Natalie stared at Jensen's strikingly handsome face—now taut with barely suppressed warning—and for the first time, the rosy filter she'd wrapped around him for years finally shattered. Only now did she realize… Jensen really wasn't all that. Everything she'd given him during those long, sleepless months five years ago—every sacrifice, every ounce of devotion—felt like it had all been thrown away, like it meant nothing. Her voice came out hoarse, but her eyes were steady. "I'm not making a scene, Mr. Luke. I'm Sunny. The real Sunny." A wave rippled through the crowd—soft gasps, widening eyes. “What? She's Sunny?" "But didn't Mr. Luke say it was Sharon?" Sharon's composure snapped like a cheap hair tie. She stormed out from behind Jensen, finger stabbing the air at Natalie."Shut your damn mouth! Are you that desperate for attention? Jensen is the only one who knows who Sunny really is. You think he'd ever vouch for you?" Jensen's gaze bored into Natalie, something like unease flickering behind his eyes. She actually said it. Out loud. In public. Didn't she understand what he'd been trying to warn her about? She had talent—real talent. With time she could make a name for herself. Why insist on stealing this moment from Sharon now? His patience snapped. He strode forward, grabbed Natalie's wrist hard, and hissed, "Come with me." "Let go." Once upon a time, getting grabbed by Jensen in public would've felt like a miracle—proof that she mattered to him. Now?All she felt was disgust. He wasn't protecting her. He was protecting Sharon. She twisted her wrist but couldn't break free. Jensen tightened his grip and pulled harder. That's when the suited man stepped between them. A faded tattoo flashed on his wrist as he moved. “Mr. Luke, Ms. Summers told you to let go," he said, voice low and cool. "A man should know how to behave like a gentleman." His hand clamped down on Jensen's wrist with enough force to make bone creak. Jensen winced—the pain sharp enough that he had no choice but to release her. Natalie instantly stepped back, widening the space between them. But the man still didn't let go of Jensen. The tension between the two men cracked through the air—Jensen's rage slamming against the stranger's icy, unshakable restraint."Who the hell are you?" Jensen growled. "Try anything else and I'll have you thrown out." "You can try," the man replied, voice flat as steel. Jensen's eyes went blazing red, but the man looked back at him like a lit fuse waiting for permission to explode. Natalie didn't know who he was, but she wasn't here to waste breath. She tapped her bracelet again. The screen lit up. "Jensen, this is the Rise line I designed for you to secure your position at Luke Corp. Look at the sketches." In the video, a younger, gentler Natalie handed him a folder. Her smile was bright, her eyes filled with devotion—every inch a girl who would give the world for him. Jensen pulled her into a hug. "Natalie, thank you. This line is going to take us to the next level." "Then… can my designer name be Sunny? You said your favorite book had a character named Sunny. Jensen, I want to be your Sunny."Natalie's smile in the sunlight was radiant enough to warm stone. "Okay," Jensen had said, cupping her face. "From now on, you're Sunny. One day, I'll make the world recognize your talent. And when that day comes, I'll give you the most beautiful wedding you've ever dreamed of—roses, fireworks, and everything you've always wanted." They looked like any two people stupidly in love, dreaming too big. The video continued—clip after clip of Natalie sketching, researching, designing, weaving lilies into her motifs, embedding hidden watermarks only she knew how to create. Then came Jensen himself, signing off on her sketches and sending them into production. The crowd slowly turned on Jensen and Sharon, whispers thick with disbelief. Sharon nearly lost it. “Lies! All of it! You forged every second of that! You're nothing but trash my family tossed out. How could you be Sunny?" Even Jensen hadn't expected Natalie to cross this line today.His expression iced over. "Natalie… this is what you want?" "I want what's mine." She said it softly, but the words cut deep—even inside her own chest, where something hollowed out and bled. Jensen let out a harsh laugh. "What's yours? You wouldn't even be alive without me. I gave you your life. Five years ago, you'd have died if not for me. How dare you claim you're Sunny?" He shoved her aside and rushed to Sharon. Sharon clung to him the second he reached her. "Jensen, she's lying, right? Right? She's not Sunny?" "Of course she's not," he snapped. No hesitation. The words hit Natalie like ice water down her spine. Five years ago, Jensen had been her salvation—her light in the darkness. And now, for Sharon, he snuffed that light out himself. So this was the man she'd loved for five years. Her throat burned, but she forced the bitterness down. Then she played one final video—recorded from the Alexa in the living room. Sure, Jensen had saved her life. But she'd saved his too, when she begged the Witch Doctor to treat him. Everything after that… was her trying to be worthy of standing beside the president of Luke Corp. She owed him nothing. The recording played. Silence swallowed the room. Jensen's voice on the phone. Sharon's voice—sweet, coy, shameless—begging him to let her pretend to be Sunny. And Jensen agreed. Easily.Willingly. Everyone heard it. Word for word. Sharon's face drained of color. Jensen froze, then violently spun toward Natalie. "You were spying on me?"