登入HELENEWhen she finished, I simply stared at her.The fury burning inside me had very little to do with the insults directed at me.She could call me a replacement if she wanted. She could call me desperate. She could believe whatever she wished about my reasons for marrying Lucien.What I couldn't accept was the way she had taken the circumstances of Lucien's accident, his disability, and everything he had suffered to reach this point and twisted them into something contemptible.She had reduced him to nothing more than a man in a wheelchair who had become undesirable to the woman he was supposed to marry."You know," I said slowly, "I couldn't understand why Lucien didn't seem particularly pleased to see you, despite the fact that you arrived here with Rafe and Dominic."Her expression twisted."But now I understand.""What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped, her face reddening with anger. "You might not know this, but Dominic is my cousin. That means I've known Lucien and the o
HELENEUpon returning to the living room, Lucien immediately looked at me with concern."Is everything all right?" he asked softly."Something came up," I replied. "I need to go to the studio."He nodded without hesitation. "I'll have Clark take you.""No need. I can manage."With that, I turned toward the others."I'm sorry I have to leave so abruptly, but something unexpected came up and needs my immediate attention. I'm really glad I got to meet you all. Please enjoy the rest of the afternoon."Rafe and Dominic responded graciously, but before I could leave, Alina spoke."Can I hitch a ride with you?"The request immediately drew the attention of the three men, their expressions changing almost imperceptibly."It just occurred to me that I have something to deal with as well," she added flatly.Dominic was the first to react."There's no need to bother her. If you have somewhere to be, you can take my car."He held out his keys.So this was the owner of the flashy silver car, I tho
HELENE"Alina Carter," the last woman said simply before turning her head away from me.For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward, and the expressions of the three men around us immediately fell.Not wanting the situation to become any more uncomfortable for everyone, I simply smiled and gave her a small nod before taking the empty seat beside Lucien.The others gradually settled back down as well.Almost immediately, Dominic, who had already recovered his usual carefree demeanor, leaned forward with a grin."I really thought our paths would never cross again, Lena, yet here we are."He spread his hands dramatically."What are the odds?"I smiled.Considering how far Country F was from Solstice City, along with the sheer size of the city itself, the odds were probably quite low.I kept that thought to myself."It's quite a coincidence," I said instead.Before Dominic could respond, Lucien spoke up."So," he said slowly, "how exactly did the two of you meet?"Somehow, I caught a hint o
HELENEI was in my room putting together a draft itinerary for my upcoming business trip to Country H when the sound of a car engine drifting up from outside caught my attention.Lucien's friends must have arrived.Setting my pen aside, I wandered over to the window and peeked down into the driveway.As expected, an unfamiliar car had pulled up in front of the villa.It was sleek, finished in metallic silver, and eye-catching enough that even someone like me, who knew next to nothing about cars, could tell at a glance that it carried a price tag to match.It practically seemed to proclaim, I'm ridiculously expensive.The corners of my lips twitched.What an unapologetic display of wealth.That only made me even more curious about Lucien's friends.Based on everything I'd seen since meeting Lucien, he'd always struck me as someone who preferred keeping a low profile. Even the car he usually rode in was elegant without being ostentatious.Whoever had driven this one here, on the other h
LUCIENIt wasn't that I was being pessimistic. I was simply acknowledging the reality of our situation.Ever since our marriage began, I had always been the one taking the initiative while Helene responded in her own quiet way. We'd only just begun making genuine progress, and now she was about to leave the country. It wasn't unreasonable to worry that the momentum we'd worked so hard to build might gradually fade with the distance between us.Suppressing the restlessness quietly stirring inside me, I asked as evenly as I could,"Where are you going?""Country H," she replied."Aunt Eleanor mentioned there's a charming little town there. I want to see it for myself and decide whether it'd be suitable for the magazine's next feature."At least she hadn't brushed the question aside.The thought offered me a small measure of comfort. The fact that she was willing to explain her plans instead of giving me a vague answer was proof that, at the very least, I'd become someone she wanted to k
HELENETwo hours later, my grandparents were visibly growing tired.Noticing the occasional yawn Grandpa tried to suppress and the way Grandma had begun rubbing her eyes absentmindedly, Lucien, perceptive as ever, politely announced that he'd be taking his leave. After seeing my grandparents back to their room, I walked him outside.Side by side, we made our way toward the car parked just beyond the low white fence.For a while, neither of us spoke.Yet the silence between us felt neither awkward nor forced.If anything, it had gradually become something both familiar and comfortable.By the time we reached the gate, Clark had already stepped out of the driver's seat and was waiting a respectful distance away.I stopped walking and turned to Lucien."Thank you," I said softly. "For today."He looked at me without speaking.Over the past few days, I'd done everything I could to reassure my grandparents that I was happy after getting married.They always smiled and said they believed m
LUCIEN“I plan to skip the engagement ceremony and move directly to your marriage with Noemie.”My mother, Vivienne Blackthorne, delivered the decision out of the blue as we ate dinner at my place.My hands paused briefly over the steak knife—only for a fraction of a second—before I resumed cutting
HELENE Rather than being stumped by my questions, Camille smiled.“I’ll answer your questions one by one,” she said calmly. “First—Lucien.”“You don’t want to marry him? But Helene, at the very least, you’re familiar with him. He’s cold, yes, but he’s also known to be a gentleman.”She tilted her
HELENEOutside the house, I reached into my bag for my car keys and headed toward the garage.A fleet of flashy, expensive cars sat neatly parked beneath the lights—their sleek silhouettes polished to perfection. Among them, one stood out like a sore thumb—a gray Toyota Camry.Mine.I’d bought it w
HELENEAmidst my confusion, I heard Camille speak.“From what I can remember, this engagement wasn’t originally supposed to fall upon Noemie. In fact, Lucien and Helene were the better match, with their ages being almost the same…”Her words Instantly pulled all of us back into old memories.Indeed







