Chapter 3

Seeing the worry on my mother's face, I felt a lump in my throat.

My family, the Lanes, had all our businesses in Kingston City, yet I'd followed Edward to Riverwood City alone. I rarely told them about my troubles.

They'd only found out how much I'd suffered because Emily had ratted Edward out.

"Sophie, remember this. We Lanes might not be as big as the Grants, but we're not to be messed with. Don't keep everything bottled up inside," my mom added, her tone firm.

Tears pricked my eyes, and I hugged her tightly. "I was blind before, Mom. It won't happen again."

Our families had originally planned the alliance because my mom and Edward's mom had been best friends since they were young.

Over the years, the Lane and Grant clans had become tightly intertwined. A marriage would have been the perfect union. If we fell out, Edward had the backing of his entire lineage, and the Lanes would be left to bear the brunt.

Luckily, Edward wasn't the only eligible bachelor in the Grant family. There was also James Grant, a total catch.

After I told my mom about Edward's absurd behavior, she wasted no time taking my dad and me to Grant Manor. The elders of both families talked for less than an hour before settling on a new engagement between me and James.

I'd had him investigated beforehand. He was a man of integrity, with no questionable women in his life.

I no longer hoped for true love; finding someone who could bring benefits to the Lane family was the best I could ask for.

That day, Emily accompanied me to try on jewelry, her eyes sparkling with gossip.

She asked, leaning in, "Sophie, are you really going to marry James? He's thirty, and he has zero rumors. Aren't you worried he's impotent?"

Then, she paused, grinning. "But even if he is, he's better than that scumbag Edward. I still don't know how you put up with him for so long. You're a saint."

I thought back to all those absurd moments.

How had I endured them? Had I really liked Edward that much?

It felt like waking up from a long dream; I could barely relate to my past self.

Charlotte's little tricks wouldn't have been hard to expose.

But I'd held back, remembering Edward's words. "She's so young, stuck in a marriage with a comatose man. You're a woman too. Can't you have a little sympathy?"

Just as Emily had put it, "Good girls get the praise, bad girls take the prize."

I'd cared about Edward's dignity, about Charlotte's sorrows, but never about my own.

I tapped her forehead lightly. "Buy whatever you want tonight. I'm paying."

Emily bowed dramatically. "You're the best!"

She let out an exaggerated laugh. "I'm going to take all the store's treasures."

But as soon as we stepped into my family's mall, we ran into two uninvited guests.

Inside the jewelry store, Charlotte was whispering sweetly to Edward, acting all coy.

Edward patted her head gently to soothe her, then turned to the salesclerk with a cold glare. "I said I want this necklace. Wrap it up. Do you not understand?"

The salesclerk looked on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Grant, but this piece is reserved for our boss. We can't sell it..."

When she saw me, she breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "Boss."

"Sophie, this is your family's store?" Edward's expression softened when he saw me. "Tell her to give it to Charlotte."

Charlotte clung to Edward's arm, a flicker of pride in her eyes.

She'd stolen countless things from me using this exact trick.

I couldn't help but wonder. How did Edward's looking after his brother's wife always end up with me being sacrificed?

I said, my tone calm but firm, "I'm sorry, but this piece is reserved for a VIP.

"It's for someone's wedding. Mr. Grant, you're always so righteous. You wouldn't ruin a wedding, would you?"

Edward's face turned livid. He'd never expected me to be so uncooperative, to refuse to give him an out.

Charlotte added fuel to the fire, her voice sweet and innocent. "It's okay, Edward. It's fine if Sophie doesn't like me. After all, she's not part of the family yet.

"I still have the Radiant Heart necklace you auctioned for me. That's more than enough."