A Genuine Smile

Colin did not even look up from the tablet resting on his lap. He continued playing his digital card game, his fingers tapping lazily against the glowing screen. He let out a dry, dismissive scoff before casting a sidelong glance across the opulent private dining room.

"Carter, give it a rest. Why do you insist on seeing every single passing woman as Stella?" Colin drawled, his tone dripping with sheer exasperation.

Colin had made the exact same remark the last time Carter thought he spotted the mysterious dancer hidden within a sea of performers. In fact, Colin made it a point to show apparent signs of distaste every time someone dared to mention Stella's name in his presence. To Colin, she was nothing more than a manipulative opportunist who had finally been cast out of their elite circle.

Declan sat rigidly at the head of the heavy mahogany table. His mood had already been trapped in a steep, downward spiral since the moment the divorce papers were finalized. He had come here to clear his head, not to endure a relentless barrage of commentary about the woman he had just discarded. Having Carter and Colin constantly agitating him by comparing glamorous women to his ex-wife caused his already dark mood to sour entirely.

The suffocating atmosphere of the private dining room grew too heavy to tolerate. Declan grabbed his empty crystal glass and slammed it flat onto the polished wood. The sharp, violent crack echoed loudly, instantly severing the ongoing chatter.

Declan shoved his chair back and abruptly rose to his feet. He adjusted his tailored suit jacket, his jaw clenched tight, and abandoned the room in pure annoyance. He marched through the heavy oak doors without a single backward glance, leaving his bewildered friends staring blankly at his empty chair.

Meanwhile, miles away from the toxic, suffocating grip of high society, the atmosphere inside the small broadcasting studio felt incredibly light. The intensive, one-hour-long live stream had finally ended. The glowing ring lights cast a warm, golden hue across the room.

Stella and her young daughter, May, sat side by side on the padded studio bench. They were still riding the high of their wildly successful stream, their chests heaving slightly as they caught their breath.

May reached up with her small hands. She carefully untied the ribbons at the back of her head and gently removed the little pink fox mask. She set it on her lap before blinking her bright, innocent eyes. She tilted her head and stared up at Stella in pure wonder.

"Mommy, it is my first time seeing you smile so happily. You look so pretty when you smile!" May exclaimed cheerfully.

The sweet, earnest observation struck Stella right in the chest. She froze, the lingering adrenaline from the broadcast draining away in an instant. A bittersweet ache settled deep in her throat. After four suffocating, oppressive years of marriage, she had nearly forgotten the shape of a genuine smile. She had spent every waking moment walking on eggshells, trying to please a family that wanted nothing more than to break her spirit.

Stella leaned down and gently pinched May's soft, chubby cheek. "You are amazing too, sweetheart. I never knew you could keep up with the rhythm and dance so well."

Stella meant every word. Just as May had been fascinated by her mother's radiant energy on camera, Stella was astonished by May's natural performance today. The little girl had moved with an effortless, joyful bounce that the camera absolutely loved.

May lowered her head at the praise. Her small fingers nervously fiddled with the pointy ears of the pink fox mask on her lap. She refused to meet Stella's gaze.

May admitted sheepishly, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper. "Actually, I have always liked dancing. But I also know Grandma and Aunt Clara dislike it. I am afraid that my dancing will annoy them, and they will, in turn, scold you for it. So I stopped."

Hot tears immediately welled in Stella's eyes. A deep, crushing sense of guilt washed over her chest, tightening her lungs until it hurt to breathe.

So that was the real reason.

Ever since she married Declan, Stella had been living under the same roof as her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. They had never once moved out of the towering, suffocating Vance residence. Stella vividly remembered how May used to sway her little body to the music when she was just a few months old. By the time she reached one or two years of age, she would dance freely around the living room, even choreographing her own clumsy, adorable dance moves.

But as time went on, she stopped. She became quiet. She retreated to the corners of the massive house.

Stella had naively assumed that May simply outgrew the hobby. It had never once crossed her mind that her tiny daughter was suppressing her joy out of deep fear that Clara and Sylvia would use it as an excuse to torture Stella.

