Chapter 4

David's POV

The next morning, while I was waiting in the airport VIP lounge, I saw that Aaron had updated his social media with a post.

The photo showed Vivian wearing the custom-made wedding dress I'd ordered for her with the mourning garb draped over it. She and Aaron stood on either side of Eric's funeral portrait.

Aaron had deliberately cropped out the other wedding guests in the background, making it look as though it was just the two of them bidding farewell to Eric together.

The caption was even more misleading.

"Dad, the person you worried about the most before you left is by my side now. Although you never got to see her marry into the Turner family with your own eyes, I know that you'd long considered her your daughter-in-law."

Comments flooded in. Some praised Vivian for her loyalty and devotion. Others teased Aaron about their bond as childhood sweethearts, saying that they had always been a perfect match.

Aaron didn't bother clarifying the misunderstandings. In fact, he even liked every comment that suggested there was something more between him and Vivian.

I read through the comments for a while before leaving a short comment.

"Best wishes to you both."

Carla was seated right opposite me, reviewing a contract that her secretary had sent to her. She glanced at my phone screen for a bit, but she didn't pry. Instead, she slid a warm glass of water over to me.

"The flight leaves in 40 minutes. You still have time to deal with whatever urgent matters you have."

I was just about to reply when I suddenly received a call from Vivian.

The moment I answered the call, Vivian started shouting at me, her tone accusatory. "What the hell did you just comment on Aaron's Instagram post? What exactly do you mean by 'best wishes to you both'? Anyone who doesn't know any better would think that there's something going on between me and him!"

I asked calmly in return, "Isn't there?"

A few seconds of silence passed before Vivian raised her voice at me.

"Aaron is emotionally unstable right now because he just lost his father! Whatever he's posting now is just a way for him to express his grief!

"And I just wore the wedding dress for that photo because it was one of Uncle Eric's dying wishes! Don't you dare get jealous and petty over something like this! It makes you look incredibly childish!"

If I'd heard this in the past, I would have immediately argued with her until I was blue in the face. But now, I just felt exhausted.

"Don't worry. I didn't read much into anything."

Vivian clearly hadn't expected me to respond so calmly. Her tone softened considerably.

"That's more like it," she said. "I'll be spending the rest of the week with Aaron and his family. I'll come back to marry you after that.

"Book another hotel. It can't be any less grand than the one before. And order another wedding dress for me. The Turners already know that my original dress was burned and buried with Uncle Eric. Don't you dare embarrass me with anything less impressive than that."

I looked at the brand-new wedding ring on my finger and chuckled slightly.

"Go ahead and keep him company. I've already settled everything else."

Obviously, Vivian misunderstood what I meant. She replied, "I knew that you'd never really stay mad at me. Just wait till I get home. I promise I'll make it up to you."

I heard Aaron calling out to her on the other end of the line, and she quickly hung up on me.

My phone screen turned dark.

Carla handed me a supplementary prenuptial agreement that stated all pre-marital assets would remain completely separate throughout the course of our marriage. If the marriage were to end prematurely, she would not take any additional assets from the Hartman family, and vice versa.

"Everything was too rushed yesterday. I didn't get a chance to give this agreement to you," she said. "I didn't agree to this marriage for the sake of my family or because I wanted to swoop in while you were vulnerable.

"And if you have any second thoughts about this marriage, we can end things amicably at any time."

I flipped through the agreement to the final page, but I didn't sign it. Instead, I turned around and took out the share transfer document that Byron had delivered to me this morning and placed it before her.

"This is a 5% stake in Hartman Group's overseas projects," I said. "But this isn't payment for you stepping in to save the situation. I'm just offering my wife basic financial security."

Carla stared at the document without moving a muscle. After a long bout of silence, she suddenly asked me, "Do you want to know why I came yesterday, David?"

I looked up and met her gaze.

"During that bidding war three years ago, you chose to take a financial loss rather than use the insider information Vivian bought. I lost to you back then, but for the first time, I thought that you were a man of decent character."

She then slid the document back to me and said, "I don't mind marrying you, but I don't need you to prove your sincerity to me with your company shares. I just need you to agree to one thing."

"Just name it."

"Don't use me as a tool for revenge against Vivian."

I took the hand she'd used to slide the document back to me and said, "From the moment I asked you to be my bride, you have never been a backup option or substitute for anyone else."