Chapter 2

"Audrey!"

I turned around and saw Bryce running in through the café doors.

He was still wearing the custom bespoke suit I had personally bought for him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, out of breath.

"Why shouldn't I be here?"

My icy tone caught Bryce off guard.

He froze for a second, then forced an affectionate smile and reached out to grab my hand.

I stepped aside, cleanly dodging his touch.

"Is there something you need?"

Bryce's hand hung awkwardly in the air, his expression stiffening.

"Audrey, are you still mad at me? I know I wronged you, but I had no choice…"

"The man Leah was supposed to marry has a terrible reputation! I couldn't just sit back and watch her walk into hell!"

"You understand me, don't you? You support my choice, right?"

I sneered internally.

He bent over backward worrying about his sweet childhood friend, yet threw me to the wolves to be publicly humiliated.

And now he had the nerve to ask for my understanding?

What a delusional joke.

I curled my lips coldly. "Sorry, but I neither understand nor support you. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

I moved to walk past him, but he called out desperately.

"Audrey! Wait!"

"I know this isn't fair to you, but Leah and I are truly in love. Can't you just be a little accommodating?"

He stepped closer, softening his voice just like he used to whenever he wanted something from me.

"I might not be able to give you the official title of my wife, but you'll always have a place in my heart… We can still stay together discreetly."

"A lot of wealthy guys live like this nowadays. It's completely normal. Don't take things so seriously."

I could barely believe the audacity coming out of his mouth.

He ruined our engagement, stole another man's bride, and now he wanted me to be his dirty little secret?

And he told me not to take it seriously?

A wave of disgust rushed through me.

I stared at him with sheer contempt.

"Bryce Mercer, you think way too highly of yourself."

"The moment you pulled that stunt yesterday, we were completely through. Keep out of my way, and we won't have a problem."

"Through?" Bryce scoffed, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world. "Audrey Vance, don't push your luck!"

"I'm doing you a favor by coming back to you! Do you really think you can find anyone better than me after being dumped?"

"Whether I can or not is none of your business. But even being alone is better than settling for a two-timing coward."

Without another word, I brushed past him and walked straight out into the sunlight.

Bryce hurled furious curses behind me, but I didn't waste a single second looking back.

As I drove toward my apartment, I remembered my official identification documents were still stored at the family estate.

I turned the steering wheel, deciding to head over and tell my parents about my decision to marry Silas.

I had hoped for a quick conversation, but the moment Silas Hayes's name left my lips, my father's face darkened with fury.

"Audrey Vance! You haven't even cleared up the mess from Bryce's scandal, and now you want to marry that reckless playboy from the Hayes family? Do you want our family to be the biggest laughingstock in the state?!"

I set my handbag on the sofa and kept my voice calm.

"Those are two separate issues. Bryce breached our contract first. The Hayes family's proposal is actually beneficial for us―"

"Beneficial for us?" My mother chimed in, her eyes lighting up at the mention of the Hayes empire.

"What do you know, old man? Do you have any idea how much power the Hayes family holds in this city?"

"Even if Silas has a wild reputation, the resources and connections behind his family are undeniable! Marrying him will open endless doors for our expansion down south."

My father sneered. "Connections? Look at the tabloids!"

"They call him a reckless playboy who changes women faster than he changes clothes! How can the Vance family accept a son-in-law like that?"

"Can a good reputation put food on the table?" My mother patted my shoulder approvingly. "Audrey is doing the right thing. Marriage is about strategic exchange. How much is sentiment really worth? Look at Bryce. You dated him for years, and he still abandoned you in a heartbeat."

They argued back and forth―my father calling me foolish, my mother calculating the profit margins.

Yet neither of them asked what Silas was truly like as a person.

Neither of them asked if this was what I actually wanted.

I stared at the lush potted plant on the coffee table, suddenly remembering when I won my first national academic competition as a child.

My father praised me for bringing honor to the Vance name.

My mother said my achievement would help leverage better social circles.

Later, when I wanted to study fine arts, they shut it down immediately, claiming it was useless for the family business.

From beginning to end, they only taught me two things: profit and family duty.

The concept of "myself" had been crumpled up like scrap paper and tossed into a dark corner long ago.

The rest of the visit passed in heavy silence―at least on my end.

In the end, I took my documents and walked out.

Sitting in my car, I watched the grand estate shrink in my rearview mirror, feeling a sudden wave of detachment.

This mansion, where I had lived for over twenty years, felt like nothing more than an exquisite cage where every iron bar was engraved with "family interests."

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a text from Silas:

"What are you up to?"

I thought for a moment and replied with a dry joke:

"Hacking my way through thorny family drama."

He caught on instantly.

"Your parents pushed back hard, didn't they?"

It sounded like a question, but his tone was completely certain.

Before I could reply, another message popped up:

"Come over to the South Hill estate. I'll show you the interior design. If you don't like it, there's still time to remodel."

I hesitated for a second, then decided a change of scenery would do me good.

I texted back an "Okay" and drove toward South Hill.

I pulled up to the estate gates and slipped the key into the front door lock.