Chapter 5

“So why did you call me here?” Purple demanded, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She stood rigid and tall—every inch the untouchable woman she’d become.

“Have you no shame?” Mrs. Hawthorne snapped.

“You are the one who filed for divorce from my son—ungrateful brat!”

“The divorce will benefit us both,” Purple shot back, jabbing a finger at herself before settling into a chair with deliberate elegance.

“Your son can marry his precious ‘heiress,’ and I’ll finally be free of all of you.”

“Where did you get this sudden confidence?” Amber sneered, leaning forward with narrowed eyes.

“You’re nothing without us,” Alex cut in, his voice dripping with arrogance.

“Get on your knees and beg, and I might consider forgiving you for this stunt.”

Purple fixed them all with a death glare so cold it made them flinch—it was the first time they’d ever seen her fight back. The quiet, obedient wife they’d taken for granted was gone, replaced by someone bold, fierce, and utterly untouchable.

She rose from her seat in one fluid motion, brushing her arms as if the very air around the Hawthornes had stained her skin. Straightening her spine until she towered over them, she let out a bitter laugh.

“Kneeling?” she scoffed.

“I’m not here to beg for your forgiveness—I’m here to make one thing crystal clear. From this moment forward, I have nothing to do with any of you. Sign the papers, or I’ll use every resource at my disposal to force this through. Don’t push me while I’m still willing to be reasonable.”

She snatched up her handbag and wiped at its surface as if it too had been soiled by their presence.

“Who do you think you are, threatening us?” Mrs. Hawthorne shrieked.

“I am Purple Heart,” she declared, her voice ringing through the room.

“And I’m not threatening you—I’m stating a fact.”

With that, she turned and strode toward the door.

“You’ll regret this!” Alex roared behind her.

Purple didn’t spare them a single glance, walking out into the sunlight and sliding behind the wheel of her car without hesitation.

She drove straight to her parents’ home, knowing exactly what waited for her—and sure enough, the conversation turned to marriage the moment she stepped inside.

“Darling, we know your divorce is still in process,” her mother said, reaching for her hands with a gentle but firm grip.

“But we’ve already made arrangements for your next union.”

“Mom, Dad—another arranged marriage?” Purple exploded, pulling her hands away.

“This time it’s different,” her father spoke up.

“The Reid family—one of the most respected names in the country.”

“Absolutely not,” she protested.

“Please,” her mother begged, her eyes welling with tears.

“Just meet him once. That’s all we ask.”

Purple sighed, her resolve crumbling at the sight of her mother’s distress. She’d ignored their wishes once before, and look how that had ended. “Fine. I’ll meet him.”

“The venue is the Cloud Hotel rooftop—reserved exclusively for tonight’s meeting,” her father added.

Though every fiber of her being resisted the idea of dating a stranger for the sake of marriage, she’d agreed to grant her parents this one request.

But she had a plan she’d scare him away so thoroughly that he’d withdraw from the arrangement before it could go any further.

The Cloud Hotel’s rooftop sparkled under the city lights—white linens, crystal glasses, and a string quartet playing softly in the corner. Purple arrived in a sharp black suit, her expression set in stone as she scanned the space for her date.

Then she saw him.

He was shorter than she’d expected, with unkempt hair and a suit that hung poorly on his frame.

His eyes roamed over her body with a leering intensity that made her skin crawl. As she approached the table, he pushed himself up from his chair—his movements clumsy, his smile too wide.

“Miss Heart! So good of you to come,” he said, his voice high-pitched and grating.

“I’m Echo Reid—though I’m sure you already knew that.”

“Echo Reid?” Purple’s brow furrowed.

This wasn’t the Echo she’d been with the night before—but then again, she’d never asked for his last name. She pushed the thought aside and took her seat, fighting the urge to recoil as he leaned across the table, his breath smelling of cigarettes and cheap liquor.

“Let’s not beat around the bush,” he said, pouring himself a glass of wine without asking.