The elite Vance family had always openly despised Stella. Because her father was merely a poor shoemaker, they treated her humble background as an unforgivable offense. They constantly gave her attitude, mocked her upbringing, and relentlessly belittled her worth. Tragically, that vicious prejudice extended directly to May. Even though three years had passed since May was born, her existence was kept completely hidden from the outside world. In the eyes of the prestigious Vances, Stella giving birth to their descendant was a disgraceful, unwanted stain on their flawless lineage.

Stella wrapped her arms around May, pulling the small girl into a fierce, tight hug. She buried her face in May's soft shoulder, holding back a sob.

Stella promised firmly, pulling back just enough to look her daughter in the eyes. "Do not worry, May. You can dance as much as your heart desires in the future. You no longer have to worry about anyone scolding us. I have something important to tell you. We will no longer live at Grandma's house. Your father and I have permanently separated. We are never returning. Are you willing to leave them and stay with me?"

Stella held her breath. She had not discussed the divorce with May beforehand, and she felt uneasy about uprooting her child's entire life.

May blinked, her mouth forming a small shape of surprise. "Can I really stop staying at Grandma's house?"

"Yes. Forever," Stella confirmed with a nod.

A massive grin broke across May's face. She threw her small hands high into the air. "Hurray!"

Stella loosened her grip, staring at her daughter in pure shock. "May, you do not want to stay there either?"

May shook her head vigorously, offering a blunt, unhesitating response. "I hate staying there. Grandma and Aunt Clara are not fond of you and me, so I dislike them too!"

Hearing her three-year-old daughter state her mutual distaste so clearly only deepened Stella's heartbreak. The depth of the emotional abuse inflicted by the Vance family was staggering. It made Stella wonder if everything would have turned out differently if she had not made the impulsive decision to quietly give birth to May and raise her alone before Declan eventually found out. Regardless, the past was the past. They were finally free.

Seeking a fresh start, Stella packed up their belongings from the studio. She drove May across the city to a modest, sunlit studio apartment. Stella had quietly purchased this property with her own hard-earned live-stream money prior to her marriage. Though she did not come from a wealthy family, she possessed enough financial independence to secure a safe haven.

Walking down the quiet hallway, Stella felt a massive wave of relief. She vastly preferred the cozy, warm embrace of this small apartment to the cold, empty, museum-like vibe of the Vance residence.

Stella inserted the key and pushed open the front door.

"Hi, Master, my name is Deccy, and I am your most loyal, intelligent steward. Just give me the order if you have anything that you wish me to do for you. I will definitely work hard to serve you."

An enthusiastic, familiar AI voice echoed clearly from the ceiling speakers the moment they crossed the threshold.

Stella froze in the entryway. The voice belonged unmistakably to Declan.

Harper popped her head out from the kitchen, a wicked, triumphant grin plastered across her face.

Stella let out a weary chuckle and dropped her bags. "Harper, are you an idiot? I left that wretched house specifically so I could forget about him. Why did you program the smart home system to share the exact same name and voice as Declan?"

Harper crossed her arms and leaned against the kitchen counter. "You were wronged way too much while living in that house. Since you cannot get those monsters to compensate you in hard cash, the absolute least I can do is secure your mental compensation. Let me tell you, I did not just program the system to talk in that bastard's voice. I also painstakingly inserted his haughty mother and his shrieking sister's voices into the database. You can switch between their voices whenever you feel upset and order them around as much as you like. Make them turn off the lights, scrub the digital schedules, whatever you want."

No one understood Stella's pain and grievances over the past four years better than Harper. Harper was fiercely outraged by the relentless injustice Stella had endured.

Stella rolled her eyes at her best friend's brilliant, petty revenge, giving her a look that clearly said she did not know what to do with her. Still, Stella gladly accepted the goodwill. It offered an incredibly petty but satisfying daily thrill to compensate for her years of past grievances.

Everything inside the new house sparked May's curiosity. She squealed in delight when she spotted her brand new bedroom. Harper had painted the walls a soft pink and filled the space with beautiful lace dolls and plush pillows. May joyfully ran off to her new little heaven to explore, leaving the adults to themselves.

Stella and Harper settled onto the plush couch in the living room. Harper placed two steaming cups of freshly brewed tea onto the glass coffee table.

Harper started, blowing on her hot tea. "Tell me the truth. You own several sprawling villas. Why did you choose to move into this tiny apartment? Do you not think it is a bit too cramped for the two of you?"

