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Beranda / He Chose His Childhood Friend, I Married another Don / Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

Penulis: suue
I wasn't happy with my wedding dress. Luckily, I'd ordered some fabric from a shop a while back.

When the owner told me my order had arrived, I hurried to the shop.

Just my luck, Joss and Lydia were there too.

Lydia leaned against Joss as though she could barely stand on her own.

Joss had a new scarf around his neck. He pointed at a bolt of dark green fabric. "Choose this color. It looks more dignified, and it's the old Don's favorite."

Lydia nodded. "Okay. I trust your taste, Joss."

When he saw me, Joss stepped back and explained.

"Lydia's starting her new job soon. I'm helping her choose fabric for a new wardrobe.

"She doesn't have enough to wear."

I nodded.

What they did had nothing to do with me.

I asked the owner, "Has the fabric I ordered come in?"

The owner said, "Yes, it's here."

He brought out several bolts.

It was the plain satin I'd ordered from out of town.

Plain satin has a soft, warm sheen. I'd ordered nude pink, pearl gray, ivory, deep forest green, dark red, and chocolate brown. I loved every color.

Lydia stared at the fabric enviously. "These are so pretty. Joss, can you pick some out for me?"

Something flickered in Joss's eyes. He turned to the owner. "We'll take two of those too: the forest green and the pearl gray."

Lydia reached for them, delighted.

I slapped her hand away. "Don't touch!"

Satin is delicate. I wasn't about to let someone else get it dirty.

Lydia snatched her hand back. Her eyes filled with tears, and she hid behind Joss as though I'd hurt her.

Her voice wobbled. "Joss, am I just not good enough for fabric like this?"

Joss looked at me, irritation in his eyes.

"Freya, you already have several wedding dresses. What do you need all this fabric for?

"What's the harm in giving two bolts to Lydia?"

I had the servants pack up all the fabric. "I ordered these. Why should I give them up?"

Then I added pointedly, "You two are always after things that don't belong to you!"

Joss's face went completely dark.

He was next in line to be Don. In the Holden family, his word was law, and everyone feared him.

He saw my refusal as a personal insult.

He grabbed my wrist and lowered his voice.

"Freya, don't push your luck! You're giving Lydia those two bolts today!"

"Or what?" I met his eyes without flinching. "You'll threaten me with the Girard family's port again?"

Joss's breath caught. "Or our wedding gets pushed back again!"

I scoffed. "Why would I care if you postponed a wedding I'm no longer part of? You don't actually think I'm still going to marry you, do you?"

Joss frowned.

"You won't marry me? Who else would you marry?

"That's enough, Freya. I'm running out of patience. Give Lydia those two bolts now!"

"No!"

He stepped closer and gripped my wrist so hard it felt as if he might break it.

His voice was low and threatening. "Freya, if you want to be a Donna, show the generosity expected of one."

I looked up at Joss and saw my face reflected in his eyes.

Joss really does know me.

He knows my ambition.

That's why he's dangling "Donna" in front of me.

I'll be a Donna, all right. Just not his.

I tore my hand out of his grip. "Joss, I'll say it again. I'm not marrying you!"

Joss sneered. "I'm the next Don. If you won't marry me, who else would dare take you?"

A man's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway. "I would!"
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  • He Chose His Childhood Friend, I Married another Don   Chapter 10

    "Yes."The color drained from Joss's face. He swayed as though all his strength had left him.He lowered his head and couldn't say another word.I let the curtain fall. The carriage rumbled away, leaving him and his pathetic lie behind for good.Joss watched the carriage until it disappeared from sight.His legs gave out. He slumped against a tree and closed his eyes.He thought back to eight years ago.The first time he saw Freya, he was completely drawn to her.Even soaking wet, she looked stunning.When she woke up, she asked him one question. "Did you save me?"And to his shame, he nodded.He stayed with Freya for hours that day, trying to persuade her to see her parents' side and appreciate the family she had.He was an orphan, and he'd always envied kids with parents more than he could say.After that, they kept running into each other.He fell hopelessly in love with her. To become worthy of her, he worked himself to the bone. In just eight years, he was named the next Don.But

  • He Chose His Childhood Friend, I Married another Don   Chapter 9

    Rigel took me to a fencing hall on the outskirts of town."Is this Master Dumas's fencing hall?" I asked, surprised."It is. We used to practice here." Rigel took my hand and pointed to the raised platform in the middle. "Remember? You used to practice your sword routines up there."I looked at the platform. Old memories came rushing back, and my hands itched to hold a sword again.These past few years, I'd been so busy with family business that I hadn't touched a sword in ages.Rigel handed me a light, flexible practice sword. "Want to give it another go?"I took the sword, leapt onto the platform, and pointed it down at him with a grin. "Care for a match?"Rigel's eyes lit up. "I'd be honored!"Our blades met. I pressed my attack, while Rigel dodged every strike and countered whenever he saw an opening.It was an exhilarating match.In the end, I saw my chance. The rubber-tipped point of my sword pressed against Rigel's throat, and I leaned in close.We were barely four inches apart.

