Chapter 2

Charles paused for a moment, clearly choosing his words carefully. "It was our engagement party, and you walked out even though you were the star of the show.

"I texted you explaining that Susie and I left for official business. Even if you were upset about the party being interrupted, you shouldn't be taking it out on Susie.

"She’s already tolerated so much from you. If she hadn't stepped in to apologize to the guests on your behalf..."

Charles swallowed the rest of his sentence.

I stared at him in utter disbelief, feeling hollowed out by his words.

He knew damn well that even though I was supposed to be the main event, he had walked into the venue side-by-side with Susie. So how had it suddenly turned into Susie apologizing on my behalf?

I remained silent. A sudden gust of wind sent a tremor through my heart, and a wave of bitterness surged in my chest.

"Whatever. You can apologize to Susie yourself tomorrow," Charles said, standing up. He gave me a look as if I were nothing more than a kid throwing a tantrum.

"She thinks you're mad at her and felt so guilty that she cried her eyes out. Just think about what you've done." Charles let out a sigh.

I stood frozen in place, biting my lip so hard that I broke the skin. Any explanation I wanted to give died in my throat.

I had assumed Charles came over to offer an explanation about the engagement party, but it turned out he had only come for Susie's sake.

After he left, I went back to my room.

My fingers trembled as I unlocked my phone screen. Aside from the few texts Charles had sent this afternoon, there was nothing.

Suddenly, a dry laugh escaped my throat, and my eyes welled up with tears.

I was clearly the one who deserved an explanation, yet despite claiming they were worried, neither of them had sent a single check-in message. The only text I received was Charles reprimanding me for Susie's sake.

Seeing this, it felt as though I had a massive boulder pressing down on my chest.

Just then, my phone rang. It was a call from my mom.

I cleared my throat before answering.

Mom's voice was laced with anxiety. "Darling, what happened? I heard both of you suddenly left the engagement party?"

"Yeah," I replied, keeping my voice steady.

"The wedding is next month. Did you two get into a fight?"

I wiped away the tears on my face and hesitated for a moment.

"Mom, I don't want to get married anymore."

After I dropped that bombshell, my parents set everything aside and rushed all the way back from Norbridge.

The three of us sat together, wrapped in silence.

It was a long time before I finally spoke up. "I don't want to stay in Sandelford anymore. I want to be with you at Norbridge."

My father froze in surprise.

"Didn't you fight tooth and nail to stay here back then? Did Charles hurt you?"

I shook my head.

I grew up in Sandelford. However, in recent years, my parents had shifted their operations over to Norbridge, expanding the family into more legitimate businesses. Worried about leaving me behind, they had brought up the idea of moving together multiple times.

But Charles had told me, "You'll be my donna one day. I'm your family in Sandelford, and you'll be the most respected lady of my family. You will never be lonely."

So, I stayed behind without a second thought.

To stand side-by-side with him, I frequented casinos, handled high-society galas, and drank with arms dealers at his side.

I had to stay on high alert at all times, keeping a constant eye on the financial markets for him.

I coordinated with underground contacts to manage his money laundering schemes, and I even had blood on my hands.

Yet, none of this was ever what I wanted.

Even after everything I did, Charles was still never satisfied.

He would always say, "You could learn a thing or two from Susie. She's way sharper than you."

It seemed that in his eyes, I would never measure up to Susie.

Once the decision was made, I packed my bags, planning to leave the following week.

At noon, however, Susie showed up.