LOGINHELENEIf there was one person who was happiest about my business trip being postponed, it was undoubtedly Lucien.And he wasn't even trying to hide it.In fact, the moment I told him I would be staying behind, the way he tried—and ultimately failed—to contain his delight had been almost comical.But in the end, I didn't actually get to spend much time with him. I was busy at the studio, while he had the company to deal with.Still, over the next four days, he made a point of dropping me off at work every morning and picking me up every evening.Thanks to that, everyone at the studio soon knew that I was married.And, apparently, to Isabel's cousin at that.They teased me relentlessly about it until I had no choice but to put on a scowl and scare them into shutting up.Meanwhile, the Jordan situation had finally been resolved.After our lawyer forwarded the evidence to the other photographer's legal team, they quickly recognized that the entire matter had been a misunderstanding, with
HELENEThe expression on Isabel's face darkened."That's the other problem. We can't reach him," she said. "The emails we've sent remain unread, and the phone number he provided isn't going through either."She sighed. "I hope this turns out to be nothing, but the fact that he chose this exact moment to go unreachable doesn't help his case."I fell silent.Her concerns were well-founded, and I had no useful counterargument.After a moment, I found my voice."Have you looked into the other photographer's previous work? Were any of the photographs..." I paused, ignoring the trace of discomfort in my chest before continuing, "similar to anything Jordan had submitted in the past?""No." Isabel shook her head. "That was the first thing we checked when we were contacted. Fortunately, only this one photograph is in question."A breath I hadn't realized I was holding finally escaped my lips."Helene," Isabel called suddenly.I looked at her and found her brows slightly furrowed."I know you
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
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
HELENE“I refuse to marry that cripple! Whoever wants to marry him can, but it’s definitely not going to be me!”My younger sister, Noemie Laurent, sobbed in our mother’s arms, tears streaming freely down her face.I sat opposite them, my expression unchanged. Inwardly, however, I found the scene
HELENEThe answer wasn't difficult to arrive at.It was for her son.Of course it was.Was I disappointed?A little.Surprised? No.If anything, the realization made me feel lighter.Knowing where someone's kindness came from made it easier to accept without reading too much into it.My silence must
HELENESilence followed my question.The kind that came from having no answer at allFigures.From the moment I returned to live with my grandparents at fifteen, it was as though I had quietly disappeared from this household.No calls. No messages. No attempts at check in. Over time, I stopped exp







