Chapter 3Both a Beneficial Marriage and True Love? Man, You’re Too Greedy

I had my suitcases moved to a penthouse owned by him and began to set up our new home myself.

I worked until evening, when a text from Richard came through.

I stared at the message, a humorless laugh escaping my lips, and deleted it.

The future Mrs. Monroe?

Sorry. I’m no longer interested.

Though I was resolute in my decision to leave Richard, our families were still entangled in business. So, until I was ready to make my move, I played my part. At my birthday party, I was on his arm, a fake smile plastered on my face as we accepted congratulations.

When I grew tired and slipped out to the balcony for some air, I saw Ava, dressed in a stunning white gown, step gracefully to Richard’s side.

They looked good together. A perfect match.

I didn’t remember inviting her.

A short while later, Richard was summoned to the study by my uncles. As he headed upstairs, he shot a worried glance back at Ava and me. I knew what he was thinking. He was afraid I would hurt her.

Once Richard was out of sight, Ava came and sat beside me. She raised her wine glass. “Congratulations, Kelly.”

“Are you congratulating me on my fiancé’s infidelity, or on you successfully climbing into his bed?”

Her smile faltered, a flash of jealousy in her eyes. Since I wasn’t playing nice, she dropped the act. “You don’t actually think last night was our first time, do you?”

She smirked, her tone dripping with provocation. “The night you confessed your feelings to him, the night you two officially got together? He came to me, drunk, holding me and apologizing for how guilty he felt.”

“You were out making wishes on shooting stars, Kelly. Did the stars give you what you wanted?”

My hand trembled, and red wine sloshed over the rim of my glass onto the floor. The night before I told Richard how I felt, I had seen a shooting star and made a wish. When he agreed to be with me, I’d joyfully told him my wish had come true.

He had just smiled and patted my head.

I couldn’t stop myself. I threw the rest of my wine in her face. The red liquid stained her expensive dress. I turned to leave, but she grabbed my hand and clamped it around her own throat.

“Kelly, I’m sorry… please don’t do this…”

I struggled to pull away, confused, and in the next second, she threw herself backward over the balcony railing.

It wasn't a high balcony, only a single story down to the lawn below.

I heard Richard’s roar of fury from behind me. He ripped me away, his eyes locked on Ava’s unconscious form on the grass. Then he was gone, flying down the stairs to her side.

He looked up at me, his eyes blazing with a hatred so intense it scorched me.

He sped away with Ava in his car. She’d broken her leg. She wasn’t dead.

The next day, I was trending online. Headlines painted the future Mrs. Monroe as a vicious shrew who couldn't tolerate a grain of sand in her eye, who had pushed her fiancé’s poor secretary off a balcony. The story they spun was that Ava had only come to the party to deliver an urgent file.

The public backlash was immediate and brutal. The Langston Group’s stock plummeted. My uncles pressured me to go to the hospital and apologize.

Not wanting to worry my grandfather, I went. I was met by Richard, his face covered in stubble, his eyes shot with blood. The moment he saw me, he lunged, slamming me against the wall, his hands tight around my throat.

Just as my vision started to blacken, Ava’s weak voice came from the room. “Richard… don’t do something you’ll regret…”

He let go.

“If we weren’t engaged,” he snarled, his voice thick with rage, “I would kill you.”

He turned and went to her bedside, carefully spoon-feeding her porridge. I watched the scene with a cynical detachment. Ava, however, flinched under my gaze.

“Kelly, I was wrong, I really was. Please, forgive me, I’ll break it off with Richard…”

Before she could finish, Richard cut her off. “Kelly, get out!”

My heart was already numb. I turned and walked away.

Photos of my hospital visit were, of course, leaked to the press. The next day, a new story was published: it was all a misunderstanding, an accident. But no one believed it. Someone was carefully orchestrating the narrative, keeping the blame squarely on me.

Then, two days later, every negative story about me vanished from the internet.

I knew he was back.

Eddy. Eddy Cole. He’d had a crush on me in college, but his family was so powerful, their world so complicated, that I had turned him down. We hadn't spoken since, though he’d sent his congratulations through a mutual friend when he heard I was engaged.

The night I heard Richard’s confession, I’d gotten Eddy’s number from that same friend, never imagining he would actually agree to my desperate proposal.

Now, he sat across from me in a private dining room, devastatingly handsome. I had to ask.

“Eddy, was it you who had the stories taken down?”

“Yes,” he said, his gaze steady and serious.

We ate in a comfortable silence. With Eddy, I was learning what it felt like to be treated with genuine chivalry.

The next day, we got our marriage license. I showed it to my grandfather, who was overjoyed. He’d only met Richard once and barely remembered what he looked like.

A moment later, my phone rang. It was Richard. “Where have you been? You haven’t been staying at the new house, have you? And all your suitcases are gone.”

His voice was strained. “Kelly, I’m already stressed out cleaning up the mess you made. Can you please stop throwing a tantrum…”

I cut him off, my patience gone. “What do you want?”

He paused, then his tone softened. “Come back. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

Honestly, I could have just ignored him, but I knew if I didn’t go, he would just go to my uncles. Now that I was legally married, it was time to set the record straight.

When he saw me, the frustration on Richard’s face melted away. He rushed toward me and took my wrist. I pulled away instinctively.

His voice was gentle, conciliatory. “I was thinking, after we’re married, we should have Ava move in with us. That way, I can look after her. I don’t trust anyone else.”

I stared at him in disbelief. He seemed completely oblivious to my shock.

“None of this would have happened if your jealousy hadn’t gotten the best of you and you hadn’t pushed her,” he continued, his tone matter-of-fact. “I was going to call the police, but Ava stopped me. You should be grateful to her, Kelly.”

“I’ve already had the housekeeper prepare the master bedroom for her. If you want to stay, you’ll have to use the guest room.”

Hearing his words, I felt a wave of profound relief that I had woken up when I did.

I opened my mouth to tell him that none of this mattered to me anymore, but he cut me off impatiently. “I have to get back to the hospital to take care of Ava. If you need anything, call my assistant.”

He started for the door, but just then, his phone rang. My hands were shaking with rage at his audacity, and I accidentally hit the speakerphone button as I answered.

Eddy’s clear, calm voice filled the room, laced with an unmistakable tenderness.

“Wife, are you coming home for dinner tonight?”

Richard froze, his hand on the doorknob. He turned slowly, his face ashen.

“Kelly, stop playing these games. Do you really think hiring some guy to call you is going to make me abandon Ava?!”