All Chapters of Rich Heir Rebirth: No More Childhood Sweetheart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

When she saw where I was pointing, my mother, Dorothy Sanders, looked surprised. "Are you sure?"I nodded seriously. "Of course. I won't joke about something like this."Inside the banquet hall, everyone's gaze instinctively shifted toward one girl in the crowd, Ruth Lonsdale.Envy, jealousy, and all kinds of emotions mingled together. After all, everyone in Fairmont knew I was hopelessly in love with her. Some people were already lifting their glasses, stepping forward to congratulate Ruth.She showed no gratitude whatsoever. With an icy expression, she strode away.After a brief, awkward silence, someone tried to smooth things over and said that Ruth had a cold personality and wasn't sociable. But only I knew the truth. Her distance and refusal to let anyone get close were all because she didn't want Jack Clement to feel uncomfortable.After a few rounds of drinks, I was slightly tipsy. I left the banquet hall alone to get some air. I didn't expect to run into Ruth outside.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, Ruth showed up. She walked into my room, looking exhausted. I thought she'd come to apologize. Instead, she rubbed her temples impatiently and said, "I can't take this anymore. I'll marry you." Then, she turned and left.The abruptness of her words left me stunned for a moment. It wasn't until later that I learned the truth. During the days I was hospitalized, the Lonsdale family ran into the same crisis they had in my past life. They were on the verge of bankruptcy.Ruth's parents were forcing her to marry me. But she had always been proud, so there was no way she'd bow her head and ask for help.So, in a fit of rage, Ruth's father arranged for Jack to marry someone else instead. The other party was a well-known tycoon from Havenport, but his daughter had been intellectually disabled since birth. She couldn't even say her own name without drooling.Left with no choice, Ruth begrudgingly accepted her fate. But from the looks of it,

In our day-to-day interactions, I had always been exceptionally attentive to Ruth.She would mention in passing a bakery with the best bagels, and I would cross half the city just to stand in line for them. She coughed once, and I would rush out in the rain to buy her cold medicine.For her sake, I even set aside my own religious skepticism and endured a grueling climb to a secluded chapel, just to bring back a good-luck charm for her.Everything seemed perfect until Jack returned from studying abroad.According to Jack, I had frequently bullied him back when we were in the orphanage. And Ruth never doubted these claims for a moment, because Jack was the person she trusted most.As time went on, Jack's words appeared to be proven true by what she saw. I would rely on my powerful family background and would constantly make things difficult for Jack. Ruth could never love such a hypocritical, disgusting man.If I hadn't used such despicable tactics, leading to the Lonsdale family's

Isabelle's chest rose and fell, her breath hot and rapid.It was the first time I had really looked at her face up close. She wasn't ordinary-looking at all. Her nose was delicate and straight, and her eyes were gentle and alluring. She only seemed plain on most days because she never bothered with makeup or dressing herself up.I lowered my head and planted a light kiss on the corner of her lips."Mr. Jones…" Isabelle looked startled. Her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes shimmering as she stared straight at me.I smiled softly and said, "When we were kids, you were always quietly following behind me. You remembered every little hobby of mine, and you changed yourself little by little to match them. I remember everything."I took her soft hand and said seriously, "I admit that I once loved Ruth. But now, I'm grateful I didn't stay blind to the very end. Otherwise, I would've missed you. Luckily, we finally found our way to each other."Belle, I love you. Not out of spite to anyone