Real love never dies.

Chapter:5

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The two sisters sat down again on the couches and stared at their mother, waiting for her to continue. Catherine said, "Like I said, only two are willing to settle down, and we've already sent your profiles to them. They've chosen who they want. All you two have to do is be prepared, since they'll soon be coming here to see their two brides. No objections are allowed, and you don't have a chance to contest it, since the deal is already made," she said with a calm expression.

Lily asked, "Mother, what are you saying about all of this? Are you okay with both of your daughters getting married in the same family, and plus, we're still young to get married?" she said with dissatisfaction.

Ava fell silent, lost in thought. Lily, noticing Ava's silence, stood up and looked at her mother. "Mother, this is unacceptable," she said, then walked away with a frustrated face.

Catherine decided to fall silent and act like she didn't hear anything Lily had just said. She then turned to Ava and asked, "You don't seem to oppose the idea. Did you accept it that fast since you're no longer saying anything?" Ava replied, "What's the point of opposing it when Dad has already agreed? There's nothing I can do, so I won't say anything." She then stood up, said her goodbyes, and went upstairs to sleep. Catherine didn't stay for too long; she also made her way upstairs and went to sleep.

---

In Italy… at the luxurious Rosewood Rome hotel…

Ethan was in his suite, on a call with his assistant.

Ethan: "Book a plane ticket. We’re departing tonight."

…

Ethan: "Cool." He hung up the phone, then sat on the couch and took a sip of his coffee. Soon, he was lost in thought.

Later that evening, Ethan walked through the hotel lobby with his assistant following close behind. They headed to the airport for their flight back to South Africa. After going through all the required procedures, they finally boarded the plane.

What they didn’t know was that someone had been following their every move—snapping pictures, watching silently. The man in black, after confirming they had boarded, made a call. Then, without hesitation, he followed them onto the same flight.

Ethan remained unaware—composed and calm as always.

---

It had been three days since Lily last spoke to or saw Ethan. She missed him terribly; he usually spent much of his free time with her. Their bond was close, and she felt the emptiness of his absence.

While Lily was in her room reading a novel, Ava, on the other side, was on a call.

Ava: "Well, it seems like our plan is taking another direction. We have a new target," she said with a sly smile, standing on the balcony and gazing at the moon.

…

Ava: "It’ll be a win-win. There’s a marriage proposal from the Clay family, and I’m one of the potential brides. I’m willing to go for it—the Clays are swimming in money."

…

Ava frowned. "Oh, come on, babe. This is our chance. If we play this right, we’ll be rich. You know I know how to work my cards. Trust me."

…

Ava: "Okay, okay, I get it. How about I come over to your place? I don’t want to sleep alone—my bed’s so cold," she added with a smirk.

…

Ava: "Be there soon." She hung up, walked back into her room, and began changing out of her sleepwear.

---

The sun was out, the sky a perfect blue—it was a beautiful morning. At the Richmond Family Group company, Reginald, the CEO, was buried in paperwork. He wore spectacles to help him focus, his attention locked on the documents before him.

A sudden knock broke the silence.

Without looking up, he called out, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal an older, well-dressed man—Reginald’s assistant.

He stepped forward. "Mr. Richmond, there’s a woman at the reception. She doesn’t have an appointment, but she insists she needs to see you urgently."

Reginald: "I don’t have time for chit-chat. If she doesn’t have an appointment, let her schedule one," he said, still focused on his work.

Clark: "She said to tell you her name—Sammy Syester."

The mention of her name made Reginald pause. He slowly looked up, frowning.

Reginald: "Let her in," he said with a sigh, eyes dropping back to the papers.

Clark: "Yes, sir." He turned and left.

As the door closed, Reginald loosened his tie slightly and stood up, walking to the bar in his office. He poured himself a glass of whiskey. Moments later, the door opened again.

Red stilettos stepped through first, followed by beautiful, toned legs and a tight white dress. A glint of jewelry sparkled at her collarbones. Her blonde hair was styled to perfection, lips painted red. She carried a small side purse and walked with poise and confidence.

Reginald was captivated. Her beauty hit him like a wave—just as it had in high school, when he’d first fallen in love with her. Though his father had forced him to marry Catherine, his feelings for Sammy had never disappeared. Their time together had been limited, but they'd never stopped seeing each other in secret.

Noticing Reginald’s silence, Sammy spoke first.

Sammy: "I tried calling you several times. Why did you ignore me?" she asked, frowning.

Reginald snapped out of it and shook his head. "I wasn’t ignoring you. I was busy and planned to call back."

Sammy: "That wasn’t part of our plan. You said you’d always be there, and now you’re ignoring me?" She stood with her hands on her hips.

With a helpless sigh, Reginald set down his glass and walked to her.

