Chapter 2 09:20 [ Live Chat : He's here for Isabelle ! He must be here to surprise her ! ] No one had actually expected Sebastian Knight to show up . The producers and Isabelle had only ever intended to use his name for hype . Now , they all stared at each other in stunned confusion . The producers assumed Isabelle had pulled off a miracle , while Isabelle assumed the net- work had arranged it . A brilliant , relieved smile spread across Isabelle's face . " Seb ... Sebastian , " she cooed , her voice laced with shy intimacy . " You came ! Why didn't you tell me ? I thought you were busy . " She delivered the line with a masterful touch of coy affection , leaving the audience to imagine all sorts of romantic scenarios . [ Live Chat : He's here to defend his girl ! He couldn't stand seeing that nobody harass her ! 】 [ Live Chat : " Sebastian " ? Girl , you know you wanted to call him " honey " !] Amidst the pandemonium , Sebastian finally looked at her . His expression was utterly devoid of warmth . " Why , " he asked , his voice dangerously quiet , " would I tell you ? " 6 Isabelle's face fell . She shot a helpless , panicked look at the director , who could only stare back with equal helplessness . The host quickly jumped in , laughing nervously . " Mr. Knight just wanted to give everyone a big surprise , right ? " Sebastian glanced at her , unimpressed . The host , oblivious , plowed on . " Well , since you're here , both Isabelle and Ivy have made beef and tomato stew . Which one will you try ? " Sebastian's gaze fell on Isabelle's pot of stew , and his lip curled in disgust . " That's a scorched mess , " he said flatly . " My dog wouldn't eat that . " Isabelle's face cycled through shades of red and green , like an unripe tomato . Sebastian then walked slowly over to my station . " This one , however , " he said , leaning over my pot and inhaling deeply , " smells incredible . " I looked up and met his eyes . The cold , aloof mask he wore for the world instantly melted away , replaced by a smile so tender it could have coaxed flowers from stone . He had his back to the cameras , so no one else saw it . The live chat was in shambles . [ Live Chat : LMAO , not even love can make the Prince eat burnt beef . ] [ Live Chat : He'll buy her a 20 - million - dollar diamond but draws the line at bad food . I respect it . ] [ Live Chat : Okay ... is it just me , or does it feel like he's actually here for Ivy ? ] Though most were still trying to defend Isabelle , a seed of doubt had been planted . For a man who would supposedly post such an intimate photo and gift such an extravagant diamond , his public behavior toward Isabelle was shockingly cold . This was a far cry from the passionate romance everyone had imagined . The host , seeing the comments , decided to go for the jugular . " Mr. Knight , that photo of your abs that went viral a few days ago ... was that posted by you ? Sebastian cleared his throat and nodded . A blush crept up my neck as I remembered that night . The chat , however , was still trapped in Isabelle's fantasy . [ Live Chat : AHHHHH YES ! We've gotten to the good part ! ] [ Live Chat : This is literally a romance novel coming to lifel 】 [ Live Chat : Is he about to propose to Isabelle on live television ?! ] I ladled the stew into a bowl , glancing at Isabelle . Her face was ashen , her hands trembling Kardan , standing beside her , looked like he was about to be sick . She hurriedly started serving her own stew , slopping some onto the table in her haste . The host pressed on . " And the hand in the photo .... the one with the pink diamond . We hear that was a gift for your girlfriend ? " Sebastian smiled , a slow , dangerous curve of his lips . " Fiancée , " he corrected her . 3/6 09:20 09:20 Chapter 2 The chat exploded again . 【 Live Chat : FIANCÉE ! He's serious about her ! ] [ Live Chat : That ring is GORGEOUS ! " he murmured , loud enough for the entire world to hear . " Why aren't you wearing it ? " 7 With that one question , the world - both in the studio and online - imploded . Simultaneously , a new hashtag began trending worldwide : #SebastianAndivy . Everyone on set stared , the gears in their heads finally , slowly , grinding into place . He wasn't here for Isabelle . He was here for me . The live chat performed a complete 180 . [ Live Chat : OH MY GOD . HE WAS INVITED BY IVY . FOR REAL . ] [ Live Chat : LMAOOOOOO SO ISABELLE WAS THE CLOUT - CHASER ALL ALONG ! )] 【 Live Chat : WAIT . THE TATTOO . THE IVY . HER NAME IS IVY . IT'S BEEN RIGHT THERE THE WHOLE TIME . I'M SO DUMB . 