Chapter 7
The air froze instantly.
Alistair Cortez took the ring and examined it carefully.
He frowned slightly. "I've never seen this before."
"On the day you transferred schools, the whole class gave you gifts."
"I gave you this ring."
"You said you liked rings hidden in candy, so I searched every supermarket in the city to find it."
"My name is engraved inside."
We turned our heads at the same time.
Zephyr Ashcroft's face turned pale with anger.
"Astrid, you're lying."
"This ring was clearly placed on my desk by you."
"It's proof that you had a crush on me."
Alistair suddenly chuckled.
"A month before I transferred, he and I were desk mates."
"It seems someone took the wrong gift."
The misunderstanding was cleared.
He held the ring gently with his fingertips.
"Good, it finally returned to its rightful owner."
I smiled and extended my ring finger.
The ring slid into place.
Zephyr was still holding the bouquet of roses.
His fingers dug into the petals.
"Even if the ring was a misunderstanding, your love for me wasn't fake!"
He showed his phone screen.
It was filled with sweet messages I had sent him.
I glanced at it indifferently.
"It was love."
"But it ended the day you said you loved Seraphina."
Zephyr's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Because of her?"
He gently put down the bouquet and walked away.
A week later, the Vance family declared bankruptcy.
The nouveau riche couldn't hold onto their wealth.
The company's accounts were full of holes.
Seraphina's extravagant spending made things worse.
I thought it was just a business blow.
Until Seraphina knelt in front of my house.
"Miss Valrose, I was wrong!"
"Please save my father! Zephyr reported him for tax evasion. He'll go to jail!"
I pulled my hand away from her tight grip.
"You should go to the person responsible."
"He did this for you!"
"If you say something, he'll stop!"
I looked down at her pale face.
"But I remember, he loved you the most."
Seraphina trembled.
"I promise to disappear forever. Please show mercy..."
I found it laughable.
"It was you who wouldn't let me go."
"I'm already engaged."
She tried to grab me again.
Suddenly, Zephyr appeared.
He roughly pulled Seraphina away.
"Who gave you permission to harass Astrid!"
Seraphina was in tears.
"What will it take for you to spare the Vance family?"
"You made me lose Astrid."
"This is the price."
After driving Seraphina away, he turned back to me with a tender expression.
"I avenged you. Can you forgive me now?"
Alistair stood up from the couch.
He signaled to the bodyguards.
"Mr. Ashcroft drove her away, and I'll drive you away."
"Fair enough."
Zephyr resisted fiercely.
"This is the Valrose estate! What right do you have!"
I leaned tiredly into Alistair's arms.
The scent of sandalwood filled my nose.
He held me steadily.
"Because we're engaged."
"We're getting married next month."
A loud thud came from behind.
The bodyguard reported in a low voice.
"Mr. Cortez, he fainted after hitting the door."