Chapter 1

Chris' POV

The second after I sent my message, a string of confused question marks came back.

[You've finally come to your senses? I'll coming! Wait for me.]

The screen slowly dimmed. I let out a faint, wry smile and called my mother.

"Mom, I'm bringing my girlfriend home this Christmas."

I hadn't said it loudly, but Valerie Gilbert, who was trying on clothes nearby, heard anyway. She snatched the phone out of my hand and hung up, her tone sour.

"Haven't we agreed? I'm still spending Christmas at the Huntingtons' this year. What nonsense did you tell your mom?"

Faced with her question, I kept my expression calm and took my phone back.

"Nothing."

Something in my mood must have registered, because Valerie, who'd still been grumbling a second ago, turned to look at me.

"I know exactly what's on your mind, but going to spend Christmas at Grayson's every year was something we agreed to from the start. If I win, Grayson has to sign his company over to me."

She said it with her eyebrows arched, pleased with herself, a spark in her eyes I'd never seen before.

I stared at her for a long moment, then spoke.

"Valerie, you don't actually need the money, do you?"

She stiffened, brow furrowing.

"What's gotten into you today? You don't usually talk this much."

Before I could answer, her phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at the screen and saw the contact name glaring back at me: [Hubby Darling].

Valerie killed the call at once, her expression turning awkward.

"Grayson must've messed with my phone as a joke."

My fingers curled in on themselves, a bitterness rising in my throat that I couldn't swallow down.

The room went quiet for a moment. Valerie ran a hand through her hair, irritated, then pointed at the bags on the floor.

"Those are for your mother, so you'll stop saying I never do anything right. I'm going to marry you eventually anyway. Meeting on Christmas is just a formality. Don't make such a big deal out of it."

With that, she walked off to touch up her makeup.

I glanced at the gifts. Cheap stuff, the kind you could pick up anywhere for a few dollars. And my mother's health had gotten so bad these past few years that she couldn't even eat any of the snacks Valerie had bought anymore.

My eyes stung. I thought back to years ago, the first time I'd brought Valerie home and my mother had met her. She'd been so happy that day.

My frail mother had seemed to come back to life. She'd taken off her own bracelet, the gold heirloom one, and given it to Valerie on the spot.

Her wish had been simple: that Valerie and I would come back to see her in the mountains every year, and that she'd live to see us married. Even that had turned out to be too much to ask.

I took a deep breath and said it to her.

"Valerie, let's break up..."

The rest of what I was going to say got cut off by the sound of a lock turning.

Grayson Huntington had gotten a key to my place somehow, without me knowing, and let himself straight in. He saw me and raised an eyebrow.

"Chris? I'm here to pick up Valerie for some Christmas shopping."

My face darkened. I stared hard at the key in his hand.

"Why do you have a key to my apartment?"

Valerie heard the commotion and came out of the bedroom right away, speaking casually.

"I had one made for him. Sometimes you're too busy with work to come home, so Grayson stays in the guest room."

The anger in my chest kept building. My voice dropped low.

"This is my apartment! Valerie, did you even think to ask me?"

Valerie didn't bother explaining. She just grabbed her bag off the couch, then reached into the cabinet, pulled out a jar of rare manuka honey, and handed it to Grayson right in front of me.

I reached out to stop her, teeth clenched.

"That was a gift from my company. I was going to bring it home for my mother, to help her health."

Valerie shook my hand off, impatient.

"Your mother's health is already too far gone, this isn't going to save her. Might as well give it to Grayson's mom. I'll make it up to you with something better next time."

Grayson took the jar with a slight frown and said to me,

"Don't take it so personally, Chris. Once Valerie admits defeat, I'll settle up everything you've spent on her these past few years."

Valerie laughed at that and gave Grayson a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Who says I'm losing? Let's see if you can keep this up for life."

They slammed the door shut behind them. The gust of air that followed left my heart completely cold.