You Scorned My Love, So Why Are You Kneeling When I Asked for a Divorce?

"Better than you!" she shot back.

"Say that again!"

Tristan Sterling was seething, his handsome face dark and terrifying.

Enraged by the man’s arrogant tyranny, Holly Sinclair couldn’t think straight and blurted out, "He is better than you—mmph..."

A kiss.

It swept over her like a tempest.

The enraged man’s kiss was rough and fierce, completely devoid of tenderness.

Holly Sinclair struggled with all her might, but she couldn’t move him an inch.

It only made his assault more savage.

She wanted to bite him out of sheer hatred.

But he was cunning, toying with her playfully as if she were a cat.

He didn’t stop until she was on the verge of suffocation.

"Who’s better? Hmm?"

His scorching breath fanned the skin behind her ear, sending a tantalizing shiver through her.

Holly Sinclair shuddered violently, unable to control herself.

And the more her body betrayed her, the more she seethed with hatred.

Her eyes were bloodshot. "Anyone is better than you—"

"You’re getting more and more defiant!"

The man’s eyes turned cold, and the moment he finished speaking, his lips descended on hers once more.

Heartbroken by her powerlessness, humiliating tears streamed from Holly Sinclair’s eyes.

Tristan Sterling tasted the saltiness of her tears.

He lifted his head and saw her tear-streaked face.

"What are you crying for? You think you’re the one who’s been wronged?" he scoffed irritably.

His words held a trace of tenderness and resignation that even he failed to notice.

His long fingers gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Holly Sinclair’s heart was filled with bleak despair.

"Tristan Sterling, I want a divorce."

She murmured through her tears, as if talking to herself.

Tristan Sterling’s brows furrowed.

Her expression, one of utter, hopeless despair, sent an inexplicable pang of panic through his heart.

Shoving him away, Holly Sinclair sat up slowly. Large teardrops rolled down her cheeks as she mechanically buttoned her clothes. She repeated, her voice firm, "I am going to divorce you!"

"You love me so much. You think you can leave me?" he scoffed in disbelief.

"I don’t love you anymore..."

She looked up, her tear-filled eyes now full of steely resolve. "Tristan Sterling, I don’t love you anymore!"

With that, she got out of the car.

With her back ramrod straight, she walked into the residential complex.

Tristan Sterling sat frozen in the car.

His heart tightened, inch by painful inch.

’She said she doesn’t love me anymore...’

’She doesn’t love me anymore?’

’Is it because Brandon Sterling is back?’

’So she’s planning to leave me for someone else?’

’Heh.’

’In her dreams!’

’She’s mine!’

’For her entire life, Holly Sinclair can only ever belong to me, Tristan Sterling!’

’If I don’t let go...’

’...no one can even think of taking her from me!’

’And Brandon Sterling is the last person who has the right!!’

...

For the next two months, Holly Sinclair was constantly run off her feet.

Determined to make a splash at the upcoming qipao exhibition, she poured her heart and soul into her work.

She worked overtime day and night, revising her designs again and again.

Finally, just before the exhibition, she completed all her pieces.

Because of the incident with Manager Langdon, Holly Sinclair had assumed Sonia Sutton would cancel her collaboration with SH.

She was just lamenting the loss when, to her surprise, Miss Sutton herself came to SH with the contract to apologize in person.

Sonia Sutton explained that not only had Manager Langdon’s hands been crippled, but he had also been reported for abusing his position to accept bribes, as well as for sexual assault and rape.

His victims had all suddenly come forward to accuse him. Facing numerous charges, Manager Langdon would be spending the rest of his life in prison.

Holly Sinclair listened in silence. She didn’t ask who had reported Manager Langdon, nor did she care what happened to that scumbag.

All she felt was delight.

Participating in this qipao exhibition meant the world to her—it was her first step toward success.

She had to seize this opportunity!

