Chapter 4The Control Group

After wedding dresses came the rings.

“Nora, didn’t Rich get you a wedding ring?” Seraphina asked, her eyes fixed on my left hand.

On my ring finger sat a simple, unadorned band. The sigil etched into it was strange, almost like something you’d find in a two-dollar trinket shop.

“He did.”

I glanced down at the ring. The day we got our marriage license, I’d found two boxes on the nightstand. One held a diamond ring so large and brilliant it was blinding. The other held this one.

Rich had asked which one I preferred.

While I found this one a bit ugly, the diamond was so enormous it felt impractical for daily life. Without much thought, I’d chosen the simple band.

“That’s it? Did he buy it from a corner store? Haha,” she laughed, a little too loudly. “Oh, Nora, you know me, I’m always joking. Don’t take it personally.” She stuck her tongue out playfully for the camera.

Then, she held up her own slender hand, showcasing the massive diamond sparkling on her middle finger—her engagement ring from Leo.

She waved it around. “I told Leo not to be so extravagant. A diamond this big is just heavy, and it gets in the way. But he wouldn’t listen, he’s just so stubborn.”

She sighed again, a picture of put-upon adoration. “And just the other day, he told me I have to pick a wedding ring that’s even bigger than this one.”

“Nora, you have to help me choose.”

“Of course,” I said. I had nothing better to do, so I started flipping through the catalogue of rings.

Just then, Leo finished his work and emerged from the study. He wrapped his arms around Seraphina’s shoulders, planting a kiss on her cheek. “How’s the ring shopping going, my love?”

Seraphina blushed prettily. “Nora and I were just looking.” Then, she changed the subject. “Leo, your brother is really something else. He couldn’t even be bothered to buy Nora a proper ring.”

“Why don’t we buy one for her?” she suggested, her voice full of magnanimous concern. “It would be like we’re making up for Rich’s oversight.”

She must have expected him to agree immediately, to praise her thoughtfulness.

Instead, Leo’s eyes flicked to my hand, and a bemused smile touched his lips.

“Sera, honey, you shouldn’t underestimate that ring,” he said casually. “That’s not just any piece of jewelry. That’s the Blackwood family signet, passed down through generations. It marks the matriarch of the family.”

He leaned in, his voice dropping conspiratorially. “As long as she wears that ring, seeing her is the same as seeing my brother. She could walk anywhere in this city and command respect.”

The words hung in the air.

Seraphina’s perfect smile vanished. For the first time, she looked genuinely stunned. Her gaze snapped back to my ring, now filled with a mixture of disbelief, assessment, and a raw, unconcealed longing.

I froze.

This ugly little ring meant that?

Why hadn’t Rich told me? I thought it was just a simple, lightweight band. That’s the only reason I’d been wearing it all this time.

[WHOA. I knew that ring was special! If you look closely, that symbol on it is the Blackwood family crest!]

[I thought Rich didn’t care about her, but he gave her the ultimate symbol of power!]

[Don’t worry, Sera, you’ll get one too when you marry Leo.]

[Probably not. There’s only one matriarch. Unless something happens to Rich and Leo takes over the family business.]

[Why shouldn’t Sera get one?! Just because Leo is the younger brother, she can’t be the matriarch and wear the ring?!]

[Rich is supposed to dislike Nora, right? So why would he give it to her?]

[She’s his wife, and he’s the heir. Who else would he give it to, you?]

The online chat exploded into a fierce debate over the ring.

Seraphina was seething with jealousy, her eyes glued to my hand. It took Leo prompting her—"Sera, what’s wrong?"—for her to finally tear her gaze away.

She quickly grabbed Leo and pulled him to the other end of the sofa to look at rings, far away from me.