Waterfront Hotel was one of Apliariaâs fanciest hotels. It was only six oâclock, and dusk was already approaching. There were several luxury cars parked at the open parking lot in front of the hotel. Media reporters were holding cameras at the entrance of the hotel. It was quite a lively spectacle. Nowadays, the Salazar family was different from what they used to be. During the past few years, it became part of the upper class of society.
They became rich and powerful. Moreover, Susan was now Victorâs fiancee. Thus, when people heard that she was going to host a birthday party, all the young men and women from the upper class of Apliariaâs society tried their best to gain an invitation to her birthday party âIâve heard that the Salazar family are about to announce something important today. Do you know what it is?â
Outside the hotel, the reporters were waiting for the birthday girl to arrive and whispering amongst each other.
âAn important thing, huh? What else could be more important than announcing that Susan and Victor are getting married? Iâm sure that the Salazar family are going to use Susanâs party to announce that she and Victor are about to get married,â someone replied.
âReally?
A distant relative of mine that works for the Sullivan Group mentioned that employees of the company said that their engagement have been canceled,â said another.
âAre you kidding me? Didnât news of their upcoming marriage just break out a few days ago?â
âYes, but I didnât think itâll happen. Susan and Victor have been engaged for three years, but they still havenât gotten married. Itâs not entirely impossible for their engagement to be canceled. Besides, I heard that on Susanâs most recent interview, her agent screened questions about Victor in advance.The agent wouldnât allow the reporters to ask such questions!â
âMiss Salazar is here!â shouted someone from the crowd.
The reporters having a heated discussion cheered up and glanced at a certain direction. A Bentley arrived and stopped at the entrance of the hotel. Not long after, well-trained bodyguards who had been waiting for Susan at the hotel appeared. They used their bodies to clear a path for her. The reporters pointed their cameras towards the rear door of the Bentley. All of her fans who had been waiting for her to arrive screamed with excitement, and the crowd went wild.
Meanwhile, inside the car, Becky averted her gaze from the window and turned her attention to Susan.
Then, she patted Susanâs shoulder and said, âEverything will be okay after today. Iâve already arranged everything. Tomorrow, youâll be joining a theater group. And once you become part of the group, no matter what happens, donât give a damn about any of it! All you need to do is to focus on shooting. Weâll deal with everything else.â
People outside the car were speculating that Susan and Victor were intending to announce their marriage. But unbeknownst to them, they were actually going to announce the cancellation of their engagement.
Becky had worked as Susanâs agent for three years. Though she thought Susan wasnât capable, they got along well. And seeing that Susan wasnât talking much throughout the entire journey, Becky could tell that she wasnât feeling well. That was why she tried to comfort her. Susan nodded in response, putting on a faint smile.
âDonât worry, Becky. Iâll act accordingly. Iâll make sure that this wonât affect my future work.â
âItâs good that you know what to do,â said Becky Susan clenched her hands on her knees and her eyelashes quivered.
âLetâs go.â
With that, Becky nodded at the chauffeur slightly.
The latter understood what she meant, so he got out of the car, walked towards the door on Susanâs side, and it opened it for her. As soon as Susan disembarked from the car, her fans screamed.
âSusan! We love you, Susan!â
âHappy birthday, Susan!â
âSusan, we wish you happiness all the time!â
Meanwhile, Susan was silent the whole time. She stood on the red carpet, wearing a blue-grey customized dress that made her look like a goddess. Her every move and the smile on her face was so enchanting that people couldnât take their eyes off her.
âThank you all for your support!â Susan bowed to her fans with her hands on her chest. After she bowed, her fans were even more riled up.
âHappy birthday!â they greeted loudly.
When Becky got out of the car and saw how Susan bowed to her fans, she noticed that the reports and Susanâs fans kept on taking photos of Susan.
Through her many years working as an agent, she had already captured the highlights of tomorrowâs top searches. Even though Susan hadnât made much progress in her acting skills, she was keen on the advantages she had, and she knew how to make her fans love her even more. On her birthday, she bowed to her fans to express a sincere gratitude. And this simple act was enough to leave a good impression to the public.
Becky stood beside the car for a few minutes on purpose. She didnât approach Susan until the reporters had finished taking photos of the latter.
âLetâs go. Itâs almost the time,â said Becky.
Susan nodded at her before giving her fans one more smile. She then held the hemline of her dress, ready to enter the hotel. But then, someone from behind said something that caught everyoneâs attention. And upon hearing it, Susan stopped in her tracks.
âThatâs Mr. Sullivanâs car. Heâs coming!â Susan froze at once.
Since Becky was standing beside her, she noticed the change in her mood, so she patted her hand.
âIâm fine,â Susan said, smiling at Becky.
Then, she turned around and watched the Maybach driving towards them. Because the official announcement of the cancellation of their engagement hadnât been released yet, she was still Victorâs fiancee in everyoneâs eyes.
And since she was still Victorâs fiancee, it was natural for her to wait for him here.
As she watched his Maybach drew closer and closer, she gripped the hemline of her dress and her tight shoulder blades displayed just how nervous she was at this moment.
At long last, the car stopped. Soon, the door of the back seat was opened, and the people inside the car disembarked from it as everyoneâs eyes fell on them. Everyone was expecting to see Victor, but they were stunned when they saw someone else get out of the car.
âHuh? Isnât that Mr. Sullivanâs car?â someone asked, breaking the silence. Upon hearing the question, everyone glanced at the Maybachâs license plate.
They confirmed that this was indeed Victorâs car. Some of them mightâve never seen Victor in person, but they would never mistake the license plate of his car. The person who got out of the car wasnât the man they expected; it was a woman.
âWho is she?â asked another person from the crowd. They were all stunned by this. Upon seeing the person who disembarked from the car, Susan was just as stunned as the crowd. She clenched the hemline of her dress so hard that her nails dug into her palms.
There was a look of devastation in her eyes. âHow is this possible? Why did it have to be her? How could she-of all people get out of Victorâs car?â she wondered. Susanâs face turned pale in an instant. She pursed her lips, staring at the woman with disbelief. Not a minute later, she heard the media reporters discussing among themselves again.
âI know who she is!â
âWho is she?â
âThatâs Rachel Bennet!â
After hearing this response, everyone else immediately realized who the woman in front of them was.
âBennet? Which one? Iâve been working as a reporter for two years.Why havenât I heard that thereâs a Bennet family in Apliaria?â
âThatâs because youâve only been at this line of work for two years. Itâs unsurprising that you donât know about them. Oh, my God! Iâve only heard some time ago that Rachel was still alive, but I didnât expect it to be true. Something interesting is about to happen tonight.â
âWhat do you mean by that? What makes you say that something interesting would happen?â
âOh, I see! You didnât know about that either, huh? Susan is Victorâs current fiancee, while Rachel is Victorâs ex-wife.â