“Lottie, the engagement ring I had custom-made for you at Chaumet Paris has arrived at their Harbor City boutique. Stop by whenever you have time.”

Chaumet Paris was one of the world’s most prestigious luxury jewelry brands.

Charlotte had only agreed to the engagement a few days ago.

Yet, the ring was already here?

Had it been ordered in advance?

She didn’t ask. She simply replied with a short, “Okay.”

*

At the Chaumet boutique, the sales associate greeted her warmly, presenting the ring with a bright smile.

“Miss Riley, this is the custom engagement ring Mr. Jasper designed for you.”

Charlotte picked it up and examined it closely.

A five-carat rare blue diamond, encircled by delicate pink and colorless diamonds, sparkling brilliantly under the lights. It was so breathtakingly beautiful it almost looked unreal.

“The inside of the band is also engraved with your initials alongside Mr. Jasper’s,” the associate added.

Charlotte turned the ring slightly, inspecting the engraving inside.

SJ CR.

Clearly, a great deal of thought had gone into this design.

Slipping the ring onto her finger, she found the fit to be perfect.

“It’s gorgeous,” the associate remarked sincerely.

Just as Charlotte was admiring the ring, a familiar voice suddenly cut through the boutique.

“Charlotte Riley, what are you doing here?”

Charlotte frowned slightly and turned around.

At that very moment, Zac subtly let go of Wendy’s hand.

Wendy’s eyes darkened for a fleeting second, but she quickly regained her composure, as if nothing had happened.

Charlotte, however, wasn’t surprised in the least.

Of course, Zac would be here with Wendy.

She flashed a sweet, carefree smile.

“Trying on rings.”

Zac’s expression darkened instantly.

He took a few steps forward, his gaze fixing on the engagement ring on her finger.

Charlotte held up her hand and tilted her fingers slightly, letting the massive diamond catch the light.

“So?” she asked with a bright smile. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

A flicker of anger flashed in Zac’s eyes.

“No,” he said coldly. “It’s ugly.”

They both knew exactly what that ring represented.

Zac had always assumed Charlotte was obedient, sensible, and knew her place.

He never thought she would actually dare to reach for something that wasn’t meant for her.

Marriage?

That was something he could never give her.

And Charlotte was never worthy of it.

He remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Wendy, standing beside him, smiled pleasantly.

“What a coincidence, Miss Riley,” she said lightly. “Zac and I are here to look at rings today too.”

Charlotte let out a cold laugh in her mind.

So the phone call Zac had taken earlier—the one he had vaguely referred to as “something urgent”—was nothing more than Wendy asking him to go shopping with her.

She had called him to help pick out a ring, and he had dropped everything to accompany her.

Zac didn’t offer an explanation.

He didn’t even bother to deny it.

His silence was all the confirmation she needed.

Wendy’s gaze drifted toward the engagement ring on Charlotte’s finger.

Tsk. That blue diamond in the center had to be at least five carats.

And the surrounding halo of rare pink diamonds?

This ring had to be worth at least seven or eight million.

She really had the nerve to try it on.

Did she not feel embarrassed, knowing she couldn’t afford it?

But Charlotte barely reacted to Wendy’s thinly veiled provocation. She simply let out a disinterested, “Oh.”

She then continued admiring the ring on her hand.

She had to admit that Sean had excellent taste.

She was very satisfied with this ring.

“Miss Riley, that ring is absolutely stunning,” Wendy said with a smile.

Charlotte beamed.

“Isn’t it? I think so too.”

Zac’s expression turned even darker.

“Take it off,” he ordered.

Charlotte tilted her head slightly, feigning confusion.

“Why?”

Zac clenched his jaw.

“Why are you even trying on rings? What, are you trying to pressure me into marriage?” His voice grew sharper. “Let me make this clear. I will never marry you.”

For a split second, Wendy’s lips curved into a barely noticeable smirk.

She hadn’t needed to say anything at all.

Zac had delivered the final blow himself.

“Miss Riley,” Wendy continued, her voice light and airy, “Zac and I are here today at Mrs. Gibson’s request to look at rings.”

The “Mrs. Gibson” she was referring to was none other than Monica Miller, Zac’s mother.

Wendy’s meaning was clear—“I’m the one Zac’s mother has chosen. The Gibson family has already accepted me. So don’t even think about marrying into their family, Charlotte.”

Charlotte studied the pair standing in front of her and almost laughed out loud.

She had merely tried on her fiancé’s custom-made engagement ring.

And yet here they were—

One, so self-absorbed, convinced she was desperately clinging to a man who didn’t want her.

And the other, so eager to flaunt that she had Monica’s approval.

But… seriously?

The Gibson family?

That tiny Harbor City nouveau riche household?

Her father wouldn’t even consider them worthy.

“Oh, got it.” Charlotte’s tone was completely indifferent, as if none of this mattered.

Both Wendy and Zac froze for a second.

Why didn’t she care?

Wendy studied Charlotte’s face carefully, searching for even the slightest trace of jealousy or resentment.

But her expression was flawless and completely unreadable.

For the first time, Wendy wasn’t sure.

