After Rebirth I Chose The Other Sterling

At my lavish birthday party, Jasper deliberately arrived late with Sabrina on his arm.

Most of the guests had already departed, leaving only a clique of rich kids who lived for drama, all waiting to see me make a fool of myself.

When they appeared, Sabrina's hair was messy, her eyes dazed, her cheeks flushed. A faint hickey bloomed on her neck.

Jasper, on the other hand, looked smug, a fresh hickey on his own neck displayed for all to see.

Anyone with eyes could tell what the two of them had just been doing. All eyes swiveled to me, waiting for me to explode.

The old me would have knocked over the champagne tower, crying and screaming, demanding to know why.

But now, I simply raised my glass and took a delicate sip.

Jasper had already stepped in front of Sabrina, poised to lecture me the moment I caused a scene. But he was clearly thrown by my nonchalance as I set my glass down, acting as if I hadn't even seen them.

His brow furrowed, a flicker of surprise and annoyance in his eyes. The loss of control made him uneasy.

But then, as if a thought struck him, he laughed. "Paige, are you playing the bigger person because you're afraid I'll call off the engagement? Good. That's the attitude you should have if you want to be Mrs. Sterling. Speaking of which, it's your birthday today."

With that, he pulled a cheap, generic-brand necklace from his pocket. Just as he was about to hand it to me, Sabrina snatched it away.

"Jasper, this pendant is so sparkly," Sabrina cooed.

Jasper immediately beamed. "You like it, Sabrina? Then it's yours."

Sabrina shot me a look of false modesty, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upward. "Oh, I couldn't. This is your gift for Paige. If I take it, what will she do?"

Jasper glanced at me with disdain. "Her? That's easy."

He casually took a glass of red wine from a passing waiter's tray and poured it directly over my newly award-winning architectural blueprints on the table, his tone contemptuous. "This is for you," he sneered, then turned back to Sabrina with a smile. "Besides, she'd treasure any piece of garbage I give her."

The red wine instantly soaked through the paper, ruining three months of my hard work.

The gossiping crowd around us covered their mouths, snickering and whispering about how pathetic the Ashworth heiress was—a total joke.

Looking at the ruined designs, I didn't break down as he had expected. This kind of humiliation no longer had the power to hurt me.

In the past, I used to constantly beg him for gifts.

He once bought me a cheap plastic bracelet from a street vendor, and I was so happy I wore it every day.

The entire New York high society mocked me, saying I'd treasure anything Jasper gave me, even if it was garbage.

Unwilling to let these two ruin my birthday, I took a deep breath, handed my glass to my assistant, and instructed her quietly, "Claire, have these blueprints sent to a professional restorer. See if they can be salvaged. And get someone to clean up this mess."

My assistant, Claire, understood immediately and called for staff to clean up.

Seeing my indifference, Jasper's face darkened with displeasure.

He pulled Sabrina onto the sofa next to me, and the two of them began to flirt shamelessly, as if no one else was there.

While he was being affectionate with Sabrina, he kept stealing glances at me, monitoring my reaction.

I found the whole display utterly tedious and stood up to leave.

Seeing this, Jasper grabbed my wrist, his grip surprisingly strong. He asked smugly, "What's wrong? Jealous already? Paige, you'd better get used to it. A man like me can't possibly have only you in the future. A woman in your position can't afford to be jealous."

I quickly shook his hand off, wiping the spot he had touched, and said coldly, "Have some self-respect, Mr. Sterling."

He was taken aback, then suddenly burst out laughing. "What kind of game are you playing now? We're about to get engaged. In your heart, you've been mine for ages. Am I not even allowed to touch you anymore?"

I was so angry I could have laughed. If my grandfather hadn't warned me to keep my choice a secret for now, I would have slapped him across the face.

For now, I could only retort, "Jasper, what makes you so sure I chose you?"

He froze for a second, then roared with laughter.

The people around us, as if they could no longer hold it in, joined in.

Jasper laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. He pointed at me and said, "Paige, stop fooling yourself. Never mind that everyone in New York knows you'd marry no one but me. Just look at the other candidates for the marriage alliance. That playboy is drowning in scandals, that artist is never home—do you want to live like a widow? As for Rhys..."

An expression of extreme contempt crossed his face. "That basket case with severe social anxiety? I heard he trembles just from making eye contact and hides in dark corners all day. You want to marry some freak who can't even leave his own house? So, Paige, you tell me. Who else could you possibly marry besides me?"