Chapter 1

The moment I sent the message, Landon Grimes immediately sent back a string of question marks in confusion.

"Have you finally come to your senses? Wait for me to get back."

As my phone screen gradually went dark, I smirked and called my mother, Mable Bullock.

"Mom, I'm bringing my boyfriend home for Christmas this year."

Even though my voice wasn't loud, Elton Lowe still overheard me.

He immediately reached out and snatched my phone from my hand. Then, he hung up the call and said irritably, "Didn't we agree that I'd be spending Christmas with Kirsten again this year? What have you been telling Mrs. Blanchard now?"

Faced with Elton's questioning, I calmly took my phone back. "Nothing much."

Perhaps sensing the change in my mood, Elton stopped grumbling and turned his gaze toward me.

"I know what you're thinking, but we'd agreed from the very beginning that I'd spend Christmas with Kirsten every year. If I win, Kirsten would have to hand over her company to me."

As he said this, Elton raised his eyebrows smugly. There was also a spark in his eyes that I had never seen before.

I stared at him for a moment before suddenly saying, "But it's not like you actually need that money, right?"

He stiffened, and his brows furrowed. "What's gotten into you today? You usually don't talk this much."

Before I could respond, the phone he'd left on the table suddenly rang.

I glanced at the screen and immediately spotted the unmistakable contact name—"My Darling Wife".

Looking visibly uncomfortable, Elton quickly rejected the call.

"Kirsten was just messing around with my phone."

My fingers curled slightly, and a bitter lump formed in my throat.

Elton irritably tugged at his tie before pointing at the bags on the floor.

"These are all gifts for Mrs. Blanchard. That way, you can stop accusing me of treating her poorly. We're going to get married sooner or later, so spending Christmas together is just a formality. There's no need to make such a big deal out of it."

I glanced at the Christmas gifts. The pies were damp, the nuts were still raw, and everything was covered in dust.

They were all cheap things that cost barely a few dollars at the market.

Besides, Mom's health had been deteriorating over the years, and she could no longer eat these things.

My eyes pricked with tears as I recalled the first time I'd brought Elton home to meet Mom a few years ago.

My frail mother had been overjoyed, so much so that she seemed to come alive again that day. She even gave Elton my late father, Billy Blanchard's, signet ring right then and there.

Her wish was simple—she just wanted Elton and me to visit her in the mountains every Christmas, and to see us get married while she was still alive.

But even such a simple wish had become an extravagant luxury.

I took a deep breath and called out to Elton, who was in the bedroom.

"Elton, let's break up."

Before I could say anything else, the sound of a door unlocking interrupted me.

At some point, Kirsten had gotten a key to my house. She pushed the door open and raised an eyebrow when she saw me.

"Julianne? I came to wait for Elton so we could go shopping for Christmas supplies together."

My expression darkened as I stared at the key in her hand. "Why do you have a key to my house?"

Hearing the commotion, Elton immediately came out of the bedroom and casually explained, "I had a spare made for her. Sometimes, when you were too busy with work to come home, Kirsten would stay over in the guest room."

The anger in my chest flared hotter by the second.

"This is my house, Elton! Did you even bother asking me?"

Elton didn't bother explaining himself. Instead, he simply picked up his watch from the couch, then took a packet of saffron from the cabinet and handed it to Kirsten right in front of me.

I reached out to stop him, gritting my teeth as I said, "My company gave me this. I was going to take it home for Mom to help nourish her body."

Elton impatiently shook off my hand.

"Mrs. Blanchard is already in poor health. Even saffron won't save her, so you might as well give it to Kirsten's mother, Lola Davis. I'll get you something even better next time."

Kirsten accepted the saffron with a smile, then said to me, "Don't take everything so seriously, Julianne. Once Elton admits defeat, I'll reimburse you for all the expenses over the years."

Hearing this, Elton chuckled and casually draped an arm around Kirsten's shoulders.

"Who said I'd ever admit defeat? I'm perfectly happy to keep this game going for the rest of my life."

The front door slammed shut behind them, and the gust of wind it stirred up left my heart completely cold.