Filed to story: The Secret Billionaire Heiress: Love’s Deception (Joyce & Tristan Novel)
Tristan Beckett hung up the phone and rubbed his temples. His face was glum and he felt extremely irritable.
He dialed Joyce’s number, but as expected, she did not answer and even blocked him.
Tristan slammed his phone so hard on the desk that it made a loud clang. He looked at Mitchell coldly.
“Go find out where Joyce is. I want an answer in fifteen minutes.”
Mitchell felt like he would lose his job and hung his head even lower.
“Mr. Beckett, I had someone check Ms. Joyce’s whereabouts. She doesn’t seem to be in Atlanta. There’s no trace of her anywhere.”
Tristan’s thin lips were pursed, and his face grew darker.
Half an hour later, the Beckett Corporation deleted the statement involving Joyce and issued an apology, stating that it was a misunderstanding. However, they did not clarify a word about the marriage between Tristan and Joyce.
Even so, the effect of this move was still very minute. Tristan browsed through Joyce’s social media page and found her posts about their life together. It was so close to him, yet so foreign.
[Hubby came back early today! *smiley face* ]
[It’s raining… I wonder if Hubby has an umbrella with him…]
[Hubby picked me up from work~]
[Breakfast especially prepared for my hubby!]
……
Tristan unconsciously scrolled to the bottom and suddenly felt that their three years of marriage were not completely empty. This woman’s presence was everywhere.
He noticed that he had never understood her and had never participated in her happiness.
Every one of her posts was about him, and the latest statement she released at 8:00 am today was emotionless, unlike her previous posts.
It was as if this was the end of their marriage.
He suddenly felt as if a piece of his heart was missing. His chest felt empty.
Tristan wanted to continue scrolling, but the page suddenly stopped moving. When he refreshed it, all those posts he had just read suddenly disappeared. They were all deleted, leaving only the cold statement from this morning.
The number of likes, comments, and retweets kept increasing.
‘This was her stance. She just deleted everything like that? She wants to pretend that these three years never happened?’
Tristan’s heart sank and his gaze was gloomy. His heart felt like it was being squashed.
‘I will find her even if I turn the whole country upside down!’
……
A month later.
Those who attended Atlanta’s business banquet were dignitaries and the elites of society. Almost all of the upper class were present.
The banquet was not open to the public. Bodyguards were also stationed a few blocks away from the venue to stop paparazzi from secretly snapping pictures.
A luxury Mercedes Benz sports car slowly stopped at the entrance of The Waldorf. Tristan Beckett looked incomparably noble and was undoubtedly the focal point as he made his grand entrance with his female companion, Selena Price.
When Selena learned of Tristan’s divorce, she was excited and knew that her opportunity had come.
However, after all this time, Tristan did not visit her once even when she was really sick.
Selena was only able to attend this banquet as Tristan’s female companion because her uncle had sent her an invitation.
Her effeminate-looking face and expensive custom-made dress would move any man.
“Welcome, Mr. Beckett…” The organizer went over to shake hands with Tristan but suddenly heard a commotion at the door.
Someone said, “Grant Powell from West City is here…”
A luxury custom Rolls-Royce came up to the entrance. Grant Powell was truly worthy of being a legendary big name on Wall Street. His aura was extraordinary and he had a natural high-born bearing. Grant Powell and Tristan Beckett were both legends that were comparable in strength.
As soon as Grant appeared, people around him were already waiting to shake his hands and exchange pleasantries with him.
However, Grant did not leave immediately after getting out of the car. Instead, he walked to the other side of the car, took over the position of the porter, and opened the car door. He then extended his hand modestly, which attracted the attention of the crowd.
Who did Grant Powell, who had never been close to women, bring with him tonight?
“Joyce!” Someone shouted out her name.
The woman was wearing a custom handmade gown from a European royal family. The dress was studded with diamonds and was sparkling with grandeur. It outlined her slender figure flawlessly.
Her makeup was extremely meticulous and highlighted her features perfectly. It made her look even more beautiful.
Tristan narrowed his dark eyes as he watched the woman take Grant Powell’s arm and walked inside the hotel with a bright smile.
