Chapter 3

Three days later, Shawn came to see me looking happy, with a thick stack of documents in his hands. "Nina, it's done. Harrison agreed."

His voice was trembling with excitement. "A ten percent share in Grandview Tech under Fletcher Group. Harrison transferred it directly into your name and said it was a gift for his future great-grandchild!"

I raised an eyebrow and took the share transfer agreement from him.

That was certainly generous, but it only made Shawn look even more useless.

'See? I told you Dad was the richest man in the country!' The little voice sounded right on time with pride. 'This is nothing. Ten percent is just an appetizer. Besides, Dad knows it's you. He's been looking for you all this time. Just relax!'

He had been looking for me?

How did the child know that?

I frowned and pushed down the questions rising in my mind.

Shawn did not notice anything off about me and kept babbling excitedly. "I talked to your parents, too. Once they saw this, all their worries disappeared. You feel better now, right?"

That was true. My parents had been upset over the trouble with the family's company and my ridiculous wedding. They felt better once they saw the transfer agreement in writing.

They still felt it was unfair for me, but at least I now had financial security, so their attitude softened a lot as well.

Meanwhile, the Fletcher family was surprisingly efficient.

Less than two days after the transfer agreement was signed, they sent over a butler named Alfred.

Alfred handed me an elegant booklet.

The wedding gifts alone were three pages long, and I had never even heard of many of the items on the list.

'Mom, look. An emerald jewelry set! Antiques! And an entire building in that newly developed Eastside property.' The little one shouted excitedly in my head. 'I told you Dad's generous. He must be worried you'll be mistreated. Even if he can't be here, he wants to give you the respect you deserve!'

"Isn't this a little too grand?" I hesitated as I asked Alfred. "Hugh is still recovering, after all. There's no need to make it something so grand, right?"

Alfred smiled faintly. "No need to worry, Ms. Young. This is simply proof of the family's sincerity."

'Dad is just embarrassed. He actually cares about you a lot. He's worried you won't like him, and he doesn't want you bullied by Shawn and that pretentious woman.'

Worried I would not like him?

I held the list in my hands that was worth more than gold, my emotions becoming complicated.

A man I had only spent one night with could respect and care about me.

Then I thought of Shawn's face and sighed silently. My taste in men really was terrible.

'It's fine. We can live without a lot of love, but we can't live without a lot of money!' The voice said again.

Just as Alfred and I were discussing the wedding details, the doorbell rang.

"Nina, I've brought Suzie to see you. We also need to discuss something," Shawn said, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

Suzie wore a beige dress, and the way she looked at me carried pity and a hint of condescension. "Nina, how are you doing?"

Her voice was soft and delicate as she continued. "This must be so hard for you, having to marry... Well, don't worry. Shawn and I will both remember how good you've been to us."

Before I could speak, the little one in my mind exploded in anger first. 'Gah! I'm so mad right now! It's this fake woman again! She's the one who kept bullying you in your past life! Retaliate! Let her know her place!'

Shawn did not seem to notice the strange atmosphere and continued talking. "I feel better now that a butler is helping with the wedding. Suzie's family is putting a lot of pressure on her, and she's been in a bad mood, so I thought I'd let her talk with you more. After all, you'll be family eventually…'

Family?

I looked at their arms that were held close and only found it bitterly ironic.

Suzie stepped in at just the right moment, her tone boastful as she said, "That's right, Nina. Shawn feels sorry for me, too. He said that once the trouble with my family passes, he'll give me a grand wedding. We can look after each other after that. That would be better than you spending your life guarding a living... guarding his brother all alone."