- 3 hours ago
Too Late, Miss Chase Betrayal & Fake Marriage Romance ENG
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Mafia's tradition.
00:01Whoever gives me an orchid, marries me.
00:03I stood in the hall with 11 other men, waiting to be chosen.
00:07No orchid tonight.
00:08I'd be forced to marriage her in New York.
00:10Rumors said she burned through a new guy every single night.
00:13One night, one man, then gone.
00:14I had only one way out.
00:16Charlotte.
00:18We grew up together.
00:19She was the Chase family heir,
00:21and I was a casino mogul's illegitimate son.
00:24In this city, only she dared give me that flower.
00:26Last night, I'd asked her for a fake marriage.
00:28Three years was enough to build something for myself.
00:31After that, she could love whoever she wanted.
00:33She'd said yes.
00:34Now she smiled and walked toward me.
00:40I let out my hand.
00:42Then she pressed her orchid into Tyler's hands instead.
00:47I stood frozen.
00:49Let Tyler have his moment.
00:50He's never had one.
00:52Don't worry, no one's arranging anything for you while I'm around.
00:55I watched Tyler take her arm.
00:57They looked like a couple.
00:59I stood alone.
01:00She came back with champagne, laughing.
01:03These people, honestly.
01:04I told them to save you at least one flower.
01:07I looked at the girl I'd grown up beside.
01:09Do you understand what this gala actually is?
01:11She didn't answer.
01:12Charlotte was the only one who would have chosen me.
01:15She chose someone else.
01:17The room kept moving.
01:18I felt very still.
01:20It was over.
01:20Charlotte's expression shifted.
01:22A faint flicker of guilt crossing her face.
01:25She waved Tyler off.
01:26Look, you're used to these events.
01:28But Tyler's never had anything like this.
01:30I just wanted to give him one good night.
01:32Consider it a favor from me.
01:34You're not really upset, are you?
01:35It's one night.
01:36I said nothing.
01:37It's his graduation.
01:38After tonight, I can't sponsor him anymore.
01:40I promised him one memory worth keeping.
01:42Ethan, I'm sorry if I got in the way.
01:43Don't be angry at Charlotte.
01:44I begged her to-
01:45Charlotte caught Tyler's awkward expression and her eyes cooled slightly.
01:48Ethan, it's one flower.
01:49I'll give you another one.
01:51You're more of a rose anyway.
01:52Getting worked up over one orchid isn't like you.
01:55I supposed that tract.
01:56An orchid meant purity.
01:57It symbolized the acceptance of a family.
02:00A rose.
02:00Passionate.
02:01Showy.
02:02Like a clandestine lover.
02:04The laughter around me grew louder.
02:08A bastard son who follows Charlotte around like a lapdog.
02:12And he thought he'd actually marry into the Chase family?
02:15And that was a Sessis family?
02:17Even the scholarship kid outranks him.
02:20Charlotte silenced them with a glare.
02:22But it was already enough to humiliate me.
02:24Ethan, I'm sorry.
02:26You were born into wealth while I just wanted a memorable night.
02:30Born into wealth?
02:31I'm a bastard son.
02:32Do you have any idea how this family actually treats me?
02:35Tyler froze, startled by me.
02:39My bad.
02:40But I was the only one who caught the cunning flash in his eyes.
02:45It's already done.
02:46I'll take you to get changed.
02:47And Ethan, you can head home if you want.
02:50Home.
02:50Where exactly was that supposed to be?
02:53Then they left.
02:54Vanessa Lee appeared almost instantly.
02:57You smell amazing, Mr. Holt.
03:00Charlotte told me to give you an orchid.
03:02I didn't.
03:03I told you stop chasing her and try me instead.
03:06But you never listened.
03:08How's it feel now?
03:13I just needed three years to build enough leverage to break free from my family's control.
03:19But my stepmother couldn't stand the sight of me.
03:22She was already rushing to throw me out.
