Chapter 2

After leaving Julian's apartment, I met up with Christian Hayes.

I had run into him at a few galas before.

Gentle, refined, and incredibly polite—the quintessential old-money gentleman.

If my heart hadn't been occupied by Julian, Christian would have been exactly my type.

"Miss Montgomery." He stood up and pulled out a chair for me, ever the gentleman.

"Mr. Hayes," I said as I sat down, getting straight to the point. "I agree to the marriage, but I have a few conditions."

He raised an eyebrow, gesturing for me to go on.

"First, we won't interfere in each other's private lives, but we must maintain a united front in public."

"Second, I won't give up my career. I will keep running Montgomery Enterprises."

"Third," I paused, "if you ever fall in love with someone else, we can end this marriage anytime."

He smiled and nodded. "Fair enough. But I have one condition of my own."

"Go ahead."

"Since we're getting married, I expect mutual respect and honesty."

"For instance, I don't want my wife carrying a torch for another man."

I froze for a moment, then nodded. "Deal."

We talked for a long time, covering everything from market trends to art collections. He was articulate and highly intelligent.

When it was time to leave, he walked me to my car. "I'm looking forward to our marriage, Sienna."

Looking at him, I suddenly realized this marriage might not be as bad as I thought.

Just as I was about to drive home, I got a SnapChat from Julian.

He was bringing Melody Sterling to meet his family today, and he wanted me there to help break the ice.

I hesitated, but eventually drove to the Vance estate.

Yet, when I arrived, I realized I had no idea who I was supposed to be in that house anymore.

I sat in my car for God knows how long, until Julian’s assistant tapped on my window.

"Leo? What are you doing here?"

He handed me a folder. "Ma'am, Mr. Vance secured the Eastside development project for you. I assumed you were here to sign the contract."

I glanced at the papers but didn't take them.

"Keep it. Julian is on a blind date today. He just wanted me here as a guest."

I stepped out of the car, leaving Leo stunned.

Before he could say anything, Julian arrived with Melody.

He was wearing that white suit, and they looked picture-perfect together.

I had bought him that suit for his birthday last year.

He used to complain that white was too hard to maintain, but after I pressed it for him several times, he finally wore it.

It wasn't that he hated white. He just hated putting in the effort for me.

Melody held Julian's arm, smiling warmly at me.

"Miss Montgomery, it's so good to finally meet you. Julian talks about you all the time. He says you're his most capable assistant."

Assistant...

A few hours ago, I was his "sister." Now, I was just an assistant.

He was so afraid Melody would misunderstand that he was actively erasing our history.

He wouldn't even acknowledge we grew up together.

I gave a tight nod. Leo looked like he wanted to speak up, but Julian cut him off.

"Leo, leave the business for tomorrow."

He was terrified his assistant would let something slip.

But weren't we just "sleeping together occasionally"? Why the secrecy?

Watching how careful he was, I suddenly wondered who the hell I had been loving for the past five years.

Inside the Vance mansion, the halls were filled with red roses—Melody's favorite.

But Julian forgot that I am severely allergic to roses.

Suppressing the tightening in my chest, I tried to grab the edge of Julian's jacket.

But he was too busy introducing Melody to everyone in the family, completely ignoring me as I suffocated behind him.

My vision began to blur. I leaned against the wall, trying to make it outside for air.

Julian finally noticed and walked over, his tone annoyed. "Sienna, what are you doing?"

"I asked you here to help host, didn't I?"

He grabbed my shoulder to turn me around, but froze when he saw the angry red hives covering my face.

I couldn't hold on any longer. My legs gave out, and I collapsed.

Through the haze, I heard his voice shouting to the maids:

"Get her out of here! Don't let her scare Melody!"

The brutal contrast in how he treated us pierced my heart like a dagger.

Every memory with Julian flashed through my mind.

For a split second, I was back in our teenage years.

Julian was holding my hand, promising me with absolute certainty:

"Sienna, when we grow up, let's get married, okay?"

It turned out I was the only one who took that childhood promise seriously.