Chapter 3

"How many times have I told you not to use scissors? What if you hurt yourself?" Ivy snapped.

Jonah's eyes reddened, his voice trembling. "Vivi, did I do something wrong? Theo got so angry…"

Before I could explain, Ivy glared at me. "Jon spent four months preparing your suit, staying up through countless sleepless nights to coordinate with designers. And this is how you repay him? If it weren't for Jon, you wouldn't even have a suit for your wedding. Apologize to him!"

Meeting her disdainful gaze, I felt a wave of irony. When I had tried to discuss the wedding attire with her, she had told me not to bother her; she was too busy taking Jonah to Bonobo Island to clear his head.

Yes, Jonah always mattered that much. When he was heartbroken, she stayed up all night to comfort him. On my birthday, she booked out an entire theatre to watch a romantic movie with him. When I ran a dangerously high fever from overwork, she told me to drink more water, then turned around and drove Jonah to a private hospital to have a minor wound treated.

This was my wedding. I had done everything I was supposed to do. Yet, because Jonah was involved, Ivy saw him as the sole architect of the event. Even the Carlton family had begun to view me as a useless hanger-on and looked down on me.

My actual suit and her wedding dress were sitting in the guest room closet. Ivy hadn't even looked at them, yet she demanded I apologize to Jonah. The more I thought about it, the colder my expression became.

Ivy sneered. "You won't apologize? Then the wedding's off. Unless you apologize to Jon, don't even think about getting married!"

I loosened my clenched fists and looked at her seriously. "Alright."

I then headed to my room to pack my things. Rebecca Stinton had told me that the bougainvillea at Grandpa's place was in bloom. I wanted to go back as soon as possible to see it. I had planted those flowers with Grandpa before my parents took me to the city.

In the living room, Ivy was comforting Jonah, though she was clearly radiating annoyance. She glanced at the guest room door and discreetly messaged her assistant, Chase Palmer.

A reply came quickly. "Ms. Carlton, Mr. Sterling does have a flight change on record with Carlton Airlines. But I don't have the authority to view his latest itinerary. You'll need to check it personally."

Ivy's tense expression relaxed. She typed back, "It's fine."

After I finished packing, I received a message from Ivy. "If you want to marry me, you'll have to fix that temper of yours sooner or later. Jon only wanted to help you. Why make him upset?

"There's a family lunch today. I'll take Jon over first. The driver will pick you up later. Apologize to Jon then, and we can put this behind us and have the wedding tomorrow. Don't rain on everyone's parade."

It was a Carlton family gathering, yet she was escorting Jonah.

When the driver knocked, I took one last look at my luggage.

Fine. She had proposed to me in front of everyone. Now, I would call off the engagement just as publicly. At least that way, there would be a clean ending.

When I arrived at the Carlton residence, Jonah was already the center of attention.

"Theo, over here!" As he walked toward me in his leather shoes, I noticed he had changed into a black suit—identical to the one I had prepared for myself.

I gritted my teeth. Just then, Ivy came downstairs. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him. "Jon, you look amazing!"

Jonah blushed. "Vivi, stop it. Theo's right here."

Then, he turned to me and said, "Theo, don't take it the wrong way. I feel awful about causing that fight between you and Vivi this morning."

Ivy didn't take her eyes off him. The admiration in her gaze was unmistakable. She didn't even look at me; she reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from Jonah's cheek.

The crowd burst into teasing laughter.