Chapter 2

After that unpleasant encounter, Edward never showed up again.

My father, David Stone, never ran into Edward during his visits, but he never brought it up, as if he'd long grown accustomed to this.

As we talked, my dad brought up the marriage alliance again.

He said, "The Foster family's influence is nothing to scoff at. If we don't tie the knot with them, we won't stand a chance in Jersey.

"Your little sister is at the right age for this. We should have her marry someone from the Foster family."

I remembered that in my previous life, my little sister ran away because she hated the marriage my dad had arranged for her. She never showed up, not even on her wedding day.

That pissed off the Foster family. They started snatching up all our business partners one after another, leaving the Stone Group bleeding losses.

It wasn't until my dad went to them, offering up a few prime pieces of land, that the Foster family finally let it go.

I stayed quiet, weighing my options and thinking about what my next move should be.

Maybe the auction coming up in two weeks would be the perfect opportunity to meet William Foster, CEO of the Foster Group.

But at the auction, I didn't see William anywhere. Instead, I bumped into Edward and Olivia. We hadn't crossed paths in what felt like forever.

Walking in the auction side by side, they looked every bit the perfect couple. Tall, handsome Edward and the stunning Olivia seemed made for each other.

In my previous life, I warned Edward and Olivia that if they ever dared show up together in public, I'd kick Edward out of my family's company without hesitation.

Intimidated by my family's reputation, they kept their heads down and never once appeared together.

But this time around, since I didn't bother laying down any rules, they were strutting around like nothing could touch them.

At the auction, they were all smiles and laughter, chatting away, and before I knew it, their fingers had slipped together, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Anyone watching would probably call them a pair of lovebirds.

I glanced their way and turned my attention elsewhere, not planning on getting involved.

Olivia must have sensed my gaze, because she gave me a smug, teasing arch of her brow.

The hands they'd been holding were now locked together, fingers entwined, flaunting their closeness.

Not a single flicker of emotion crossed my face. I just thought Olivia's little stunt was far too childish to even bother with.

Just then, Olivia deliberately stumbled and leaned right into Edward's chest, clinging to his arm as she couldn't stand on her own.

"Edward, what should I do? I feel so dizzy all of a sudden. Good thing you're here. If you weren't, I'd probably collapse right now," Olivia whined.

She gave Edward a bashful glance and purred at him in an overly sweet tone.

It was all an act, but she still shot a fake-surprised look my way.

"Ms. Stone, when did you get here?" she asked.

Then she went on, "Edward said you'd show up at this auction for him. I didn't believe it, but here you are.

"I haven't been well these days, and Edward has been looking after me. Sorry if you've been left out. Hope you can understand."

She played it off like an explanation, but I could see that provocative glimmer in her gaze.

I walked over to them, taking my time. The second Edward laid eyes on me, his whole body stiffened.

An awkward look crossed his face. He suddenly looked so out of place, caught off guard and unsure.

Still, he kept holding tightly onto Olivia's hand, not letting go or pulling away, and he didn't move an inch as she leaned into him.

He kept a straight face and said, "There's no way I'm going to the auction with you now. I already promised Olivia I'd be with her."

I scoffed and gave him a look. Funny how he thought so highly of himself.

"Since when did I ever say I was here because of you?" I replied.

Edward frowned, thinking I'd lost my cool and was saying things out of spite.

He let his voice soften a little, and, still clutching Olivia's hand, stepped right up to me.

"If there's something you like at the auction, tell me. I'll get it for you," he offered.

I shot Edward a look of pure disdain. After all, he lived off the salary my family paid him.

I couldn't believe he actually thought he had the means to buy anything I might want.

I stopped giving Edward any attention. If the one I wanted to see wasn't at the auction, there was no reason for me to stick around.

But Edward suddenly grabbed my arm, refusing to let me leave.

I shot him a frown, only to find him glaring at me, irritation flashing in his eyes.

Grinding his teeth, Edward snapped, "I already said I'd buy you whatever you want. What's your problem? Stop being so unreasonable."

I yanked my hand free, but while I was struggling, I lost my balance and ended up crashing into the wine rack beside us.

Instead of reaching out to help me, Edward quickly pulled Olivia aside, worried that any wine might get on her dress.

I collapsed onto the ground as the wine rack struck my head, and blood began to stream out instantly.

It wasn't until Edward saw that Olivia was fine that he looked my way.

When he saw me lying on the floor with blood pouring from my head, his face went pale.

He dashed over, tripping as he bent down and scrambled to pull me up.

"Get a doctor over here, now!" he shouted, panicked in his voice.

But as he lifted me, Olivia squealed from the side, her voice rising sharply as she cried, "Edward!"

Edward whipped his head around at the sound, and without another glance my way, he rushed straight over to her.

"Olivia, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

She pouted, her voice dripping with self-pity, "Edward, look at my dress. There's wine all over it. Now it's ruined, and I don't look pretty at all."

I caught Olivia sneakily dumping wine on herself while Edward's back was turned. She did it on purpose to grab his attention.

Edward took one look at Olivia's messy dress, not suspecting a thing, and started fussing over her like the perfect boyfriend.

"It's fine. I'll get you changed right away," he said.

But as he turned back, his eyes landed on me lying there, and for a moment, he hesitated.

His gaze shifted between me and Olivia, as if he couldn't quite make up his mind.

I knew who he'd choose. It was always Olivia.

As I expected, the moment Edward spotted the security guards hurrying over, his eyes brightened, relief flickering across his face as he'd found his ticket out of this mess.

"Take care of Margaret," he told the guards. "I'm taking Olivia to go get changed."

Without a single backward glance, he left with Olivia and never once looked my way.

Watching Edward leave with Olivia, his back swallowed by the crowd, I couldn't help but remember how he had always come running to me. Now, he didn't even look back.

When I was a kid, I once tripped and fell in the garden.

Back then, little Edward came running to me without a second thought. He struggled to lift me in his small arms, determined to carry me to the nanny.

After that day, I couldn't help having a secret crush on him, and I swore I'd only ever marry him.

It turned out that I never even realized Edward had always had a thing for Olivia.

He only stuck around with me because he feared my family's influence. If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered to try keeping him.

I watched as their figures vanished from view, and I shut my eyes, feeling nothing but hopelessness.

In the end, it had all been nothing but a stupid dream.