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00:00In the third year of running a flower shop to support my boyfriend, Luke Carter, he went bankrupt again.
00:04First time, I sold the house my grandmother left me.
00:07$100,000.
00:08Gone.
00:08Second time, I drained the savings my mother left me.
00:11$230,000.
00:12Gone.
00:12The third time, I looked into his hollow, empty eyes.
00:16My finger hovered over a name in my contacts.
00:18My father.
00:19The ruthless dawn of the nation's most powerful mafia family.
00:22Someone I'd buried years ago.
00:24Should I call?
00:25That night, I saw the messages in a private group chat on Luke's pad.
00:28Boss Carter, how much are we putting on the I.O.U. this time?
00:31$1.4 million.
00:32Any less and the flower girl clears it in one go.
00:34No fun in that.
00:35Heard she waters flowers by day and warms you by night.
00:38Never gets old, huh?
00:39I put down his pad and called my father.
00:42You always wanted this.
00:44Me back, running the family syndicate, married to your first capo?
00:48Fine, I'll marry him.
00:51Send a car.
00:53Three days.
00:57I had just hung up with my father when Luke walked in.
01:00A signed I.O.U. in his hand.
01:02Nora, I'm sorry.
01:04Another $1.4 million this time.
01:07I'm so useless.
01:08He was a good actor.
01:09That lost, hollow look used to break me every time.
01:12It's okay.
01:14We'll work hard.
01:15We'll pay it off.
01:16But this time, I just stared at the sliver of watch peeking out from his cuff and said nothing.
01:20I'd seen it in a luxury magazine once.
01:23$22 million.
01:24A $22 million watch on his wrist.
01:27And he couldn't cover $1.4 million in debt.
01:29Meanwhile, I had nothing.
01:30And I was about to borrow from a loan shark for him.
01:33My love had become the reason he felt safe playing me.
01:36It's a fake, Nora.
01:38Once I've got money, I'll buy you anything you want.
01:40He knew I was poor.
01:41Knew I couldn't tell a real luxury piece from a knockoff.
01:43Lying to me barely took effort.
01:46The messages that followed were pure filth.
01:48Three years with Luke.
01:49Two bankruptcies I'd already paid off.
01:51The first time, I sold the house my grandmother left me.
01:54Nora, I'll give you a home.
01:55Then we spent two years in a $400 a month basement.
01:57And he came home with another IOU.
02:00$290,000.
02:01I still didn't blame him.
02:02I emptied out the savings my mother left me before she died and covered it.
02:07Nora, taking this money makes me your husband.
02:10I swear on my life.
02:12I'll love you and take care of you until the day I die.
02:14Every word had been a lie from the start.
02:16The constant buzzing finally caught his attention.
02:19He glanced at me.
02:20Only after making sure I wasn't watching, did he unlock his phone and scroll the group chat.
02:28Nora, I promise this is the last time.
02:31Once we clear this debt, I'll marry you, okay?
02:33I looked at the earnestness on his face and suddenly wanted to laugh.
02:36A rich, young heir like him, and I'd actually let him string me along this long,
02:41even dangling marriage in front of me.
02:42At first, I'd wanted to slap the IOU in his face and ask if he was having fun.
02:47But now, I didn't even have the energy to ask.
02:49But Luke, I don't have any money left.
02:51Luke froze, clearly not expecting that answer.
02:54After all, he believed I should be willing to do anything to pay off his debt.
02:58Anger quickly spread across his face.
03:00Nora, do you think I'm a failure too?
03:02Just like everyone else?
03:03Do you think I'll never succeed?
03:05I knew I was wrong about you.
03:07I watched him leave, knowing he was using this tactic to force me to give in.
03:11But I didn't call him back.
03:12Instead, I blocked every way he had to contact me.
03:15Then, I picked up the IOU.
03:17There was no lender's name and no borrower's fingerprint.
03:20It was an obvious fake, yet I had been dumb enough to believe it twice.
03:28Hello?
03:30Please help me transfer the lease on the flower shop on Center Street.
03:33I had opened the shop to support Luke.
03:36Now that I no longer wanted him, there was no reason to keep it.
03:39Either way, I was leaving.
03:42The next morning, I stayed home to pack.
03:44Looking around the cramped, dim rental, I realized there was almost nothing worth taking.
03:48A birthday card thrown out by a bakery.
03:51A pretty stone picked up off the street.
03:53A ring twisted out of paper.
03:55Luke had given me all these as little surprises.
03:57Looking back now, those so-called gifts had probably been thrown together by someone on his payroll.
04:03He likely hadn't even known what was inside.
04:05No wonder, every time I opened one, he looked just as surprised as I did.
04:09The only real gift he ever gave me was after his first business succeeded.
04:12A $5 pendant from a street cart.
04:15I thought he was being wasteful and stayed mad at him for a long time.