03:26Ethan Holt, if you weren't so pretty you'd be nothing.
03:30You really think the Chase family is going to protect you forever?
03:36Vanessa, don't touch what's mine.
03:38I thought you picked the scholarship kid.
03:39Why are you still keeping Ethan around?
03:41My business, not yours.
03:44Why didn't you do anything?
03:46I felt nothing but deep, tired disappointment.
03:49Wasn't this what you arranged?
03:51I can look out for you and still talk to other people, Ethan.
03:53I'm not required to stand next to you all night.
03:55But you know what tonight's gala means.
03:57Can we get some drinks?
03:58Is that okay?
03:58Sure, tonight's yours.
03:59Whatever you want.
04:00Whatever it is, we'll talk tomorrow.
04:02I'll come find you.
04:03I almost laughed out loud.
04:05Tomorrow, you'll have to find me in New York.
04:08The shyness he wore earlier was gone, replaced by something colder.
04:12You have everything, Mr. Holt.
04:14Do you really need to take this too?
04:16I should never have helped Charlotte choose him for that scholarship.
04:20You grew up with everything you could want.
04:23All I wanted was one night under Charlotte's protection.
04:28I let out a quiet sneer.
04:30You think I had it better than you?
04:31My mother died young.
04:35I was brought back to the Holt house, just a child.
04:38My stepmother looked at me like I shouldn't exist from the very first day.
04:41My father had too many wives, too many children to care about one more.
04:45I learned early how to read a room, how to make myself useful.
04:49I found Aunt Diana in the margins.
04:51I convinced her to train me, to back me.
04:54I stood in front of her, forcing my hands to stay still.
04:57My father has over 20 children.
04:58Why would I believe a bastard son can beat all of them?
05:01Because I have no weakness.
05:05And I'm willing to fight dirty.
05:06But my time hadn't come yet.
05:09Diana wouldn't move for me, not now.
05:11Everyone said my fiancé from the Quinn family was a deadly, poisonous flower.
05:16My family wanted the alliance, but not the cost.
05:19They wouldn't sacrifice a true heir, so they offered me.
05:22Diana had already heard how the gala ended.
05:24A message arrived.
05:25Figure it out yourself.
05:26I needed a solution.
05:31Well, can you get the orchid back from Tyler?
05:32Just for one night.
05:33I'll return it in the morning.
05:34Charlotte Blink clearly caught off guard.
05:36That's a bit awkward, isn't it?
05:37I already gave it.
05:39Stop trying to take things from Tyler.
05:41The orchid had a gold-trimmed edge, custom-made.
05:44There was no replacing it.
05:45The restraint I'd held all night finally snapped.
05:48Charlotte, you promised.
05:49Why did you have to humiliate me tonight of all nights?
05:53Ethan, no one in this city will touch you.
05:56The only person who could ever want you is me.
05:58Everyone knows you're my little shadow.
06:00Her little shadow.
06:01Her lapdog.
06:02I had played that role for years, just to survive.
06:05But hearing her say it so casually, like it meant nothing,
06:08it hit harder than I expected.
06:10Don't be angry at Charlotte, Ethan.
06:11Ethan, one night.
06:12Stop being difficult.
06:13Tomorrow he goes back to his normal life.
06:15I gave Charlotte a long, lingering look,
06:17then turned and walked out of the gala.
06:20Aunt Diana's car was already waiting outside.
06:22You lost.
06:23Tomorrow you go to New York.
06:24What happens after that is your problem.
06:26I'll come back.
06:27We'll see.
06:27We've supported you for 18 years.
06:30It's time you gave something back.
06:31You leave tomorrow.
06:32There was nothing in this house that belonged to me.
06:34Not even a plane ticket.
06:36I'd have to buy my own.
06:37Diana said nothing and went to her room.
06:39I went to mine, the smallest one, and started packing.
06:42Mom told me to watch you.
