Claimed in Public

That was true.It was the undeniable truth.For years, I had been relentless in my pursuit of Brogan. Despite my wealthy background, I had lowered myself to the point of exhaustion, laboring tirelessly just to please him.At his slightest request, I would sacrifice my time staying late at the office or attending endless business functions. I pushed myself to the brink, ignoring the toll it took until my health began to fail.What did all that devotion earn me?In the end, I was nothing more than the punchline of a joke shared among his circle of friends."When you think about it, Ava is basically Brogan’s most well-trained dog," one of them remarked.Brogan simply stood there, swirling the liquid in his glass, offering no defense on my behalf.Instead, he merely let out a soft, dismissive laugh."What are you talking about? If she’s a dog, then she’s just a dog. Where’d you get ‘most’ from?"The room burst into laughter.As the room erupted in mockery, I felt as if a pail of

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "But… aren’t your conditions even better?"Leon paused for a rare two seconds, then looked straight into my eyes. "Do you think I’m good?"I froze and swallowed instinctively. I glanced at the table in front of me. Every single dish was perfectly tailored to my taste, clearly chosen with care.I’d actually wanted to comment on it earlier. I’d only asked him out late last night, and he had already figured out my food preferences in such detail the next day.At the very least, as a blind date, he was incredibly sincere. The way he treated people was nothing like the cold, ruthless rumors. On top of that, everything about him, from his background to his capabilities, left no doubt that he was a spectacular catch.I hesitated for a moment. "You… You’re great."Leon visibly brightened, lowering his head with a quiet laugh. He pushed the booklet toward me again. "Well, want to give it a try with me?"I knew he meant marriage.My first instinct was to r

After a moment, soft laughter rang out again. They were mocking me.Brogan’s low voice came from behind me. "Ava, are you using another man to get a reaction out of me? That’s just stupid. And if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable."I didn’t care whether they believed me or not. Without even turning around, I just walked away.Because of that little interruption, I arrived slightly late for dinner. Leon was already there, preoccupied with a cloth napkin which he was skillfully twisting into the shape of a flower. Once he noticed me, he gave it a final adjustment and offered the fabric rose to me with a flourish."Ta-da. Do you like it?"The gesture surprised me. "It's lovely," I replied, blinking. "So intricate! You have a real talent. I'm sorry I'm late. Something unexpected happened. Have you been waiting for a while?"Leon's gaze dropped as he placed the napkin rose on the table. A momentary shadow of isolation crossed his face as he murmured, "It's fine".A b

"The most solid proof? He’s had these two figurines in his room for years. On the base of the female figure, there are the initials ‘AB’ carved into it… Isn’t that your initials? There’s no way that’s a coincidence."And there’s more. Archie even said when Leon heard that he was going on a blind date with you, Leon’s expression darkened so badly it scared the kid…"The more my mom talked, the more shocked I became. With so many overlapping details, it was becoming impossible to dismiss them as mere chance.Back in college, I had garnered a fair amount of interest from others, but my entire world revolved around Brogan. Therefore, I dismissed every other suitor coldly.If Leon had been among those I turned away, I likely hadn’t given him the slightest bit of attention. To think he still valued me enough to preserve a copy of my graduation picture after all this time?Thinking back to how he’d been treating me, the pieces of the puzzle finally began to fit together.I had always th

Leon frowned, casting a skeptical glance my way. "Is this still a dream?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he rolled over and flopped back onto the bed, shielding his eyes with one arm and letting out a heavy sigh. "Never mind."I reached down and gave his cheek a firm pinch. "No dream, Leon. Wake up. We are actually getting married."The tension in his brow eased halfway. As I applied a little more pressure, his frown disappeared completely. He shot upright in one swift motion."Did that hurt?"He stared at me in bewilderment, then pinched his own thigh, muttering to himself, "It's n-not a dream…"I smiled at him. "Right. Not a dream. Now, if you still want to marry me, you’d better start getting ready."Leon looked completely stunned. He obediently washed himself up and took something for the hangover. He sat across from me, still dazed. "What changed your mind overnight?"I let out a small sigh. "Because someone’s been secretly in love with me for years and never said