Chapter 445

Tiffany Sinclair lowered her lashes, the long fringe casting delicate shadows beneath her eyes.

She bit her lower lip lightly, suppressing the turbulent emotions swirling in her gaze.

Adrian Valdemar watched coldly as Julian Valdemar laughed with unrestrained delight across the room. An inexplicable fury ignited in his chest.

"What an idiot..."

Beside him, the doll-faced girl wore a haute couture gown in smoky gray, her hair elegantly pinned up to lend an air of maturity.

Those almond-shaped eyes concealed undercurrents of emotion—this was Tiffany Sinclair, Julian's fiancée.

Realizing his companion, Adrian quickly backtracked. "Don't take it to heart, Tiffany. Julian's just blinded by stupidity."

Tiffany suddenly laughed, revealing her signature little canine teeth. "I'm not upset."

She was merely calculating how to handle her parents' inevitable interrogation later. The Sinclair family had mapped out her life with precision—becoming the perfect Valdemar daughter-in-law.

Watching Alexander Valdemar's tender care for Sophia Laurent, a pang of bitterness rose in her chest.

Both were arranged marriages, yet she was publicly scorned by Julian while bearing the full weight of family expectations.

If Julian insisted on breaking the engagement...

The thought sent a chill through her fingertips. Since she was fourteen, everyone had told her she would marry into the Valdemar family.

Now, calling it off would make her the laughingstock of their entire social circle.

That was why she'd barely left home these past two years. Only Patriarch Valdemar's birthday banquet had forced her family to drag her here.

Fortunately, the old man had already retired, and her parents were busy socializing elsewhere. No one noticed the tension brewing in this corner.

Tiffany silently prayed the couple would leave quickly, but Julian began striding toward them. She immediately lowered her head, wishing she could vanish into the chair.

"Adrian, long time no see," Julian greeted with a smile.

Adrian rolled his eyes dramatically. "What's the point of seeing someone who's blind?" He gave a sarcastic thumbs-up. "Bravo, abandoning your family for a woman. Such backbone!"

Julian shook his head ruefully. "You'll understand when you find true love."

"Gag—" Adrian fake-retched. "Take your white lotus and get lost!"