Chapter 3
My parents had me late in life—my mother was already forty when I was born.
Mary and my mother were close friends despite their age difference, and our families had been neighbors for two generations.
Charles' parents were always jet-setting for business until a plane crash took their lives.
As a result, Mary came out of retirement to take over the Sullivan Group.
And Charles was often left in my parents' care.
That was how we grew up together.
One day, Mary said she would take me as her own, though deep down, what she truly hoped for was that I'd become her granddaughter-in-law.
My parents, however, had never been fully on board with the idea.
Charles was a typical "left-behind" child—proud and sensitive with strong self-esteem since young.
Losing both his parents only made it worse.
But back then, I was so head over heels for him that my parents bit their tongues.
Now, Charles openly targeted my family, and they couldn't ignore it.
Father scoffed, "I knew he was trouble!"
I thought they would be angry, but instead, they seemed relieved.
Mother added, "There are plenty of fish in the sea. If he's not the one, just dump him."
I didn't mention the slap from Charles.
If my father had known it, he would've confronted Charles and knocked that brat's teeth out.
Not that I cared about Charles—I just didn't want my father to get too worked up at nearly seventy.
Mother made a secretive call in her room, then came out with a grin.
She said, "Syl, there's something we have been keeping from you.
"You have a fiancé, in Strico."
My breath caught. "What?"
"You were head over heels for Charles, so we put it on hold."
My parents' faces lit up when they were talking about my fiancé. They'd never shown that look to Charles.
Honestly, marriage was the last thing on my mind.
But I knew—even though my parents never mentioned it—the group had taken a hit from Charles' targeted attacks.
And apparently, my fiancé came from money.
My parents weren't trying to push me into marriage—they always put my happiness first.
But they were getting old.
They had given me everything. I couldn't let our family group go under on my watch.
The business circle in Maris was all waiting for my downfall.
After all, I'd been the only woman by Charles' side for years.
They all expected our wedding—until Chloe came along.
Now they also wanted me to go broke.
I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
My parents' praises for that fiancé hit me.
I used to think I'd never want anyone but Charles.
But here I was.
I sat here, talking about marriage with someone else.
That was when I realized things were just okay.
My world didn't collapse over Charles.
Life went on.
Love could be a long thing.
But falling out of love with Charles only took a heartbeat.
*****
Megan Sullivan stormed into my office.
She shouted, "Charles is proposing to Chloe. What are you doing?"
What was I doing?
I looked down at the lunchbox in my hands while the voice continued through the phone.
The flight from Strico to Maris took two and a half hours.
I was confused. "So you had this lunchbox sent to me just because you thought it tasted good?"
When I found out Julian Russell was my fiancé, no one would know how shocked I was.
The Russells in Strico only made my family look like a small fry.
I'd heard of Julian long before I ever met him, but most stories painted him as a ruthless businessman.
But the man I met—classic tycoon looks, yet with a warm smile—flashed through my mind.
The two images didn't quite match.
And Megan kept yelling, "Lunchbox? Who are you even calling at a time like this? Forget about food."
Megan was shouting at the top of her lungs, so I leaned back slightly.
Julian's deep voice came through the phone.
"Got it, my fiancée. Next time, I'll deliver it personally," he offered.
His words somehow made my ears burn.
"That's not what I mean."
"I heard some noise. Need my help?"
"No. I'll call you back."