A week later, James picked me up in a luxury car. We went to pick Poppy and Ralph up to join us at the airport.

The moment Ralph got into the car, he could not contain his excitement. He took countless selfies with the interior.

Poppy looked furious. She slapped his phone out of his hand. "Can you stop embarrassing yourself? It's just a car. What's the big deal? You're acting like such a hick."

Ralph's excitement vanished after hearing her harsh mockery. He pocketed his phone, sat back down, and did not say another word.

At the airport, James went to find his friends, while Poppy leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Elisa, did James rent this car?"

I shook my head with a shy smile. "He just bought it. His old sports car couldn't fit all of us."

Poppy looked skeptical. "I don't mean to be rude, but how did someone like James even fall for you? You're not feminine at all."

Because of my job, I always dressed in business attire and had developed a no-nonsense management style after years of leadership. Apparently, to Poppy, this professional appearance meant I had no femininity whatsoever.

I smiled and did not respond.

Ralph spoke up instead. "Poppy, how could you talk to your sister like that?"

Poppy kicked him. "Whose side are you on? Don't tell me you're into my sister now."

Ralph's face turned bright red instantly. "No! She's your sister. How could you even think that about me?"

While the two of them argued, James and his trust fund friends were already walking toward us.

"Wow, she's gorgeous!"

"So this is the beauty who landed our boy James!"

"No wonder James has been MIA lately. He's been keeping her all to himself!"

Sweet talk was second nature to James's crowd. Even though we had never met, they immediately started praising me and played up James's status.

Once they learned Poppy and Ralph were my sister and her fiancé, they made polite conversation for a few minutes.

Poppy pulled me aside again and whispered in my ear. "Why are all of James's friends so hot? Are they loaded too?"

I sneered internally but kept a smug smile on my face. "They have some money, sure, but none of them are as wealthy as James. He's the real deal when it comes to being a trust fund kid."

I could not let Poppy shift her target to anyone else. After all, James was the only one I had painstakingly found from the wife-killer club.

On the plane, James's friends were intensely curious about me and asked me a barrage of questions. We chatted about everything under the sun.

Suddenly, Ralph let out a scream. Poppy snapped at him irritably. "What are you doing?"

Ralph looked terrified. "There's thunder and lightning! What if it hits us? I don't want to die!"

One of James's friends laughed. "Relax, man. If the weather was really that bad, the plane wouldn't have taken off in the first place. Planes have lightning protection systems. You'll be fine, don't worry."

Poppy looked mortified. "This is so humiliating!"

Ralph, completely oblivious, just laughed it off. "Hey, it’s my first time flying. Cut me some slack."

A little while later, a flight attendant came by with the meal cart. Ralph perked up with interest. "Excuse me, how much for one of these meals?"

"Sir, meals are complimentary on this flight."

Ralph brightened and grabbed meals for all of us before asking, "Can I get two more? I eat a lot, and one serving won't be enough."

The flight attendant remained patient. "I'm sorry, sir. If there are extras after everyone's been served, I'll bring some over."

After she left, Ralph turned to Poppy enthusiastically. "That flight attendant was really nice. I'll ask her to bring you a blanket in a bit. I saw they have drinks too. They're probably free! Want one?"

Poppy's expression darkened. "Enough, Ralph. Can you stop acting as if you've never been anywhere before? Are you starving or something? Why do you need so many meals?"

Even someone as easygoing as Ralph understood that Poppy was embarrassed by his behavior. He deflated, and the atmosphere between them turned awkward.

James's friends jumped in to smooth things over and changed the subject. "Elisa, when we land in Capdo, James has a surprise for you!"

I knew what it was. James was planning to propose.

Sure enough, on the hot air balloon we got on shortly after landing, James got down on one knee. His eyes were full of tenderness. "Elisa, marry me."

James's friends cheered around us. Looking into his eyes, I almost believed I had found real happiness. However, Poppy suddenly rushed forward, shoved past me, and snatched the ring from James's hand before I could react.

James's expression darkened. He stared at Poppy coldly. "What are you doing?"

Poppy called Ralph over. "Ralph, you took that jewelry class in college, right? Is this diamond real?"

Ralph took the ring and examined it closely. "Wow, look at how clear this is! The clarity, the color… This is top tier! James, this ring must have cost a fortune, right?"

James did not respond, but his friends spoke up.

"Elisa, James went through a lot of trouble to get this ring at auction."

"Come on, you know James wouldn't give anyone a fake."

Ralph picked up on their sarcasm and quickly tried to defuse the situation. "No, no, we're not saying it's fake. Poppy just wanted me to see a real diamond up close. Don't take it the wrong way."

Poppy yanked the ring out of Ralph's hand and scrutinized it closely with wide eyes.

James's voice turned icy. "What? You still think it's fake?"

Poppy seemed to snap out of it. She reluctantly tossed the ring into my hand. "Lucky you."

I gave James an apologetic smile. "My sister is young and immature. Don't take it personally."

