Chapter 2

The next morning, Mason’s lawyer came to the estate.

Before the succession ceremony, I had to confirm the end of Mason’s guardianship and the engagement agreement.

The lawyer waited downstairs for half an hour. Ethan never came.

I called him.

“The lawyer is here. Mason said at least one of you should be present.”

Ethan’s side was noisy. “I can’t leave.”

“Where are you?”

“Jenny has a foundation panel today. We promised to go with her.”

“This is about Mason’s legal documents.”

Jenny’s voice came through the phone. “Miss Alara, if you don’t want them with me, you can just say it. You don’t need to use documents to call them back.”

Ethan’s tone turned cold. “You heard her. Don’t use Father to pressure me.”

“I’m not.”

Ryan took the phone. “We promised Jenny. If you can’t sign by yourself, wait.”

Then he hung up.

I looked at the dark screen. As long as Jenny needed them, nothing else mattered.

That afternoon, they came back. Jenny held her foundation folder, eyes red.

The moment she saw me, she lowered her head. “Miss Alara, I’m sorry. Did the lawyer wait so long because of me?”

Before I could speak, she stepped closer. “I only wanted to explain...”

Then she stumbled into the display stand beside her. Folders slid across the floor.

Jenny clutched her wrist and cried. “It hurts...”

Ethan rushed to her. “Jenny!”

Ryan turned on me. “What did you do this time?”

“I didn’t touch her.”

Jenny sobbed. “It’s fine, Ethan. Miss Alara didn’t mean it.”

Ethan looked at me coldly. “You just said you weren’t targeting her.”

Julian picked up the legal packet from the floor. “Guardianship termination. Engagement agreement. Company succession.”

He looked at me. “You must feel powerful now.”

Ryan sneered. “Using your control over the inheritance to take it out on Jenny?”

“I said I didn’t touch her.”

Ethan held Jenny close. “Enough. If my father weren’t forcing me, I would never marry you. Honestly, the thought makes me sick.”

I nodded. “Good.”

Ethan frowned. “What?”

“Because I never planned to marry you.”

Ryan laughed. “Everyone knows you’ve loved Ethan for ten years.”

Julian said, “Pretending not to care now is a little late.”

I looked at them. “Who said I was marrying Ethan? I won’t marry any of you.”

Ethan gave a cold laugh. “Are you going to use the fact that you saved my father to guilt us again?”

He stepped closer. “Fine. I’ll marry you, but only if you stay away from Jenny.”

I looked at him. “What makes you think you can set conditions?”

Ethan froze.

“I’ve already chosen,” I said. “And it isn’t you.”

For once, none of them answered.

Ryan laughed first. “If you have that much backbone, tell Father.”

Julian closed the file. “She’s acting.”

Ethan stared at me. “She’ll choose me in the end. She has no other choice.”

They were wrong. I already did.

That evening, Noah’s assistant, Lucas, came to see me.

He handed me a gray metal box. “Miss Alara, Mr. Noah asked me to deliver this.”

Inside was a silver Whitmore board pin, simple and unmistakably official.

“Mr. Noah said that since you chose him, you may wear this at the succession ceremony.”

I closed the box. “Thank him for me.”

“He also said he will arrive on time.”

I nodded. That was the only good news I had heard all day.

Later that night, the event team brought the access credentials for the ceremony. Mason had told me to check mine first.

I picked up the primary family badge with my name on it.

Soon after, Jenny came in with Ethan.

“Miss Alara, you’re here too?”

She saw the badge in my hand. “That one looks more official than mine.”

Ethan asked, “You like it?”

Jenny lowered her head. “I only thought it would look better for the foundation interview photos.”

Ethan looked at me. “Give it to her.”

“It has my name on it.”

“Then have them print another.”

“No.”

His face cooled. “Don’t push it.”

“What if I do?”

Ethan took the badge from my hand and gave it to Jenny. “Wear this tomorrow.”

Jenny smiled through her tears. “Thank you, Ethan.”

Then she looked at me. “Thank you too, Miss Alara.”

I said nothing.

Jenny leaned closer and whispered, “See? If I want something, they give it to me.”

I looked at her. “Stay away from me.”

She smiled and stepped back. Her elbow hit the lighting control panel behind her.

A portable stage light snapped loose and dropped from its frame.

Jenny screamed and threw herself into Ethan’s arms.

I was closest. I pushed the falling stand away before it hit her.

The hot metal casing burned across my arm.

Ethan carried Jenny out first. Ryan and Julian followed him. No one looked back.

By the time the staff lifted the stand, my arm had gone numb.

Jenny was only frightened. I was the one sent to the hospital.

Lying in the emergency room, I stared at the ceiling.

These ten years had been ridiculous.

This time, I swore I would leave them all behind.