1 I was at the airport to pick up my husband when I ran into him: Preston Zhou, the man who’d left me at the altar two years ago to go see elephants in Africa with his adoptive sister. Even with my sunglasses on, he spotted me in the crowd instantly. “Arabella, I’m back. I’m here to marry you.” I feigned a moment of confusion. “I’m sorry, you are…?” He let out a weary, indulgent smile. “Come on, don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean to run out for so long. After Mary saw the elephants, she wanted to do a whole photography project. She’s the only sister I’ve got, I had to spoil her a little.” “But look,” he said, spreading his arms wide, “the two-year shoot is done, and I came straight back to fulfill our engagement!” It was only then, seeing the flash of his startlingly white teeth against his sun-darkened skin, that I recognized the gaunt, skinny man in front of me. It was my ex-fiancé. Except… did no one tell him? The day he jilted me was the day I married his uncle. … The airport terminal was a river of people. Preston pushed a luggage cart with one hand while the other clutched a Chanel bag. Mary, several shades darker herself, was perched on top of a suitcase, letting Preston wheel her around. After two years in Africa, they looked less like they’d been on safari and more like they’d been working in a coal mine. They were both positively grimy. The Preston I remembered had been handsome, fair-skinned, and in great shape. Otherwise, I never would have agreed to the arranged marriage. But this version of him… Thank God he wasn't my husband. I slid my sunglasses off and offered a polite, distant smile. “My apologies. It’s been a long time. You’ve both changed so much, I didn’t recognize you for a moment.” Mary, as always, dripped with sarcasm. “Don’t pretend you don’t recognize him. You’re obviously here to pick Preston up, aren’t you?” she sneered. “If we hadn’t tossed our SIM cards and cut off all contact with home, you probably would have chased us all the way to Africa!” She huffed and turned her head away. “I really don’t know what he sees in you. A woman who’s nothing but a pretty face.” Preston just ruffled her hair and tapped her nose with a fond, exasperated sigh. “Once Arabella and I are married, she’ll be your sister-in-law. You need to show her some respect. Otherwise, I won’t take you to Europe for your art tour next year.” After placating Mary, he turned to me with an explanatory smile. “She’s just got a childish temper. You know her father, my uncle’s driver, died in the car crash that almost killed me. He saved my life, but she lost her dad.” “When we’re married,” he continued, his tone earnest, “we’ll be a team. I hope you can help me look after her. Treat her like your own sister.” Did he hear the absolute nonsense coming out of his own mouth? I gave him an elegant eye-roll and flashed the wedding band on my left hand. “Preston, I can’t thank you enough for jilting me. It allowed me to marry a man a thousand times better than you. And please, don't flatter yourself. I’m here today to pick up my husband.” Preston froze. He squinted at me for a long moment, then a smirk spread across his face. “Arabella, do you take me for a fool?” he scoffed. “Our families arranged this marriage. The wedding two years ago was the event of the season, the whole of the city’s elite was there. Everyone knows you’re my fiancée. I was wrong to run off and embarrass you, I admit it. But with your reputation ruined, what other family would possibly have you?” So that was it. The reason he’d felt so comfortable abandoning me was because he was sure I’d be a social pariah, a “jilted woman” with no choice but to take him back. He had seriously overestimated himself. And underestimated me. To clean up his son’s mess, the Zhou family patriarch had lost a son and a significant portion of company shares. To appease my family’s fury, the old man had offered to transfer the shares originally meant for Preston directly to me. Clearly, Preston had no idea. It made sense. He’d spent two years completely off the grid for Mary, not even a single phone call home. Of course he was out of the loop. I almost couldn't wait for him to get back to the family estate tonight. I wondered if he’d still be smiling then. 2 When our marriage was first proposed, Preston had fought it tooth and nail. But the moment he met me, it was supposedly love at first sight, and he declared he would marry no one else. He pursued me shamelessly for over half a year. Seeing that he was clean-cut and didn’t play around, I finally agreed. Not long after, Mary, his new adoptive sister, entered the picture, and he treated her like a princess. On our wedding day, Preston got a call from her. “Preston,” she’d wailed, “remember your promise? To take me to Africa to see the elephants? I’m at the airport waiting. If you don’t come, I’ll jump off the terminal roof!” Preston had given me one apologetic look, dropped my hand without a second thought, and sprinted away, leaving me and a ballroom full of guests behind. I received two texts from him, and then his phone went