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Chapter 1

"How much longer do I have to endure this kind of life?!"

On the bed, Agnes Tudor furiously threw the pillow in her hand and shouted in anger.

She was going crazy!

She had been married to her husband for three years!

Yet, in those three years, she had never seen him even once.

This was simply absurd!

How was her current situation any different from being a widow?

She couldn't stand living like this for another day!

That day, Agnes finally made up her mind to divorce the husband she had never met!

However, even on the day of the divorce, her mysterious husband did not show up.

Agnes had to handle the divorce procedures with her husband's butler, Robert Jones.

Robert was not too surprised by Agnes's decision to divorce.

After all, no woman could accept being married for three years without ever seeing her husband.

Especially since Agnes was so young and beautiful.

The young master was indeed a bit too much, neglecting his wife so thoroughly.

Perhaps this marriage was a mistake from the very beginning, and ending it sooner rather than later was a good choice.

What Robert didn't expect was that Agnes not only chose to divorce but also didn't intend to take any property with her.

Robert was very puzzled.

Agnes, just a college kid with no parents, was already making a dumb move by divorcing now, so why did she give up any property?

Agnes scratched her head awkwardly, not hiding anything from Robert, who was like a dad to her. "I wanna drop out of school."

Robert was shocked. "Agnes, why would you wanna drop out? Got any problems?"

"No, no, Robert, don't overthink it. You know I hate studying, so I don't wanna waste time," Agnes said.

Dropping out was just a cover story to keep Robert off her back. The real reason was her secret.

Also, tomorrow marked exactly three years of her marriage to Leopold Neville.

She had her whole life ahead and didn't want this sham marriage holding her back.

A husband she never met—nothing to miss. Plus, the marriage was just her parents' doing.

"Looks like your mind's made up. Alright, I'll give it to Mr. Neville tomorrow," Robert said.

"Thanks, Robert." Agnes sighed in relief and flashed a sweet smile.

Robert stood up, looking serious. "Agnes, Mr. Neville's a good guy. I think you two are a good match, so I hope you'll think it over. If you change your mind, call me anytime."

A good match with Leopold? When Agnes got their marriage certificate, Leopold was abroad having dinner with the president. He didn't even show up; the certificate was done without him. Their wedding photo was photoshopped.

He'd shown over three years he didn't want to marry her either, so what was the point of being a good match?

Pulling her thoughts back, Agnes took a deep breath. "I..." She'd made up her mind, but to keep Robert from worrying, she changed her words to "Okay."

Robert didn't hear from Agnes until the next afternoon. Frustrated, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number: "Mr. Neville, I got a document that needs your signature."

"What document?" Leopold's voice was cold.

Robert hesitated. "A divorce agreement."

Leopold paused his work.

If it hadn't been for Robert's reminder, he even wouldn't have remembered he had a wife.

"Leave the agreement in my office. I'll be back in Lumina City in a couple of days," Leopold said.

"Yes, Mr. Neville," Robert replied.

Meanwhile, as night fell in Lumina City, an increasing number of young people flocked to the Blue Night Bar.

In Private Room 501, dozens of bottles of beer, whiskey, champagne, and an array of snacks were scattered across the table.

For her birthday, Agnes wore a rare, super girly light pink lace dress. Everyone whipped out their phones, wanting pics with her.

After finally escaping the phone-wielding crowd, Agnes happily clinked glasses with a dozen classmates. The birthday gifts they gave her filled a whole corner of the room.

Slightly tipsy, Justin Smith, arm around another classmate, was belting out, "And then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on..."

The high-pitched voice made several girls cover their ears.

"Yo, cut the singing for a sec. Let's play a game," Bella Brown, the straight-shooter of the group, hollered at the two wannabe rock stars.

Bella was the oldest in Agnes's dorm and always knew how to get the party going.

After Bella's shout, the room finally quieted down. A dozen guys and gals gathered around two long tables, all eyes on Bella.

Bella was the queen of fun!

"Truth or Dare!" Bella announced with a sly grin.

Everyone rolled their eyes. "Bella, we've played this game too many times. It's so boring." Justin sneered. He'd already toned down his usual antics in this party, and now they were playing such a boring game!

Bella shot him a look. "It's Agnes's twenty-first birthday. Let's make it spicy!" She grinned meaningfully.

Since they were all students, no one had any bad intentions. In the past, the dares were just goofy stuff like singing high-pitched songs, piggybacking a friend, or performing a duet with someone.

The first dare kicked off with everyone buzzing. Bella glanced at Agnes, who was staring at her wine, and gave a knowing look to the group. They got the hint. "The loser has to go out and kiss the first person of the opposite sex they see! On the lips! If you chicken out, you gotta down ten shots of whiskey!"

The room buzzed with excitement. This dare was way more thrilling. Justin chuckled, knowing the group's intentions.

After a round of rock-paper-scissors, all eyes landed on a bewildered Agnes.

Seeing her scissors and Bella's rock with a mischievous grin, Agnes knew she was toast!

"Bella, I hate you!" Agnes whined, thinking about the dare. She was already tipsy and couldn't handle ten more shots!

Amid the laughter, everyone watched Agnes wobble to the door. After a deep breath, she opened it.

Turn right to the first guy she saw.

Standing there was a tall dude, Leopold, in a simple white shirt tucked into black dress pants. He had shiny black leather shoes and was stepping elegantly on the carpet.

Leopold's deep eyes, thick eyebrows, high nose bridge, and perfectly shaped lips screamed nobility and elegance.

