Chapter 3
“What… what do you mean?
Estammered, completely thrown off.
My brother, who had always spoed me growing up, sighed heavily.
“Grace, you’re smart. You know exactly what I mean”
It hit me like a ton
a ten of bricks.
My family had no place for people who didn’t pull their weight.
When I gave up my inheritance, they gave up un
“Dut… but…” I stuttered, smable to find the words.
My brother’s steady voice continued, “Grace, in this world, you can’t rely on anyone else. The only person you can count on is yourself
For some reason, his words calmed me down
The whirlwind of emotions I’d been feeling just stopped
I wiped away my tears and asked, “What do I need to do?”
He seemed surprised by my question.
After a moment of silence, he finally said, “The family’s shifting focus back to the States. There’s a piece of land in Southport up for bidding in a month. If you can win iL.”
“I will,” I cut him off my voice firm.
My brother was a no
was a no–nonsense type of person
Hearing my answer, he simply said, “Report to the branch office tomorrow,” before hanging up
1 let out a deep breath. It was strange.
My hands were still trembling, but inside, I felt calm.
I dried my tears, tossed the photo album into a trash bin on the street, and walked into a nearby buxury boutique
The sales associate greeted me with a bright smile, and I managed a weak one in return.
“Could you do my makeup?”
She didn’t ask what was wrong. Instead, she spoke in a soft, soothing toe, sharing a few lighthearted stories.
Once I closed my eyes, she fell silent, letting the sound of the brush against my skin fill the space
My thoughts drifted to the land in Southport
Ethan Harper had mentioned it when we were still together.
He’d been swamped with work back then, constantly complaining about how the bidding kept getting delayed and how expensive it was for a piece of “worthless” land.
He even said he’d need Caleb Monroe’s help just i
just to make it work.
thurade!
Ethan and Caleb were two of the biggest players in Havemated,
If they teamed up, no one could muthid the
Which meant my competition was just the two of thes
Right now, they were publicly at odds because of me
But I knew it was all part of their plan……
They’d pretend to be enemies, then join forces at the last minute to secure the land for themselves
What they didn’t expect was me.
No, they didn’t even consider me
ΤΗΝ
athrean?
Just a lovesick woman with no experience in the business world–how could I possibly be a t
Maybe I had been naive, but that was before than
Before him, I lived in a world full of hackstabbing and manipulation.
1 knew more than they gave me credit for.
1 would take them down one by one and get exactly what I wanted
My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was Ethan.
His voice was as warm as ever.:
“Grace, where are you? You’re late”
I smirked, though the smile didn’t reach my eyes.
“I’m on my way
I bought a bag of makeup at the boutique, told the associate to hold onto it for me, and headed straight to the hotel without hesitation.
Inside, Caleb and his friends had everything ready.
moment I stepped up to the doce, it opened, and a flurry of condetti and streamers filled the air.
“Happy three year
anniversary!”
“You two are going to be together forever!”
“The perfect couple strikes again
The room was decked out.
Sunflowers covered the floor, pink balloons floated on the ceiling and tiny glass jars hung from the strings, each holding a photo of Caleb and me.
It looked like something out of a rom–com.
Caleb stood in the middle of it all smiling at me like I was the only thing that mattered:
When I walked in, he got down on one knee and pulled our
“Grace, we’ve been through three incredible years together.”
“Every single day feels like a dream, and I’m terrified 11 wake up one day and you won’t be there”
Chapter 3
“But every morning, there you are.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life like this. Will you marry me?”
Tears welled up in my eyes,
If only Caleb really loved me.
But he didn’t
I lowered my gaze, pretending to be overcome with guilt.
“I’m sorry, Caleb. I… I still can’t get over Ethan.”