“My parents and yours have a deal. We marry, our families merge, and I get access to the Hearts’ business connections. In return, you get… well, me.” He laughed loudly, as if this were some great joke.

Purple felt her stomach turn. Disgust washed over her—this man was nothing like the confident, gentle Echo she’d shared her night with.

She’d planned to scare him off, but now she was determined to make him run for the door.

Leaning back in her chair, she let a slow, cold smile spread across her face.

“Echo before we discuss ‘deals’… there are a few things you should know about me.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the shift in her tone. “Oh? And what’s that?”

“I recently got out of a very messy divorce,” she began, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

“My ex-husband… well, let’s just say he wasn’t faithful. And unfortunately, he passed something on to me before I found out.”

Echo smile vanished. He sat up straight, pulling his glass away from his lips. “Passed what on?”

“Something highly contagious,” she continued, letting her eyes drift down to her hands as if she were ashamed.

“The doctors say it’s manageable, but it’s not something you’d want to risk catching. Especially since it can affect your ability to have children—and I know how important heirs are to the Reid family.”

She leaned forward again, her voice sharp and clear.

“Not to mention, I have a temper that’s… well, let’s just say my ex learned the hard way what happens when you cross me. I’ve been known to ruin careers, destroy reputations—whatever it takes to protect myself.”

Echo face had gone pale. He glanced around the rooftop as if looking for an escape route, his hands trembling slightly as he set down his glass.

“I… I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” he stammered, pushing his chair back.

“My parents must have gotten the wrong idea about what I want in a wife. A woman with… with issues like that? And a temper? That’s not what the Reid family needs.”

“Of course not,” Purple agreed smoothly, standing up as well.

“I’m glad we could be honest with each other. I’ll make sure to tell my parents that you’ve decided to withdraw from the arrangement.”

“Y-yes,” he said, already backing toward the stairs.

“Tell them… tell them I wish you the best, but this just isn’t a good fit. Now if you’ll excuse me—I have to make some calls.”

He turned and practically ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet in his rush to get away.

Purple watched him go, a mixture of relief and annoyance washing over her.

She’d done what she’d set out to do—but something felt off. Reid? She was certain Echo had said his name was Echo Reid. Could they be related?

“That’s impossible,” she whispered, shaking her head as disbelief warred with recognition in her eyes.

“The Echo I met last night was… he was working as a call boy. But you—you were born into wealth. You can’t be the same man.”

She pressed a hand to her temple, her voice cracking slightly. “Echo… Echo. The name keeps repeating in my head, and I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

Meanwhile, the man who’d posed as Echo raced through the hotel’s back entrance and threw himself into the vintage car waiting at the curb. Inside, the real heir sat in the passenger seat—long legs stretched out, a cigarette dangling from his lips as smoke curled around his sharp features.

“So? How’d the meeting go?” Echo asked, his voice low and smooth as he exhaled a plume of gray smoke.

“Went to hell,” the driver muttered, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

“She told me straight out she’d picked up some contagious disease from her ex-husband. Said it’s bad enough to mess with having kids.”

A dark smile played at Echo’s lips as he tapped ash from his cigarette onto the floor. “Filthy little secret from the Hearts heiress… how amusing.”

“Should be more than enough to make her back out of the wedding,” the driver added. “You owe me a bonus for that performance—I had to act like I was terrified out of my mind.”

Echo had planned this from the start. When his parents told him he’d be meeting the Hearts heiress, he’d assumed it was Amber—the fake heiress he’d already written off as cruel and shallow. So he’d asked his trusted driver to pose as him, to scare the woman away before any real arrangements could be made.

“Consider it done,” Echo said, his gaze fixed on the city lights passing by. “Now take me back to the penthouse on Street 99.”

He took another slow drag of his cigarette, his smile deepening as he thought of the woman waiting for him there—her fire, her lies, her untamable spirit.

“My master is expecting me,” he murmured, and the words carried a weight that had nothing to do with money or contracts.