04:18Silly girl.
04:19If I ever really get rich one day, what am I going to do with you?
04:22Still not willing to spend a cent?
04:24Now I could see it.
04:25He really did think I was dumb.
04:26I ran through three streets to get him the late night snack he liked, and he said,
04:30Nora is so damn dumb.
04:32He came down with a fever, and I draped my only raincoat over him, and carried him to
04:37the hospital on my back.
04:38He said,
04:39She's pathetically dumb.
04:40Even when I lay in his arms and daydreamed with him about our future, he still typed into
04:45the group chat,
04:45Nora is beyond saving.
04:47She's this broke and still fantasizing about a future with me.
04:50But it didn't matter anymore.
04:51From now on, Luke would not be part of my future.
04:55Miss Sutton, I can't handle the lease transfer for the flower shop on my own.
04:59You'll need to come and speak with the landlord in person.
05:03At three in the afternoon, I arrived at the office building on time to wait for the agent.
05:08Through a door left ajar in the grand hallway, I saw Luke.
05:11He wore a well-tailored suit, head bowed as he tapped at his phone.
05:14The elegantly dressed woman beside him was leaning against his shoulder.
05:18I recognized her the instant I saw her.
05:20Two days earlier, my flower shop had received an order for 999 roses.
05:25The client had specifically asked that the thorns be left on, so I had wrapped every one
05:29of them with my hands full of pinpricks.
05:31When I hailed a cab to deliver them myself, the woman receiving the flowers was her, Whitney
05:36Blake.
05:36At the center of the bouquet was the small card the customer had asked for.
05:40To the love of my life, Whitney.
05:41L.C.
05:42L.C. was Lucas Carter.
05:43He had known perfectly well that I would never turn down an order that big.
05:47So he had made those requests on purpose, just to watch me spin around at his command.
05:51That night, I had come home and cheerfully told Luke I had made good money that day,
05:55when he had carefully bandaged my hands.
05:57Had he been calling me dumb in his head, thinking of me like a joke?
06:00Mrs. Sutton, the landlord is right inside.
06:03Why aren't you going in?
06:06Who did you say?
06:07The landlord?
06:08Luke?
06:09Yes.
06:09Didn't you know?
06:10The whole of Center Street belongs to Mr. Carter.
06:14I looked at Luke's figure not far away, and the buried memories rushed back in a wave
06:19of pain.
06:19After I paid off his second debt, I had gone a long stretch, unable to make ends meet.
06:24I couldn't even cover the shop's rent.
06:26Four or five hulking men crowded the door of my shop and demanded rent.
06:30They smashed every flower inside.
06:32They even stepped on my phone and let it break, piece by piece, right in front of me.
06:36After my mother died, that phone still held her photos and her voice recordings.
06:40It was all I had left of her.
06:42I sobbed and knelt on the ground and begged them to stop.
06:45In three years of running the shop, I had been pressured for rent and shaken down for
06:49protection money more times than I could count, but I had never mentioned it to Luke.
06:53I didn't want to put pressure on him.
06:55That time, I was too scared.
06:56I called him, crying so hard I could barely breathe.
06:59Luke, what do I do?
07:01Can you come help me?
07:02I'm sorry, Nora.
07:03I am busy.
07:04I watched those men crush my phone under their feet.
07:07Even then, I never resented Luke.
07:09I only regretted my own helplessness.
07:10But now the truth was in front of me.
07:12He was the one behind all of it.
07:14I clenched my teeth to keep the sob from spilling out.
07:17I ran out of the office building and flagged down a cab.
07:19I told the driver to head to the airport.
07:22Dad, come pick me up now, please.
07:26At the same time, Luke walked out of the office with Whitney and his group of buddies.
07:31For two whole days, I hadn't sent him a single message.
07:33He was restless.
07:34He pulled out a cigarette, then remembered I didn't like the smell on him, and put it back.
07:39What's wrong, bro?
07:40The girl can't pay this time?
07:41Not playing along anymore?
07:43Who said that?
07:45Nora loves me.
07:48She's probably out somewhere right now trying to scrape the money together.
07:51Just wait.
07:52I'll leave her hanging a few more days and she'll cough it up.
07:54The words had barely left his mouth when the agent, who had heard my name, stepped forward.
07:59Nora?
08:00Boss Carter, you know Miss Sutton?
08:02Perfect timing.
08:03She wants to transfer the lease on her flower shop.
08:06I was afraid you wouldn't agree.
08:07Luke's brow tightened.
08:09He had the sinking feeling that the unease building in him these past few days was about to find its
08:13answer.
08:14He worked to steady himself and spoke as if it were nothing.
08:16Why would she transfer the lease?
08:18The agent gave him a friendly smile, oblivious to the weight of what he was saying.
08:22Mrs. Sutton said she's tired of running it.
08:24She's going home to get married.
