"Owen Lancaster is serious this time?"

"Seems like it. Everyone knows he’s fighting with his family over that college girl, even willing to give up his inheritance. Not even Serena Harper got that treatment back then."

"Poor Serena... She worked like crazy for him all those years, gave so much, and in the end, just got tossed aside?"

Serena Harper had just arrived outside the door when these words fell into her ears.

Inside, the voices belonged to her old college friends, people who knew her history with Owen Lancaster better than anyone.

Some were reminiscing about the time Owen pursued her with grand gestures that shook the entire campus. Others were speculating about who he’d bring to the wedding today.

That baseless betting game ended the moment Serena pushed the door open.

She came alone to attend their classmate’s wedding. That alone was enough to say it all.

As Serena walked in, heads turned, and conversations abruptly halted.

“Serena! Wow, long time no see! You’re as stunning as ever!”

“Sis Serena, come sit with us. How have you been lately?”

"Not too bad." Serena smiled faintly as she took a seat. "Just surviving, barely."

Some friends looked like they wanted to ask about Owen Lancaster, but their words got stuck halfway, swallowed back down.

It used to be that whenever someone mentioned her, Owen’s name would inevitably follow, and vice versa. They were like two ends of a magnet, inseparable in everyone’s mind.

But only Serena knew the truth.

The bond between them had long been shattered beyond repair.

As the wedding banquet was about to begin, a commotion broke out near the entrance. On what should have been the groom’s spotlight day, another figure stole the attention—a man who was now the heir to Avalon City’s largest medical corporation, with assets worth billions.

Owen Lancaster still looked the same. His physique alone gave him the air of a model, effortlessly commanding the room. Yet, he wasn’t alone.

A young woman followed behind him, delicate and radiant like a blooming lotus, her innocence almost tangible.

It didn’t take long for everyone to connect the dots.

She was clearly Owen Lancaster’s new favorite.

An ex-lover and a current flame at the same event? Tonight promised fireworks.

The only empty seat left in the room was at Serena’s table. The staff suggested opening another table, but Owen cut them off with a flat tone:

“No need to bother. Just add a chair.”

And so, Serena found her space shrinking, a new chair wedged tightly next to hers.

"Hi, I’m Emma Hayes," the young woman introduced herself nervously, slipping into the spot right between Owen and Serena.

“Don’t be scared, sweetheart, we’re harmless,” a friend joked with a grin. “Though, knowing Owen, if any of us tried teasing you, he’d probably kill us.”

Owen shot him a cold glare.

“If you know that, then shut up.”

His protective streak was just like the old days, though Serena couldn’t care less anymore.

During the meal, Emma Hayes kept stealing glances at Serena Harper.

Serena noticed but stayed silent. After some time, Emma cautiously spoke up, “Why don’t... you take my seat?”

Serena raised her eyes, saying nothing, waiting to see what Emma was up to.

Emma immediately stood up, her tone flustered. “I’m so sorry... I really didn’t know you’d be here. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come at all.”

Her words drew the attention of everyone at the table.

A friend chuckled, “Sis Serena, what did you do to scare the poor girl? She looks terrified of you.”

Serena shrugged innocently, her expression calm. “She’s my intern.”

The room went quiet as everyone suddenly found interest in their plates and glasses.

It was true—Owen Lancaster had first met Emma Hayes through Serena.

Emma was one of Serena’s interns, still in college.

But Emma knew nothing about Serena and Owen’s past. It wasn’t until one drunken night that Serena found out.

That night, after being forced into rounds of drinks with older businessmen, Serena stumbled out of the restroom, dizzy and lightheaded. In the corner, she saw Owen leaning his head on Emma’s shoulder, his arm lazily circling her waist, clinging to her like she was his anchor.

At that moment, Serena realized.

Oh, so they’re together now.

Everyone else knew, yet she was the last to find out.

Owen’s hand gripped Emma’s wrist. “Sit.”

Emma hesitated, looking nervously at Serena.

What are you looking at? Do I look like I’m going to eat you? Serena thought, rolling her eyes internally at Emma’s feigned innocence.

Owen’s voice deepened. “Why are you so scared of her? I’m here. She can’t bully you.”