06:43You're not taking anything valuable.
06:44The suit stays.
06:45So does everything else.
06:46Oh, Mom also says the woman in New York
06:48apparently has someone she's been carrying a tort for.
06:50Good luck.
06:52By the time I was standing there in just a t-shirt and sweats, she'd gotten bored and left.
06:57I was up before dawn.
07:00No goodbyes.
07:01Check-in, security, boarding.
07:03All smooth.
07:04Tyler had posted on Instagram.
07:06The wrist in the photo had my watch on it.
07:08Thank you for the most beautiful night of my life.
07:11I smiled bitterly to myself.
07:13It was all over.
07:14Maybe I should post a picture too.
07:15I posted on Instagram and attached a photo.
07:18Goodbye to this city.
07:19Then I powered off my phone and cut every thread back to the city.
07:22But just one minute later, the PA crackled.
07:25Ladies and gentlemen, we sincerely apologize.
07:27The Chase family has bought all outgown flights to New York today for someone.
07:29All passengers, please return to the gate.
07:32My mind hadn't caught up yet.
07:33The plane hadn't even come to a full stop before my phone flooded back to life.
07:38Calls, messages, a payment notification all at once.
07:41The PA crackled again.
07:43We apologize for the disruption to your journey.
07:45As a gesture of goodwill,
07:47the Chase family will be reimbursing all passengers 10 times the value of their tickets.
07:51Who do you think they're looking for?
07:53Grounding every flight?
07:54It's like something out of a drama.
07:57Charlotte had shown up at my house first thing that morning.
07:59When she found I wasn't there, she'd gone straight to my room.
08:02Everything was still there.
08:03The suit, the watch, the cufflinks.
08:06Only my backpack was gone.
08:07That was when she panicked.
08:08She'd woken up the whole household, demanded answers.
08:11Someone finally told her, I'd gone to New York.
08:15She'd called me immediately and must have seen the picture too.
08:18By then, I was already on the plane.
08:20Just never expected her to ground every flight to New York.
08:26Go back or keep going.
08:27It was still early, I was starving.
08:29I'd eat first and decide after.
08:31A message from Aunt Diana arrived as I sat down.
08:34Do you want to come back?
08:35The Chase family is still interested.
08:37The Holt house was full of calculation.
08:40Charlotte indulged me, yes, but she'd never embarrass herself for me.
08:44Going back meant walking straight into more of the same.
08:46There was no guarantee things would be better ahead.
08:52Anyone reasonably good looking got stopped and questioned.
09:04My phone kept buzzing against the table.
09:06She nearly tripped when no one answered.
09:08Her men reported back empty handed.
09:10I'd never seen Charlotte like this.
09:12Keep looking.
09:13Not a single flight leaves for New York.
09:15I don't care how long it takes.
09:17Then I went back to my food and waited for boarding.
09:19At the table behind me, two guys were having a full conversation about it.
09:23Imagine someone chasing you like this.
09:25I'd say yes on the spot.
09:26You don't get it.
09:27She gave her orchid to a scholarship kid last night.
09:30Not her little lover, a rich boy.
09:31The orchid was a courtship signal.
09:33Wait, she passed over a rich and for a scholarship student?
09:36So today she's regretting it?
09:37I said nothing.
09:38I took a slow sip of my coffee thinking,
09:40I can't even eat a meal without hearing gossip about myself.
09:44How do you even know that?
09:46Because I was at the gala last night.
09:47Hearing those words, I tensed up.
09:49Someone who'd been there.
09:51I glanced back.
09:52Didn't recognize either of them.
09:54No way!
09:55My family has connections in those circles.
09:57Getting an invitation isn't unusual for me.
09:59Okay, but what did the heir actually look like?
10:02Genuinely good looking.
10:03Then what was she thinking?
10:04Giving the flower to an outsider.
10:06Because he's a bastard son.
10:08Can't compare to those of us with actual bloodlines.