Was Charlotte pretending not to care, or did she really not care at all?

Zac’s expression had already turned stormy.

“Charlotte Riley, do you think this is funny? Did you know Wendy and I were coming here to look at rings today, so you showed up on purpose to wait for me?

“Let me make this clear. You and I will never happen. If you’re trying to pressure me into marriage, it’s useless!

“Marriage is about compatibility. With your background, how could you ever be a match for me?”

His words were sharp and relentless. “Just look at yourself right now. It’s embarrassing.”

He was genuinely angry now, throwing out accusations in one breath.

But Charlotte wasn’t angry at all.

Instead, she smiled, her voice light.

“Oh? I’m embarrassing?”

She tilted her head slightly.

“As far as I remember, we haven’t broken up yet. So, by that logic, Miss Cooper here is a mistress, and you, Zac Gibson, are nothing more than a cheating jerk. Now tell me—who’s the embarrassing one?”

Zac’s entire face twisted in rage. His chest rose and fell sharply as he barked, “Take it off!”

Charlotte’s voice remained calm, unbothered. “No.”

“Fine! If you like it so much, then keep wearing it. But don’t expect me to ever buy you a ring, and don’t even think about marrying me!”

“Mm-hmm.” Charlotte nodded lightly, completely unfazed.

Zac was livid. No matter what he said, it was like throwing punches at air. Charlotte simply refused to react.

Frustrated, he shot her a furious glare before storming out of the store.

“Zac, wait for me!” Wendy quickly chased after him.

*

Once they were gone, the sales associate turned to Charlotte, looking completely confused.

“Miss Riley, those two are…?”

Charlotte adjusted the ring on her finger and said calmly, “Just irrelevant people. No need to mind them.”

Three years of dating, and Zac never once considered marrying her.

Little did he know that he wasn’t even qualified to marry her.

She had never once considered marrying him either.

Charlotte took out her phone and snapped a few photos of the ring, sending them to Sean.

“Does it look good?”

At that moment, in the CEO’s office of Jasper Corporation, Sean glanced at his phone.

At the sight of a message from the contact saved as "Lottie", a small smile tugged at his lips.

Setting aside the document he was reviewing, he typed back a reply.

“It looks beautiful. Do you like it?”

“I do.”

Sean’s smile deepened.

“As long as you like it.”

“Sean, this ring must have been really expensive, right?”

“Not at all. You deserve the best.”

Sean’s assistant, Harry Lowe, stood nearby, waiting for his signature.

He had already sneaked a few glances at his boss.

Was he seeing things?

The cold, expressionless CEO was… smiling?

And not just any smile—a soft, almost sweet one?

It was like the air around him was filled with pink bubbles.

Sean signed the last document and looked up.

“What are you staring at?” His tone was back to its usual coolness.

Harry immediately straightened up and grabbed the papers. “Nothing, Mr. Jasper. I’ll take my leave now.”

*

Meanwhile, Charlotte picked up the ring and walked out of the boutique, heading next door to a high-end men’s watch store.

She wanted to buy Sean a watch as a gift for when she returned to Jersey City.

Her father had sent her some recent photos of him.

Sharp features, deep-set eyes, a refined yet distant aura. He looked almost exactly as she remembered.

After carefully browsing, she selected a sleek black wristwatch that suited Sean perfectly.

Just as she finished paying, a familiar voice greeted her from the side.

“Charlotte, what are you doing here?”

Eugene Jacobs, one of Zac’s friends, approached.

He was also the one who had casually mentioned that he almost felt bad for Charlotte that night at the bar.

They had known each other for nearly three years, and Charlotte had always thought he wasn’t too bad.

“I just came to pick up a few things,” she replied.

Eugene glanced at the shopping bag in her hand. “Is this a gift for Zac?”

Charlotte didn’t feel like explaining, so she simply nodded.

“That brand’s watches aren’t cheap. Even their most basic models start in the five-figure range. You really don’t need to spend so much on a gift for him. He…” he hesitated, then stopped short.

Because what he really wanted to say—“he doesn’t deserve it”—was better left unsaid.

Zac had already admitted that he couldn’t let go of Wendy, that Charlotte was nothing more than a stand-in.

Last night, he had left Charlotte behind in front of everyone, openly taking Wendy’s hand and walking away.

Charlotte didn’t know what had happened after that, but Eugene did.

After they left the party, Zac and Wendy had spent the night at a hotel together.

There was a private group chat with all their friends in it.

Charlotte had never been invited to join, even after three years of dating Zac.

Yet, the moment Wendy returned to the country, Zac had added her in.

This afternoon, Wendy had unexpectedly posted a photo of herself and Zac in bed in their private group chat, along with a message:

“Make sure to save this as a keepsake, Zac.”

Less than a minute later, she quickly deleted it, claiming she had sent it to the wrong chat.

Eugene had seen the message pop up just in time.

He had thought about saying something but in the end, he let it go. It wasn’t his business. The less involvement, the better.

He had wanted to tell Charlotte the truth, to warn her to let go.

But as the words reached his lips, he changed his mind.

“Zac doesn’t need things like this. You really don’t have to spend months of your salary on such an expensive gift for him,” he said instead.

