Chapter 1

"Awesome! I knew that you'd understand, Violet Winters!"

Mitchell Cooper practically jumped up from his chair and grabbed my hand with delight.

He then grabbed a business card from his pocket and handed it to me.

"Let's get in touch with Nolan Properties. I've already made an appointment with their top sales manager, Ralph Hughes!"

I took the card from him, and it was still warm from his touch. I felt a chill run through my entire body.

So, he had been planning this all along.

…

The car moved toward the city center uneventfully. Mitchell was on the phone the entire time, talking excitedly while in the front passenger seat.

"Mom! Violet agreed to it! We're going to look at the condo now. Hurry up and come over now!

"Hello? Uncle Julius? It's me, Mitchell! I'm going to get a new condo… Yes, that's right! You and Aunt Valerie need to hurry over too. I'm going to need your opinion on things!

"Hello, Aunt Sandy? I…"

I stared blankly ahead, feeling as if a swarm of flies was buzzing incessantly in my ears.

When we arrived at the sales office of the luxury condominiums, I saw that Mitchell's relatives were all there, waiting for us.

"You're here! Violet, you truly are such a blessing to our family!" Valerie Holden, Mitchell's aunt, said while grabbing my hands.

Mitchell's other aunt, Sandy Cooper, also agreed with her and said, "That's right! Mitchell is so lucky to have found such a wonderful future wife for himself! He must have been a hero in his past life!"

However, her eyes were fixed on my limited-edition luxury handbag instead.

Ralph then led everyone into the showroom, and they crowded around him.

It was a penthouse spanning about 2000 square feet, luxuriously decked from top to bottom, with a marvelous, wide view of the city.

Mitchell's mother, Polly Crosby, began pacing back and forth in the place with her hands behind her back.

"These floor tiles won't do. We need to replace them with imported tiles. It'll only look more upscale and classy like that.

"That crystal chandelier won't do either. It's too small. We need to change it to one that hangs down all the way to the floor.

"This balcony is also too small! I've seen those rooftop gardens on TV before, and I want one of those too!"

I watched calmly as they discussed the interior of the place.

Just then, Mitchell's phone rang. He answered the phone in a very soft and gentle voice.

"Kerry? Where are you now? We're all in the showroom now. Hurry up and come over. Everyone's waiting for you."

After hanging up, he turned to me and explained matter-of-factly, "I called Kerry too. Her sense for aesthetics is way better than yours, so I asked her to help with the interior design."

Kerry Harrison.

She had been friends with Mitchell since they were kids. However, she was also the constant third wheel in my three-year relationship with Mitchell.

When we went out on a movie date, Kerry said that she was afraid, so Mitchell bought three movie tickets.

When we went traveling overseas, Kerry said that she was feeling down and wanted to clear her head, so our trip for two became a trip for three.

Even the birthday gift I bought for Mitchell appeared on Kerry's Instagram Stories the next day with the caption saying, "Thanks, Mitchie."

Meanwhile, Mitchell's only explanation for everything was, "Don't overthink things, Violet. I'm only treating her as my younger sister."

A few minutes later, Kerry walked into the showroom in a white dress.

"Mitchie! Mrs. Cooper!" she exclaimed sweetly, greeting Mitchell and Polly first before turning around and smiling apologetically at me. She acted as if she'd just noticed me.

"Hi, Violet. I'm not imposing, am I?"