Joyce was getting closer to him with each step she took.
The glorious banquet hall was filled with important people. Every guest present was at the top of their field.
Joyce was mentally prepared to see Tristan Beckett again. Her heart did not fluctuate when she saw him because she had already let him go.
Although everyone knew that Tristan Beckett had an ex-wife, Tristan had never brought her to any formal occasions. Even when the last statement went viral online, everyone had only heard of her name.
When Joyce saw Selena Price beside Tristan, she laughed lightly and thought, ‘She took my place so soon?’
Grant Powell sensed her emotions and thoughtfully patted her arm. “Don’t be afraid. I’m with you.”
Joyce’s smile deepened. “I’m not the one who should be afraid.”
‘I don’t have any worries anymore. What should I be afraid of? I’m invincible!’
Grant walked up to Tristan. The two men were equal in popularity and were similar in all aspects.
“Mr. Beckett, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Mr. Powell, so have I.”
The two men shook hands and parted immediately after. Tristan’s eyes were fixed on the woman next to Grant.
Joyce stood beside Grant and smiled radiantly. Her eyes were glistening and clear, and her bespoke dress made her fair skin look flawless. She looked like a completely different person from before, and Tristan could not take his eyes off of her.
This radiant Joyce in front of him was unfamiliar and dangerous with a fatal attraction. Tristan could only stare at her unmovingly while a complex emotion stirred in his heart.
‘Did she go to Grant Powell the day she vanished into thin air? What is her relationship with Grant Powell?’
At that moment, the emotions surging in Tristan’s heart were so complicated that he did not even know how to describe them. Anger started to brew in his dark eyes.
Selena Price also noticed the flash of shock in Tristan’s eyes the moment he saw Joyce. She secretly gritted her teeth and said in a shrill voice, “Joyce, why are you here? Do you think this is a place you can come as you please?”
She was reminding Joyce not to forget her lowly status.
Tristan’s brow furrowed, but before he could stop her, he heard Grant’s cold rhetorical question.
“And which family are you from, Miss?” His tone was aloof and interrogative.
Selena froze and forgot that she had a companion, so she hastily tried to remedy the situation. “Sir, you may not know this, but Joyce just divorced Tristan…”
She thought that Joyce had found herself another sugar daddy and felt the need to expose Joyce’s divorced status to him.
Grant’s indifferent attitude was oppressive. “Is there a rule that divorced people can’t attend? Isn’t Mr. Beckett also here?”
Selena awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at Tristan to plead for help.
However, Tristan just stood there silently without the intention of relieving her from this awkward situation.
Joyce lowered her head slightly and scoffed.
“Ms. Price, do I need to report to you whoever I’m with? Don’t you think that you’re overstepping your bounds?”
Selena was stirring up trouble, so there was no reason for Joyce to back down in this tit for tat.
Although the scandal between Tristan and Selena had been suppressed, it had already spread like wildfire on the internet. No one believed that Tristan and Joyce had an amicable divorce.
There were so many people at the party, but Joyce did not even glance at Tristan.
Grant swept a cold glance at Selena and said unceremoniously, “It seems that the quality of this banquet has dropped because of Ms. Price’s attendance. Mr. Beckett, you need to improve your standards in selecting female companions.”
After he said that, Grant did not intend to continue wasting time with insignificant people and led Joyce to the other side of the hall.
Selena was ridiculed by such a dignified person and felt humiliated. She pouted her lips pitifully.
“Tristan…” Her voice was forlorn and cautious.
Tristan looked at the two departing backs with a cold and dark expression. He was not in the mood to think about anything else at the moment. ‘We haven’t been divorced for long, yet that woman was living in style and pretended not to see me? She even ran into the arms of another man?’
A few business partners came over to greet Tristan, so Tristan ditched Selena and mingled around by himself.
……
A large swimming pool was right outside the floor-to-ceiling window. This corner was secluded and unoccupied. Joyce held a glass of red wine and seemed to be admiring the moonlight that reflected in the water.
Selena thought, ‘Why should an abandoned wife that was kicked out of the Beckett family be able to attend such an exclusive banquet?’