Chapter 2

Ariana had one month to wrap things up before leaving. It was time for her to properly take on Caleb and Selene.

One phone call to a partner was all it took. She unilaterally canceled a major project worth nearly ten million. If it had gone through, Miller Group's valuation would have doubled yet again.

She had her pride. She would never be the kind of fool who gave blindly anymore.

The next day, Caleb rushed back almost at once.

His fun had clearly been cut short. Anger simmered beneath the depth of his dark eyes as he pushed open the office door—only to find Ariana leisurely sipping tea.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" he demanded. "The collaboration with Mr. Gordon was already finalized, and your design drafts are half done. Why would you cancel the most important project on your own authority?"

Thinking of how his so-called business trip—really a happy family vacation abroad—had been interrupted, Ariana nearly laughed.

She picked up an excuse he'd used countless times before and replied lightly, "Sorry. My phone ran out of battery. I haven't been feeling well lately, and the workload on that project was too heavy. I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself."

Overnight, the man she'd watched grow from shy and inexperienced into composed and commanding felt utterly unfamiliar.

So this was it. All those years she'd carried the weight for him—he truly hadn't taken them seriously at all.

As expected, Caleb ignored the latter half of her explanation. His expression remained grim.

She smiled faintly and twisted the knife a little deeper.

"Didn't you just close a much more lucrative overseas project with Selene yesterday? Why care so much about this one?"

What overseas project? The only "deal" that had been done was the one where their money had already flowed straight into Selene's pocket.

Caleb stiffened and stared at her. She met his gaze calmly, without flinching. The trace of infatuation and eagerness that used to linger in her eyes was completely gone.

Suddenly, he felt that something had changed.

Ariana was clearly angry—that had to be why she was deliberately opposing him.

The words of reproach reached his lips, then were swallowed back down. No one knew better than he did that the company still couldn't function without Ariana. Her design talent and market instincts were one of a kind; otherwise, Miller Group wouldn't have appreciated so rapidly.

As for what had upset her, Caleb guessed it was because he'd moved their wedding fund the night before.

He'd been drunk, impulsive, swayed by Selene's tears when he made the transfer. He couldn't say he regretted it afterward, but he did feel a measure of guilt toward Ariana.

His brow eased. His tone softened as he sighed.

"Silly girl. If you're tired, take a good rest. Don't push yourself. Your health comes first."

Just then, the office door opened again. Selene walked in naturally, holding the hand of her three-year-old son, her voice intimate and familiar.

"Michael wanted to see Caleb at work. We're not interrupting, are we?"

The words were polite enough, but her manner showed no restraint.

At the sight of the child, the sharpness around Caleb melted away. He instinctively reached out to pick him up—only to freeze at Ariana's calm voice.

"How could you be interrupting? No need to be so distant. I like Michael very much. I even thought about having him be the little flower boy at Caleb's and my wedding."

The word wedding made Selene's face change instantly. But she wasn't easily rattled. She quickly masked her expression and discreetly tugged at her son.

The child immediately played along, shouting, "I don't want to! Unless my mommy marries Caleb!"

The air froze solid.

Selene forced an awkward smile and tapped his nose. "Silly boy. You have to think about other people's feelings when you speak. Don't say things carelessly."

Ariana, unbothered and still smiling, bent slightly toward the boy and said gently, "Michael, your mom is right—words shouldn't be said lightly. Caleb and I have been together for four years. Everyone in the company knows about us. You wouldn't want people to say your mom is a homewrecker, would you?"

Caleb's face darkened. Sensing something was wrong, he shot the child a sharp look. Michael immediately shut up, his face crumpling with grievance.

The smile on Selene's face stiffened for a brief moment.

She'd just been played.

A homewrecker? If anything, wasn't Ariana the interloper?

Caleb glanced at her. "Selene, step outside for a moment."

A chill spread through her heart. But remembering that just last night Caleb had transferred even his and Ariana's wedding money to her as proof of loyalty, she swallowed it down and complied.

Only the two of them remained.

An unease crept over Caleb. He took the initiative.

"Ari, it's been a long time since we went out for a candlelight dinner. Let's go tonight."

He could buy her some gifts while he was at it. In his eyes, Ariana was easy to placate.

