Chapter 4

As he said that, Devin and Jacob both watched me closely for any reaction, but I stayed completely unfazed.

I was expressionless as I looked at them and said flatly, "I won't."

That evening, my adoptive parents, who were the Frost brothers' real parents, had just returned from their trip abroad.

As we all sat down for dinner, Tiffany was about to excuse herself when Eric grabbed her arm.

"Tiffany, you're not an outsider. Come join us for dinner," Eric said.

Tiffany shot a nervous look at everyone else, about to say no, but Devin spoke up before she could. "Eric's right. Sit down and eat with us."

Kelvin and Phoebe Frost, sitting at the head of the table, exchanged a glance, their faces clouding with disapproval, but kept quiet.

Phoebe looked at me kindly and said, "Violet, your birthday's coming soon. I've checked out the wedding venues. So, have you decided who you'll pick to be your husband?"

As soon as she said that, Devin, Jacob, and Eric all froze, and their expressions changed as they turned to stare at me.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Jacob flashed a smile, trying to break the tension. "Mom, there's still plenty of time before Violet's birthday party. Let her think it over a bit more."

Phoebe turned to look at Jacob.

"Violet's birthday is coming up. Have you picked out a gift for her yet?" she asked.

"She... she said I didn't need to get her anything, so I didn't get anything," Jacob replied.

As soon as Jacob finished speaking, Phoebe's frown deepened. She turned to Devin. "And you?"

Devin shrugged, "I gave her my black card, but she didn't want it."

Devin said it like it was totally normal and didn't think he'd done anything wrong.

Eric, sitting right next to him, looked over at Phoebe and jumped in, "I've got a gallery show coming up, so I have no time to pick out a gift. She said she didn't want anything, so I guess that means none of us have to bother then."

Their excuses just kept getting more and more outrageous. Kelvin and Phoebe were getting more and more ticked off by the second.

Just as they were about to lose it, I grinned and pulled up a picture of a wedding ring on my phone, holding it out for everyone to see.

"Kelvin, Phoebe, I've already got someone in my heart. I'm planning to use this ring to tell him how I feel. What do you guys think?" I said.

As soon as I said that, the whole room went dead silent.

Everyone at the table just stared at me, totally stunned and in disbelief.

After Kelvin and Phoebe finally calmed down, though the shock was still written all over their faces, they blurted out, "Violet, are you seriously saying you don't like any of the three brothers?"

I was just about to say "yes" when Eric glared at me, clearly pissed off.

"Violet, can you knock it off already? It's one thing to throw a fit with us, but now you're making a scene in front of Mom and Dad?" Eric snapped.

Devin's smile disappeared in an instant, his eyes turning icy as he stared me down. "Pulling your little games with us is one thing, but now you're doing it in front of Mom and Dad? You think this is funny?"

Jacob slammed his fork down, clearly pissed off.

"Violet, you keep saying you have someone in your heart, but come on, that's impossible. You even went out of your way to get custom diamond cufflinks, just to give them to..." Jacob said.

As soon as he said that, Devin and Eric both shot Jacob a nervous look, suddenly tense.

"Who did you get them for?" Devin pressed.

"How would I know?" Jacob snapped.

Jacob shot back irritably, his hand at his side tightening without him realizing.

He knew perfectly well who those custom diamond cufflinks were meant for, but he'd never admit it, though.

Back then, he'd been too naive, and that was why he lost everything.

This time, he wasn't going to let himself be played for a fool again.

Phoebe's voice cut through the tension in the dining room. "Jacob, how did you find out about Violet getting those custom diamond cufflinks?"

"I... I just saw it by accident," Jacob avoided eye contact as he mumbled his reply, clearly uncomfortable.

I sat across from him, a wry smile tugging at my lips.

He was telling the truth about the custom diamond cufflinks.