Reginald: "I missed you. If only you knew how much I’ve been thinking about you, you wouldn’t be mad right now." He playfully pinched her cheek.

Sammy pushed his hand away. "I’m not here for lovey-dovey moments. I need your help." Her tone was serious.

Reginald’s expression shifted. "Tell me what’s wrong, darling. I’ll do anything to help you."

She stepped closer, hands on his chest, gazing into his eyes.

Sammy: "Promise me you won’t say no. You're the only one who can help." Her voice flirted as she gave him a pleading, almost mischievous look.

Reginald was already melting.

Reginald: "Tell Daddy what you want."

Without wasting time, Sammy whispered in his ear. Watching his expression change, she then kissed him softly on the lips.

Reginald, stunned, smiled.

Reginald: "Kiss me again."

Sammy, realising she'd gotten what she wanted, tapped his chest and pouted.

Sammy: "Agree first, and I’ll do more than kiss."

He smirked, then gave a slight nod. "Alright, I’ll do it. I promise. Now take action."

Grinning, Sammy pulled away and dashed toward the door.

Sammy: "Too late! You already agreed!" she said, laughing.

Caught off guard, Reginald chased after her. Just as she reached the door, he grabbed her from behind.

Reginald: "Did you really think you could outsmart me? Now you’re stuck—no escape."

Sammy laughed uncontrollably. There was no use running. She turned and kissed him again, and the once quiet office was filled with life and laughter.

To an outsider, they might have looked like teenagers in love—but no. They were adults, both with children. In fact, Sammy and Reginald shared a son and a daughter together, though no one knew the truth. Sammy’s husband believed the children were his, but only she and Reginald knew the secret. For years, they had managed to keep their affair hidden, covering their tracks perfectly.

---

In the Richmond mansion, the maids were going up and down, preparing lunch after being summoned by Madam Catherine.

The reason was that Catherine had received an unexpected call in the morning from the Clay family, saying they would be joining them for lunch to introduce their children to each other.

Catherine wanted everything to be perfect when her guests arrived.

Victoria smiled back. "Hi, darling, it’s been such a long time!"

Victoria and Catherine used to socialize together before Victoria moved abroad with her husband. Now, they were suddenly back.

"Just look at you, stunning as always," Catherine said, giving Victoria an approving look.

Victoria smirked. "Don’t flatter me. You look stunning too."

While the women chatted away, Liam looked around casually, while Sky kept glancing at his wristwatch with a calm expression.

Sky was a well-composed, handsome young man with a muscular build, a sharp nose, and striking green eyes he inherited from his father.

His slim, handsome face was captivating — hard to look away from — though he wasn't the type to glance at every girl.

Liam was also good-looking, playful, and easygoing, with a great sense of fashion. Many women admired him, but he was a known playboy who toyed with many hearts.

---

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Lily was still enjoying her beauty sleep when she was disturbed by a maid telling her she needed to wake up and prepare herself, as she would be meeting her "fiancé" during lunch.

Lily was annoyed but knew she had to obey her mother. She had no choice but to wake up and walk to the bathroom to take a shower.

She had nothing to do today, which was why she hadn't woken up early. Another reason was that her father hadn’t had breakfast at home. If her father was present, everyone had to be there — it was one of the Richmond family rules.

Her mother hadn't bothered her either, being busy with her social engagements.

Downstairs, Catherine was in the kitchen giving orders to the staff when a maid came to her side, bowing her head slightly in respect.

"Madam, it seems Miss Ava is not in her room. There's no one in there," the maid said softly.

Catherine, hearing that one of her daughters wasn't home, frowned deeply. She was about to lash out but quickly composed herself and said coldly, "Everyone, get back to work."

The staff quickly dispersed to their stations.

The maid was terrified — not just her, but everyone — since they all knew Madam Catherine always lashed out when things didn’t go her way.

Catherine walked to the lounging area and took her phone from the pocket of her dress.

She was a woman of great style, always wearing beautiful dresses. Everyone admired her for her beauty and elegance.

She dialed Ava’s number and placed the phone to her ear. It rang for a long time without being answered. She hung up and dialed again. This time, it was picked up — Ava's lazy voice came through:

"Mom, is there something you need?" she asked softly, almost whispering, sounding like she had just woken up.

Catherine, hearing Ava's sleepy voice, immediately knew she hadn't slept at home.

Her face darkened with irritation as she said, "You better get here in 10 minutes. Your fiancé will be arriving for lunch. If you're late, I’ll freeze all your accounts."

Ava groaned, "Oh, Mom, you can't be serious. It takes 30 minutes to get there! How am I supposed to make it in 10? I don't have supernatural powers to teleport."

Catherine raised her voice with displeasure, "I don’t care if you fly over — just be here on time!"

She hung up and went back to preparing herself.

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