"Hehe... Sis." I scratched the back of my head. "Why come personally? You could've just called."

"Drop the act." Her voice cut through the air. "Father sent you to the grassroots to gain experience, not play dress-up. You hid your identity to deliver takeout? If my contact at Civil Affairs hadn't flagged your name on a marriage registry, I wouldn't have known where to find you."

I opened my mouth to explain, but she raised a hand.

"You married a woman from a common family," she continued, her tone dropping. "Wholly unworthy of the Ashford name. Were you planning to hide this forever?"

I sighed, dropping the facade. Vivienne had protected me since childhood. She was the public face of our empire, fierce and commanding, while I strategized in the shadows.

"Sis, listen. Delia is gentle and considerate. A rare woman." I met her eyes. "And she's not 'common' anymore. She's a respected businesswoman in Harbor City."

Vivienne let out an elegant snort. "A few hundred million? You call that rich? Her sudden rise, her success—that was all you. You worked yourself to the bone to elevate her, just so the family might accept her."

I chuckled. "You know me too well."

"Why go to such lengths?"

"Because her background is humble, and her heart is sensitive." My voice softened. "If I'd told her I was the Ashford heir from the start, she would've felt inferior. She would've run."

I looked my sister in the eye. "Living under an assumed name proved everything. She didn't care that I was poor. She stuck by me when we were scraping pennies for meals. Three years of poverty, just to be with me. That's true love."

When I first met Delia, I was captivated. But I was the helmsman of the Ashford empire, and she was an ordinary worker. The gap between us was a canyon my family would never accept.

I didn't want a woman who loved my money. I wanted a woman who loved me.

So I devised a plan. I became Ethan the delivery driver. I used my resources in the shadows to turn her into a rising star, preparing her for the day she could stand beside me as an equal.

I thought I'd succeeded. I thought we were ready.

Michelle was sharp; she hadn't let me down.

"You care that much about this woman? It must be true love if you're finally revealing your identity and bringing her home," she teased over the phone. "I've already smoothed things over with Dad. Going public with your marriage won't be a problem."