dead. [Her father saved my life. Mary is his only daughter. I can’t let anything happen to her!] [Don’t worry. I’ll be back as soon as she sees the elephants. A week at most. We’ll finish the wedding and then go to the Maldives for our honeymoon.] The Zhou patriarch was incandescent with rage. To make it up to my family, he’d made me a promise. “Arabella, this is our family’s failure. Name your compensation, anything you want!” I had pointed to his youngest son, the current head of the Zhou family enterprise, Damian Zhou. “Then give me him,” I’d said. “This wedding is still short one groom.” And just like that, I married Preston’s uncle. Lost in thought, I glanced at the time. Damian’s flight should have landed by now. Just as I was about to check, a message popped up on my phone. [Sweetheart, flight’s delayed. Just boarded. Going to be very late. Don’t wait for me, just have Leo pick me up.] [Love you.] A huge heart emoji followed. A small smile touched my lips, and the tension in my brow eased. Even looking at my infuriating ex-fiancé-turned-nephew became a little more tolerable. Preston crossed his arms, a mocking smile playing on his lips as he eyed my phone. “Oh, who’s the actor you hired? ‘Hubby’? Flight delayed? Really creative.” He leaned in closer. “Arabella, don’t joke like that. You know I get jealous.” As he reached out to tuck a stray strand of my hair behind my ear, I took a sharp step back. His hand froze in mid-air. “I told you, I’m married. If you continue to harass me, you might find yourself with a broken leg when you get home tonight.” Preston laughed as if I’d told the funniest joke. He pointed to my neck. “That emerald pendant you’re wearing… Grandfather said that was to be passed down to the Zhou family brides. You’re wearing it right now and still trying to tell me you married someone else?” The pendant was indeed a gift from the patriarch. Except it wasn’t for his granddaughter-in-law. It was for his daughter-in-law. “I married—” Before I could finish, Mary interrupted. “Is that the Phoenix Emerald?” She hopped off the luggage cart and wedged herself between us. The moment she saw the pendant around my neck, her eyes reddened. She grabbed Preston’s arm, her voice trembling. “Preston, I’ve wanted that pendant for so long. Grandfather would never even let me touch it, and now he’s given it to an outsider. Does… does he not even think of me as part of the family?” Her voice cracked. “But what can I do? I’m just a driver’s daughter. I can’t compare to a blue-blooded heiress like Arabella. Even Grandfather plays favorites.” Preston’s face softened with guilt. He looked at me, a pleading expression in his eyes. “Mary’s young, and she’s had a hard life. She’s always insecure. Just… let her have this one.” “She likes the pendant, so give it to her. I’ll buy you a new one, imperial green jade, I promise. It’ll be even more beautiful, much better quality.” 3 I laughed. An actual, honest-to-god laugh of disbelief. “Preston, I suggest you get your head checked. If I remember correctly, Mary is twenty-five this year. A few months older than me, isn’t she?” “There are two things I can’t stand in this world: giant babies and manipulative little thieves who steal other people’s things. Coincidentally, she’s both.” At my words, Mary’s eyes welled up, tears streaming down her face on command. “Preston will spoil me no matter how old I am! You’re just jealous!” she shrieked. “You haven’t even married him yet! What right does an outsider like you have to wear a Zhou family heirloom? You’re the shameless one!” Technically, Mary was the family’s ward, but she had never been formally adopted, nor was her name in the official family records. Strictly speaking, she was the outsider living in the Zhou home. Preston had once thrown a tantrum, demanding she be made a true Zhou heiress, but the patriarch had flatly refused. Preston had felt guilty about it ever since. Seeing her cry now, his heart ached. He frowned at me. “Mary isn’t like you. She has no parents, only me. Grandfather wouldn’t let her be formally adopted, that’s why she’s so insecure…” I cut him off with a suggestion. “You want her in the family records? That’s easy.” “Marry her. If you do, I will gladly give her this pendant as a wedding gift. As the bride of a Zhou grandson, she would finally deserve to wear it.” I unclasped the emerald from my neck and held it out to Mary. Her eyes went wide with shock, then filled with an unconcealable, ecstatic glee. She reached for it immediately. “Don’t!” Preston snatched the pendant from my hand, his fist closing tightly around it. “What nonsense are you talking about? Mary is just… she’s my sister. You’re the one I want to spend my life with!” His gaze was intense, pleading. “You can be jealous of anyone, but not her.” “She is my family. You are my love. Stop saying things you don’t mean. Anymore of this, and I’ll actually get angry.” Being stared at by those supposedly deep, soulful eyes didn’t move me in the slightest. In fact, it made me want to gag. Done with the conversation, I turned and walked away, ignoring Preston’s