Chapter 3
1508 Words
Everyone was waiting for me to embarrass myself, eager to see how I would respond.
RecalLennoxg my uncle’s warning, I lost all interest in arguing with him.
After all, it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew who I was going to marry.
On the way home, I shared a car with Mia Sullivan.
She looked at my dress, soaked from the spilled drink, and laughed loudly.
"Even if you become the president’s wife someday, what does it matter if you can’t win Miles Howard’s heart? You’re still worse than a lowly assistant."
Now that she no longer had Miles Howard’s Sullivanpport, she finally dropped her act of vulnerability.
Looking at her smug face, I recalled my past life.
My mother forced her to marry my father’s assistant, a man of humble origins who later achieved great Sullivanccess.
Grateful for my father’s mentorship, he doted on Mia Sullivan in every way.
Her life was far more comfortable than mine as the president’s wife.
In this life, I would absolutely not allow my mother to meddle in her marriage.
I couldn’t wait to see what fate had in store for her.
Thinking this, I ignored her taunts and simply said, "Then I wish you and Miles Howard a lifetime of happiness together."
She froze, her arrogance deflating like a punctured balloon.
I ignored her further and got off the car.
At my uncle’s birthday banquet, I followed my mother to pay respects.
To avoid the young masters attending the banquet, I found a quiet corner in the garden to rest.
Unexpectedly, I ran into Mia Sullivan there.
I heard that recently, Miles Howard had been sending her various luxury gifts nonstop.
She was now decked out in jewels and dressed more flamboyantly than I, the legitimate heiress.
Seeing me, she swayed her hips and walked over, speaking in a coquettish tone: "Sister, isn’t my dress beautiful? Brother Mingze had a designer create it specially for me—it’s a one-of-a-kind global limited edition."
I completely ignored her, but she persisted in showing off: "Brother Mingze also said that my wedding dress has to be top-notch! He promised that mine will definitely be shinier and more dazzLennoxg than yours!"
As I was about to scold her to be quiet, my gaze was drawn to the bracelet on her wrist, and my heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.
That bracelet was identical to the one my grandmother left me before she passed away.
I loved the Ruyi (a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing good fortune) design, so my grandmother had a skilled craftsman carve the bracelet into the Ruyi pattern.
I cherished it so much that I couldn’t bear to wear it myself.
Just as I was about to take a closer look, Mia Sullivan Sullivanddenly covered her face and screamed: "Sis! What are you doing? I know you’re jealous that Brother Mingze dotes on me, but you can’t just hit me!"
My wrist was grabbed tightly by someone.
A cold voice came from behind: "Shirley Lennox, what are you doing?"
Miles Howard glared at me: "What’s gotten into you now?"
I shook off his hand and stared straight at Mia Sullivan, asking, "Where did you get that bracelet?"
A flash of panic crossed Mia Sullivan’s face, but seeing Miles Howard standing by her side, ready to defend her, she straightened her back: "Brother Mingze gave it to me."
"You’re lying! That bracelet was custom-made for me by my grandmother, one of a kind in the world."
"Xiao Zachary, go take it off!"
My assistant, Xiao Zachary, started to step forward to remove the bracelet from Mia Sullivan’s wrist.
But Miles Howard slapped her to the ground.
"You wretched woman, who gave you permission to touch Linda?!"
He roared at me like an enraged lion, pointing his finger in my face: "Shirley Lennox, I never expected you to resort to Sullivanch despicable tactics to smear Linda and drive a wedge between us! I, Miles Howard, declare here and now that I personally gifted this bracelet to Linda!"
After hearing his words and seeing the blood at the corner of Xiao Zachary’s mouth, my anger flared.
This jade bracelet was a gift from my grandmother, and Miles Howard had seen it before.
Now, he was blatantly lying to protect Mia Sullivan and even resorted to violence against my assistant.
"Miles Howard, hitting my assistant is equivalent to slapping me in the face," I said. I had never raised my voice at him before, and my sharp gaze stunned him, making him instinctively want to explain.