】 I gently pulled my hand away , giving him a weary look . " It's too big . And it's heavy . " It was the truth . The engagement ring he'd given me , with its 21 - carat main stone surrounded by layers of smaller diamonds like an unfolding flower , was a work of art . It looked incredible in photos , but on my hand , it felt like a paperweight . Sebastian's face fell . " Oh , " he said , looking genuinely dejected . " Should we .... should we design a new pair , then ? Something more low - key ? " I could never resist him when he looked at me with those sad puppy - dog eyes..I nodded quickly . [ Live Chat : OMG , why is he such a simp for her ? It's adorable ! ) [ Live Chat : He looks like he's about to wag his tail . 】 [ Live Chat : Ivy is living the dream . ] The host , looking like she'd just woken up from a strange dream , stammered , " So ... Mr. Knight ... you came here for Ivy ? " " Who else ? " Sebastian said , rolling up his sleeves to help me carry the dishes to the table . The host , clearly enjoying the chaos , couldn't resist one last jab . " Well , I think everyone thought you were here for Isabelle Frost . " 1 At the mention of her name , I looked over at Isabelle . Her face was a mask of gray , humiliated despair . Kardan looked like he was awaiting his own execution . Sebastian frowned . " I don't know her . " The host was completely stunned , unable to think of a single way to spin this . I smirked , turning to Sebastian . " Funny . You declined my call , but when she called you , she got through . " " Impossible , " he denied instantly , his brow furrowing . " I've never given her my number . " Isabelle quickly jumped in . " Mr. Knight , we met at your company's annual gala ... you gave me your business card ... " " Oh, " Sebastian said dismissively . " My secretary answers that line . " He then leaned close to my ear . " I don't give my number to other women . Don't you dare accuse me of that . " 4/6 00.00 Chapter 2 09:21 I turned my head away , pretending to be mad . He just walked around to my other side , his eyes fixed on my face . " I already explained . I only declined because my dad was giving his speech . I ditched my father's annual keynote address for you ... " I wasn't really angry , but I loved teasing him . The next time I tried to turn away , he placed his hands on my shoulders and spun me back around to face him . A kiss , light as a feather , brushed the corner of my mouth . " Don't be mad , " he whispered . " I'll try not to hang up on you anymore . " [ Live Chat : Sebastian's Dad : My son is a paragon of filial piety . ] [ Live Chat : I'm drowning in the sweet , sappy stench of this relationship . Send help . ) 8 After that livestream , our relationship was public knowledge , and the story went viral . The internet detectives , in all their glory , managed to piece together most of our love story . We'd met in college and started dating while studying abroad after graduation - he was in business , I was in design . When we came back to the States , he went to work for Knight Industries , and I started my career as a freelance designer while dipping my toes into acting . Our names were trending for days . Sebastian would go to work every morning and face a barrage of knowing looks from his entire company . At night , he'd curl up on the couch next to me , scrolling through comments . He'd " like " every post from people who shipped us and meticulous- ly report every single negative comment about me . " You can't fight with the entire internet , " I said , amused . He pulled me into his arms , his tone surprisingly childish . " You're my girl . It hurts me when I say one harsh word to you . Why should I let stran- gers tear you down ? " My heart melted . I cupped his face and gave him a soft kiss . " It comes with the territory of being a public figure . There will always be good and bad comments . I don't mind . " He deepened the kiss , his hand moving to the back of my neck as he gently pushed me down onto the sofa . " Want to see the ivy ? " he murmured , taking my hand and pressing it against his stomach . I tried to pull away , but he was much stronger ... Soon , all I could see was that sprawling field of ivy , rising and falling in a steady rhythm , sometimes fast , sometimes slow , like a flower caught in a storm . 