Chapter 2

All composure was forgotten as Henry rushed forward anxiously to stop me. "Leonard, are you out of your mind? You just returned to us, so you aren't familiar with the situation here. Kiara is spoiled, arrogant, and has a bad reputation. More importantly…"

He gritted his teeth, glanced at Kiara, then turned back to me. "She already has someone she likes. Neither of you will be happy or blissful if you force yourself on her like this!"

That seemed to be some sort of cue for Sarah, for she staggered forward unsteadily.

"Henry's right, Mr. Leonard…" she uttered in a tearful voice, her eyes red-rimmed. "Love isn't something that can be forced. Actually, rather than choose someone who doesn't even love you, why not look carefully around you for someone who truly understands and appreciates you?"

Once again, comments began flying across the overlay, fanning the flames.

[Hear that? What a kind-hearted woman!]

[Leonard, are you really going to be a jerk? Look at how humble Sarah is already being!]

[Kiara is nothing but used goods. Even Henry doesn't want a shitty woman like her, yet you think of her as some treasure!]

I coldly eyed the duo playing off each other's act.

"Oh? She already has someone she likes?" Ignoring Henry, I turned to look at Kiara with amusement dancing in my eyes. I deliberately raised my voice as I asked, "Ms. Doley, my younger brother says that you already have someone you like and that you aren't interested in me. Is that true?"

In my previous life, Henry had used similar tactics to drive a wedge between Kiara and me, leading to us becoming enemies before we could even blossom into anything else. He had gone around spreading rumors about how Kiara was already madly in love with him, but I had insisted on getting between the two and separating them.

Kiara had always been a prideful woman, so she didn't deign it worthy of her time and energy to explain herself. In the end, the two of us grew increasingly distant.

That was why, in this life, I would let her speak for herself.

Kiara raised a brow. "Henry Suther, are you delusional? Since when have I ever said that I liked you? Was it when you got so drunk that you puked all over me? Or was it when you stood me up for Sarah's sake? The only reason I didn't beat you to death was because of your father."

In an instant, the venue was in an uproar as the guests whispered to each other.

"I knew it! I told you that there was no way the heiress of the Doley family would take an interest in an adopted son."

"So, it turns out that Henry was just making himself look good…"

Henry's complexion flushed a deep red. He hadn't expected Kiara to disregard his dignity like that and publicly shame him.

"Kiara, you… Stop trying to use my brother to piss me off!" Henry was still trying to salvage his pride.

Kiara let out a scoff before smoothly hooking her arm through mine, the motion intimate and affectionate. "Leonard, I've liked you for a long time now."

My heart skipped a beat at her words. So, she didn't have any objections to this marriage?

My parents laughed delightedly. "Wonderful! It's always the best when both partners are willing and in love! I approve of this marriage!"

Mom went one step further, taking off the emerald bangle on her wrist and slipping it onto Kiara's.

"Dear Kiara, if Leo is ever mean to you in the future, you can come to me!"

And so, the matter of my marriage was settled.

I took in the malice burning in Henry's eyes and leaned closer to him. In a voice that only the two of us could hear, I said, "Henry, why are your hands shaking? Are you worried that with Kiara becoming your sister-in-law, you won't get a chance to exploit the situation and seize the Suther family fortune for yourself?"

Henry's eyes widened as he snapped his head up to stare at me.

In that moment, it was like the overlay with the madly scrolling comments had been hacked. An incomprehensible mess of coding flashed across the overlay before turning into a bunch of meaningless symbols.

It would seem that the mastermind was having a mental breakdown. His carefully devised scheme was to have me marry Sarah, an illegitimate daughter with no family backing, so that it would be easier to sideline me in the future.

However, with me choosing to marry Kiara instead, I would have the support of the Doley family. How was he supposed to fight with that?