08:29The phone in Luke's hand hit the floor with a sharp clack.
08:32He sees the agent by the collar, his face vicious.
08:35What did you say?
08:36Married?
08:37Who's getting married?
08:40Boss Carter, it's Mrs. Sutton.
08:43Mrs. Sutton is getting married.
08:45Don't you know her?
08:47Impossible!
08:47The agent looked ready to collapse, but Luke wouldn't let go of his collar.
08:51In the end, Luke's buddies rushed over and coaxed him into loosening his grip.
08:55Given the chance to breathe, the agent dropped the lease transfer contract and fled.
08:59Luke held the flimsy piece of paper.
09:01Even breathing suddenly felt heavy.
09:02Luke, Nora's just playing hard to get.
09:05She's crazy about you.
09:07There's no way she'd marry someone else.
09:09Right, Luke?
09:10She's probably transferring the shop to pay off your debt.
09:13The buddies chimed in, one after another.
09:15Luke was rattled, but he still tried to reassure himself.
09:17Right.
09:18There was no way she would leave me.
09:22Lucas, you can't leave.
09:23It's my birthday.
09:24You promised you'd spend it with me.
09:25Before, Luke would have stayed without a second thought.
09:28But now, all he could think about was finding me and getting an answer.
09:31I promised grandfather I'd keep you company.
09:33I didn't promise you.
09:34Get in my way again, and I'll ship you back overseas.
09:41On the drive home, Luke called me over and over.
09:44He tried everything.
09:45The result was the same.
09:46No one picked up.
09:47It hit him.
09:48I had blocked him.
09:49But when he got there, I was nowhere to be seen.
09:52Every little thing in the apartment was gone.
09:54The doll I had knitted by hand for him.
09:56The ugly little portrait I had painted of him on a whim.
09:59Even those broken trinkets he used to give me.
10:01The ones I had treasured like jewels.
10:03They were all gone, too.
10:04None of it had taken up much space.
10:06Yet when I was here, Luke had always felt the apartment was small.
10:10Steadily.
10:10Running out of room for anything else.
10:12Now, without me, it just felt hollow.
10:14As hollow as his chest.
10:16He sank onto the sofa.
10:17Lost.
10:18And something jabbed him from underneath.
10:20He pulled it out.
10:20It was the pad he had left at the apartment.
10:23He sighed and was about to toss it aside when a message popped up on the screen.
10:27How's it going, Luke?
10:28The girl at home?
10:29It was from the group chat.
10:31The one where they, every day, about whatever dumb thing I had done.
10:34Something detonated inside Luke's head.
10:36Now he finally realized that I had already known everything.
10:39A long while later, as if every bit of strength had drained from him, his hand fell.
10:43The pad crashed to the floor and shattered.
10:47My father's people moved fast.
10:49A line of men in black suits stood with stern expressions when I arrived at the airport.
10:53As I approached, they all bowed their heads and stepped aside to clear a path for me.
10:57The man at the front stood nearly 6'3", his presence suffocating and heavy.
11:01Maybe I looked too wrecked in that moment.
11:03Without a word, he handed me a tissue.
11:05I held the tissue, still warm from his hand.
11:07His cuff slid back, revealing a black thorn and revolver tattoo on his wrist.
11:12He was my father's most trusted man.
11:13First cop of the underground world.
11:15Yannick Hawthorne.
11:16Took off his sunglasses.
11:17Those deep-set eyes came back to me.
11:20I had seen him once before, three years ago, when my mother passed.
11:24He was the one who had waited outside the operating room with me for a day and a night,
11:28and who had handled the arrangements after she died.
11:31The day my mother was buried, he had pressed my father's card into my hand.
11:35Miss Sutton, I won't ask about what's between you and the Don,
11:39but he told me to give this to you before I came.
11:43If you ever need anything, call this number.
11:46Okay.
11:50Thirty years ago, my father and mother had fallen in love on their own terms.
11:54But my father was the heir to the Sutton family, the most powerful mafia family in this country.
11:58Fearing for my mother's safety and unwilling to drag her into the deadly crossfire of mafia wars,
12:04he made the agonizing choice to push her away and send her out of the city.
12:07He never knew she was already pregnant with me.
12:10She left the place she had lived in for over 20 years, birthed to me alone, and raised me on
12:14her own.
12:15When I was ten, after my father had fully secured his throne as the Don, and wiped out his enemies,
12:20he came looking for us.
12:21He said he had wronged my mother, and that he had never stopped thinking of her in all those years.
12:26But my mother just wanted a peaceful life for us.
12:28She wouldn't go back to the dangerous Sutton family with him, and she refused every offer of help to keep
12:33me safe from the cartel's reach.
12:35Because I ached for my mother, my feelings toward my father had always been distant.
12:39Later, when she died of illness, he had been abroad dealing with a bloody syndicate conflict, and hadn't even come
12:44to see her one last time.
