He Humiliated Me, I Married His Powerful Guardian

Chapter 4

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly came up with an excuse.

Ivy: I want to go look at rings tomorrow. Are you free?

Arthur replied almost immediately.

Arthur: I'm still away on business, so I can't give you a definite answer yet. But I'll try to get back as early as possible."

Warmth spread through my chest. I hurriedly sent another message.

Ivy: It's okay. Focus on work first. That's more important.

His next reply made my cheeks heat instantly.

Arthur: What could be more important than you? Don't worry. I already rearranged my schedule. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

For so many years, I had been the one giving in, the one expected to compromise. Now that Arthur was the one accommodating me so naturally, I found myself almost unaccustomed to it.

The next day, I went straight to the jewelry store where I had made an appointment.

The sales associate was carefully explaining the details of each ring when a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind me.

"Ivy? Don't tell me you came here to stalk us."

I turned around and saw Jace and Mia again. I looked away without responding, but Jace kept talking beside me.

"What, finally realized you were wrong? You're still the same as always, pulling these cheap little tricks."

When I continued to ignore him, Jace let out a cold laugh and turned to the sales associate. "Whatever she picked out, I'll take all of it."

The associate glanced nervously between us before speaking carefully. "Sir... these are wedding rings. Are you sure you want to purchase all of them?"

Jace froze. "Wedding rings?"

A second later, he grabbed my arm hard, disgust flashing across his face.

"Ivy, what exactly are you trying to do? You know I hate being pressured. What, are you so desperate that you're trying to force me into marriage now?"

I yanked my arm free and frowned. "Who said buying wedding rings means I'm forcing you to marry me?"

Jace suddenly laughed, though his eyes only turned colder. "If you're not hung up on me, then why are you buying wedding rings?"

Seeing how convinced he was, I decided not to hide it anymore. "Obviously because I'm getting married."

Jace's eyes widened instantly. "Married? To who?"

I almost told him the truth. But after a second thought, I decided this was probably something I should discuss with Arthur before making it public. "That has nothing to do with you."

Beside us, Mia covered her mouth in exaggerated shock.

"Ivy, I never thought you were this kind of person. You failed to register your marriage with Jace, so now you're rushing into a flash marriage with someone else? You look so innocent on the surface, but secretly you move pretty fast. Were you seeing someone behind Jace's back this whole time?"

I laughed out of sheer disbelief.

"Wasn't Jace the one who walked away first? He never confessed to me. We were never officially together. So whoever I choose to marry in the end is none of your business."

Jace's expression darkened further. He stepped forward and clamped down hard around my wrist.

"Ivy, do you even have a conscience? I'm trying to stop you from getting scammed! Listen carefully. Even if I didn't marry you, that doesn't mean you can just pick some random man and marry him instead."

I had no interest in arguing with him anymore and tried to pull free. But his grip tightened like iron, refusing to let go no matter how hard I struggled.

Just as the standoff reached its limit, the pressure around my wrist suddenly disappeared. A hand slid gently around my waist from behind. Then a deep, steady voice sounded beside my ear.

"She's marrying me. Do you have a problem with that?"