Chapter 2

Alex's POV

The next morning, the Hunt family's driver, Ben Carter, came to pick me up.

I'd assumed I was just going to take care of some engagement formalities. But the car pulled up outside the Cloude Hotel instead.

A brand-new welcome sign stood at the entrance to the hotel lobby.

Neither my name nor Nicole's appeared on it. Instead, a single line of gold lettering caught my eye.

"Welcome home, Mr. Richard Mendler."

The butler hurried over, wearing an awkward smile.

"Mr. Mendler came back earlier than expected. Mr. Hunt has decided to postpone the engagement banquet and hold a welcome reception for him instead," he explained.

I nodded.

Even an engagement banquet worth millions, planned three months in advance, could be canceled at a moment's notice just because Richard had decided to come home early.

Inside the banquet hall, Richard was seated beside Nicole.

He wore a tailored white suit, his expression gentle. He looked exactly as he had in the group chat photos.

The moment he saw me, he stood up.

"Alex, I'm so sorry. Did I mess up your plans?"

Before I could answer, Nicole had already pulled out the chair beside her for him.

"This has nothing to do with you," she assured him.

Then, she turned to me. "The main table is full. You can sit in the back with Uncle George and the others."

Richard's place setting had been arranged in the spot that was supposed to be mine.

My name card was gone. Even the blue irises meant for me had been replaced with white camellias—his favorite flowers.

As we walked past the jewelry display, Richard suddenly let out a soft gasp.

"These cufflinks are beautiful."

Nicole's father, Jared Hunt, smiled and opened the glass case.

"They were originally ordered for Alex to wear at his engagement," he said warmly. "But if you like them, you can try them on."

He took out the cufflinks and fastened them onto Richard's cuffs.

Everyone around us began praising how well they matched Richard's outfit.

I lowered my gaze to my bare fingers. The engagement ring I'd taken off last night was still lying right next to the prenuptial agreement.

After a few rounds of drinks, someone jokingly brought up the prenuptial arrangements.

"Ms. Hunt, I heard your family set aside 15 percent of the company's shares for Richard. What about your fiancé?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Nicole turned to look at me. She seemed to be waiting for me to step in and smooth things over.

For the past four years, whenever this topic came up, I would smile and say I didn't care about money or the company shares.

I'd always believed that love was worth more than any amount of wealth.

But this time, I said nothing.

Nicole had no choice but to answer herself.

"Alex isn't the kind of person who cares about things like that."

Someone let out a drawn-out, amused "Oh."

It sounded as if they were complimenting me for being so understanding. Or perhaps they were just mocking me for having no right to complain in the first place.

I raised my glass and took a slow sip.

"She's right. I'll sign the agreement," I said quietly.

Nicole visibly relaxed.

Beside her, Richard stared at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

After the welcome reception ended, our lawyer, Felix Price, brought a revised copy of the agreement into the lounge.

I flipped to the last page and was about to sign when a loose sheet slipped out from a pocket inside the folder.

It was a trust agreement naming Richard as the sole beneficiary.

On top of receiving a massive annual payout, he would be financially protected by the Hunt family's trust if he ever got married, had children, fell ill, or failed in business.

The agreement had been signed four years ago, just one day before Nicole confessed her feelings to me.

A cold realization washed over me. She had never tried to keep money and love separate. I was just never the one she cared to protect with her wealth.