10:10But the guy raised his voice, more confident.
10:13Charlotte might come around and realize someone like me is the better option.
10:16I'm the future head of my family after all.
10:19I had no interest in listening to any more of that.
10:24What? You know him?
10:26The second guy got a clear look at my face and blurted.
10:28You're gorgeous!
10:30Aren't you-
10:30He glanced at Charlotte's men still sweeping the terminal,
10:33fumbling over his words.
10:34Is she looking for you?
10:36How are you just sitting here eating?
10:40I was halfway down the corridor when one of them finally screamed behind me.
10:44You didn't tell me he looked like that!
10:46You have absolutely zero chance now!
10:50The Chase family had brought out roots to other cities too.
10:53I stood there, phone in hand, genuinely not sure whether to laugh or cry.
10:57Then my phone rang.
10:58A New York number.
11:00Hello?
11:01Quinn.
11:01The name of the woman I was supposed to marry.
11:04Her voice was cool and clean and somehow immediately likable.
11:07I'm sorry, I-
11:08My people are already at the airport.
11:10They'll bring you over.
11:11I was about to explain about the flights.
11:18Understood.
11:19I hung up and walked straight toward the jet.
11:21It had started to drizzle.
11:22An umbrella appeared over my head the moment I stepped outside.
11:25We're here for you, sir.
11:27That was when Charlotte spotted me.
11:30Ethan, come with me.
11:34Two sides, facing off in the rain.
11:37The man leading Quinn's team was clearly a senior button.
11:40Sharp suit, composed face, a kind of stillness that comes from decades in service.
11:44He smiled, but there was nothing readable behind him.
11:47It was Chase.
11:48I'm here to escort him home.
11:50If you'd kindly step aside.
11:52Charlotte's eyes went hard.
11:54He hasn't left the city yet.
11:56Nobody's taking him anywhere.
11:57She looked past the butler, straight at me.
12:00Your family was forcing you into this.
12:02Why didn't you tell me?
12:04I tried.
12:05Several times, her attention had always been on Tyler.
12:08Charlotte, you've looked out for me for years.
12:10I'm grateful.
12:12None of this is your fault.
12:14If it's not my fault, then come back with me.
12:18I'll talk to your family.
12:19I'll marry you.
12:20The rain was coming down now.
12:22Charlotte's hair was loose around her face.
12:24The butler stepped smoothly in front of me.
12:26The time we agreed on with the Holt family has passed.
12:30He leaves with us today.
12:33Charlotte didn't look at the butler.
12:35She looked only at me.
12:36I shook my head.
12:38Charlotte, all I ever asked for was three years.
12:41I told you-
12:41Stop being stubborn.
12:42Just come back and we'll talk, okay?
12:43I was grateful, genuinely.
12:46But the moment she let go of my hand and gave that orchid to Tyler, the road split.
12:50Your husband is Tyler.
12:52The whole city knows it now.
12:54Be good to each other.
12:56I'm not marrying a scholarship, kid.
12:58Are you serious?
12:59Something in me went flat.
13:01Charlotte had always been like this.
13:03Fond of me, yes, but never quite respectful.
13:06Too much affection, not enough regard.
13:08I'd noticed it for years.
13:09I'd let it go for years.
13:11I turned and walked toward the jet without answering.
13:14Ethan, think about what you're doing.
13:16There's no one to protect you out there.
13:19You're really not going to marry me?
13:22Walk away now and don't come back crying about it.
13:26I didn't answer.
13:28Got on the plane.
13:29The butler had thought ahead.
13:31A change of clothes was waiting.
13:32He gestured quietly toward the washroom at the back.
13:35You should dry off.
13:36Getting cold in wet clothes isn't good.
13:39The jet was something else entirely.
13:41Clearly not a rental.
13:42This was Quinn family property.
13:44Even my family didn't own a private jet.
13:46My father occasionally chartered one, at most.
