Chapter 2

After dinner, I went to find Edward and asked him, "When you turned me down, you said you were my uncle and couldn't be with me. So, why did you agree to marry Christina? Isn't she your niece, too? Isn't she a Francis too?"

He stared out into the night without looking back. "It's different."

"How is it different?"

"Charlie," he said, his voice barely audible in the night breeze. "You're stronger than her. You don't need me to survive."

I stood there, and suddenly, I laughed.

Strong. There it was again. That was the only thing anyone ever praised me for. But he was the one who had seen me at my weakest, and now he was using that same word to shove me aside.

"Edward," I called his name one last time. "If you turn me down today, I swear I'll never give you another chance."

He didn't say a word. Not a single word to stop me.

I turned and walked away.

After that, I spent three whole years in Aurelle. I finished my degree, landed a job at a tiny gallery, moved three times, and scraped together enough savings to get by.

I didn't bother keeping up with any news from back home. The Francis family couldn't reach me, nor could my classmates. Everyone thought Charlotte Francis had vanished off the face of the earth.

Then, three months ago, my dad's assistant from when he was alive managed to reach me through my old email address from back home.

My dad's grave was being moved. According to the customs in my hometown, after three years, I had to open the grave, collect the bones, and rebury them. So, I had to come back.

*****

"Where are you headed?" Edward's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Let me drive you. I've already arranged your dad's reburial ceremony. It's set for tomorrow."

"I know, but we're not headed in the same direction." With that, I flagged down a taxi and said to the driver, "Take me to the Grand Regency Hotel."

As I reached the hotel entrance, I stopped. There was someone I never expected to see. Paxton, the Francis family's butler. He was still in that familiar dark gray suit, giving me a slight bow.

"Ms. Charlotte Francis, Mr. Everett Francis sent me to pick you up. The car is already downstairs." He wasn't asking if I wanted to go. He was telling me I had to.

Paxton came forward and took my suitcase.

The Francis residence hadn't changed a bit, still fancy, still dead as ever. Paxton led me through the foyer and into the dining room.

The table was piled high with food, the crystal chandelier making everything look almost too good to eat, but the people sitting around it made my stomach twist up instantly.

Grandpa was at the head of the table. Christina sat on his left. She looked a little thinner after three years, her face still carrying that sickly pale glow. Her makeup was perfect, not a hair out of place.

She was still that carefully pampered porcelain doll from my memories. My mom was next to her, looking so much older, her hand gripping Christina's like she was afraid to let go. The two of them leaned in close, whispering to each other.

Edward was on Grandpa's right, and the second I walked in, his eyes locked onto me. I turned away, refusing to look at him.

"Three years gone, and you can't be bothered to say hello to your family?" Grandpa said, staring at me.

"Grandpa," I called out.

He snorted. "Your dad's reburial is a huge deal, and you didn't come back early to take care of anything. You barely made it in time. Clearly, your dad means nothing to you."

His words felt like a dull knife, digging right into the softest part of my chest. I didn't say a word in my defense.

"Alright, it's good you're back," my mom said, trying to smooth things over for once. But then she turned to Christina. "Your sister is not well, but she has to handle all this. Couldn't you at least thank her for all she has done?"

Christina quickly shook her head, her voice soft and gentle. "Mom, it's nothing. Charlie just got off the plane. She's probably still jet-lagged."

As she spoke, she asked the maid to pick me a piece of roasted lamb on my plate. "You look so thin. You probably didn't eat properly while you were in Aurelle. Try this."

Roasted lamb was always my least favorite. Back then, I would've shoved it aside without thinking. Now, all I did was say, "Thanks."

Christina faltered for a second. She was shocked that I didn't pick the lamb off my plate, and the words she'd planned slipped away.

"Alright, let's get down to business," Grandpa said, setting down his wine glass. "Everything for tomorrow's reburial is already arranged.

"After that, Charlie, don't go running off to Aurelle again. Come back to the Francis family. Living out there all the time is so unacceptable."

"Grandpa." My fingers tighten. "I have a job in Aurelle."

Grandpa didn't care. "Remember John Clark? Kaysen's second son, the one you used to take piano lessons with as kids? I've already talked it over with your mom. After the ceremony tomorrow, you're meeting him."

My knuckles went white around my fork. 'So, this was the real reason for this family dinner.'

"Grandpa, I don't need a blind date," I said.

"You're twenty-three, and you still don't have a boyfriend. When Christina was your age, her marriage was already set." Grandpa frowned.

My chest tightened under the weight of it all. I shut my eyes and said straight out, "I'm not going. I'm not Christina. I don't need you mapping out my life for me."

The moment the words left my mouth, the atmosphere in the dining room instantly changed. Nobody saw it coming that I'd stand up to Grandpa like that.

"I arranged Christina's marriage," Grandpa said, staring me down, each word slow and deliberate. "Are you saying I did a bad job?"

I glanced at Edward, silent as ever, and Christina, her eyes already red with tears. I stood up abruptly, pushing my chair back. "I need some air."