Chapter 4

Lars didn't come home that night. So much for his promise.

And not just that night… He disappeared for the next few days, too.

The entire time, I never reached out to him.

It was only during a casual phone call with Candice that she mentioned, "You haven't heard? He's on another business trip with Pearl."

Her again.

Still, their trips gave me enough time to keep packing.

Seven days left on the calendar.

That afternoon, I was sorting clothes in my dressing room. My phone rang—it was Candice.

"Bianca, did you put the wrong address for your package?"

"What package?"

"Your wedding dress! It was delivered to the office, addressed to you." She couldn't hide the excitement in her tone, eager to hear the latest gossip about me. "He really went all out, let me tell you that! It's a haute couture wedding dress from Felicity Couture, easily seven figures!"

My heart sank, and I drove straight to the company.

I opened the parcel, wrapped in champagne-colored satin. The dress was definitely my size, but something was off.

This didn't fit Lars' modus operandi. Even though the company made good money over the years, he had always been careful about spending. He would never splurge on something as extravagant as a wedding dress.

Besides… He never really planned on marrying me.

As I was thinking it over, my phone rang again. This time, it was my mother.

"Did you get the wedding dress, sweetheart? Mr. Farrell, Royce's father, is putting a lot of thought into your marriage. I told him you'd be back in Botolph City in two weeks, and he's already started to prepare the wedding. He even picked out the dress himself and sent it ahead of time, so you could try it on and see if the size matches."

"Mom, did you give them my office address?"

"Yes, why? Did your company move?"

"…No." I took a deep breath and calmed myself. "I'll send you my new address. Send everything wedding-related there from now on."

"Alright," she quickly said, her satisfaction obvious. "Oh, right. Royce's family is very enthusiastic, and they want you home as soon as possible. They say you can choose any kind of wedding you like. Do you want to pick the wedding planners yourself?"

"It's fine, I don't have any demands." My voice was soft. "You can handle it however you think best."

"Wedding…?" A cold voice interjected.

I quickly hung up and turned around. Lars was standing behind me, still in his black suit, looking confused.

I looked up at him. "You're back from your trip?"

"Yeah." He avoided my eyes as his gaze landed on the wedding dress. He frowned. "Bianca, I already told you. This isn't the right time for a wedding. The company is at a crucial stage, and we're in mid-financing. Can you stop pressuring me?"

"Did I ever say you were the groom?" I shot back.

He froze. "What do you mean?"

I smiled. "Nothing."

I stepped forward and carefully packed up the wedding dress, ready to leave.

He grabbed my wrist, his tone softening, "Are you angry? I'm sorry, I've just been really tired these few days. Don't get upset, okay?"

I didn't argue and simply nodded. "It's fine."

He studied me. "Really?"

"Really."

He visibly relaxed, though he was still suspicious. "Then keep the wedding dress. Honey, just give me some time… I promise, I'll marry you."

As he tried to calm me, he sounded exactly like a man worried about being pressured into marriage.

"You're overthinking it," I said.

Lars blinked.

"My college housemate is getting married. The dress was sent to the wrong address," I lied.

His expression softened. He reached out to pinch my cheek. "Were you trying to scare me?"

"Let's go with that," I said, close to sighing.

Lars probably forgot that all my college housemates were already married. He had gone to every one of those weddings with me.

Back then, on our way home from the wedding banquet, he would always say, "Once the company stabilizes, we'll have our own."

The company had stabilized, but the wedding was just an unrealized promise.

Knock, knock!

The door opened and Candice walked in, looking like she was getting a sweet tooth from what she had just witnessed.

"Hate to interrupt you," she said, glancing at the dress before turning to look at me, "but the interviews for the new design director are about to start. You need to at least be there."

"Design director?" Lars was surprised. "You can't handle the workload and are planning to hire someone to help?"

I shook my head. "No, I resigned."

"You resigned? Why didn't you tell me first? Bianca, you're a core member of the leadership team! The design department is an integral part of the company. Do you know what your sudden resignation will mean to the company? How can you make such a rash decision?" he roared.

I looked at the man before me, suddenly feeling that everything was so alien.

"So, what do you want?"

"The process isn't complete without my signature," he said in annoyance. "Stop being such a mule and come back to work tomorrow."

"Lars," I started with a faint smile, "you've already signed. There's a copy of the paperwork with Candice. You can review it at any time."

He stood there, stunned.

I picked up the wedding dress and walked away, saying nothing.

The man I once loved didn't even tell me not to leave.