Chapter 9

Mom walked in with breakfast and saw me staring at my phone.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

I shook my head, refusing to respond to Yvonne's messages.

I didn't believe a word she said and had no intention of staying connected to the past.

After the wedding, I was changing my number.

I didn't have many friends anyway, so it wouldn't make much of a difference. But it would save me a lot of hassle.

I'd just taken a bite of breakfast when the doorbell rang.

Mom muttered as she went to answer it, "Who could that be at this hour? Greg just messaged he hasn't left yet."

She returned moments later, holding a milk tea.

"Who ordered delivery?"

She glanced at the name on the note.

"Princess Rachel... Oh Rachel, your milk tea's here. I'll set it down for you. You shouldn't drink so much of this stuff. If you really want some, ask the housekeeper to brew fresh tea for you."

Mom set the milk tea in front of me and left the room.

But my heart started pounding in my chest, and my nails dug into my palms.

I hadn't ordered any delivery today. And I never used my name when placing an order.

*Princess Rachel*... That was the name Jason always used when ordering milk tea to cheer me up.

But it had been so long since he'd done that.

How did he know I was back home?

How did he know my address?

I didn't want to think too much about it. I picked up the cup and looked at it, and my suspicions were confirmed.

Even the flavor was exactly how I liked it.

Less ice, no sugar.

I inserted the straw and took a sip. The sweet, milky taste spread across my tongue.

Tears welled up in my eyes, unbidden.

The makeup artist noticed and quickly grabbed tissues to dab at my tears.

"Miss Rachel, please don't cry. The foundation we just applied will run."

Mom rushed in when she heard and frantically tried to comfort me.

"Rachel, why are you crying? Do you not want to get married? If you really don't want to, we can call it off. I won't force you. Your dad only arranged this because he thought Greg was a good match. The company's doing well now, we don't need you to marry for business. Let's call it off, sweetie, don't cry..."

Not wanting to worry my family, I forced myself to pull it together.

My chest was still heaving as the makeup artist began to touch up my makeup.

"Mom, don't worry. I'm just sad about leaving you and Dad. I'm fine."

Seeing that I was okay, Mom finally let out a sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death. Don't worry, I've already told Greg's family that after the wedding, you'll stay at home. Take your time to get to know each other. You can move in together when things are stable."

She didn't feel comfortable leaving me alone for the makeup, so she stayed by my side.

We stayed like that until the makeup was done, and Greg arrived to pick me up for the wedding.

This was the first time I'd seen him, but there was something oddly familiar about him.

He was the perfect gentleman, nothing like the spoiled rich kid I'd expected.

Dad's judgment had been spot on.

We didn't speak at all during the drive.

When we arrived at the hotel, he got out of the car and picked me up bridal-style in front of everyone.

I was so surprised I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.

A barely perceptible smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and my heart skipped a beat.