「In the blink of an eye, the day of the qipao exhibition arrived.」

「Backstage.」

Everyone was bustling with preparations.

「In the dressing room.」 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Wendy, thank you so much for coming to model for me."

Holly Sinclair said gratefully as she helped Wendy Wyatt adjust her qipao.

Wendy Wyatt put on a mock-serious expression. "Thank me for what! This is your debut exhibition. I’d have been furious with you if you’d dared to ask anyone else!"

Each studio had prepared two or three main pieces for the show.

And for these main pieces, it was common to hire celebrities or professional models to showcase them on the runway.

Vervain Studio had hired Shirley Sheffield, a massively popular A-list celebrity.

Holly Sinclair had asked Wendy Wyatt.

In fact, Wendy Wyatt had always been her exclusive "model."

For years, Holly had designed every single qipao Wendy Wyatt wore.

Wendy Wyatt was tall and curvaceous. In a qipao, she was the epitome of grace and allure—a true qipao beauty.

"I was just worried it would interfere with your schedule, in case you had a gig—"

"What gigs? I’m a Z-list actress, remember?" Wendy Wyatt cut in with a self-deprecating laugh.

Holly couldn’t stand to hear her talk like that. "Don’t put yourself down," she said earnestly. "You’re Number One in my book. One day, you’ll get all the glory you deserve!"

Wendy Wyatt had the looks and the talent, but for the past two years, she’d been stuck playing bit parts.

’Someone must be actively suppressing her, trying to keep her from getting famous.’

"You too, sweetie. Now give me a smile."

Wendy Wyatt knew her best friend was just worried about her. She immediately grinned, pinching Holly’s cheek with a devil-may-care attitude.

Then, her tone shifted to one of scorn. "Tristan Sterling really pulled out all the stops, didn’t he? He even managed to get Shirley Sheffield."

An A-lister of Shirley Sheffield’s caliber wasn’t someone just anyone could hire.

Vivian Linton didn’t have that kind of pull.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out it must have been Tristan Sterling.

Holly Sinclair was already numb to it.

Tristan Sterling loved Vivian Linton so much he would probably die for her.

Hiring a big-name celebrity was nothing in comparison.

She wasn’t the least bit surprised.

"What about her?" Holly asked casually.

"Shirley Sheffield is Nathan Fletcher’s childhood sweetheart. In other words, his fiancée." Wendy Wyatt pouted and shrugged, her expression screaming ’what a small world for enemies’.

"Is it really such a small world?"

"Tell me about it."

"Are you going to be okay?" Holly asked, looking at her friend with concern.

Tonight’s qipao exhibition was a huge event; practically every media outlet in Mistcroft was there.

The Sutton Family had invited numerous socialites, which surely included members of the Sterling and Fletcher families.

That meant Tristan Sterling and Nathan Fletcher would both be in attendance tonight.

Tristan Sterling was naturally coming to support his one true love.

And Nathan Fletcher would be doing the same.

A saying suddenly came to Holly Sinclair’s mind—

Birds of a feather flock together.

’As expected of best friends. They’re both bastards!’

"Of course I’m okay! It’s not like I’m any worse than her!"

Wendy Wyatt flashed a confident, carefree grin and threw an arm around Holly’s shoulder. "Besides, I have faith in you. I know you’ll make me the belle of the ball tonight!"

"Absolutely!" Holly nodded.

She was very confident in her designs as well.

After giving the qipao one last check, Holly said, "The waist is a little loose. I’ll go get a needle and thread to take it in."

Holly stepped out of the fitting area and walked toward the vanity.

There, she saw Joanna York standing in front of her and Wendy’s bags.

"Joanna," she called out.

"Holly," Joanna York said, turning around. She was holding Wendy Wyatt’s water bottle.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, Wendy Wyatt’s water bottle fell. I was just picking it up for her." Joanna York seemed perfectly calm, her expression betraying nothing.

As she spoke, she placed the bottle back into Wendy Wyatt’s bag.