Chapter 3

3.

The phone call had completely ruined my sleep.

I frowned in annoyance.

Damian saw my expression and spoke casually. "Preston is not a good choice. If he plays around this much before the wedding, he's not going to be faithful after. You're much better than him."

I looked up at him, confused.

Damian took a cigarette from the nightstand, tapped it, and lit it. His expression suddenly turned serious.

"If you're considering a practical partnership, the Cross Group's portfolio is much stronger than the Vanderbilt family's."

"Damian, what are you trying to say?"

Damian's sharp gaze met mine. "I know you've always wanted to secure that East Brooklyn development project, but you can't get it approved by the board on your own. If we merge our resources... we could take it easily."

I was wide awake now.

"With the Cross Group's power, you could take that project all by yourself. Why share a piece of the pie with me?"

"Maybe I don't do free one-night stands."

I couldn't help but twitch my lips. After a few seconds of thought, I extended my right hand. "Deal."

Forty minutes later, Damian and I walked out of the City Hall Marriage Bureau.

I was still in a daze, staring at the marriage certificate in my hand.

"Let's go."

"Now? To meet a client?"

Damian reached out and patted my head, a smile in his voice. "On our honeymoon. We have to make this look real."

We changed into our diving gear and submerged ourselves in the azure waters of the Caribbean, surrounded by the mystery and silence of the deep sea.

Beautiful coral reefs and schools of tropical fish were within arm's reach.

Damian made a hand signal, telling me to follow him.

As we descended deeper, I looked up and saw a sky of glittering starlight reflected on the water's surface.

When we got back to the shore, a staff member handed me my phone, saying it had been ringing constantly.

I opened it to find dozens of messages.

[Ms. Sterling, this is the manager of the Vera Wang flagship store. When would you be available for a wedding dress fitting?]

[Ms. Sterling, this is the head of the wedding planning company. What kind of flowers do you prefer? We need to have them flown in from the Netherlands in advance.]

[Ms. Sterling, Mr. Vanderbilt has ordered a pink diamond ring for you from our store. When can you come in to try it on?]

A wedding dress? Flowers? A ring?

The more I read, the deeper my frown became.

Had my private number been leaked?

Just then, my phone rang again.

I glanced at the screen. It was Preston.

"Hello."

He started right in with an accusatory tone. "Where the fuck are you? I've been calling you nonstop, and your secretary said you took a month-long vacation."

"Where I go is none of your business. Don't forget, we broke up."

Preston just laughed, completely unconcerned. "You're still pissed about Mia. Fine, I get it. I'll throw you a wedding too. Just tell them what kind of dress and venue you want. The budget is unlimited."

I was speechless. I rolled my eyes. "Are you insane?"

I couldn't see his face, but I could imagine Preston's stunned expression when he heard that.

"Caroline! You were upset about the wedding, and now I'm promising you the best wedding money can buy. What more do you want? This is your last chance. You don't want to marry me? Fine. Then you can be single for the rest of your life."

Preston was always like this. If he offered you a way out and you didn't take it, it was somehow your fault.

"You're a maniac. We broke up. Marry whoever you want―I don't even care if you marry your damned yacht."

Preston hissed three "fines" through the phone.

"Fine, Caroline! I gave you a chance. This was your choice. Don't come crying back to me."

Psycho.

Damian walked over, already changed. "Was that Preston?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah. He thinks I'm mad about a wedding, so he offered to throw me one too. What the hell did I ever see in that man?"

Damian just smiled, a knowing look in his eyes, and said nothing.

For the next month, we explored the mystical blue ice caves in Iceland.

We rode in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey.