Chapter 3

"Sir, would you like to see any other pieces?"

The salesclerk's voice pulled me back to the present.

Elara was waiting for me.

My eyes were drawn to a sapphire ring in the display case.

The inscription inside read, "I will protect you for all my life."

"I'll take that one."

I hadn't known Elara for long, but I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

When I came back from my trip abroad, the paparazzi caught me at my lowest point. Disheveled, broken.

Elara was one of the journalists there that day.

In this greedy, sensationalist world, most of them wrote me off as a pathetic loser.

The negative press hit my company's stock hard. I was losing on all fronts. I was spiraling.

But Elara was different. She reached out to me again and again, asking for an interview.

She wanted to know the truth, to clear my name.

With her help, the company got back on track. With her by my side, I no longer needed medication to keep my head straight.

Elara was my lucky star.

Not long after we met, I told her how I felt.

Thinking about her now, I couldn't wait to see her.

"Elara, I'll pick you up after work. A famous designer is in town today. Let's get you a custom gown."

The wedding was just around the corner, and she'd been so busy with work she didn't have a single proper evening dress.

The designer's boutique was by appointment only, so when I took her there, it was almost empty.

"Hello, my fiancée needs to be measured for a few custom pieces."

Elara went to the back with an assistant, and I sat on a sofa by the window to wait.

"Well, well, Julian. What are you doing here?"

I looked up. It was Nina and Kai.

Nina had changed into a short, revealing dress.

Kai's hand was resting possessively on her waist.

"Julian, are you following me? I'm just here to discuss a new script with Kai."

"I told you I had an emergency. I was going to come back and find you when I was done."

She sounded annoyed, so full of her own self-importance.

Kai chimed in, a smirk on his face. "Julian, I heard your company was in financial trouble. Is everything okay now?"

That was a long time ago. With my lucky star Elara, the company was doing better than ever.

"Don't worry," he continued. "As a veteran in the industry, I can definitely make Nina a huge star."

I looked at him. He was much thinner, and even his foundation couldn't hide the sickly pallor of his skin.

His illness must be something he couldn't talk about openly.

But the way he looked at Nina... it seemed like genuine affection.

After all, she was the only one who had stood by him.

"You must be mistaken. I'm here to have a dress made for my fiancée."

Nina scoffed. "Julian, even if I marry you, I'm not going to neglect my career."

"You have a business degree, and you can't even manage your own company. Look at Kai. He's sick, and he's already signed on for a new movie."

I had heard that they were back to star in a big-budget production together.

I knew exactly what Kai was capable of.

The Steele family had money and connections. His path was always going to be easy.

How else could he have ended up with a third-rate model and a case of hepatitis?

"Well, I'm really looking forward to your big comeback."

I went back to sipping my coffee, completely unbothered. My indifference seemed to infuriate her.

"Julian, you're just jealous that I'm close with Kai! A woman can't be without her own career! You can't rely on a man."

"I hope you take some time to think about your attitude toward me. Otherwise, we should probably postpone the wedding."

I hadn't announced my wedding yet. They had no idea.

"No, my wedding will proceed as planned."

Nina stomped her foot in frustration. "Julian, how dare you defy me? If you don't apologize, I will not forgive you."

Seeing her red, angry face was actually kind of satisfying.

"I'll be posting the announcement on social media shortly. You two should keep an eye out."

She was about to have another meltdown, but Kai stopped her. "Nina, the new movie is about to start filming. We shouldn't be seen making a scene."

Only then did she notice the staff watching them with wide, curious eyes.

"Hmph. Kai, let's go back and work on the script. If Julian doesn't apologize to me, I'm definitely not getting married."

The thing was, my wedding had nothing to do with her. She was just being delusional.

They stormed out of the boutique. A few minutes later, Elara came out from her fitting.

"Sir, this lady has a wonderful figure. We will be sure to create the most exquisite gowns for her."

After paying the deposit, I took Elara's hand and we walked out of the shop, completely unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching us from across the street.