“Make sure he gets used to the wheelchair early.”
“You—!” Richard Hart’s polite facade finally cracked, his voice rising with anger. “Ethan! Must you really make things this ugly?”
“We’ve been family friends for years, and you’d destroy it all for an outsider?”
“Yes.”
My answer was crisp and firm.
“Uncle Hart,” I said coldly, “since your family has chosen your side, I’ll respect your choice.”
“From now on, all pretenses are gone.”
Two years ago, during a Cole family banquet, Richard had personally invited my father and me for a private toast. After a few flattering remarks, he brought up a long-forgotten verbal promise—an engagement arranged between my late grandfather and Mr. Hart.
At the time, the Hart family was in decline, and the matter had been quietly set aside.
That night, Richard spoke with careful humility, emphasizing the old bond between our families.
“Mr. Cole, I know it’s bold of me to bring this up now,” he said, his tone deferential.
“But the old man’s greatest wish before he passed was to see Selena’s happiness secured.”
He sighed heavily, stealing glances at my father’s face.
My father, who valued his word and my grandfather’s legacy, was moved.
“Richard, you’re being too modest. Since this was the old man’s wish, it’s only right that we, the younger generation, fulfill it.”
When I later met Selena, I agreed to the engagement.
From that moment, the Cole family began fully supporting the Hart family.
The struggling Hart Group was pulled from the brink brink—receiving huge contracts, easy access to financing, and connections that opened every closed door.
In just two years, the company soared like a rocket, eventually going public and securing its place among the city’s elite.
Richard, once a small-time businessman eager to please everyone, became the confident chairman of a listed company.
As for Selena, I treated her as any fiancé should.
She adored jewelry, especially the work of a particular European designer. So, for her birthday, I reached out to that designer directly, commissioning a custom diamond necklace and earrings—a six-month project, one of a kind.
That night, she was the center of attention among her friends, basking in admiration.
For two years, at business dinners or private events, I gave her the respect and attention she wanted.