don't you understand?" "I don't agree!" he growled, his voice tight. "Are you mad that I gave the shares to someone else…" I frowned. "I have no relationship with you.

What do the Stuart Group's shares have to do with me?" "No—" I turned back, impatient. His eyes were a swirling vortex of black ink. "If you want it, anything can be yours.

There's no need for an annulment." His gaze was locked on me, his voice low and hoarse. I didn't want to waste any more time with him. "Let go." "I won't let you go," he said, his grip tightening, almost stubborn. I winced in pain.

My friend stepped between us, her voice sharp with anger. "Eric, you're the one keeping a mistress. And you won't let Sarah break off the engagement? Is that fair?" Song Ling shrieked, "Who are you calling a mistress?

Eric loves me the most!" My friend scoffed. "Then why won't he let Sarah go and marry you?" Song Ling faltered, looking at Eric, her voice choked with tears. "Eric, what are you doing? You don't even like her.

Isn't an annulment exactly what you want?" Eric never once looked at anyone else. The corners of his eyes were slightly red. "Sarah, stop this. The shares, the necklace, they're all yours." "What makes you think I would want them?" I retorted.

I wrenched my hand free. Any more time spent with him would just delay my flight. "I wish you two happiness," I said coolly. "A long life together, and many children." Eric opened his mouth to say something, but I took a step back. "Don't stop me.

Don't make me lose respect for you." As I walked towards the exit, the comments scrolled endlessly: 【Huh? What's happening? Isn't this supposed to be the happy ending?

Aren't they supposed to live happily ever after?】 【The Crown Prince overplayed his hand… It seems she's really jealous.】 【If she just breaks off the engagement like this, who knows what the psycho Crown Prince will do?

Maybe he'll kidnap her tomorrow.】 【What? A kidnapping play? I'm waiting…】 Of course, I was afraid of Eric losing his mind. That's why I couldn't miss this opportunity. In a few hours, I would be halfway across the world, in another country.