12:45That was when I started to hate him.
12:47The father-shaped figure that had always been a blur in my life died in me for good.
12:53On the private jet back to the Capitol, Yannick sat in the leather seat beside me.
12:57I went to the lavish restroom on board, washed my face thoroughly with cold water, pulled myself together, and came
13:03back out.
13:03Yannick was leaning back against the seat with his eyes closed, resting.
13:07For the first time, I really looked at the man who was about to become my husband.
13:14I noticed a small scar near his right brow bone.
13:17My gaze drifted lower, to the dark mafia ink peeking from his collar, tracing down to the familiar black thorn
13:23and revolver tattooed on his wrist.
13:25Even with his lethal aura, he was undeniably handsome.
13:29Suddenly, while his eyes were still closed, Yannick's brow arched slightly.
13:32Caught staring,
13:34What can I help you, Mrs. Sutton?
13:35I quickly withdrew my gaze and turned toward the window.
13:39Yannick opened his eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible warmth softening his sharp features.
13:45He didn't tease me.
13:46Instead, he reached over to grab a soft cashmere blanket and gently draped it over my shoulders.
13:51Then, he poured a cup of warm water from the console and handed it to me.
13:56Drink a little.
13:56He said gently.
13:57You'll feel worse later if you don't.
13:59I pressed my lips together, took the cup, and kept my eyes on the window.
14:03Just as I took a sip, the private jet hit a pocket of turbulence, and the cabin lurched hard.
14:08He reached out on instinct, steadying my shoulder.
14:11The heat of his palm burned right through the thin fabric of my shirt.
14:16By the time we reached the Sutton estate, it was already late.
14:20Father was still in the living room, waiting to have dinner with me.
14:24Three years apart, and the white at his temples had spread further than in the photos.
14:28I thought he would have a lot to say to me.
14:30Instead, the first thing he said when we met was,
14:32You must be tired.
14:34Eat first.
14:34Father didn't speak again for the rest of the meal.
14:37He just kept placing food in my bowl.
14:39Behind the curtain of my hair, my eyes stung a little.
14:42I knew I still hated him, but I also knew he had always loved me.
14:47After dinner, Yannick went to the study to help my father handle some company matters,
14:51leaving just the two of us in the living room.
14:54Father gestured for me to sit on the sofa.
14:57I wronged your mother.
14:59He spoke suddenly, his voice like sandpaper dragged across a wall.
15:03If I had put your mother ahead of the syndicate,
15:05I wouldn't have been abroad during that time.
15:07I wouldn't have been pinned down by a cartel lockdown and miss seeing her one last time.
15:11In the glass cabinet on the opposite wall,
15:13photos of me at every age were carefully arranged.
15:16Every time I had gone to visit my mother's grave in the past three years,
15:19there had always been a bouquet of vivid white roses in front of her headstone.
15:23I lowered my head and said quietly,
15:25It's all in the past.
15:29The mansion was suffocating.
15:31So I slipped away and quietly stepped out onto the dimly lit terrace,
15:35hoping to find a place to sit and rest.
15:38Just as I pulled out of the chair,
15:40a deafening bang shattered the silence.
15:42A gunshot.
15:43I screamed in terror and immediately dropped to the floor,
15:46scrambling under the heavy iron patio table.
15:48Trembling, I peered through the gaps in the chair legs.
15:51In the far corner of the terrace,
15:53partially hidden by the shadows,
15:55stood Yannick.
15:56A lit cigarette dangled casually from his lips,
15:58glowing red in the dark.
16:00A man was kneeling on the ground before him,
16:02clutching a bleeding leg and sobbing for mercy.
16:05Yannick's voice was chillingly calm.
16:07I warned you.
16:08Completely devoid of emotion.
16:10The Sutton family does not tolerate rats.
16:12You betray the dawn,
16:15you pay the price.
16:16Please, Capo, please.
16:17Before Yannick could do anything else,
16:19my earlier scream finally registered in the quiet night air.
16:22He froze,
16:23then slowly turned his head in my direction.
16:26Seeing me huddled under the table,
16:27he smoothly tucked his gun back into the holster beneath his jacket.
16:32My heart pounded violently against my ribs.
16:34Yannick casually took the cigarette from his lips.
16:38He waved a hand at the other men in black suits standing nearby.
16:42Drag him out of here.
16:43Clean up the mess.
16:44As his subordinate swiftly hauled the crying man away,
16:47Yannick stepped into the moonlight,
16:48his deep-set eyes fixing on me.
16:50Sorry to have frightened you.
16:54As he drew closer,
16:56the sharp, heavy smell of tobacco mixed with gunpowder hit me,
16:59and I instinctively took a step back.
17:01Seeing my reaction,
17:02Yannick stopped dead in his tracks.
17:04He lowered his gaze,
17:06his tall frame completely still.