9 The next time I heard Isabelle Frost's name was in a year - end recap from a major gossip blog . The headline read : " Celebrity Fails of 2023 : The Stars Who Played Themselves . " Isabelle was number one on the list . After the livestream disaster , internet sleuths had connected all the dots . It turned out she and Kardan had been together for a long time . But a designer for a boutique brand wasn't enough to satisfy her ambition . So , she began carefully curating a fake persona , trying to manufacture a power couple " narrative for herself . Even the picture of the diamond ring she'd posted had been a carefully angled , heavily photoshopped fake . She'd never even touched the real ring . That ring , while I didn't wear it often , was my engagement ring from Sebastian . It was safely locked away in our home vault . The livestream was simply a case of a con artist getting caught in her own lie . She wanted to use Sebastian's name for another round of hype , never imagining that I would call her bluff by summoning the man himself . Her public humiliation triggered a domino effect . One after another , scandals from her past came to light : she had worked as a bar hostess before her debut , slept with producers for roles , and , worst of all , committed massive tax evasion . In the end , she had to sell both of the properties she'd bought since becoming famous just to pay back the taxes and fines , narrowly avoiding jail time . 5/6 09:21 Chapter 2 09:21 And Kardan ? The moment her career imploded , he cut all ties with her . On one side was the billionaire family that funded his entire brand . On the other was a disgraced ex - celebrity with no value left . Even if Kardan had been conflicted , his self - made father , Master Winston , would have made the choice for him . After reading the article , I poked Sebastian , who was sitting beside me . " How much of her downfall was your doing ? " He was looking over a company report . He set it aside and looked at me blankly . " Whose downfall ? " " Isabelle Frost , " I said . He ruffled my hair , a mocking smile on his lips . " I didn't have to lift a finger . " He was right . He didn't have to . In this town , there were countless people eager to curry favor with him by kicking someone who was already down . That's just how Hollywood works . 10 While I didn't care what strangers on the internet thought , Sebastian clearly did . He even called my agent . " I want public opinion to be kinder to Ivy . " My agent , thankfully , stopped him from hiring an army of PR bots and instead booked us as guest stars on several popular reality dating sho- ws . I wanted to refuse , but Sebastian was surprisingly enthusiastic , clearing his schedule to make it happen . He was on a mission to shove our happiness down the entire world's throat . And honestly , his sincerity worked . The public went from skeptical to completely obsessed with us . [ Fan : Can Ivy please release a tutorial on how to find a loyal , golden retriever - in - a - CEO's - body boyfriend like this ? ] I smiled , rolling over on our soft , king - sized bed and hugging a fluffy pillow . The sound of the shower stopped . Sebastian emerged from the bathroom in a robe , his dark hair still dripping . He radiated warmth and smell- ed like the citrusy body wash he used . He pulled me into his lap . I straddled his legs , threw a towel over his head , and started vigorously drying his hair . " The internet thinks you're completely lovesick , " I teased , mussing his hair into a chaotic mess . He caught my hand , then reached over and opened the drawer of the nightstand . He pulled out a small velvet box . A moment later , a new ring was sparkling on my middle finger . He admired it , then brought my hand to his lips , placing a soft kiss on my fingertips . " My wife has the most beautiful hands . " " I thought you were saving this for the wedding , " I said , stunned . The ring was an elegant , understated design - a brilliant , square - cut diamond nestled between two graceful curves of platinum . " The wedding will have its own rings , of course , " he said , tossing the towel onto the floor . He looked at me , a wicked gleam in his eyes . " The ring is on . Now , how about we do what we did on the night we got engaged ... ? " He pushed me back onto the bed , one of my hands landing on his side , right over the field of ivy . Just before my vision blurred , a single thought drifted through my mind : If devotion had a color , Sebastian's would definitely be fifty shades of something 6/6 Read Next Novel > Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!