On the eve of their wedding, Luke disappeared.
Vesper searched all over Ashmore but couldn’t find him.
Exhausted, she received an anonymous text message.
"President Lockwood is in Varden."
A detailed location was attached below.
Vesper flew over that very night.
She found him at a business club in Varden.
The door was cracked open. A man in a sharp suit was surrounded by people, sitting in the center of the sofa. His legs were crossed, and he leaned back lazily, skillfully exhaling clouds of smoke.
A friend made a toast. "Luke, your wedding to Vesper is in three days. Congratulations on landing the beauty!"
Vesper had heard that some men experience pre-wedding anxiety and need time and space to sort through their emotions.
’Maybe Luke is the same.’
Just as a pang of sympathy shot through her, she heard the man’s cold, callous voice.
"I only accepted her proposal because I was forced into it, with no way out. Now that I’ve had time to calm down and think, she’s actually no help to my career. Sure, she’s pretty, but you get tired of looking at the same flower after a while."
Vesper was already twenty-three. In a few more years, she’d be past her prime, unable to compare to the fresh, exciting thrill of an eighteen-year-old girl.
"Don’t tell me you’re thinking of calling off the wedding?"
"You can’t spoil women! She dared to force this marriage on me, so I have to teach her a lesson. Otherwise, where will I get any breathing room after we’re married?"
"You really have a way with women. She’s an orphan who’s been with you for three years. How could she bear to leave you now that you’re so successful?"
The friend glanced at the woman by his side and teased, "With a beautiful and capable confidante like Ivy by your side, I wouldn’t be able to let go either."
Luke turned his head and kissed the young woman’s cheek, which was more delicate than a flower. He looked every bit the playboy. "If you’re so envious, go find one yourself."
Ivy Joyce snuggled into Luke’s arms, coyly tapping his chest. "You’re awful! You just love to tease me!"
The two flirted shamelessly as if no one else was there. Their friends were clearly used to it, which meant this wasn’t the first time.
"Ivy, you’ve been with Luke for so long. Haven’t you ever thought about making a play for the top spot?"
Ivy gazed at Luke with tender affection, her eyes full of adoration. "As long as I can be with Luke, I don’t care about any title."
Compared to Vesper forcing a marriage, Ivy seemed all the more obedient and understanding.
Luke clearly enjoyed the young woman’s adoring gaze.
Catching sight of the trembling figure at the door, Ivy’s red lips curved into a smirk. She tightened her slender arms around his neck, her voice sweet and soft. "Luke, are you sure it’s okay for you to skip the wedding? What if Sister Vesper gets angry and breaks up with you..."
"She wouldn’t dare! Besides me, who else would want her?" Luke’s voice was certain.
The white smoke swirled around, obscuring his handsome face.
Vesper’s fingernails dug into her palms. The blood in her veins seemed to freeze, a chill spreading through her entire body.
Years ago, her father had wanted her to enter an arranged marriage with the Hawthorne Family. Unwilling to have her life planned out for her, to live in a cold, passionless marriage of polite respect, she had packed her bags and run away from home overnight in search of true love.
Who would have thought that just after she’d rented an apartment, she would be targeted by a few delinquents who planned to rob and assault her.
At the critical moment, Luke appeared and saved her.
The slender young man in a white shirt and black pants fought off all three of them. Ignoring his own injuries, he had gently comforted her.
Crying, she had treated his wounds. When she learned he was looking for a place to live nearby, she offered him a room at a low rent.
Luke was gentle, considerate, and ambitious. He was also an excellent cook and took special care of her.
One thing led to another, and the two of them started a relationship.
Her heart ached seeing him work so hard at his part-time jobs, but not wanting to hurt his pride, she secretly arranged for someone to invest startup capital in him to help him realize his ambitions. He had lived up to her expectations, successfully taking Zephyr public within three years.