  • He Chose His Childhood Friend, I Married another Don   Chapter 8

    Joss said nothing.Don Holden let out a humorless laugh and turned to Silas, the Holden family's advisor. "Look into it!"I'd already lined up my witnesses, so it didn't take long. Silas returned with a report in under two hours."Don, the fire in the records room was set by Joss's people. He pulled the guards off duty that day."Lydia, who actually placed fifth, is Joss's friend from the orphanage."And the exam paper Ms. Girard reconstructed from memory matches the first-place answers exactly."Joss went pale.Don Holden turned to him."For one woman and one position, you gambled the Holden family's reputation."Joss, I am deeply disappointed in you."The evidence was overwhelming. Joss had nothing left to say.He knelt on the floor. "Don, I was wrong."Terrified, Lydia knelt beside him, crying. "Don, it's my fault. Please don't punish Joss."Don Holden looked down at them coldly.What happened next wasn't my place to witness.Rigel and I walked out of the banquet hall.A few days la

  • He Chose His Childhood Friend, I Married another Don   Chapter 7

    Lydia smirked. "Freya, you don't actually think you still have a shot at that seat, do you?""Freya."Rigel walked over and held out his hand to me with a smile. "Come sit with me. This spot is too far back for you."Lydia's mouth fell open.Her face went bright red, and for a long time she couldn't say anything.Rigel didn't even glance at her. He gave me his full attention as he led me to the head table.Edmund Holden, the old Don of the Holden family, opened the banquet by raising his glass and saying a few words.The room settled into polite conversation.Lydia sat at her table in the back, chatting quietly with the people beside her.Suddenly, an old man stood up.He approached Lydia with a few sheets of paper. "Lydia, my youngest daughter loves risk analysis. I have a report she wrote. Would you take a look at it for me?"Lydia stood up, pleased. "Oh, I'm hardly an expert. But I'm happy to give you my thoughts."She took the pages and read them one by one. Panic crept into her ey

  • He Chose His Childhood Friend, I Married another Don   Chapter 6

    I said yes.He's handsome, tall, and the new Don of the renowned Norton family.More importantly, marrying him will double the Girard family's port business and give us the protection of the most powerful Mafia family in the area.What do I have to complain about?Still, I pushed back the wedding date with Rigel.In the meantime, Joss came by over and over. I refused to see him every time.He sent gifts and letters. I sent every one of them back.I still had something important to do.Joss had stolen the work I'd sweated over. I was going to make him pay for that.I quietly asked around and learned that the Commission kept all the selection records, votes, and exam papers in its office.The place was heavily guarded. Getting in wouldn't be easy.I planned to meet Joss and find a way in through him.But I'd barely made up my mind when my mother brought bad news. "Faulty wiring caused a fire in the Commission's office. Every file inside was destroyed."My expression tightened.This has t

  • He Chose His Childhood Friend, I Married another Don   Chapter 5

    A handsome young man walked in.He had sharp features and light olive skin. His face was calm, but his presence made the air feel heavy.Footsteps clicked outside, then fell silent.Through the door and windows, I saw a row of men in black standing with their backs to us.The young man looked at me.He was Rigel.I'd seen his picture, but I hadn't expected him to be even more handsome in person.And he looked a little familiar.Then it hit me. At the risk analyst selection exam, a young man had kept glancing at me from across the room. It was him!Rigel walked up to me, took my hand, and kissed it. "Hello, my fiancée. Let me introduce myself. I'm Rigel, your fiancé."Joss's pupils constricted."Fiancé? That's impossible."Freya, didn't we agree we'd get married in a month?"I gave him a cold look. "Joss, watch what you say. We broke up two weeks ago."Joss went pale, his jaw trembling. "No, Freya. We've known each other for eight years. How could you..."Rigel glanced at him. "No man w

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