Chapter 2

Against all reason, Steve said yes.

Even the Henson elders behind him looked faintly surprised.

Everard broke the silence with an amused little smile and clapped Steve on the shoulder.

"Brother, you actually want what I've thrown away?"

"It's fine. Haven't you spent all these years using what I discarded?"

Steve stepped to the side, and Everard's hand landed on empty air with nothing to catch it.

He pulled it back, awkward now, and turned his eyes to me.

"You two can marry, but not on the same day."

Eudora nodded along.

"Sister, your fate is already unlucky. If the ceremonies are on the same day and you drag down the Hensons' fortune, what then?"

"I don't think you could carry the blame for that, could you?"

Steve suddenly stepped forward, putting himself between me and Eudora.

His voice was firm and even.

"We won't compete. We'll hold ours the day after yours."

I let out a quiet breath.

Steve really wasn't the dull man everyone made him out to be.

At the very least, he spoke up for me.

On Eudora's wedding day, the whole family showed up.

And left me standing alone outside the hotel.

Everard, in a custom-tailored suit, let his distaste for me flicker through his eyes.

"Vivi, you and I are practically friends, so I know part of you regrets not marrying me."

"But you can't blame anyone else. If you hadn't wandered off as a child, you'd have been the one who grew up beside me."

"After all, today is my wedding with Dora. It really wouldn't be right for you to go in."

"Your father said so himself. You were born under a cursed fate. What if you carry that bad luck into the ceremony?"

I gave a cold little laugh. Everard really was in love with himself.

In my last life, if not for that one fortune-telling reading, I would never have married him.

So high on himself, looking down on everyone.

A man like that wasn't fit to be family to me.

And remembering what he'd done to me in that other life only made me despise him more.

"That isn't regret. It's the luckiest escape of my life."

"Everard, not every woman is dreaming of marrying you. Do you really think you're that impressive? That extraordinary?"

"Dora might think highly of you, but I'm not blind."

He was so furious the button on his chest nearly popped loose.

His face twisted into something ugly.

"Can't have me, so now you want to insult me, is that it?"

"Annette, you're nothing but a castoff the Simmons family threw away. What gives you the right to strut around like this?"

"If your father cared about you at all, he wouldn't have agreed to marry you off to that spineless brother of mine."

Just then Steve stepped out of the car.

Everard glanced over and sneered.

"Well, speak of the devil."

He tugged his suit jacket straight.

He strode over to Steve.

"Brother, sorry about this. Blood or not, today that door isn't opening for you."

"If you know what's good for you, take Annette and get lost."

Everard's arrogance didn't provoke Steve at all.

Instead he walked over and gently took my hand.

"Sorry. I'm bringing my fiancée to the hotel to go through the wedding steps."

"You've misunderstood."

The tips of Everard's ears flushed red at once.

His whole body went rigid where he stood.

Eudora came running out on her heels, gathering up the hem of her gown, calling out.

"Everard, the ceremony's about to start. What are you dawdling for?"

"Stay away from Annette. It'd be bad if her cursed fate rubbed off on you."

Once we'd walked into the hall on the hotel's third floor, I stopped and looked up at Steve.

"Why did you agree to the marriage?"

"When you knew perfectly well Everard was setting you up on purpose?"

He lowered his eyes, and his gaze turned suddenly hot.

"Vivi, do you want to know why?"

I nodded, completely serious.

But he moved away from in front of me.

"I'll tell you after the wedding."