Cassian Jennings’s outstretched hand hung in mid-air. He wanted to pull Amelia Avery back, but what could he give her?

He didn’t love Amelia Avery, so what right did he have to ask her to stay?

All they would ever have was a sibling-like bond. What else could there be?

’Nothing else is possible. Nothing else ever will be...’

This relationship had to end. Tonight was just a brief interlude in their lives; they couldn’t continue down this wrong path.

Fiona Vance was the most suitable woman for him, the woman he had to marry. And he would never change that decision for anyone else.

...

「City Center Hospital.」

On the hospital bed, Maggie Monroe weakly sat up. "Mrs. Lane, how is it? Did you get through?"

Mrs. Lane shook her head helplessly. "No, Young Master Grayson isn’t answering his phone." ’Has he decided to back out of the marriage?’ she thought. ’Then again, who in their right mind would accept this?’

’Who would be willing to marry a dying woman?’ Although Mrs. Lane was thinking this, she didn’t dare say it out loud.

She knew better than to provoke Miss Monroe’s temper.

"Call him. Keep calling! Don’t stop until he picks up!"

"Yes."

Maggie Monroe clenched her fists, her eyes filled with hatred.

’If you didn’t want to marry me, why did you give me hope, again and again?’

’Tristan Grayson, you’ve treated me this way, so how could I ever let you be happy? How could I ever let you be with *that* woman?’

"Miss Monroe, the call won’t go through. His phone is off."

"Off? Heh..." ’How perfect,’ she fumed. ’Just perfect. He actually dared to turn off his phone? Does he find me annoying?’

A vicious glint flashed in Maggie Monroe’s eyes. She pointed to her phone on the nightstand. "Mrs. Lane, bring me my phone."

"Yes, Miss Monroe."

She took the phone, opened her contacts, and stared at a number on her block list. Her expression turned sinister and complex.

For so many years, she had never once dialed this number. It was a symbol of the greatest shame in her life, and it belonged to the woman she least wanted to see.

*****

Today was Cassian Jennings and Fiona Vance’s wedding day.

Neither of them wanted a large wedding—just a simple meal with their families, followed by a ceremony at a small chapel.

Cassian Jennings watched the woman approach, a chill in his eyes.

The Jennings Family had suffered because of what happened between him and Amelia Avery. In Tridell, the Avery and Joyce families had drawn a line in the sand, publicly severing ties with them. This was equivalent to cutting off all access to their old and new clients.

The Avery Family, backed by the Grayson Family, might not have a huge impact on their own, but the Joyce Family was another matter entirely...

He had gone looking for Leo Joyce that night, likely because he’d been bottling up so much frustration he felt he would burst. He had nowhere else to vent, so he went to spar with him. Who would have known that at that exact moment, he would run into Fiona Vance?

Fiona Vance was a smart woman, and an even shrewder businesswoman. After they’d had tea together, she’d had him investigated. Then, she’d gone straight over his head to negotiate this so-called "marriage alliance" directly with his parents.

And as the sole heir of the Jennings Family, he had a duty to prioritize their interests above all else.

He slowly extended his hand. A faint smile played on Fiona Vance’s lips as she placed her hand in his, then stepped to his side and looped her arm through his.

Fiona Vance smiled confidently, offering an undisguised compliment. "You look very handsome today, Master Jennings."

"Thank you, Miss Vance. You look beautiful as well. But let me be clear: I expect you to keep your word."

"Of course. Once I marry into the Jennings Family, I’ll be a Jennings. We’ll naturally face any hardship together."