𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 | R. SUKUNA

35

• • •

"There's a new scandal about you," Mariko said, approaching and handing you the iPad. With a sigh, you pulled down your sunglasses as you scanned through the article.

The headline read, "The elegant lady seems not to be so innocent after all." Below it was a picture of you smoking outside a bar with two friends. You groaned, handing the iPad back.

People always have a knack for talking about you.

A decade had passed since you left Japan to pursue your modeling career. You had made a name for yourself in Italy and were now traveling the world as the face of prestigious brands like Chanel, Dior, and Calvin Klein.

Your popularity had rised over the years, but so had the scandals surrounding you.

You were a fixture at events like the Met Gala and counted celebrities like Bella and Gigi Hadid among your friends. You were well-connected, known by everyone, and the world knew you.

There was a time when the Prince of Egypt proposed marriage, but you declined. Now, at 28, you were engaged to Naoya Zenin, the son of the richest man in Japan. It was an arranged marriage set up by your parents and his.

You had met Naoya only twice, and he seemed fine. You didn't think much about him.

Your dating history was peppered with scandals, including brief relationships with a basketball player and the famous actor Evan Peters, the latter purely for PR purposes. You had never dated someone you genuinely liked.

Not after him.

Not after Sukuna.

He had made a name for himself as well, becoming a worldwide famous MMA fighter, ranked among the top three.

His name was constantly in the news, surrounded by scandals almost daily. He had changed so much since you last remembered him, his attitude now cocky and arrogant.

He was seen with a new girl every month, dating different celebrities regularly. Gossip constantly swirled around him and his love life. In the ten years since you last saw him, you had never crossed paths, despite attending the same events.

And you intended to keep it that way, indefinitely.

Because he was thriving. Uraume had kept you updated, informing you that he seemed unconcerned about his past and had fully embraced his new life.

You think a part of you would always miss him. While you were glad he was healthy and doing okay, a part of you still ached at the sight of him.

Memories from the past would resurface, bringing back all the feelings and emotions you once experienced.

Seeing him with new girls, you couldn't help but wonder if he loved them the way he had loved you.

A decade had passed, surely he must have. But what was the point of dwelling on it-on him? You had resolved never to return to him, for yours and his peace.

You had come to accept this as your fate.

Despite everything, you knew you would always support him.

"Get my dress ready," you instructed Mariko, your assistant. Rising from your sunbed, you set aside your lemon drink. You were clad in a bikini beneath a flowing pink coat, lounging in your million-dollar mansion in Monaco.

Mariko nodded, disappearing back inside.

Today, you had to attend Margot Robbie's after-party following the release of her latest movie. She was a friend, after all, and you intended to show your support.