voice calling after me. As I stepped out of the terminal, a discreet black Maybach pulled up to the curb. The driver, Leo, got out and opened the door for me. “Ma’am. Sir said he’ll be late and asked me to pick him up later. Should I take you home first?” Damian had been on a business trip for half a month. The patriarch knew he was returning today and had arranged for a family dinner at the estate. Suddenly, someone pushed past me and slid into the car. Mary settled into the leather seat and smirked. “I thought you were married? Still mooching rides from the Zhou family? Shouldn’t you be taking your husband’s car?” Mary recognized the Maybach. It belonged to Preston’s uncle, Damian. Preston recognized it too, and a flattered look crossed his face. After all, his uncle rarely bothered with such trivial matters. He sat down next to Mary, buckled her seatbelt, and then turned to me. “You can sit in the front. Mary’s used to sitting next to me. I’ll have the driver drop you at your family’s home first.” “No need. I have my own car. Leo, just take them to the estate. I have other plans.” I pulled out my keys and hit the unlock button. Across the lot, the headlights of a Lamborghini Veneno flashed twice. As I drove away in the supercar, I saw a flash of raw envy in Mary’s eyes. Preston sighed dramatically. “She came all this way just to pick me up. She must be angry I didn’t ride with her.” Then he turned to the driver. “Did my uncle send you to get me?” Leo answered truthfully. “No, sir. I was sent to pick up my boss.” The air in the car hung thick and silent for a few seconds. “…What a coincidence,” Preston finally said. “Where is my uncle, then?” “His flight was delayed.” I treated myself to a spa day, and then, seeing it was almost dinnertime, I drove to the family estate. The moment I got out of the car, I saw two figures kneeling ramrod straight at the main gate like a pair of wooden posts. Apparently, when Leo had dropped them off, the patriarch had heard it was Preston and Mary, and he’d thrown his cane in a rage and refused to let them in the door. “Get out! Why didn’t you just die in Africa? What did you come back for?” Preston, banking on his grandfather’s soft heart, had dropped to his knees at the gate. Mary, to show solidarity, knelt beside him. When he saw me, Preston scrambled to his feet, his dejected expression vanishing, replaced by a triumphant glow. “I knew it. I knew you couldn’t stay away.” His voice was filled with smug satisfaction. “Did you hear Grandfather was punishing me and rush right over?” I turned my face away in annoyance and tried to walk around him. He blocked my path again, his face a mask of faux concern. “Don’t go in. Grandfather’s still furious. I’m afraid he’ll take it out on you.” Mary had somehow appeared at his side. She pointed a finger at my nose. “You’re still holding a grudge because Preston left you for me, aren’t you?” she accused. “You’re the one who stirred this up! Grandfather adores Preston, he would never refuse to let him in!” “You just came here to laugh at us!” With a shriek, she lunged at me. I sidestepped, and she went sprawling, landing face-first on the gravel. Mary lay on the ground, her knee scraped and bleeding, tears instantly flooding her eyes. Preston’s lips thinned. The smile vanished from his face as he knelt to check her injury. Seeing it wasn't serious, he scooped her up in a practiced princess-carry and cooed at her until her sobs turned into a watery smile. Only then did he remember me. He sighed. “Arabella, I hardly recognize you anymore.” His voice was laced with disappointment. “Mary never means what she says. If you’re going to marry me, you have to learn to be more forgiving.” “For now, just apologize to her and we’ll forget it. But in the future, I hope you’ll try to change that temper of yours.” What? My vision went dark for a second. “Should I offer some compensation, too?” I asked, my voice dripping with ice. “To soothe her fragile, glass-like heart?” A flicker of greed crossed Mary’s face. “I could use a new run-around car. That one you were driving today was… barely acceptable.” A Lamborghini Veneno. One of only three in the world. Worth twenty-three million dollars. The sheer audacity of it. Preston, of course, made the decision for me. “Since Mary likes it, just give it to her. Consider it compensation for her injury.” I stared at him. “When pigs fly.” “What?” he said, not understanding the idiom. “I said, not a chance in hell!” I shoved him aside and walked straight towards the house. “Stop right there!” Preston, realizing he’d been played, turned beet red. “Arabella, I’m telling you right now,” he threatened, his voice sharp with fury. “If you don’t apologize to Mary, you can forget about marrying me! You won’t take a single step into the Zhou family home!” WHACK! Suddenly, a dragon-headed cane flew through the air and connected squarely with Preston’s skull. From several yards away, the patriarch’s voice, clear and booming with rage, echoed for all to hear. “You little bastard! That’s your aunt!”
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