Everyone watched Serena, waiting to see her reaction. She wasn’t about to give them a show. Besides, she didn’t feel pitiful in the slightest. With a faint smile, she replied, “Of course, with Mr. Lancaster protecting you, no one would dare bully you.”

Emma still looked uneasy, but Owen kept whispering to her in a low, soothing tone, as though comforting her.

It wasn’t the first time Serena had seen Owen so gentle.

He had once been this way with her.

And it was precisely because she had experienced Owen’s love that she understood—this time, he truly meant it.

He loved Emma Hayes. Loved her enough to break ties with his family, to give up his inheritance.

Owen’s mother had told Serena all of this herself.

She used to be Owen’s mother’s ideal daughter-in-law. They were even planning their engagement when Emma suddenly appeared, disrupting everything. Owen’s mother was both furious and helpless.

Funny how things worked out.

Serena’s entire life had been intertwined with Owen Lancaster.

She was an orphan, raised with funding from the Lancaster family. Later, Owen set his sights on her, and she became his.

After graduating, she gave up a job offer from a top global company to stay by his side, working tirelessly as his most loyal supporter.

Was she just a love-struck fool? The current Serena could admit it—she had been hopelessly blinded by love. But back then, she was young, passionate, and reckless, believing that love could be as unbreakable as diamonds.

And so, it went on for eight long years.

Eight years of her prime. She gave everything to Owen Lancaster, pouring her youth into him, betting her entire early life on this man.

In the end, all she got was a nameless, unacknowledged role in his life.

It was stupid.

Trusting men could ruin you for life.

...

Serena turned her gaze toward the wedding stage.

The bride and groom were her and Owen’s best friends from college.

Back then, they had made a pact: whoever got married first, the other couple would gift them $8,888 as a wedding present.

But after today’s wedding, the couple would see two $8,888 entries in the gift registry, one from:

“Serena Harper”

“Owen Lancaster and Emma Hayes”

As the ceremony neared its end and it was time to throw the bouquet, the bride suddenly decided not to toss it.

Holding the microphone, her voice choked with emotion. “The year we graduated college, Rye and I made a vow with our best friends that if one of us got married first, the other couple would gift us $8,888. There are so many people here today, and I don’t know if they made it or if they avoided showing up to dodge the gift...”

The crowd erupted in laughter.

Serena lowered her head with a faint smile, shaking it slightly.

“But if they are here and kept their promise, I’d like to pass all the happiness of this day on to them...” The bride raised the bouquet high. “Owen and Serena, come up and take it yourselves.”

Suddenly being called out by name, Serena’s faint smile froze slightly.

The air grew thick with tension.

At the nearby tables, those familiar with them all turned their attention toward her.

Then, Owen stood up.

Amid the crowd’s attention, he walked to the bride and accepted the bouquet.

Afterward, he returned to Serena’s table.

And, in front of everyone—

He handed the bouquet to Emma, who was sitting next to Serena.

“Take it,” he murmured softly by her ear, his tone low and intimate. “Consider it a blessing for us from them.”

Emma, overwhelmed and on the verge of tears, looked utterly moved. She never expected Owen to treat her with such warmth and care.

In an instant, all eyes were once again on Serena.

The one who was supposed to be the joke of the evening paused for two seconds before leading the applause. The sound of her clapping was loud and crisp.

She could feel that Owen glanced at her.

But so what?

How romantic. How heartfelt. Shouldn’t it deserve applause?

Perhaps out of guilt, the bride came over to check on Serena after the ceremony and said apologetically, “I’m so sorry, Sera. I had no idea you two had split.”

“It’s nothing.” Serena smiled faintly. “You know we were never officially together.”

The bride’s expression instantly turned pitying.

But Serena had long grown accustomed to it.

She had never held an official title, never really been Owen’s girlfriend. Though the term felt degrading, back then, she truly had been “with” Owen.

That’s just how it worked in this circle.

Money meant you didn’t have to treat people like people. It meant you could toy with someone’s genuine feelings and discard them like worn-out shoes.

A rich man’s fraction of sincerity could move someone to tears.

And when it came to Emma, Owen was entirely sincere.

Serena continued to smile faintly, her gaze resting on the radiant couple, her thoughts drifting. She suddenly recalled a time when he had once told her she was his one and only.