17:07You don't like the smell of smoke?
17:09He asked,
17:09a stark contrast to the ruthless enforcer from a moment ago.
17:14Sorry.
17:14I won't smoke anymore.
17:16Before I could say anything,
17:18Yannick continued.
17:19All these years,
17:20I've been the one helping Mr. Sutton run the family business.
17:23Now that you're back,
17:25I'll hand the authority over to you as soon as possible.
17:28If there's anything you don't understand,
17:30you can ask me anytime.
17:31Still trying to steady my breathing, I said.
17:33He frowned slightly.
17:34You've said thank you to me many times today.
17:37Nora,
17:38may I call you that?
17:39Seeing me nod,
17:40he finally stepped a little closer.
17:42The engagement was Mr. Sutton's idea.
17:43He was worried you'd be shouldering too much in this life.
17:46He wanted to find someone trustworthy enough
17:48to help you protect the Sutton group.
17:50But if you don't want this,
17:52I can-
17:54It's fine.
17:55I cut him off,
17:56my eyes fixing on the small scar above his brow.
17:59I'm willing to marry you.
18:01I just worry I'll fail you.
18:03Because I don't love you yet.
18:05Yannick's throat moved.
18:06His gaze drifted past me,
18:08staring into the dark gardens behind the terrace.
18:10After a long silence, he said,
18:12Next week, the Sutton family is hosting
18:14its exclusive underground auction.
18:16You will officially step up as the heir,
18:18and the Don will announce your succession
18:19to the five families,
18:20along with our engagement.
18:24And the wedding will follow soon after.
18:28As he turned to leave,
18:29the black suit stirred again,
18:31and this time,
18:32beneath the fading scent of tobacco,
18:34I caught that faint scent of cedar and mint.
18:36I watched him walk away,
18:37feeling a little forlorn,
18:39and a little as if I already knew him.
18:42I raised my voice and called after him.
18:45Yannick!
18:45He stopped.
18:47Have you ever been to Ashford before?
18:49His footsteps paused at the edge of the terrace,
18:51but he didn't turn back,
18:52and he didn't answer.
18:53By the time he moved again,
18:55stepping back into the house,
18:56he was already gone.
18:59A week later,
19:00the Sutton family hosted an exclusive auction
19:03for the city's highest elites.
19:05I sat in the Supreme VIP box on the second floor,
19:08concealed behind one-way glass,
19:09gazing coldly at Luke and his fiancée Whitney
19:12in the second row.
19:13When the Blood Rose Diamond necklace came up,
19:15Luke bid five million to please Whitney.
19:17I pressed the console button.
19:19Fifty million.
19:20The automated voice echoed,
19:22instantly silencing the hall.
19:24Sold to the Supreme box!
19:26And crushing Luke's bid.
19:27It was time to claim my prize,
19:29and my true identity.
19:30As I descended the velvet staircase
19:32in a custom black gown,
19:33Luke's friends spotted me first.
19:35Luke practically jumped out of his seat,
19:37his eyes lighting up with desperate relief.
19:39Nora!
19:40God, I've been looking everywhere for you.
19:42One of his buddies interrupted.
19:43Wait, Nora?
19:44Laughing harshly.
19:45The slum girl?
19:46Didn't she say she was getting married?
19:47Looks like she just found herself a sugar daddy
19:49with VIP access instead.
19:51Whitney sneered.
19:52This is a place for real power, Nora.
19:54You can't just sleep your way to the top here.
19:56Luke's eager relief froze.
19:58He looked at my expensive gown,
20:00his expression twisting from hope
20:02into bitter disappointment.
20:03Nora, is this true?
20:05Easily swayed by their mocking words,
20:07he clenched his jaw.
20:08If you needed money that badly,
20:09you could have just asked me.
20:11You didn't have to ruin your life
20:12by becoming some old tycoon's plaything.
20:16I looked at Luke,
20:17my expression completely indifferent to his pity.
20:20I didn't even bother to answer him.
20:21Before Luke could say another word,
20:23the heavy mahogany doors
20:24at the back of the hall swung open.
20:26The murmurs in the room instantly died.
20:28Yannick strode in.
20:29Behind him flanked two dozen bodyguards
20:31in immaculate black suits,
20:33their presence radiating
20:34a suffocating, dangerous pressure.
20:36Luke's friends immediately stepped back.
20:38Oh my god, it's Yannan Hawthorne.
20:40Is he here to kick Nora out for trespassing?
20:42Nora,
20:43what are you just standing there for?
20:45Hurry up and hide.
20:46Their faces turning pale.
20:47Whitney nervously tugged at Luke's sleeve.
20:49Hearing this,
20:50panic flashed across Luke's face.
20:52He quickly turned to me,
20:53his voice an urgent, anxious hiss.
20:55But Yannick didn't even glance at him.