Stella swept her gaze across the compact, sunlit living room. "I think it is much better to live in a less spacious house. At least it will not look so terrifyingly empty. Living in the Vance residence for four years made me sick and tired of an uninviting vibe. Besides, I bought this place before I got married. I just want to go back to being me."

Harper's eyes softened. A surge of overwhelming joy quickly bulldozed over the initial sadness she felt for her friend. "That is the spirit."

The two women fell into a comfortable, healing silence. They leaned back against the cushions and began scrolling through their phones out of pure occupational habit.

The peaceful moment shattered violently just a few minutes later.

Harper suddenly slammed her flat palm hard against the glass coffee table. The brutal impact caused the teacups to rattle aggressively, nearly spilling hot liquid over the edges.

"Damn it! That absolute trash!" Harper shouted, her face turning crimson with sheer outrage.

Stella blinked, startled by the sudden outburst. "What is wrong?"

Harper shoved her glowing phone screen directly into Stella's line of sight. "Declan is officially the most disgusting guy I have ever seen! You two have been divorced for barely a single day, and he is already planning a high-profile engagement to Vanessa! Did he learn absolutely nothing after getting cheated on by her back then? Is he planning to let himself get publicly humiliated for the rest of his life?"

Stella leaned forward slightly and looked at the newly surfaced Facebook post on Vanessa's page. The glossy photo was aggressively cropped, but it prominently flaunted two tightly intertwined hands. Vanessa's bright, manicured fingers were locked with a man's hand. Even though the man's face was not revealed, Stella immediately recognized the distinct, dark red mole resting squarely on the middle finger. It was undeniably Declan.

Beneath the photo, a flowery, deliberate caption read: *The season of love has arrived. A season that is perfectly suitable for engagement.*

Stella merely stared at the picture for a brief second. A faint, unfazed smile touched her lips as she took a calm sip of her tea. "They are now just irrelevant passers-by to me. It is none of my business whether they want to get engaged or get married."

Demonstrating complete emotional detachment, Stella looked away from the screen and did not bother taking a second glance.

Harper, however, refused to let it go. She was fuming. She grabbed a metal teaspoon and scratched it harshly against the glass coffee table, treating the spoon as if it were Declan's throat.

Harper hit the table again, the loud noise echoing through the small room. "Well, I am incredibly upset! If you had not stood up for him back then, Declan would have been humiliated long ago! You single-handedly saved the Vance Corporation from utter downfall four years ago! You gave up everything for him! Not only is he ungrateful, but he actively dismisses you. I know you refuse to make a fuss about these things, but what is the meaning of him dropping this official announcement the second you leave? It is his sick way of telling you that your immense sacrifices meant nothing. He is rubbing it in your face, acting like you have no one but yourself to blame for the grievances you suffered."

Stella sighed softly, having already accepted the harsh reality of her past. "That is precisely the thought running through his mind. He wants me to feel defeated."

Harper spat, refusing to accept defeat. "What a complete bastard! It is fine if you want to walk away from the love aspect, but we absolutely cannot sit here and let him look down on you. Since he treats you like dirt that he can trample on at will, we need to strike back and suffocate his massive ego. I have a plan. How about we call in our mutual friend, Noly, this time? Noly is universally loved. He can definitely crush Declan's arrogance with his invincible, noble demeanor!"

Harper did not wait for an answer. She eagerly picked up her phone, ready to dial the number and drag Noly into the fray.

Stella firmly reached out and grabbed Harper's wrist. "Please stop coming up with chaotic ideas. Put the phone down. You have already tangled me up in fake scandals with two different men this month. Anyone who does not know the truth will genuinely think I am just playing games. Besides, Noly is different. He is pure and innocent. I cannot bear to get his innocence tainted by shoving him into a messy, fake public scandal just to irritate Declan."

An exasperated look washed over Harper's face. This was clearly not the dramatic outcome she had hoped for. Realizing she could not change Stella's mind, Harper groaned and tossed her phone onto the couch, abandoning the plot.

Despite rejecting the chaotic revenge scheme, a warm thought crossed Stella's mind. She knew Noly had recently returned to the city. She had no intention of weaponizing him against her ex-husband, but she was eager to reconnect with a true friend from her past.

A genuine smile finally reached Stella's eyes. "I am not going to use him. But I think I will take May out to visit him today."