Chapter 2 · 24 Hours Before Our Wedding, He Was On One Knee For Her

It only took a few days before the gossip about what happened in the store spread everywhere.

Everyone was saying I was jealous because Edward didn't like me back, and that I was throwing my family's weight around to pick on Emily. And that was why Edward didn't care about me.

Some nosy people went and asked Edward if it was true, and he didn't deny it.

Soon enough, rumors about me were flying all over the place.

My dad was fuming at home, and my mom was wiping away tears.

That was when I spoke up, "Didn't the Hart family mention a marriage alliance before? Dad, I think we should consider it."

My dad paused, his brow furrowing instinctively. "But their family's been going downhill since his father's time. How could I let you suffer like that?"

"But weren't you optimistic about Michael Hart before?"

"Uh..." My dad still looked unsure.

But my dad had a good eye. Michael would go on to achieve things that left everyone else in the dust.

But he never got married. I guess he had his own reasons.

And I had my own reasons for agreeing to marry him.

In my previous life, after being married to Edward for seven years, I was kidnapped by his enemies. The ransom they demanded was enough to shake the Frost family to its core.

Edward didn't hesitate. He refused to pay.

I suffered beatings and humiliation like never before in my life.

In the end, it was Michael who led people to rescue me, and he ended up breaking his leg because of it.

And Edward? After I was rescued, he immediately ordered a full medical examination. Only when he learned I hadn't been violated did his expression finally ease up a bit.

Since Michael had once brought up the idea of a marriage alliance, maybe our family could be of some help to him. In this life, I want to do everything I can to repay him.

My dad finally agreed to my request and sent a message to Michael.

But Michael never replied.

As I was starting to get anxious, Michael finally reached out and asked to meet me.

We agreed to meet at a café not far from my place.

He showed up in a sharp suit, standing tall with chiseled features.

Seeing him, I couldn't help but be a little captivated by his looks.

When it came to looks, Michael was the most handsome man I'd ever met.

"What do you want to know?" I said, already bracing myself for questions about Edward and me.

He pressed his lips together, then spoke softly, "Ms. Lee, are you doing this of your own free will?"

I didn't really get why he was asking, but I nodded honestly anyway.

"Alright then, can we go to your place now?" he asked.

That made me even more confused.

"Why are we going to my place?" I asked.

He fixed those clear, serious eyes on me.

"To talk about the wedding date," he said.

Even after we locked in the wedding date, I was still stunned. How did everything move so quickly?

Michael noticed I was spaced out and asked again, his tone gentle and polite. "Ms. Lee, does this date work for you? Or would you prefer to reschedule?"

To my surprise, my wedding ended up scheduled for the exact same day as Edward's.

But he was irrelevant to me now. There was no way I'd let him affect my plans.

I shook my head.

"Let's stick with this day. I like it," I said.

The next time I ran into Edward was at a project meeting, about two weeks later.

Turned out, the Hart family landed the project.

In my previous life, I leveraged every connection I had and managed to befriend the client's wife.

Because of that project, the Frost family's assets multiplied, and they quickly became the new power players in the city.

But Edward never gave me any credit. He insisted it was all thanks to his own abilities. He thought I was just another housewife, spending my days gossiping with other rich ladies.

After the meeting, Edward came at me, absolutely livid. "What did you pull? How did Michael snag that project? Grace, don't tell me you were already betraying me back in our previous life!"

I shook my head and replied calmly, "How could I possibly have that kind of influence? Didn't you always say I waste my days hanging out with those rich ladies, doing nothing important?"

His anger cooled, and he regained his composure. "You're right. All these years, you've been living off me. You can't take care of yourself."

Chapter 2

It only took a few days before the gossip about what happened in the store spread everywhere.

Everyone was saying I was jealous because Edward didn't like me back, and that I was throwing my family's weight around to pick on Emily. And that was why Edward didn't care about me.

Some nosy people went and asked Edward if it was true, and he didn't deny it.

Soon enough, rumors about me were flying all over the place.

My dad was fuming at home, and my mom was wiping away tears.

That was when I spoke up, "Didn't the Hart family mention a marriage alliance before? Dad, I think we should consider it."

My dad paused, his brow furrowing instinctively. "But their family's been going downhill since his father's time. How could I let you suffer like that?"

"But weren't you optimistic about Michael Hart before?"

"Uh..." My dad still looked unsure.

But my dad had a good eye. Michael would go on to achieve things that left everyone else in the dust.

But he never got married. I guess he had his own reasons.

And I had my own reasons for agreeing to marry him.

In my previous life, after being married to Edward for seven years, I was kidnapped by his enemies. The ransom they demanded was enough to shake the Frost family to its core.

Edward didn't hesitate. He refused to pay.

I suffered beatings and humiliation like never before in my life.

In the end, it was Michael who led people to rescue me, and he ended up breaking his leg because of it.

And Edward? After I was rescued, he immediately ordered a full medical examination. Only when he learned I hadn't been violated did his expression finally ease up a bit.

Since Michael had once brought up the idea of a marriage alliance, maybe our family could be of some help to him. In this life, I want to do everything I can to repay him.

My dad finally agreed to my request and sent a message to Michael.

But Michael never replied.

As I was starting to get anxious, Michael finally reached out and asked to meet me.

We agreed to meet at a café not far from my place.

He showed up in a sharp suit, standing tall with chiseled features.

Seeing him, I couldn't help but be a little captivated by his looks.

When it came to looks, Michael was the most handsome man I'd ever met.

"What do you want to know?" I said, already bracing myself for questions about Edward and me.

He pressed his lips together, then spoke softly, "Ms. Lee, are you doing this of your own free will?"

I didn't really get why he was asking, but I nodded honestly anyway.

"Alright then, can we go to your place now?" he asked.

That made me even more confused.

"Why are we going to my place?" I asked.

He fixed those clear, serious eyes on me.

"To talk about the wedding date," he said.

Even after we locked in the wedding date, I was still stunned. How did everything move so quickly?

Michael noticed I was spaced out and asked again, his tone gentle and polite. "Ms. Lee, does this date work for you? Or would you prefer to reschedule?"

To my surprise, my wedding ended up scheduled for the exact same day as Edward's.

But he was irrelevant to me now. There was no way I'd let him affect my plans.

I shook my head.

"Let's stick with this day. I like it," I said.

The next time I ran into Edward was at a project meeting, about two weeks later.

Turned out, the Hart family landed the project.

In my previous life, I leveraged every connection I had and managed to befriend the client's wife.

Because of that project, the Frost family's assets multiplied, and they quickly became the new power players in the city.

But Edward never gave me any credit. He insisted it was all thanks to his own abilities. He thought I was just another housewife, spending my days gossiping with other rich ladies.

After the meeting, Edward came at me, absolutely livid. "What did you pull? How did Michael snag that project? Grace, don't tell me you were already betraying me back in our previous life!"

I shook my head and replied calmly, "How could I possibly have that kind of influence? Didn't you always say I waste my days hanging out with those rich ladies, doing nothing important?"

His anger cooled, and he regained his composure. "You're right. All these years, you've been living off me. You can't take care of yourself."