13:49The jet had a full bathroom and a proper bed.
13:52But too practical, too plain.
13:53Not what I'd have expected from someone like Quinn.
13:56I changed in the washroom.
13:58The clothes fit exactly.
14:00When I came out, the butler quietly moved the other staff to the back of the cabin.
14:04Is this Miss Quinn's usual plane?
14:05He read the confusion on my face.
14:07Miss Quinn had it built for you.
14:09Everything inside was arranged to your preferences.
14:11She chose the bedding herself, the most comfortable materials available.
14:15I nearly lost my footing.
14:16Something this extravagant, handed to a stranger without hesitation.
14:19Wasn't she supposed to have someone she was already in love with?
14:22It's a long flight.
14:24You should rest.
14:25New York is dry this time of year.
14:27We've set up a humiditator for you.
14:29No one had ever thought about what I needed before.
14:32I'd spent my whole life reading other people's moods, never having my own accounted for.
14:37The sudden consideration made me restless in a way I couldn't explain.
14:41The butler, to his credit, noticed and quietly excused himself.
14:46I took out a notebook and sketched aimlessly.
14:49My mind full of nothing but unease about what came next.
14:52The plane landed on a stretch.
14:55A mistake belonging to the Quinn family.
14:58I'd grown up in a wealthy family.
14:59This was another level entirely.
15:02Quinn came out to meet me herself.
15:04Warm smile.
15:05Nothing like the cold, ruthless person I'd been told about.
15:09Ms. Quinn, I know you have someone you're in love with.
15:13Marrying me wasn't your choice.
15:15I only need three years.
15:17I won't keep you from whoever that is for long.
15:19She frowned slightly.
15:21Someone I'm in love with?
15:23Three years?
15:24Three years as your husband.
15:26I boo and interfere in your personal slight.
15:28That hope.
15:29We separate clean.
15:30Why take any from you?
15:32We can't find it triven, drage-ridden.
15:34Her frown deepened.
15:35She glanced toward the butler.
15:37A pointed look that got no response.
15:39Then she stepped closer.
15:41Close enough that there was almost no space between us.
15:44My face went completely red.
15:46Who said anything about that?
15:48She watched my reaction with what appeared to be quiet satisfaction.
15:52She tilted my chin up slightly.
15:56Everything I have is yours.
15:58I still hadn't recovered by the time we were inside.
16:02Ruthless and cold, they'd said.
16:04I looked around the house.
16:06Sharp lines, minimal furniture, efficient and clean.
16:10I sat on the sofa and slid a piece of paper across the table.
16:14This is my plan.
16:16I'd like to borrow some money.
16:18I'll pay it back in installments.
16:20She glanced over it.
16:21You need money?
16:21It was embarrassing.
16:23The son of a casino mogul arriving with a backpack and no gift worth mentioning.
16:28I'd looked them up before landing.
16:29The Quinn family didn't need alliances.
16:32They didn't need anything from anyone.
16:33People lined up to get close to them.
16:35I still didn't understand why they'd agreed to this arrangement with the Hulse.
16:39Yes, I don't have any.
16:42But I'll find a way to repay you.
16:44She didn't question it.
16:47She took my cold hand in both of hers.
16:49My face went red again.
16:51Her mood visibly improved.
16:53What do you need it for?
16:55Miss Quinn, I refuse to spend my life shackled to the Holt family.
16:59And I refuse to spend it as a househouse asking for pocket money.
17:02I want to build something of my own.
17:04And if I can manage it, I want to take back what's rightfully mine from the Holt's.
17:09She hadn't expected that.
17:11She reached over and ruffled my hair.
17:13Don't worry, everything in this family is yours.
17:20Use this.
17:21No limit.
17:22I still couldn't read what was behind her eyes.
17:24The room she'd prepared for me was the best on the estate.
17:27Full sunlight, clean lines, airy.
