The night of the wedding, after seeing the guests off, Jeremy and I returned home.As I gently lay in Jeremy's arms, I gave it some thought and finally decided to ask what had been on my mind."We've never seen each other before, so why are you so nice to me?"While he stroked my hair with one hand, his other hand took mine and held it on his chest."We've met before. You just don't remember."I sprang up in surprise and stared at him. "We've met? Where?"He chuckled. "You really don't remember? A little boy was being bullied in his backyard, and you came to his defense. You scratched the faces of those kids who were bullying him."I suddenly remembered the incident. There was a time when I, as a kid, went to the Jefferson residence, and I somehow got lost and ended up in the backyard. I saw three or four kids of around the same age bullying a thin, weak-looking young boy.He didn't even fight back then, despite being bullied. He was pushed to the ground and was teased and mock
On the day of the wedding, the melodious sound of birds chirping could be heard early in the morning.I opened the window and saw Jeremy standing on the lawn outside. He lifted his head and gave me a warm, gentle smile. Butterflies started fluttering around in my stomach.Though this was my second time getting married—in the same hall— my feelings now were vastly different from how I had felt in my past life. In my past life, I had been very nervous and tense, worried that Hendrick would change his mind midway and abandon me, thus turning me into a laughingstock in our social circle.This time, I only wanted to finish the ceremony as quickly as possible so I could go back home and take a good look at Jeremy.The ceremony was in full swing, and we were just about to read our vows when Hendrick barged in, decked out in his tuxedo.The hall fell dead silent.This was quite unexpected. There were a lot of people at our wedding, including those not from within our circles. Even repo
When I walked up to the front door, I found Hendrick struggling aggressively against the butler. There was also a crowd gathered just outside, eagerly waiting to watch the drama unfold. There were even reporters there with their cameras already set up.Some curious onlookers were discussing who I was going to end up marrying.Yvette rushed up from behind and ran straight for Hendrick with a big grin."Ricky, did you come to see me?"But to her surprise, Hendrick pushed her away with a look of annoyance.Yvette hadn't expected Hendrick to push her. She ended up stumbling backward in her high heels, twisting her ankle, and falling to the ground.Hendrick, however, didn't even spare her a glance. He pushed the butler aside and strode right up to me. "Whitney, let's go to city hall to get registered today," he said, gazing at me affectionately.I, on the other hand, only felt a wave of annoyance when looking at him."Mr. Jefferson, the person you want to marry is Yvette. She's
The next day, major online media outlets were covering the story of how the eldest son of the Jefferson family had publicly beaten up his younger brother because of "Ms. Xander." They also mentioned that the only reason I had chosen Jeremy was to make Hendrick jealous. There were even rumors of me going back and forth between the two brothers. I would marry the one who wasn't going to live long to get his money, then go back to Hendrick.I ignored all those rumors. I had chosen Jeremy this lifetime, and I wasn't planning on letting him go.Our wedding was set for a month later.A few weeks before the wedding, Jeremy came to see me. He looked at me hesitantly and sipped on cup after cup of alcohol while trying to find his words."If you're unwilling, I can ask Grandma to cancel the wedding."He didn't dare to look at me after saying those words and instead gulped down a few mouthfuls of alcohol. I stared at him in surprise. "Why would you think that I'm unwilling?"I could s
Sophia grandly announced that Jeremy and I were to be wed.Jeremy's gaze flickered toward me, and it was one filled with unrestrained gentleness and excitement, making him appear as if he were deeply in love.The sounds of the guests whispering and murmuring filled the hall. Everyone had assumed that I loved Hendrick and that my marriage to him was pretty much set in stone. No one had expected such a plot twist.They continued to talk amongst themselves, wondering why I would choose Jeremy, who was saddled with illnesses and likely unable to live past the age of 30.Amidst the whispers, Hendrick staggered through the doors, ignoring all attempts at stopping him. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was filled with despair. He grabbed Sophia's hand and knelt down in front of her as he begged, "Grandma, you were the one who said that Whitney would marry me."Hendrick didn't care about his public image anymore as he continued to beg pitifully. Tony rushed forward and apolo
Hendrick had never imagined that Jeremy would be the one to end up marrying me.He raised his head in shock, and he even shook Yvette's hand off him in a daze."Dad, did you make a mistake?"Tony gave him a sideways glance. "You idiot," he huffed.He had spoken very clearly earlier. It was going to be Jeremy who would marry me.No one made a sound.Tony looked at me and said kindly, "Whitney, from now on, we're family. I promise I won't go easy on Jeremy if he isn't nice to you."Jeremy took my hand and swore, "I'll definitely take good care of Whitney."Hendrick couldn't accept any of this. He stormed over and hissed at me, "You can't marry him."He then turned to his father in disbelief. "Dad, surely you've made a mistake. I'm the one who's supposed to marry Whitney," he said before turning to look at me, anticipation etched across his face."Whitney, this is a mistake, right? You like me. You're head-over-heels in love with me, so how can you choose Jeremy? It should be me
Looking as if she had been wronged, Yvette turned to Hendrick and tugged on his sleeve."Ricky, don't blame Whitney. It's my fault. I shouldn't have taken your present and made her upset.""You're just too kind, Yvette."Hendrick pulled her into his arms and gently consoled her.Hendrick knew how important the necklace was to me, and yet he was publicly humiliating me without even considering what was right or what was wrong, just to protect Yvette.Yvette's hand caressed the necklace as her eyes stared back at me tauntingly. I felt both disgusted and furious seeing them pressed up against each other.Ignoring the abrasions on my hands, I leaped up to my feet and stalked toward Yvette."If you know what's good for you, then take the necklace off right away! Don't make me do it for you!"Hearing this, Yvette's tears started pouring out yet again, prompting Hendrick to wipe them away gently with his hands.Then, he spun around to face me. He was taken aback when he saw me, furio
Everyone there was waiting excitedly for me to make a fool of myself.Yvette's smile, in particular, had almost reached ear to ear as she waited expectantly.I recalled Sophia's instructions and didn't bother to pay any more attention to Hendrick. Soon, everyone would know just who I was going to marry anyway.Yvette and I rode the same car back.She turned the brooch around in her hands and looked at me smugly. "So what if Ricky marries you? He doesn't like you, so even if you marry him, you'll still be nothing more than an unwanted stray."Without Hendrick around, Yvette was finally revealing her true colors.She took out her compact to touch up her makeup. The reflection in the mirror revealed a smug, triumphant-looking woman.In my past life, our father had gotten her to marry a rising star in the business world. Though this man from Sodersburg had started out from scratch, he eventually became an investment mogul, and his net worth skyrocketed.Yvette's life had turned o
Hendrick, with Yvette in tow, came late to the Triken project's launch ceremony.The elders had already left after completing the handover, and only the younger generation remained, messing about and eagerly awaiting to watch the drama unfold.Yvette's hair was messy, her lipstick smudged, and her cheeks flushed pink. Hendrick, on the other hand, had a satisfied grin on his face, and there were even visible bite marks on his neck.One of the men nearby could immediately tell what had transpired between the two. He raised his wine glass while his gaze darted between the three of us, eagerly waiting for me to fly into a rage.The past me would've slapped Yvette across the face by now. The current me, however, remained seated while calmly eating some pastries.Hendrick placed himself in front of Yvette protectively to stop me from lunging forward and hitting her but also to seek an excuse to yell at me.After finishing my pastries, I relaxedly sipped my coffee as if none of this con