20:57He walked straight past a trembling Luke
20:59and stopped right in front of me.
21:00Miss Sutton.
21:01Then,
21:02to the absolute horror of Luke and his friends,
21:04the most feared man in the city
21:05Don sends his regards.
21:07All the assets have been transferred.
21:09We are at your command.
21:10Bowed his head deeply.
21:12He held out the velvet box
21:13containing the blood rose necklace.
21:15Following his lead,
21:16the two dozen men in black suits
21:18bowed in perfect unison.
21:19The auctioneer,
21:20At your service, Mrs. Sutton.
21:22the event organizers,
21:23and the surrounding elite guests
21:25instantly realized who I was.
21:27One by one,
21:27they lowered their heads in deep respect
21:29to the sole heir of the Sutton Empire.
21:32Luke froze,
21:33his hands still half outstretched to grab me.
21:35He stared at the slum girl
21:36he had just told to run away.
21:37His face entirely drained of blood.
21:40His world utterly shattered.
21:43The silence in the Grand Hall
21:44was broken by a slow,
21:46heavy applause
21:47from the supreme box above.
21:48Everyone looked up.
21:49My father,
21:49Welcome, friends,
21:50to a historic night.
21:52The dawn of the Sutton Syndicate.
21:53Tonight,
21:54you meet the future of our empire.
21:56Stood at the glass railing.
21:58My only daughter,
21:59and the sole heir
22:00to the Sutton family,
22:01Nora Sutton.
22:02His raspy,
22:03authoritative voice
22:03boomed across the room.
22:05The elite crowd gasped,
22:07right in front of the stunned guests.
22:08Next month,
22:09my daughter will marry
22:10my most trusted underbores,
22:12Yannick Hawthorne.
22:13Yannick gently took my hand.
22:15His dangerous demeanor
22:16softened completely
22:17as he pulled a velvet box
22:19from his suit,
22:19revealing a breathtaking
22:20custom-cut diamond ring.
22:22He slipped it onto my finger,
22:23his thumb brushing my knuckles.
22:25Yannick said,
22:26his voice steady
22:27and deeply devoted.
22:28My life
22:28and my loyalty
22:30belong only to you, Nora.
22:32The hall erupted in applause.
22:33In the crowd,
22:34Luke's friends
22:35stared at me
22:35in absolute horror.
22:37One of them stammered.
22:38She really is the heir?
22:39How is that possible?
22:39His face drained of blood.
22:41Another muttered,
22:42It's impossible.
22:43She was just a slum girl.
22:44Stepping back in fear.
22:45But the undeniable truth
22:46was right in front of them,
22:48guarded by dozens
22:48of armed men.
22:49Suddenly,
22:50Nora!
22:51You can't marry him!
22:52Luke pushed frantically
22:53through the crowd.
22:53I never thought.
22:55I never knew
22:55who you really were.
22:56He stumbled toward me,
22:57his eyes wide with panic.
22:59What are you doing here, Luke?
22:59Nora, please.
23:00The one you love
23:01is me, isn't it?
23:03Don't you love me anymore?
23:05Seeing him completely shattered
23:06stirred almost nothing in me.
23:08I stepped back,
23:09my face calm.
23:12I looked at the diamond
23:13on my finger,
23:14then back at him.
23:15I let out a cold laugh.
23:16Luke,
23:17you want to talk to me
23:18about love?
23:19The surrounding guests
23:20fell completely silent,
23:21watching the drama unfold.
23:22I said softly,
23:23Three years ago,
23:24on a night of pouring rain,
23:26you passed out drunk
23:26at the mouth of an alley.
23:28I dragged you,
23:29soaked through,
23:29back to my rented apartment.
23:31I warmed your icy hands
23:32with my own.
23:33My voice carrying
23:34across the quiet room.
23:35Luke's breath hitched,
23:36tears welling in his red eyes.
23:38And later,
23:39in that group chat,
23:40you laughed with your rich friends,
23:41just messing around
23:42with some slum-born country girl.
23:44Luke,
23:45you lied to me
23:45for three whole years.
23:47You played me for a fool.
23:49I was never your toy,
23:50and you don't get to treat
23:52my heart like it was.
23:53Luke collapsed onto his knees
23:54right there on the marble floor.
23:55It's not like that.
23:56He choked out.
23:57I didn't mean it.
23:58My friends,
23:59they teased me
24:00because of my pride.
24:01I didn't want to admit
24:02I fell for a poor girl.
24:04I was just confused
24:05for a moment.
24:06I sneered.
24:07Confused for a moment?
24:10I spread open my hands.
24:12Luke jerked his head up.
24:13Look at what I did for you.
24:14His face went ashen.
24:15He reached for my dress.
24:17I sold my grandmother's house.
24:18Before his fingers
24:18could even brush my dress.
24:19I drained the savings
24:20my mother gave me.
