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Aria froze, seemingly shocked that I had agreed so readily.
Ross, on the other hand, let out a whoop of joy, peppering her with kisses before finally turning to me, his face alight with triumph. “Fred, I told you! I told you Aria would choose me!”
I gave him a noncommittal nod and turned to leave.
As I stepped down from the stage, I stumbled. A pair of delicate, fair hands steadied me.
“Mr. Green,” a soft voice said, “perhaps you should start noticing the other people in the room.”
I looked at the woman who had caught me-Vera Vance. A small smile touched my lips. I recognized her
face from countless financial news segments in my past life. I just never expected she would be at my eng-
agement party.
“Noticing who?” I asked.
Vera’s smile deepened, her pupils reflecting only my image. She pressed a small slip of paper into my palm.” My number. Call me when you have a moment.”
I glanced at her before heading to the changing room.
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My parents and Aria’s parents followed me in, their faces grim.
Aria’s parents forced apologetic smiles. “Fred, our daughter has been foolish. Now that things are like this, we can only do our best to compensate you. Whatever you need, just ask. We’ll do anything to make it right.”
My mother scoffed. “As if we need your…”
I quickly grabbed my mother’s hand, cutting her off. Then, I turned to Aria’s parents with a bright smile. “In that case, Auntie, how about you transfer the Northgate property to me?”
The Northgate plot was currently worthless, but I knew that in a few years, its value would skyrocket. It was that very piece of land that had saved Aria’s family business from bankruptcy in our past life.
They drafted the contract on the spot. I couldn’t stop smiling.
After they left, my mother slapped my arm. “A grown man, publicly humiliated like that, and you’re grinning
from ear to ear!”
I held up the contract. “Shouldn’t I be happy about this?”
And I truly was.
In my previous life, a series of disastrous decisions by Aria’s family had dragged my own family’s company, Green Enterprises, into ruin. Their company was only saved by the Northgate plot. To salvage my own busin- ess, I had poured every waking moment into work.
Aria had thrown countless tantrums, complaining that our life was dull and tedious. She’d ask why I couldn’t just drop everything to travel the world with her.
That’s when Ross had reappeared. He had become a famous travel influencer, his location tag hopping from one exotic country to the next. Aria would watch his videos, mesmerized. She started using “business trips” as an excuse, flying to Africa to watch the wildebeest migration with him.
One was a free spirit; the other yearned for that same freedom. It was inevitable that they would be drawn to
each other.
Her “business trips” became more frequent. Sensing something was wrong, I booked a ticket for the same flight and discovered her betrayal. When I confronted them, the cold, dead look in her eyes stopped me in my tracks. She said that being with me was like being trapped in stagnant water, utterly devoid of life. Only
with Ross did she feel truly alive.
Eventually, she gave up all pretense. “Let’s get a divorce. You can have three-quarters of the assets. You can have the kids. All I want is my freedom.”
“A person like you,” she’d sneered, “all you care about is money and profit. You’ll never understand the joy of a life without constraints.”
She said it with the same arrogant confidence she’d had at eighteen.
All I could do was laugh. A life of passion and freedom sounded wonderful, but without a material foundati-
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on to support it, it was just a fleeting high, followed by an empty void. Once she had her fill of adventure, she would realize she had nothing to show for her life.
For a long time after, I heard nothing from her. I’d only catch glimpses of her when Ross’s videos popped up on my feed. It seemed she was truly living the life she wanted.
It didn’t bother me. I had my own life, and a partner who truly understood me.
