Chapter 3

When Lenora found out about the fish, she called me a freak.

"I gave it to you so you could eat it, not keep it. What's the point of keeping that cheap grass carp alive? Are you sick or something? Honestly, you're so uncultured."

Emma smacked her on the back. "He wasn't keeping a fish. He was cherishing you! You're the one with poor taste and a muddled head!"

Lenora stuck out her tongue and scurried away, only to exaggerate the story and spread it around behind our backs.

Just like that, I became a joke to many people.

Now that I thought about it, the whole thing felt pathetic. I turned to leave, but Lenora stepped in my way.

"I was just joking. Why are you so upset? I knew it—you were just faking it."

I took two steps back and said, "Have some self-respect, Ms. Bray. I'm leaving."

She gawked at me in disbelief. "Self-respect? You're a simp, so don't start acting noble now.

"You were the one dreaming of marrying me, and now you're talking about self-respect. Who started without it anyway?"

"Since when have I ever wanted to marry you?" I snapped back.

The moment the words left my mouth, the room erupted in laughter.

"If you're not marrying me, why did you spend years groveling?" she retorted. "Besides, everyone knows our grandmas had an agreement to unite our families, and my grandma honors her promises above all else.

"In the Bray family, only our seventh cousin, Raven, is unmarried aside from me. But she's been sickly since she was a kid, so there's no telling when she'll die.

"I've even heard that she can't have children. Are you sure you want to be the man who ends the Hatfield family bloodline?"

All eyes turned to me as everyone in the room waited for my reply.

That was when Raven appeared. She did look unwell and undeniably frail with pale lips and sunken eyes.

Another wave of ambiguous snickers rippled through the room.

I was about to announce that I would marry Raven, but Emma's words rang in my mind.

"You can choose Raven if you want, but don't announce it just yet. People will understand once everything's settled."

After a brief hesitation, I decided to swallow my words.

Raven said nothing. All she did was glance at me briefly with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

I wanted to follow her and explain, but she quickly disappeared around the corner before I could catch up. So, I turned and left.

…

On the way back, Jerome rode in the same car as me. He flaunted his watch nonstop, and the reflecting light was so glaring it nearly blinded me.

"Even if you marry Lenora, so what? You'll never win her heart since you aren't fit for each other."

To others, Jerome was the epitome of a gentle, refined gentleman. He would only reveal his true, sly nature in private.

As I looked at him, I remembered catching him and Lenora in bed in my past life.

Back then, he had hidden behind her and shouted, "I may be an adopted son, but I have the right to pursue my happiness, too! Just because Andre and I fell for the same woman, it doesn't mean that I have to step back for him!"

Lenora had shielded him and remained completely indifferent to my pain, while I had been so worked up that I vomited blood on the spot.

Later, Mom and Dad sent him abroad, where he married a naive, wealthy heiress. He ended up living a life far more comfortable than mine.

This time around, I planned to let him have Lenora and wanted to see how their story would end.

The thought brought a smile to my lips.

"You're right," I said. "There's no point marrying her if I can't even win her heart.

"Try harder, Jerome. I do hope the two of you end up together, and I'll wish you both happiness."