24:22Yannick pulled me back
24:22into a solid chest.
24:24You stood by
24:25while your friends
24:26stomped on my phone.
24:27You even had me
24:28wrap 99 roses for Whitney.
24:30You watched me
24:31tear my hands to shreds
24:32for the money.
24:33The sharp sound
24:33of a gun's safety
24:34being flipped off.
24:35Luke, tell me.
24:36Echoed through the dead
24:36silent hall.
24:37Was that also
24:37just a moment of confusion?
24:39Yannick stepped in front of me,
24:40pressing the cold
24:41steel barrel of his gun
24:42directly against
24:43I never asked you to
24:44the center of Luke's forehead.
24:45Yannick said,
24:46I didn't buy those roses!
24:48His voice a low,
24:49lethal whisper.
24:50In the crowd,
24:51Stay away from her.
24:52Whitney and Luke's
24:53wealthy friends gasped,
24:54stumbling backward
24:55in sheer terror.
24:56There's no way
24:56Nora actually wants
24:57to marry you.
24:58She loves me!
24:59The reality of
25:00who they had messed with
25:01Nora, listen!
25:02Whitney set that up!
25:03crashed down on them.
25:04The veins at Luke's
25:05temple's bowl.
25:06Luke,
25:06he glared up at Yannick.
25:07The moment I found out
25:08you lied to me?
25:09Ignoring the gun.
25:10I stopped loving you.
25:11He turned back to me,
25:12pleading I cut him off
25:13with a smile.
25:15Luke's face went
25:16paler than chalk.
25:17He suddenly gripped
25:18his chest
25:19and began dry heaving,
25:20his knuckles turning
25:21I don't want to see him again.
25:22bluish white
25:22from the sheer panic
25:23of losing me forever.
25:25I looked at Yannick,
25:26entirely unfazed
25:27by the gun in his hand.
25:28I said softly,
25:29Yannick didn't even speak.
25:30He simply waved
25:31his free hand.
25:32Immediately,
25:32dozens of syndicates
25:33Nora,
25:34I'll transfer everything
25:35I own into your lane.
25:36guards swarmed forward.
25:37Please,
25:38give me one more chance.
25:39forcefully grabbing Luke,
25:40Whitney,
25:41It's too late.
25:41and their entire group
25:42of terrified
25:43The day you trampled
25:43on my heart,
25:44you should have known
25:44this was coming.
25:45terrified friends
25:46to drag them
25:47out of the hall.
25:47Luke broke free
25:48for a second.
25:49Nora!
25:50Struggling wildly
25:51on the floor.
25:51Nora,
25:52don't do this!
25:53I looked at him,
25:54completely indifferent.
25:55The guards dragged
25:56him away.
25:56His shouts trailed
25:57down the grand corridor.
25:59From the balcony above,
26:00solve it.
26:01I don't want to hear
26:02anyone disturbing
26:03my daughter ever again.
26:04My father glanced down
26:05and let out
26:06an impatient,
26:07hearing Luke's voice
26:08still echoing
26:08from outside,
26:09he coldly gestured
26:10to his men.
26:11Within moment,
26:12the shouting outside
26:13was cut abruptly short.
26:14The string quartet
26:15immediately began
26:16playing elegant music
26:17as if nothing had happened.
26:18Nora,
26:19trust me,
26:20I will never be like him.
26:21Yannick holstered
26:22his weapon.
26:22He lowered his head,
26:23gently adjusting
26:24a loose strand
26:25of my hair.
26:25I looked up
26:26into his deep eyes.
26:27In the instant
26:28the crowd nervously
26:29raised their glasses
26:30to us,
26:30Yannick's hand
26:31stayed steady,
26:32cradling my waist.
26:35One month later,
26:36the wedding was over.
26:37It was already night
26:38by the time
26:38Yannick and I
26:39made it back
26:39to our new home.
26:40Someone had gotten
26:41a few drinks
26:41into him
26:42at the reception.
26:43He was sitting
26:43on the edge
26:44of the bed now,
26:44holding a pillow,
26:45watching me
26:46through half-lidded eyes.
26:47The look was
26:47whirled away
26:48from his usual
26:50ruthless,
26:51composed self.
26:52I asked,
26:52my heart beating
26:53a little faster.
26:54This was our
26:54wedding night
26:55after all.
26:56Yannick suddenly
26:56broke into
26:57a soft,
26:57low laugh.
26:58He let go
26:58of the pillow
26:59and reached out
27:00to pull me in.
27:00When I tried
27:01to push him away,
27:02he only held on tighter.
27:03Nora,
27:04why don't you
27:05remember me?
27:05Resting his chin
27:06on my shoulder.
27:07The words
27:08left me frozen.
27:08In that flicker
27:09of a moment,
27:10the memory
27:10of a stormy night
27:11when I was 17
27:12came rushing back.
