Chapter 3 The Night Of The Blackwell Banquet

Nina didn't want to attend the Blackwell Spring Banquet. If she went, it meant watching Julian and Aria being intimate with each other.

It would be like driving a knife straight into her heart.

But the invitation had been written personally by Edmund. "Nina, the ten years are nearly over. This will be the final family banquet. You must attend."

She understood. It was both a dignified farewell and a final warning. When she left, she was not to break the Blackwell family's rules.

The banquet was held in the century-old Rose Hall of Blackwell Manor. Influential figures from across the Eastridge Coast filled the room, dressed in tailored suits and glittering jewels. Beneath the polite smiles and laughter, however, every word carried an edge.

The moment Nina stepped into the hall, her gaze fixed on the head table. Julian stood there in a black custom-tailored suit, his eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses as calm and deep as the ocean.

Beside him, Aria leaned close, wearing a wine-red mermaid gown that made her dazzlingly beautiful. She was smiling as she adjusted his tie.

Suddenly, Julian raised his glass. His voice was low but carried clearly through the hall. "Today, I formally introduce Aria Monroe to all of you. She is my fiancée and the only woman I will ever love."

The only woman he would ever love.

Nina dug her nails into her palm so hard that the sharp pain was the only thing keeping her from losing control.

For a moment, the hall fell silent.

Then thunderous applause erupted.

But Nina noticed clearly that several patriarchs of the old families exchanged subtle glances. Their expressions were complicated.

They all knew.

They knew that ten years ago Julian had been nothing more than an illegitimate son suppressed by his uncle, and it was Nina who stayed beside him through three assassination attempts and two violent shootouts.

They knew that last year the mafia had tried to lure him with a honey trap, and that woman ended up with her limbs severed and dumped into the harbor that same night.

They also knew Julian had never allowed any woman within arm's reach of him except Nina.

Once, Nina had been Julian's only exception. Now, Aria was the one who could stand beside him openly and legitimately.

Nina lifted her champagne glass to hide the pain inside her, but the tremor in her fingers betrayed her.

So ten years of life and death beside him meant less than a single sentence-the only woman he would ever love.

Aria suddenly approached, her smile sweet. "Nina, you came too? I thought you wouldn't dare face this."

Nina didn't even look at her. She took a small sip of champagne. "Face what? The fortune you came back for after ten years away?"

Aria's expression stiffened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Nina finally lifted her eyes, her gaze full of contempt. "Ten years ago, when Julian was being hunted across the city and hiding in a dockside warehouse eating stale bread, where were you? Trying on wedding dresses overseas with some other man?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "Now that he sits firmly at the top of the Blackwell Group and holds half the Eastridge Coast in his hands, suddenly you're back. Miss Monroe, do you love Julian, or the heir to the Blackwell Group?"

Aria's face went ashen. "That's nonsense! My family forced me to leave!"

"Really?" Nina let out a cold laugh. "Then why did he search for you for three years without receiving a single reply? Yet the moment a financial magazine reported last month that the Blackwell Group's valuation had surpassed one hundred billion dollars, you suddenly became heartsick with longing and rushed back?"

Around them, the guests pretended to continue their conversations, but every ear was sharply tuned to the exchange.

This was no ordinary rivalry between two women. This was the public tearing away of Aria's mask.

Aria's eyes reddened as her voice trembled. "Julian! You see how she's slandering me!"

Julian approached with a frown, his voice carrying a warning. "Nina, that's enough."

Nina looked at him and suddenly laughed. "Julian, do you actually believe her? The woman who walked away when you were at your lowest?"

Julian's gaze darkened. "The past is best left in the past."

"Fine." Nina set down her glass and turned away. "I wish you both a lifetime together. May you never be separated."

She walked through the crowd and left the Rose Hall.

Nina took a deep breath. She had just turned into a side alley to call for a car when a sharp pain struck the back of her neck.

Someone grabbed her from behind and pressed a cloth soaked with anesthetic over her mouth and nose.

She struggled, but her limbs quickly weakened and her vision blurred.

The last thing she saw was a black van without license plates parked at the alley entrance. The door slid open, revealing a pair of polished leather shoes.

A man spoke quietly. "Mr. Blackwell said not to kill her. Take her to Warehouse No. 3 at the docks."

Nina's heart jolted. Were these Julian's men?