On the day the company went public, she secretly booked a restaurant, bought a diamond ring, and proposed to him in front of everyone.
She had thought he was as happy and excited as she was. But looking back now at all the small details she had ignored... it turned out he never wanted to marry her. In fact, he thought she was forcing him.
Vesper pushed the door open and walked in.
The moment they saw her, the noisy private room fell silent.
Luke’s cynical smile vanished instantly. He frantically pushed Ivy out of his arms.
"Vesper, what are you doing here?"
He stepped forward, trying to take her hand, but Vesper stepped back to avoid him.
"If I hadn’t come, how would I have heard what’s truly on your mind?"
She fought back the bitterness, her eyes red as she stared straight at him. "If you don’t want to get married, you could have just told me. I wouldn’t have forced you."
Luke explained hurriedly, "It’s not what you think. You’ve misunderstood me."
He shot a look at his friends, and they filed out one by one. Ivy was the last to leave, and as she passed by Vesper, her lips curved into a provocative smile.
"Sister Vesper and President Lockwood are so close. Wherever President Lockwood goes, Sister Vesper follows..."
Before she could finish, Vesper raised her hand and slapped her. "Who the hell do you think you are? Is it your place to speak about things between him and me?"
Ivy clutched her face, looking at Luke with tears welling in her eyes. Her expression was pitiful and heart-wrenching.
"President Lockwood..."
"Vesper, if you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t drag innocent people into this." Luke’s handsome face tensed as he instinctively moved to stand in front of Ivy, his protectiveness obvious.
The scene stung Vesper’s eyes. She clenched her trembling fists and forced herself to remain calm. "When did it start?"
Luke tugged at his tie, his voice laced with suppressed annoyance. "We’ve been through three years of ups and downs. Don’t we even have that basic level of trust?"
It was because she trusted him too much that she had never once suspected him.
A mocking look appeared in her eyes, and she gave a faint smile.
"Do you dare to prove it?"
"How do you want me to prove it?"
"Fire her."
"No. She hasn’t made any major mistakes. If I fire her, what will everyone else think?"
The words tumbled out of Luke’s mouth without a second thought. He gripped her shoulders, his voice deepening. "Vesper, things are finally looking up for us. Can you stop being so paranoid? I’m working this hard for our future. There’s nothing going on between Ivy and me. How can you just slander a young girl’s reputation like that?"
But that deliberately raised voice was filled with an unconcealable guilt. The more he tried to argue, the more his lies were exposed.
Vesper stared at him blankly. Hearing him turn the blame on her, she found it all absurdly laughable.
A lying man is like a drafty wall; no matter how much you patch it, you can’t cover up the cracks.
The young man whose eyes used to be filled with only her had long since lost his way in the decadent world of business, tainted by worldly desires, and had betrayed her.
Her gaze wavered for a moment. Suppressing the sour feeling in her heart, she said, "Think whatever you want. Make your choice."
After all their years together, she still wanted to give him one last chance.
But in the end, Luke disappointed her.
"I’m not going to play along with your crazy drama and drag an innocent person into it. Ivy is exceptionally capable and has helped me a lot. The company can’t function without her."
’Ivy...’
’He says her name so intimately.’
’Is it the company that can’t be without her, or is it him?’
Vesper suddenly lost the will to question him any further. It all felt so pointless.
Seeing she was about to leave, Luke grabbed her arm, his eyes filled with anger. "If you don’t apologize today, the wedding next week is canceled."
Vesper asked softly, "Do you think there’s any need for it anymore?"
Without a backward glance at Luke’s expression, she turned and left.
Once in the car, all the strength drained from her body. Tears she could no longer hold back streamed down her face, for three years of wholehearted devotion that had been for nothing.
’To hell with true love.’
On the way to the airport, she watched the neon lights flash by outside the window, dialed a long-unused number, and said softly, "Dad, I regret it. I’m willing to go through with the arranged marriage. Just give me one week to end all of this."