27:13The cold glint
27:14of broken glass
27:15at the mouth
27:15of an alley.
27:16The pounding
27:17of a boy's heart
27:18as he shielded me
27:18in his arms
27:19from street thugs.
27:20The warmth
27:21of blood
27:21trickling from his brow,
27:22dripping onto
27:23the back of my hand.
27:24I murmured,
27:25my fingertips
27:26drifting unconsciously
27:27to the old wound
27:28above his eye.
27:30The scar on your brow.
27:35And the white roses
27:36every Wednesday
27:37at three in the afternoon.
27:39The rain outside
27:40had picked up
27:40without me noticing,
27:41rattling against the glass.
27:43I looked at the flushed
27:44corners of his eyes,
27:45so tender,
27:46so heavy with feeling.
27:47So the mysterious buyer
27:49who came to that flower shop
27:50every week for a bouquet
27:51and the passerby
27:52who lingered downstairs
27:53to smoke a cigarette
27:55when I came home
27:55late from work
27:56had both been him.
27:57All those years,
27:59while my father
27:59searched for me,
28:00Yannick had quietly
28:01been there.
28:02Yannick,
28:02don't tell me you fell
28:03for me a long time ago.
28:04He shifted uncomfortably
28:06under my gaze,
28:07looking away.
28:07I breathed.
28:08His body went visibly still.
28:11Yeah,
28:12I fell for you
28:12a long time ago.
28:13Just when I thought
28:14no answer would come,
28:15he took my hand.
28:16He kissed my palm.
28:17His eyes were so
28:18full of feeling.
28:19Do you know how happy
28:20I was when you
28:21agreed to the marriage?
28:22I felt I might drown in them.
28:23Nora,
28:25would you let me look
28:25after you
28:26for the rest of your life?
28:27I gripped his hand back.
28:28I can't give you
28:29a perfect answer right now,
28:31but,
28:32Yannick,
28:32we can try.
28:35Things between Yannick
28:36and me moved swiftly
28:37after that.
28:38I got used to
28:38a morning hug from him
28:39and I started looking forward
28:41to the kiss
28:42he pressed to my cheek
28:43every night.
28:43We didn't rush,
28:44sinking into that
28:45happiness easily
28:46and unguardedly.
28:48Two months later,
28:49old Mr. Carter
28:50called me.
28:51He begged me
28:51to come see Luke
28:52to convince him
28:53to accept treatment.
28:54That was when I learned
28:55the truth of what happened
28:56after the auction.
28:57Luke had confronted Whitney,
28:58and discovered
28:59the whole business
29:00with the roses
29:01had been her own doing.
29:02He destroyed her family's connections
29:04and Whitney was shipped
29:05back overseas
29:06in disgrace.
29:07But Luke just drank all day,
29:08drifting through a haze of regret.
29:10One night,
29:11coming out of a bar,
29:12he was hit by a drunk driver.
29:14His legs were crushed
29:15and there was a high risk
29:16of amputation.
29:17Luke believed it was
29:18heaven's revenge
29:19for the way he had played
29:20with my heart.
29:21He completely gave up,
29:22refusing to let his family
29:23send him abroad for surgery.
29:25It was his twisted way
29:26of trying to atone
29:27for what he had done to me.
29:31Nora,
29:32I know Luke did wrong by you.
29:34Mr. Carter's voice
29:34on the other end of the-
29:35But I'm begging you.
29:36The line was worse.
29:38Please come talk to him.
29:39Stripped of his usual arrogance.
29:41He hasn't eaten in three days.
29:43He won't see anyone.
29:45Somewhere behind him,
29:46I could hear the faint
29:46mechanical beeping
29:47of a hospital room.
29:48I blinked
29:49and looked over at Yannick,
29:50who was sitting on the sofa
29:51watching television.
29:53He had one arm
29:53draped along the back
29:54of the couch,
29:55still in the black shirt
29:56he'd worn to the office.
29:58Mr. Carter.
29:58Sensing my gaze,
29:59I'm sorry.
30:00He turned and smiled at him.
30:01I won't be coming.
30:02No question in it.
30:03No pressure.
30:03Nora.
30:04Just that same quiet warmth.
30:06I've moved forward
30:07and the road behind me.
30:08He offered me every evening.
30:09I tightened my grip
30:10on the phone.
30:11I don't want to walk it again.
30:12I hung up before he could speak,
30:14set the phone face down
30:15on the side table
30:16and threw myself
30:16onto the sofa,
30:17wrapping my arms
30:18around Yannick's neck.
30:19He caught me easily,
30:20as if he'd been waiting.
30:21What is it?
30:22He asked softly.
30:23Yannick, I really, really love you.
30:24I smiled,
30:25looking into the eyes
30:26of the man
30:26who had always protected me.
30:28I pressed a deep kiss
30:28to his lips.
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