He'd compensate her materially. After all, she had no family, no other support—he was her only anchor. She'd stayed all these years for that, hadn't she?

"Tell me what you want," he added. "Money included."

Ariana had expected this. She smiled. "I do. Quite a lot, actually."

She would take it back, piece by piece.

So it really was about money. Though it was within his expectations, something complicated stirred in Caleb's chest—an unfamiliar sensation he couldn't quite place.

"Fine," he said. "Get some rest and recover first. Then finish the remaining work on the Gordon Group project. Tonight, I'll keep you company and help you unwind."

At that moment, a message popped up on Ariana's phone.

[Hello, Miss Cooper. I'm Ethan Skye's assistant, Avery Parker. Mr. Skye has been informed of your family's marriage alliance intention and cordially invites you to dinner tonight at A01, Shandy Plaza.]

Ariana locked her phone and rose to leave.

"I'm meeting an important client tonight," she said coolly. "If the discussion goes well, then I'll consider handling the other matters."

Assuming she was meeting a client related to the Miller Group—and noticing that she didn't bring up the wedding fund again—Caleb relaxed and didn't press further.

"Alright. We'll plan the dinner another time. Work comes first. I won't see you out. I wish you a successful meeting."

The light in Ariana's eyes dimmed. He offered a few perfunctory courtesies and nothing more. Even when she deliberately pulled away, he couldn't be bothered to coax her for even a moment longer.

After Ariana left, Selene returned, still simmering with resentment, her emotions barely contained.

"Caleb, when she called me a homewrecker just now, do you know how much that hurt? Faced with her twisting the truth, you still had to weigh the pros and cons before defending me. In your heart, the scale tips toward Ariana more than me, doesn't it?"

Caleb sighed and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Don't overthink it. Since I've promised to take responsibility for you and Michael, I won't marry her. Many of the company's core staff were trained by Ariana. If things turn ugly, it won't be good for Miller Group's reputation."

Selene held back, tears spilling over.

"Do you know that for you and Michael, I didn't even dare accept my family's arranged marriage? I may not have walked with you through your hardest years like Ariana did, but I gave birth to your child. Isn't that proof enough of how much I love you? Now that you're successful, my family won't stand in our way anymore."

She paused awhile, then asked softly, "You won't let me down, will you?"

Her words stirred him.

Back in college, when he had nothing, it was Selene who'd supported him in secret, anonymously funding him, protecting his fragile pride, even slipping him letters of encouragement.

She was his irreplaceable first love.

"I would never let you down," he said, pulling her into his arms. "Give me a little more time. Once Ariana helps Miller Group secure the final major project with Gordon Group, once our market value stabilizes and we break into the Horghen City circle, I'll bring it up with her immediately. I'll break up with her and marry you."

Selene gradually calmed down. She also understood one thing clearly: if she pushed him too hard, she might drive him back into Ariana's arms. That would be a losing move.

So she endured.

…

Shandy Plaza.

The window-side table overlooked the entire Emerson City's sea of lights.

Ethan Skye sat in the dim, amber glow, like a sculpture carefully shaped by time.

A dark gray suit fit him perfectly, every crease precisely outlining his shoulders and strong back. From the tailored cuffs showed a sliver of pale, cool-toned wrist.

Long, elegant lashes cast a faint shadow beneath his eyes. Only when footsteps drew near did he lazily lift his gaze.

Behind gold-rimmed glasses were a pair of sharp eyes, the corners slightly upturned, pupils as deep as the winter sea.

When his gaze settled on someone, it carried a subtle, probing intensity—an air of seeing through everything, yet choosing not to expose it.

Low jazz flowed through the restaurant. His long fingers tapped the menu with casual indifference.

His presence was powerful, not through deliberate coldness, but through the natural pressure of someone long accustomed to standing at the top.

Ariana had deliberately changed into a champagne-colored silk gown. After years of being told by Caleb that she was too work-worn, not feminine enough, she had nearly forgotten what she used to look like.

Now, with light makeup and her hair swept up, revealing a slender, graceful swan neck, her eyes shimmered as she unexpectedly reclaimed a hint of that Horghen City socialite elegance.

"Mr. Skye," the server said softly, "Miss Cooper has arrived."