Vesper rose on her tiptoes, her voice dropping to a whisper as she hissed into Ivy's ear. "There's no way I'm picking him as my fiance."
Her gaze landed on the man lounging nearby with infuriating ease.
He watched her with a smirk, oozing smug confidence like she was already his prize.
That deceptively tender gaze might have fooled her once, each look a whispered promise of undying love.
Ethan. The same monster who had shoved her off that rooftop moments ago.
The searing memory of bones snapping and flesh tearing still burned through her. He wasn't her first love; he was the devil who had devoured her whole without remorse.
Ivy's eyebrows shot up before concern creased her forehead. "Vesper? What's wrong? Did that Grant boy do something?"
Others might have missed it, but Ivy caught the shift instantly. That fleeting glance held nothing but raw hatred and revulsion, all traces of affection gone.
Vesper wrenched her gaze away, her fingers itching to skin him alive. She swallowed the fury and shrugged. "I'm just not into him anymore."
As the Lynd heiress, she didn't owe anyone explanations. Her whims were law.
Ivy chuckled, ruffling her daughter's silken hair. "Good riddance. Our Vesper is too good for that Grant brat anyway."
Vesper's breath hitched. "Thanks, Mom."
No matter how outrageous her choices, her mother always had her back.
The memories flooded back. In her past life, she had been so obsessed with Ethan that she ignored everyone else. She hadn't even noticed when he seized the conglomerate, sidelining her entire family. Later, he exiled her mother to some foreign nursing home, cutting her off for years.
If only her mother had stayed, maybe things wouldn't have ended in blood.
"Mom, I want Conrad Sterling. Not Ethan."
Ivy's smile stiffened. "Conrad? But you know he doesn't come from money, Vesper. He has no connections, no safety net. "
Before Ivy could finish, Vesper cut in sharply.
"Mom, I'm your daughter. Even the grandest family would just be an extra perk for me. My life's already set. I have everything I could ever need. I'm choosing Conrad, and that's final."
Ivy hesitated. "Vesper, besides Ethan, there are four other suitors. Conrad isn't your only option. He isn't suited for you. "
Vesper shook her head firmly. "But I want him. The others only court me for the Lynd Group. Conrad is different. I can see it. He doesn't care about the company. He only cares about me."
Ivy pressed her lips into a thin line but said nothing more.
"We'll discuss this later with your father."
The Lynd heiress's failure to pick a fiance at her coming of age ceremony became the talk of Norbridge. According to the Lynd family, Ivy simply couldn't bear to part with her daughter yet and wanted to postpone the marriage. As for how long, they revealed nothing.
The Grants remained unconcerned. Everyone knew Vesper was hopelessly devoted to Ethan. Eventually, she would marry into their family, delivering the Lynd Group right into Ethan's grasp.
Aksara