As for Rhys Gilbert? She'd been obsessed with him for ages, throwing herself at him with every trick she knew. He never gave her a second glance.
So when she heard that either Joan or I would be marrying him, jealousy nearly drove her mad.
A week before I was kidnapped in our previous life, she'd suddenly turned sweet—invited me to afternoon tea, casually prying into my schedule.
At the time, it felt off. Now I understood. She'd been scouting.
The private investigator's report later confirmed everything.
Joan's eyes lit up. "You mean—"
"Exactly," I cut in. "The Gilberts only specified the bride must come from the Pruitt or Henson family. They never said it had to be you or me. Gwendolen's branch still counts as Pruitts. She qualifies."
"But will our families agree?" Joan still looked uncertain.
"Let's find out."
We went home separately.
To my surprise, when my parents heard about Rhys's blatant favoritism and Janet Fox's existence, their reaction was unanimous.
My father set down his teacup. "If the Gilbert boy is that worthless, this marriage isn't worth having."
He paused. "My daughter's happiness comes first."
Joan's side was even more direct. Her father slammed his palm on the table the moment she finished:
"Benefits bought by selling my daughter? The Hensons don't need them. Find a way out of this—I'll handle whatever comes."
The resistance was far less than I'd expected.
The next day, Joan and I went to the Gilbert estate together.
Rhys's expression soured the moment he saw us.
I played word games with him: "The Pruitt family has changed their mind. They've agreed to the marriage."
His tension visibly eased—then his gaze cut to Joan, wary.
He expected her to make a scene.
But Joan only shrugged. "No objections here."
Rhys relaxed completely. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
I continued, "But my family has one condition. The Pruitts are traditional—the wedding must follow Chinese customs."
After all, once that red veil went on, he wouldn't know who the bride was.
Rhys just wanted this settled. He waved his hand impatiently.
"Fine, whatever. As long as you behave after the wedding and leave Janet alone, I don't care."
His eyes held nothing but relief at checking this off his list.
As for Gwendolen—when she learned she'd be marrying Rhys Gilbert, she nearly jumped for joy. She agreed without hesitation.
On the wedding day, the hotel ballroom glittered with light.