Mia Sullivan theatrically wiped the corner of her eye, feigning distress as she took off the jade bracelet and held it out to me: "If sister likes it, take it. Don’t quarrel with Brother Mingze anymore."
She pretended to push the jade bracelet into my hands but deliberately let it slip, causing the bracelet to shatter into pieces on the ground with a "clack."
I was so enraged that my whole body trembled, and I raised my hand to slap her, only to be pushed aside by Miles Howard.
"Shirley Lennox, you are forbidden to harm Linda! Look at you now, acting like a shrew!" he roared.
I stumbled from the push and fell to the ground, sitting there in disarray.
Mia Sullivan weakly leaned into Miles Howard’s embrace, a triumphant sneer curLennoxg at the corners of her mouth.
Seeing me fall, a flicker of panic crossed Miles Howard’s eyes as he reached out to help me up.
But Mia Sullivan clutched his hand tightly.
With tearful eyes, she whimpered, "Brother Mingze, my chest hurts so much…"
Miles Howard immediately became anxious, lifting her into his arms and urgently calLennoxg for a doctor.
Bystanders, witnessing the drama, began to point and whisper.
"Isn’t that the daughter of President Lennox? Causing a scene over a man and fighting with her own family’s illegitimate daughter—truly disgracing the Lennox family name."
Miles Howard stared at me, his face livid: "Shirley Lennox, have you had enough of your theatrics! Apologize to Linda right now! You madwoman, you’re unworthy of being my fiancée!"
The group of second-generation heirs behind him burst into laughter.
"Miss Lennox, if you’re this jealous, just wait until our General Manager Howard has multiple wives and concubines—won’t you be literally worried to death?"
Amidst the cacophony of mocking laughter, Miles Howard strode up to me, his tone oozing certainty.
He looked down at me and said leiSullivanrely, "I heard that my father is announcing our wedding today. If you still want to marry me, you’d better behave."
"After the news is made public, you can plead with my father to allow Lennox Linda to marry into the Howard family alongside you, as my mistress."
"I’ll magnanimously overlook this incident and even let you earn a reputation for being ‘virtuous and generous’—kilLennoxg two birds with one stone."
I stared at him in disbelief. Although I had always known what kind of person he was,
his shamelessness still shocked me.
Seeing my silence, he asSullivanmed I had acquiesced and said triumphantly, "If my father agrees to this arrangement, I’ll consider preparing a dowry for you on par with Linda’s, so you won’t lose face when you two marry me on the same day."
His smug expression was as if he had already cornered me and was certain of his position as the future head of the Howard Family Corporation.
Xiao Zachary ran over, crying, trying to help me up.
The Sullivanrrounding colleagues all covered their mouths, waiting for my humiliation.
Just as the farce was escalating, a thunderous rebuke cut through the air: "What is going on here?!"
Everyone turned to see Julian Howard and Secretary Fitzgerald approaching.
Julian Howard quickly stepped forward, carefully helping me to my feet, and looked at my soiled dress with concern, asking, "Are you alright?"
Secretary Fitzgerald, on the other hand, announced sternly, "The chairman has something to say—"
Hearing this, Miles Howard and the group of rich second-generation heirs knew the announcement of the marriage news was imminent.
The crowd beamed with anticipation, clustering together to await the good news.
Miles Howard cast a triumphant glance my way, as if to say, "You’ve lost."
He didn’t forget to lower his voice and threaten me, "Don’t forget what I just told you. Hurry up and plead with my father to let Mia Sullivan marry into the family with you!"
One of the heirs beside him was already whispering congratulations to Miles Howard, "Congratulations, General Manager Howard, on inheriting the family business and securing two Lennox heiresses as your wives. Double joy indeed!"
However, the jubilant atmosphere didn’t last long.
"The chairman has declared that Shirley Lennox, the Lennox Corporation heiress, is talented and virtuous, and is to be wed to Julian Howard. A auspicious date will be chosen for the wedding," Secretary Fitzgerald announced.
Everyone present froze in shock.
The engagement the chairman had announced was between me and Julian Howard.
- Writer