James smiled warmly at me, took the ring from my hand, and knelt down again. "Let me propose one more time. Elisa, I love you. Will you marry me?"

I nodded sweetly and let James slip the ring onto my finger.

After getting off the hot air balloon, we returned to the hotel, where an elaborate proposal setup was waiting.

Poppy stormed ahead angrily while Ralph trailed behind, trying to appease her. James and I walked at the back with his friends.

Honestly, I could not blame Poppy for looking down on Ralph. What kind of man was so cheap?

This entire trip, James and his friends paid for everything: food, activities, flights, and hotels. Ralph had not contributed even a single cent. He even tried to piggyback off James's proposal setup for me.

Right after I accepted James's diamond ring, Ralph got down on one knee in front of Poppy with a soda can pull tab.

"Poppy, this place is so romantic. Will you marry me?"

James's friends cracked up at the scene.

"Is this guy for real? He mooches off everyone else's food and fun, and now he's mooching off someone else's proposal?"

"This is better than reality TV. What, you can't afford your own moment?"

"I've never actually seen someone propose with a soda tab. That's a new one!"

James laughed. "Hey, love on a budget can be sweet too, right?"

Hearing their mockery, Poppy looked utterly humiliated. She shoved Ralph's hand away, crying and cursing at the same time.

"Get away from me! I don't want to be with you! You're so humiliating. Just leave! We're over!"

James and his friends were getting quite the show and laughed even harder.

Poppy ran off in shame. I followed her.

The moment Poppy reached the hotel, she pulled out her phone. "Mom, I don't want to be with Ralph anymore! He's too embarrassing!"

Hearing Poppy's tearful complaints, I stopped in my tracks. Everything was going according to plan.

Back in my room, I finally let my guard down. James was in the bathroom showering. I opened his phone, and the screen displayed a group chat called ‘Wife-Killer Club’.

What James said in there was completely different from his outward persona.

His nickname in the group was ‘Never Misses’.

Never Misses: [Boys, my proposal succeeded today. I’m ready to execute the wife-killing plan soon!]

His friends chimed in.

[Holy shit, bro! You're incredible. Didn't you just finish with your last one not too long ago?]

[You're an inspiration to us all!]

[Got any videos? Let us see how it's done!]

[Bro, have you got any tips? Teach us!]

Never Misses: [Throw money around! I've already spent hundreds of thousands on this dumb b*tch. Today's proposal ring alone was worth six figures.]

Never Misses: [I throw money everywhere. What woman can resist that?]

Never Misses: [But this woman's loaded too. After I get rid of her, I'll make bank. I'll send you all a little gift when the time comes.]

I heard movement from the bathroom. I quickly deleted the chat history and put his phone back where it was.

James came out of the bathroom, still damp, and wrapped his arms around me. "Babe, I'm so happy I get to marry you. Just thinking about holding you like this every day makes me too excited to sleep."

His hands started wandering, but my phone rang abruptly and interrupted him.

I got up, pointed at the phone, and mouthed, "It's my mom."

I had just stepped into the hallway and answered when Mom's harsh voice came through. "Elisa, I let Poppy go on this trip with you, and this is how you treat her? You bullied her?"

I was baffled. "Mom, how did I bully her?"

"Then why were you all laughing at Ralph?"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, exhausted. "James set up that proposal for me, then Ralph jumped in afterward to propose to Poppy. How do you think that makes Ralph look? How does it make Poppy look like? How does it make me look?

"I think Poppy's right. Ralph isn't good enough for her. Mom, your taste is terrible. Poppy deserves someone better."

The moment I finished speaking, Poppy hugged me from behind, crying pitifully. "Elisa, you think Ralph isn't good enough for me too, right?"

She snatched the phone from my hand. "Mom, this is all your fault! I don't like Ralph. You're the one who forced us to be together. We'll never be happy.

"I already broke up with Ralph. I will never get back together with him. Even if every man on earth dropped dead, I still wouldn't be with him!"

After she finished yelling, the door to the room across from us opened. Ralph walked out with a dark expression. "Fine. I get it! We're done. You can stay and have fun. I'm going home. I’ve got livestock to deal with back at the farm."

After Ralph left, Poppy visibly brightened. She had a blast skiing and enjoying the hot tub with the rich boys.

"James, seafood again? I hate seafood!"

At another group dinner, Poppy complained to James as the waiter brought out a large seafood platter.

James paused. "Your sister likes it."

Poppy glared at me furiously. I pretended not to notice and gave her a shy smile. I linked my arm through James's. "You're so good to me. I'm so lucky."

Poppy angrily scraped her fork across her plate, making an awful screeching sound.

After dinner, James shot me a meaningful look. I hesitated for a moment. Then, I exchanged a bashful glance with Poppy before following him out.

Poppy tried to follow, but someone stopped her. "Read the room, will you? They want alone time. Why are you following them?"

I did not turn around, but I knew Poppy's eyes were filled with jealousy.