She walked back into her room and locked the door.
Since the main door was broken, she had no choice but to secure herself inside her room.
The first thing she did was sit and think about her life.
Signing the contract with Luciano was a choice she had made under the pressure of her treatment fees.
She couldn't help but wonder if it was a good choice.
Looking at most of the clauses in the contract, she had no problem with them.
Appearing as a loving couple in public—she was good at acting.
Not minding each other's private matters—she had no reason to care about his business.
Divorcing after twelve months—she was fine with that.
But living with him… didn't sit well with her.
She didn't even know the kind of person he was.
Thinking of this, she took her phone and searched his name on the internet.
She scrolled through his profile.
Nicknamed Lucifer.
Ruthless, cold, and only cared about profit.
He signed his first billion-dollar contract at age sixteen.
Became the CEO of Banks Coop at eighteen.
He didn't do love. He was emotionless.
From all this, she could say one thing about him—
A typical capitalist.
She came to one conclusion: to deal with someone like him, she had to keep emotions out of it.
And that, she was very good at.
She had already made her choice, and she wouldn't regret it anyway.
Her eyes caught the time—an hour and thirty minutes had passed.
She should get ready.
She stood up and walked toward the mirror—
But looked away immediately when she saw her reflection.
How had she become like this…
Looking like a homeless ghost.
After some minutes, she freshened up and changed into a new set of clothes—
A plain shirt and simple trousers.
She packed her hair into a simple bun.
She checked her appearance in the mirror.
This looks better, she thought.
Just then, her phone rang.
She stared at the screen. It was an unfamiliar number.
But she picked it up anyway and brought it to her ear.
A cold voice echoed in her ear.
"I am waiting for you downstairs."
The call ended.
Estrella didn't need to be told who it was. It was Luciano.
Waiting for her downstairs.
She looked out through her window—
And truly, a convoy of cars was lined up outside.
Didn't he say his assistant was coming?
But she didn't care. There was no difference between the two of them.
She put on her sandals and walked out.
If only she knew other girls would have gone crazy if Luciano had come to pick them up.
Getting downstairs, she saw a crowd gathered, watching the convoy.
Berry waved her over to the car Luciano was in.
Estrella walked over.
Berry opened the back seat door for her, and she hopped in.
Inside, Luciano was working on his laptop.
Seeing him so focused, Estrella didn't bother to disturb him.
The driver started the car, and Estrella began playing with her phone.
Luciano gave her a side glance, expecting her to speak first.
But when he saw her focused on her phone, he continued his work.
The ride was silent throughout.
When the car came to a halt, the driver announced,
"We are here."
Luciano glanced up and closed his laptop.
He got down and went to the other side to open the door for Estrella.
She stepped down, and Luciano offered his arm.
Estrella took it, thinking it was part of the "loving couple" act he had mentioned.
Luciano liked how quickly she understood things.
Estrella looked up and was surprised to see they were standing in front of a glam house.
"Why are we here?" she asked.
"Just go in," Luciano said.
"You don't expect me to go wherever you want without asking questions. I am not a doll," Estrella said defiantly, stopping in her tracks.
Luciano stopped too.
"You can't look like this on the marriage certificate. It would be too obvious it's fake."
He said, patting her head gently.
Estrella was taken aback by the sudden affection.
Her heart raced wildly—
But she quickly calmed herself, reminding herself it was just an act.
Her thoughts were confirmed when she followed Luciano's line of sight.
She saw a man with a camera disappearing around the corner.
Just as she had thought.
Luciano removed his hand from her hair. He had only done that because he knew the man was there.
Yet, he felt a strange sense of loss. His hand missed the softness of her hair.
They walked into the glam house.
A woman quickly approached them.
"Welcome, Mr. Banks," she said, then smiled at Estrella. "Welcome, miss."
Estrella nodded, and Luciano said,
"Dress her up."
"Okay, Mr. Banks," the woman replied with a respectful bow.
She turned to Estrella.
"This way, miss."
Estrella followed her. The woman introduced herself as Willow, the owner of the glam house.
Willow led her into a walk-in closet.
"Pick any clothes of your choice, miss."
Estrella's eyes wandered through the closet. All the clothes were limited editions.
The place screamed luxury, but Estrella kept her composure.
She went through the clothes one by one while Willow gave suggestions.
Finally, she settled on a short white gown with a low back cut.
"This will give a simple yet classic appearance," Willow said with a smile.
Estrella nodded.
"Do you have it in black?"
"We do," Willow replied. "I'll go get it."
Willow left, leaving Estrella alone.
As Estrella continued browsing, she heard a voice behind her.
"Who gave you the right to touch those clothes?"
She turned to see a lady staring at her with disdain.
"Can't you hear me?" the lady asked, walking closer.
Estrella wondered who she was.
"Let me tell you—those clothes were prepared for Mr. Banks' fiancée, not a cheap person like you," the lady sneered, eyeing her simple outfit.
"What did you just call me?" Estrella asked, locking eyes with her.
"I called you a cheap—"
She faltered when she met Estrella's cold gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked nervously.
Estrella said nothing. She simply took a step forward.
"What are you trying to do?" the lady stepped back, fear rising in her chest.
Estrella closed the distance—
And delivered a clean slap across her face.
"Paa!"
The sound echoed through the closet.
Willow, who had just returned, gasped.
"Ms. Vale!"
Luciano, who was in the waiting area, heard the sound and Willow's voice.
Ms. Vale?
Almost immediately, he walked toward the closet.
When he arrived, he saw Estrella standing there, her arm still raised, while the others stared in shock.
"What is going on here?" he asked.
Seeing him, Estrella quickly moved to his side.
She held his arm, putting on an aggrieved expression.
"Darling, she called me cheap."
Her actions surprised him.
But when he saw her looking at him with those big, innocent eyes and that wounded expression—
His protective instinct kicked in instantly.
"Who dared to call my fiancée cheap?" he said coldly.
A chill ran through everyone present.