When I returned to the Grant mansion, the villa was unusually quiet.
Rhian stood in the living room with her fists clenched, glaring at me. "They're all gone. Why are you still here?"
Since the wedding was officially set, Evelyn had dismissed the other mistresses to preserve the family's reputation.
"Leslie, you're a damn walking disaster!" Rhian snapped, storming toward me with her hand raised high.
For a second, I honestly thought she planned to hit me before leaving, as if we had not fought enough already.
She was half a head taller than me, and there was no way I could win.
"You—"
But before she could finish the sentence, she lunged forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. Her arms were shaking, and then the tears came, sudden and raw.
"You little potato," she cried into my shoulder. "You're good at everything. So why are you completely romance-brained?"
She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, her face flushed and streaked with tears. Her breath hitched, but her voice was steady.
"After everything you've been through, you still haven't learned? I swear, I want to smash you with a hammer."
She gripped my arms, her eyes burning into mine. "Listen to me. While Evelyn is busy planning that wedding... run away with me."
I never imagined Rhian would ever move me like this. I gently patted her back and sighed helplessly.
"Why are you crying? We're not even getting the marriage certificate. Besides, I only agreed to hold the wedding. I never agreed to consummate anything."
Rhian froze immediately. Fear stiffened her entire body.
I softened my tone and added, "Don't worry. I won't let him touch you either."
...
Later that night, Rhian confessed in defeat, shame written all over her face.
"I'm useless. I talked to them all day and learned absolutely nothing. Now they've all moved out, and no one knows where they went. How the hell are we supposed to find that bastard's precious sweetheart?"
I wiped away Rhian's tears and said softly, "There's no need to keep looking. I already know who it is. And as for the uterus transplant, they would never agree."
Samuel's words earlier had been persuasive, almost enough to influence someone who wasn't paying attention. But he missed one crucial detail.
I am no longer the woman who catered to his every preference.
He told me I smelled good today, that I made him react.
Yet the perfume I wore was Empty Valley Orchid, the scent he despised most.