17:29For someone who'd spent years in the smallest room of a house where he'd never belonged,
17:33it was almost too much to take in.
17:36I slept well for the first time in years.
17:40The next morning, a message from Diana arrived first.
17:46Charlotte is furious. Why didn't you come back?
17:49I'm a person, Diana, not a pet you can whistle for.
17:52I assumed you'd already started thinking of yourself as a weapon.
17:54Three years. I borrowed one million dollars from the Quinn family.
17:58That was all.
17:59I played the role of Quinn's husband at every function.
18:02Received, respected, flattered.
18:04A decorative presence in the room.
18:06Quinn treated me with more dignity than anyone ever had.
18:09And I didn't let myself forget my purpose.
18:11With that one million, I worked the connections.
18:14I pressured them from outside and hollowed them from within.
18:16Pulling talent, cutting leverage, making my father see his legitimate children were useless.
18:21The secondary wives' children, frightened about their own inheritances, started selling off shares.
18:26I bought every one.
18:28I became a major shareholder without anyone noticing, then the largest.
18:32By the time my father had a strong quarter and was feeling generous, I was already the one holding the
18:37keys.
18:38It was ten at night when I finally got home.
18:41Quinn was already there, sitting in the living room under warm light, waiting.
18:44I crossed the room without thinking.
18:46I hugged her tightly.
18:48I held on longer than I should have, and when I finally let go, I forced myself to pull back
18:54together.
18:54You're home so late.
18:56Are you tired?
18:57I made soup.
18:58Whatever I had planned to say just disappeared.
19:03She stayed there, watching, until I finished every last spoonful.
19:07When are you going to start trusting me?
19:09You don't have to carry all of this alone.
19:11I looked at her in that warm light and felt something I couldn't quite name.
19:17The three years are up.
19:18I should go back to where I started, shouldn't I?
19:20She didn't look surprised.
19:21Diana's been good to you in her way.
19:23And Charlotte, I heard she came to New York looking for you a few times.
19:26You never saw her.
19:26I stayed quiet for a moment.
19:28She knew all of this and never said a word.
19:31Diana used me.
19:32That was always a transaction.
19:34Charlotte stopped being someone I could walk with the day I left the city.
19:36Then why go back?
19:37I have enough now to take back what's mine.
19:39I'll repay you ten times what I borrowed.
19:42Three years in this house.
19:43And I found something I'd never had before.
19:46I had been drifting toward her for a long time.
19:50But there was still one thing.
19:52I never found the person who once saved me.
19:55Quinn, I've always known you had someone.
19:58I have one too.
20:00So the reason you kept your guard up all this time
20:02was because of this person I supposedly have?
20:04What did that mean?
20:06Was there more to this?
20:07Can I ask who it is?
20:08The person you've been thinking about?
20:11The memory was so old, it had almost disappeared.
20:13I wasn't even sure anymore if that person had ever been real.
20:17When I was little, my stepmother left me out on the street.
20:20A girl found me and walked me home.
20:24She bought me food.
20:25I only remember she was from New York.
20:27I don't remember what she looked like.
20:28It was the first time anyone had ever been kind to me for no reason.
20:32I've wanted to find her ever since.
20:34Honestly, Quinn, I almost gave in so many times.
20:38I love being here, but I've been left behind too many times.
20:41If I know someone doesn't belong to me, I won't let myself start depending on them.
20:46As I spoke, something changed in Quinn's eyes.
20:51Ethan, how do you know the person I love isn't you?
20:55There was a little boy on the street one afternoon who offered to marry me in exchange for a meal.
20:59I haven't forgotten him.
21:01It hit me like a current through water.
21:04The person I had searched for my entire life was right here.
21:08The joy came all at once.
21:10Too big, too sudden.
21:11It made my head spin.
21:13I didn't even notice her lips on mine until they already were.
21:16The heat between us grew.
21:18And somewhere along the way, without a single clear moment, everything else just fell away.