But his eyes were cold and indifferent, making Agnes hesitate.

"Whoa, what a hottie. Agnes, go for it! We're all watching!" Bella, hiding by the door, whispered. The guy looked familiar, but where had she seen him before?

Hearing Bella's urging, Agnes took a deep breath and, ignoring his intense vibe, and blocked Leopold's way.

Up close, she felt like she'd seen Leopold somewhere before. But she shook off the thought.

Boldly, she walked up to Leopold, smiled slightly, and stood on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck. His pleasant scent filled her senses.

Leopold, about to make a call, was stopped by Agnes.

Feeling her sudden approach, he frowned slightly.

But why did Agnes's eyes look so familiar?

Taking advantage of his moment of thought, Agnes gently kissed Leopold's slightly cold lips.

Moments later, she bolted from his side and dashed towards the private room.

"Agnes! That was insane!" Bella hollered, and the room exploded with excitement.

The door to Room 501 was shut tight, and Leopold's face turned stormy. Just as he was about to tell his bodyguards to toss her into the sea, his phone buzzed with an important call.

"I'll be there ASAP!" He shot one last glare at the closed door of Room 501, his face getting even darker. This time, she got lucky; something urgent came up at the company that needed his immediate attention.

They had better never cross paths again. Othewise, he'd definitely make her pay!

Inside the private room, Agnes touched her burning cheek. This was the wildest thing she'd ever done! She had just given her first kiss to a total stranger.

Did this count as cheating in marriage?

But it should be cool; she had already signed the divorce papers.

Even if Leopold didn't sign, it didn't matter. Legally, if a couple was separated for more than two years, they were automatically divorced.

So, whether she was still Leopold's wife was up in the air. How could it be considered cheating?

Taking a step back, she had only kissed another dude.

At that moment, Bella suddenly screamed, "Oh my God!" Nearly a dozen people were so startled they almost jumped out of their skins.

"What the heck, Bella? You scared me!" Clara Miller, who was about to take a sip, rolled her eyes and patted her chest.

Bella immediately ran to the still-dazed Agnes, squatting beside her and shaking her excitedly. "Agnes, do you know who that guy was just now?" That guy was the dream of women worldwide—the famous and powerful CEO of a multinational corporation in Lumina City, known as Mr. Neville!

Agnes picked up the champagne on the table and took a sip to calm herself, "Who is he?" She did find him familiar and wanted to know who he was.

"Leopold Neville!" Bella excitedly blurted out the name. It was Leopold, a legendary figure not to be messed with!

Hearing the name, Agnes spat out the champagne in her mouth. Bella, who got sprayed, looked helplessly at the panicked Agnes.

"Wow, Mr. Neville! Did Agnes get herself into trouble?" Justin's dad was the general manager of a financial group in Lumina City, and Leopold's name was well-known to him!

Clara thought for a moment about the familiar name and then screamed, "Agnes, you actually kissed Mr. Neville! Agnes, let me kiss you to get a taste of Mr. Neville."

Agnes, in a daze, picked up a napkin to wipe the champagne off Bella's face, too shocked to even apologize.

Facing the approaching Clara, Agnes suddenly dropped the napkin and stood up from the sofa.

"Bella, did you just call my name?" She thought she heard it.

Bella took out a wet wipe to clean her face and replied irritably, "Yes! You don't have to be so excited!" Kissing Leopold was a big deal. But getting sprayed with champagne by Agnes, she was going crazy!

Agnes thought to herself, 'It is over! It is over!'

Agnes patted Bella's hand reassuringly, "You guys keep playing; I'm outta here!"

Everyone watched in shock as Agnes hurriedly left. Was she going to chase after Leopold?

They had heard that many women who tried to sleep with Leopold ended up being thrown naked onto the streets.

A few people quickly ran out of the bar, trying to stop the impulsive Agnes.

But it was too late; Agnes was already outta there.

Outside the bar, Agnes flagged down a taxi and headed straight for the villa.

Agnes prayed inwardly. 'Oh God, please don't let Leopold be at the villa, and if he is, please don't let him recognize me!'

She didn't want him thinking she regretted the divorce and was trying to get his attention.

It was seriously frustrating.

Three years ago, after they got hitched, Leopold had continuously provided her with a life of material comfort and luxury.

But she had never laid eyes on him.

One reason was he was always swamped with work, often out of the country.

Another reason was even when he was in Lumina City, their social circles were like night and day. So, it was normal not to see each other even if they lived in the same city.

Her dad had always kept their marriage documents. Before he passed, fearing she might want a divorce, he handed her marriage documents to her husband for safekeeping.

So, to this day, Agnes didn't know what her husband looked like.

No, she had once thought of going to his company to see him. She did go, but the first few times, his assistant received her, and she never saw him. The last time she went without revealing her identity, she was stopped by security at the building entrance. Leopold had just returned from a business trip to the Republic of Liberia, and she could only catch a glimpse of him from afar as he got out of the car.

That glimpse was just a rough look, and she had mostly forgotten it by now. Even knowing his name was useless; Leopold was low-key and never accepted interviews or allowed the media to post his photos online.

Agnes remembered Leopold's photo being exposed by the media once, reportedly attending a press conference with a female star. But before she could see it, the news was deleted.

She had actually kissed Leopold in a bar today. If he had also signed the divorce papers, he would be her ex-husband.

She had also heard rumors that Leopold was never lacking in female admirers, but he particularly despised those who were overtly forward.

Agnes prayed again, 'God! Please let Leopold not recognize me!'

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