Chapter 5%
My father, who had just finalized a multimillion–dollar deal moments earlier, stepped up with a proud smile and spoke into the mic.®
“That’s right. Only a man of the highest caliber is worthy of my daughter. As for those three boys, I only adopted them because they were orphans. This whole ‘childhood fiancé‘ nonsense is just gossip.“}
But despite his confident tone, the skepticism on the guests‘ faces was obvious.
Some of the older men, my father’s longtime friends, pulled him aside, trying to talk him out of it.
“No one’s denying Luke’s capability, but that accident a few years back…”
“Exactly! Everyone knows he’s been paralyzed since then. He can’t even have children. How is your daughter supposed to build a future with a man like that?”
“Look, we may not believe a woman can run the Rodgers, but at the very least, she should marry someone normal.”}
To some, Luke was a Washington, D.C. elite, a prince among men. But to most, he was a broken heir, destined to lose his fortune to someone else.
But why couldn’t that someone be me?
The moment Melvin accused me earlier, I realized something painfully clear. Even though I was the Rodgers’s only heir, no one actually believed I would inherit the company.
So if that was the case, I might as well choose someone powerful, someone who couldn’t take our business away from me.§
Third Person’s POV
Back at the villa, Melvin was comforting Addison, who was still pretending to be the poor, traumatized victim. His phone buzzed, and as he read the message, his face instantly darkened.}
[Get back here now! Audrey just announced her fiancé! If you don’t, you’ll regret it!]
Darren and Gerald received similar messages from their circles. All of them were stunned.}
Melvin instinctively wanted to ignore it, but something about the words “you’ll regret it” lingered in his mind.”
Could it be… Audrey had picked Darren or Gerald?}
He glanced between the two of them, hesitation flickering across his face, before finally messaging back, [Who did she choose?]}
Seconds later, he received a photo, and his pupils contracted in shock. His expression went pale with disbelief.}
At the same moment, Darren and Gerald both shouted, “What the hell?!“}
“She picked that crippled, useless guy?!”
“No way. That can’t be real!”
Addison, still nestled in Melvin’s arms, let a flicker of satisfaction flash in her eyes, but she quickly put on a concerned face.
“Maybe she’s just trying to get back at you,” she said in a soft voice. “You all left her party because of me. She must be really hurt. Why don’t you go back to her? I’ll be okay on my own.“>
Tears welled up in her eyes again, and the three men immediately softened.}
Darren, ever the blunt one, scoffed, “Audrey really has a hobby of playing tricks. I want to see if she really dares marry that cripple. If she ends up crying and begging us to take her back, that’s her problem.”
That seemed to reassure Melvin a little.
Darren was right. Audrey had chased after Melvin for years. No matter how many times he pushed her away, she never gave up. Just because he missed one of her birthday party, there was no way she’d suddenly run off and marry a disabled man.
But Addison’s eyes stayed locked on Melvin. When she saw that he still wasn’t saying a word, the jealousy in her expression flared beneath the surface.
10:48 AM D