21:23My first love had always been my person.
21:26Tears came before I even realized it.
21:29She held me carefully, watching my face.
21:32Trust me with this.
21:34Lean on me from now on.
21:36That was everything I had left to give.
21:39The Quinn family hosted a gala.
21:41The Chase family and the Holt family both came to New York for it.
21:45The Holt family butler showed up at the Quinn estate.
21:47He found me in the front room, doing nothing in particular.
21:50He hadn't changed.
21:51Same air of casual authority.
21:54Same look that said I was an inconvenience to be managed.
21:56The ninth young master, your father would like to see you.
22:01With Quinn behind me, the permanent exhaustion that had lived behind my eyes had finally started to lift.
22:10You think getting married made you something?
22:12Don't forget who fed you when you were small.
22:14Interesting. A butler walks into my home and puts his hands on my husband?
22:18Quinn's voice was winter. My hand found her waist.
22:21If the Holt family wants a meeting, they submit a formal request.
22:24A butler showing up to collect someone is an insult to this household.
22:27To who exactly?
22:28That butler left the Quinn estate that evening with two broken legs,
22:31deposited in front of the Holt's hotel in a way that left no room for interpretation.
22:35The Holt family finally understood what kind of family I'd married into.
22:40The night of the gala, the hotel became the most exclusive room in the city.
22:44Hundreds of security personnel at the door alone.
22:48He quickly realized that every person in the room was heading directly to Quinn's side.
22:57I hope the Quinn family finds my son satisfactory.
23:01The room went quiet and looked at my father. He'd assumed his reputation as a casino mogul
23:06carried weight everywhere. The faces around him were politely blank.
23:10No one had the faintest idea who he was. My stepmother turned to me.
23:14Your parents are right here and you can't even come say hello? You never call, you never write.
23:19People would think we raised you with no manners at all.
23:22The message was clear. These people were not welcome here.
23:26The Holt family's money came from casinos. Expanding internationally required legitimacy.
23:31And the legitimate companies my father owned had, recently, been quietly acquired by a small firm
23:37no one had heard of. By the time anyone noticed, the leverage was gone. That was when he remembered
23:42he had a son in New York. If my father had even a shred of humility, maybe something could have
23:47been
23:48saved. But a lifetime of flattery had made him blind to everything. The Holt family left the gala
23:53with nothing. My stepmother spent the entire evening making cutting remarks, hinting that I had
23:59stolen my brother's chance to be here. In the end, she isolated herself from the entire room.
24:04I stepped out of the ballroom, just to breathe. Whatever happened to this person you cared about?
24:09You wouldn't come home for me, but you had no trouble changing your tune once you got here?
24:13Charlotte. It had been a long time since I'd seen her. She had changed, become harder. Her gaze fixed on
24:19the pin on my lapel, like it had offended her personally. Charlotte, I'm grateful for everything
24:24you did for me over the years. But you were the one who didn't choose me. You don't get to
24:28be bitter
24:28about where I ended up. The person I care about is right here. The contentment in my voice, unguarded,
24:34real, struck her like a blow. What about everything between us? All those years, I always wanted to
24:39marry you. And Tyler? Wasn't he the one you chose at the gala? The whole city watched. Every camera in
24:44the room was on you. At the gala, the whole city watched. Every camera was on you. The Chase family
24:50had
24:50refused to recognize a scholarship student as their heir's partner. But the footage still existed.
24:56Every tabloid had run it. Tyler had started presenting himself as the future head of the
25:00Chase family. He became a joke. The Chase family had been cleaning up the mess ever since,
25:05and Tyler had disappeared. No, I don't miss him.
25:12My own creation turning on me. I should have seen it coming. The mistake I'll regret longest is letting
25:19you go. You use the time to build enough to come back and take everything. She had figured it out.
25:24The ability is there. You're the best of his children. Without question.
25:32What a waste that you're illegitimate.
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