8
When I woke again, I was already home.
My father looked at me, exasperated, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
Seeing my tear–filled eyes, he grudgingly squeezed out a “Hmph.”
Then he yanked me out of bed.
“Your taste is awful, nothing like your mother’s. And here you are, carrying her name, suffering for that good–for–nothing!”
“Now, go finalize things with Julian Kingston, like a good girl.”
I frowned.
“Mr. Kingston, you’re just selling your daughter off like this…”
Dad shushed me.
Only then did I see the other person in the room.
Julian sat quietly on the sofa, his back perfectly straight.
Just like every time I had a dance performance.
He would sit perfectly straight in the center seat of the audience.
13:42
<
Tue, 24
So quiet, it was almost as if he wasn’t there.
Perhaps that’s why, as the Kingston family heir, he was also the top–ranked assassin.
He wore a mask for every mission.
So few knew his true face.
Julian stood up, his long legs striding directly towards me.
He handed me a piece of chocolate.
My favorite brand.
I obediently took it, glanced quickly at the alluring beauty mark by his eye, and quickly
lowered my head.
Then I saw him bend down, neatly placing my pink slippers by the bed.
A silent urging.
Clumsy yet earnest.
The registrars Dad arranged were waiting in the living room downstairs.
Soon, the signed certificates were placed in a beautiful small box.
Julian and I each took one.
After signing, he seemed a little restless.
He tightly held onto the small box.
I spoke understandingly, “If you’re busy, you can leave first.”
He opened his mouth. “It’s not that I’m busy…”
Then he picked up my small box as well.
13:43 Tue, 24 Jun
<
94%
He pulled my hand and led me to a bank vault.
He solemnly placed both marriage certificates in a permanent safe deposit box.
Finally, he let out a sigh of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted.
I smiled, amused. “Are you telling me you’ll never divorce me?”
He nodded earnestly.
His eyes, deep and unwavering, gazed at me. “Aubrey, welcome home.”
I pretended not to notice his flushed ear tips.
“What if I want to divorce you?”
He shook his head repeatedly, pulling out a stack of cards from his pocket.
He placed them in my hand.
His voice low, “The password is your birthday. All the money is yours, and all my love too.”
I smiled.
Julian could be considered my childhood sweetheart.
Our two families were long–time friends.
But because of his stepmother’s harsh treatment, he spent a year in an underground fighting arena.
By the time my father found out and rescued him, he had changed.
He had become cold and ruthless.
And he had honed his marksmanship to perfection.
He became a qualified heir to the Kingston family.
<
B
སོཊཱི 94%L
I had walked through the darkness with him, but I couldn’t bear his coldness.
I tore up the engagement contract between our two families.
And met Caleb Davies, who saved me from the dark alley.
Defying my father’s objections, I changed to my mother’s surname and secretly married Caleb.
Now, I realized how terribly wrong I had been.
Caleb Davies, who swore up and down he loved me, abandoned and deceived me again and again for Sera.
While Julian, who never spoke of love, gave me all the freedom I desired.
He only stepped forward when I needed him most.
I felt a warmth radiating from beneath his cool, collected exterior.
I lightly hooked my fingers through his.
Satisfied, I admired his flushed ears.
Dad said my wedding this time would be grand.
If I dared to secretly marry again, he’d break my legs.
I knew he was standing up for me.
The media was abuzz with news: Miss Kingston and the Kingston family heir were to have a grand wedding in three days.
