Chapter 7

Shirley headed upstairs, but when she reached her room, she noticed a shadow standing in the corner.

She frowned and instinctively tried to back away. "Oscar—"

Halfway through calling his name, she stopped.

From now on, she would never shout his name first when danger came again.

"Jamie…"

She took a deep breath and tried to use a different name, wondering if Jamie would show up.

The shadow shifted slightly and let out a low grunt. "I'm here."

Shirley's heart skipped a beat. She flicked on the light and found Jamie sitting by the window, his sharp eyes glinting like obsidian in the dark.

She walked over and saw that his clothes were soaked.

"What are you doing here? It's late and raining outside. Didn't I tell you to stay home and rest?"

"I just wanted to check your wounds."

Without waiting, he grabbed her arm and glanced down.

Seeing the scar on her arm, he frowned.

"I hope this is the last time I have to protect you. After you marry Oscar, I probably won't come back again."

"You're leaving?" Shirley panicked. "Where are you going?"

"No idea. But don't worry. I'll stay for your wedding before I go." Jamie released her arm and tapped her nose. "After all, we're enemies. I have to watch you ruin your own life."

Shirley smiled. "No matter what, you have to be there on my wedding day."

"I'll be there. See ya."

As Jamie turned to leave, he glanced at the herbal soup on the table.

Shirley had always been a little weak. The family doctor combined modern treatment for injuries and herbal medicine to strengthen her body.

She always dawdled when drinking her herbal soup, sometimes even throwing them out.

"Remember to finish the herbal soup."

He tossed her a piece of candy and left.

Holding the candy, Shirley smiled. He always showed up when she took her medicine and gave her a little treat.

She wondered how she had never seen his care for her in her past life.

-

On the wedding day, Shirley and Myra left the Bishops' house together.

Both wore wedding gowns, but Shirley's was a heavily custom-made masterpiece.

Myra's gown was expensive as well, but it looked ordinary next to Shirley's.

They stepped out, one after the other.

"You're gonna pay for this!" Myra glared at Shirley, full of resentment, but Shirley didn't even look back.

"Don't speak too soon. Maybe you'll thank me later."

As they left the Bishops' gate, Myra was a mess of tears.

"Oscar!"

Oscar stood tall beside Shirley. Seeing Myra cry, he clenched his fists and pleaded one last time. "Ms. Shirley, please, choose someone else."

He wore the suit she had given him, looking handsome as ever, yet his mind was on another woman.

Shirley didn't answer him. Instead, she pinned the groom's boutonnière on his chest.

"You don't have a choice. Tell Myra to stop crying. She should save some for later."

Oscar bit his lip and said, low and tense, "Who are you letting her marry? Do you get pleasure from crushing someone's pride?"

"Today's my wedding. I don't wanna fight. Get in the car!"

Shirley forced him into the car with her.

The ride was silent.

When they arrived at the hotel, she immediately spotted Theo and George in black suits, clapping excitedly.

Seeing Shirley, they shouted, "Wow, Ms. Shirley, you look amazing today!"

"Yeah, too bad I'm not the groom! Oscar, you'd better take good care of Ms. Shirley after you're married!"

Shirley smiled at the two handsome, cheerful men. "Don't call me Ms. Shirley. Just Shirley is fine. Now that I'm getting married, you don't need to protect me anymore. We'll be friends from now on."

They nodded. "Okay! Shirley, we wish you and Oscar happiness!"

Shirley looked around, but Jamie wasn't there.

Right then, Myra got out of the car and pressed a dagger to her own neck while hissing, "I don't care who you want me to marry today, but I'm telling you, I love Oscar. I'll only marry him!"

Everyone panicked as they saw the blood soaking Myra's wedding dress.

"Gosh, they're sisters—how did it get to this?"

"They're fighting over one guy… Ms. Shirley got to pick among four men, so why not pick any of the other three?"

"Who knows? At the end of the day, Ms. Myra's only a foster daughter. How could she compare to the true Ms. Bishop?"

For a moment, all eyes were on Shirley.

Oscar grabbed the knife to stop Myra from hurting herself.

"Myra, I promise, I won't marry her. You'll be my bride today!"

At that moment, the wedding posters were delivered.

"Sorry, Ms. Shirley. The posters were a bit late!"

Rows of posters were placed on the ground. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Wait, is that a misprint? Shirley's groom isn't Oscar—it's Jamie!"

"Yeah, so the one marrying Oscar isn't Shirley but Myra. Then why is she trying to hurt herself?"

Everyone froze.

Oscar's hand was still bleeding. He loosened his hold on Myra, then looked up at the poster behind Shirley.

The bride's and groom's names were listed as Shirley and Jamie.

His heart skipped a beat as he turned to Shirley with a look of disbelief.

"You're not marrying me today?"