Chapter 10
The rest of the people in the room didn’t understand what was going on. Leila had never gotten mad when they’d mocked Ian in the past.
“Get the fuck out of here! Don’t even think about touching a hair on his head!” she shrieked.
Connor, who was getting ready in the room next door, heard the ruckus. He went to Leila’s room but had yet to enter when he saw her girlfriends leaving, looking bemused.
He went in and wrapped an arm around Leila’s waist, caressing it to calm her down. “It’s our big day today, Lili. We’re getting engaged! Why bother arguing with them?”
She turned to look at him. He wore a black suit and had her favorite flower, the lily of the valley, in his buttonhole.
This was a scene she’d imagined countless times, but that was beside the point now.
She asked, “Why did you ask me to be lan’s girlfriend back then, Connor? Do you have feelings for me?”
He didn’t understand why she was asking this. He had to admit that as a child, he’d only thought of Leila as an older sister figure. However, his family had constantly told him that they were going to get married when they were older.
Being born in affluent families meant that their marriages were generally decided on by the heads of their families–this was something Connor had realized early on. And so, he’d easily accepted his family’s brainwashing,
He’d seen the acts that couples who’d gotten into arranged marriages put on–all they needed to do was act like they were in love in public.
That was why, to him, it didn’t matter whether or not he liked the woman in his life. Leila was destined to be his wife, and she could help him deal with whatever problems he had. Naturally, if there was anything or anyone that upset him, he would go to her so she could deal with them for him.
He didn’t care what happened as long as they ultimately ended up married.
“Is that important, Lili?” he asked.
Leila took a deep breath and nodded seriously.
Connor frowned, seemingly confused. “Isn’t the ultimate outcome of us getting married the only thing that matters? Why are you so obsessed with getting an answer to a question that doesn’t mean anything?”
He sounded as naive and guileless as he always did, but his words helped Leila come to a conclusion.
As a child, she’d watched her parents argue incessantly over her father’s mistress. She and her mother were constantly alone in their large villa; all she remembered of her father was him leaving the house in a rage and slamming the door shut.
That had planted a seed in her mind–her marriage had to be built on genuine, pure love. It was clear that Connor was not the one who could give her that. This realization relieved Leila. She took off her veil and said, “Connor, let’s call off the engagement.”
Chapter 11
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