After all, Zac was his friend of over ten years.

Some things, he just couldn’t bring himself to say.

He also wanted to tell Charlotte that even if she spent months’ worth of wages on a gift, Zac probably wouldn’t even appreciate it.

But that was too cruel. He couldn’t bring himself to say that either.

Of course, Charlotte already knew Zac wasn’t worthy. The watch wasn’t even for him.

She simply nodded, smiling politely. “Got it. I won’t do it next time.”

They chatted for a little while longer before parting ways.

Eugene watched Charlotte’s retreating figure and sighed.

“She’s way too good for this. How did she end up getting caught up with Zac?”

Unable to hold back, he sent Zac a message.

“Bro, your girlfriend is seriously a keeper. I just ran into her. She was buying you a watch. A watch worth tens of thousands, just like that. That’s months of her salary, man. You should really appreciate her.”

*

Zac was having dinner with Wendy when he received the message.

The frustration that had been brewing inside him all day instantly disappeared.

His expression softened.

So Charlotte had realized she was wrong and was trying to apologize with a gift.

If that was the case, he would give her a way out.

He would accept the watch, say a few gentle words to smooth things over, maybe even apologize for his tone earlier.

Then he would throw in a few sweet lines to pacify her.

Charlotte had always been easy to please.

“Zac, what’s wrong? Who messaged you?” Wendy asked from across the table.

Zac put away his phone, his expression unreadable.

“No one important.”

Wendy didn’t press further.

*

A few minutes later, Zac excused himself to use the restroom.

The moment he was out of sight, Wendy picked up his phone from the table.

She had seen him enter his password before. It was his birthday so it was easy to remember.

Quickly, she typed it in and unlocked the screen.

The first thing she checked was his chat with Charlotte.

Their last conversation was from a week ago.

Charlotte had asked if he wanted to take a trip during the October holiday, mentioning that she finally had some time off and wanted to go somewhere.

She had even sent him a list of places she had been wanting to visit.

It took Zac five hours to reply. “What’s so great about traveling when the crowds are insane?”

After that, Charlotte hadn’t sent another message.

Wendy casually glanced through the destinations Charlotte had suggested, her lips curling into a faint smirk.

So much for three years together.

Zac couldn’t even be bothered to go on a simple trip with her.

Finding nothing else of interest in their chat, she backed out and continued scrolling until she came across Eugene’s message.

Reading it, she let out a cold laugh.

She thought Charlotte was finally ready to let go.

But no.

She was still trying to win Zac back, still hoping to make peace with him by buying a gift.

How pathetic.

Wendy locked the phone, placing it back exactly where it had been.

Then, she pulled out her own phone and dialed Monica Miller, Zac’s mother.

“Hello, Mrs. Gibson? I just ran into Zac’s girlfriend at the jewelry store,” she said sweetly. “She was trying on rings, pushing for marriage…”

*

Meanwhile, Charlotte carried the gift back to the villa and continued packing her suitcase.

She placed the gift for Sean carefully inside, but as she folded her clothes, her mind drifted to his face—that cool, strikingly handsome face.

She had known Sean for a long time.

Their family estates were in the same villa community, only two or three hundred meters apart. As children, they often ran into each other.

Sean was four years older than her. The first time she met him was at the Jasper family’s estate.

Her parents had taken her to visit, and at the time, she was only ten. She was just a small child who hadn’t quite grown into her looks. Meanwhile, Sean was already tall and refined, looking like the lead in a high school romance drama.

Charlotte could only remember her first thought upon seeing him.

He was breathtaking.

His features were sharp and striking, but his eyes were as cold as winter snow.

Her mother nudged her to greet him, and she obediently said, “Hi Sean.”

Sean, as distant as ever, gave a curt and indifferent response.

“Hello.”

Back then, Charlotte had thought, he must be a difficult person to get along with.

That misunderstanding lasted for years.

It wasn’t until high school that things changed.

Charlotte struggled with math, and somehow, Sean’s mother had found out. With a bright smile, she had casually suggested to Desmond, “Let Sean tutor Lottie! Math was always his best subject. He scored high on math tests.

By then, Charlotte’s mother had already passed away, and she was no longer the carefree little girl she used to be.

In just five years, she had grown into a quiet, rebellious teenager who didn’t care much for authority.

When Sean arrived at her house for the first time, the first words out of her mouth were, “I don’t need your help.”

Sean was twenty-one then, standing at over six feet tall. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and dark gray jeans, his casually tousled hair adding a boyish charm to his otherwise serious demeanor.

He simply smirked and leaned against the doorframe.

“Well, too bad. I’m going to teach you anyway.”

Charlotte had assumed he would be strict and demanding.

She was wrong.

After glancing through her math test, Sean merely furrowed his brows before patiently walking her through every mistake.

One question after another, he explained everything without the slightest hint of frustration.

His voice was deep and smooth, carrying a hint of roughness, almost like a gentle rasp.

As Charlotte listened, math didn’t seem quite so unbearable anymore.

For problems with multiple solutions, Sean would take the time to explain each one.

At some point, the irritation in her eyes faded, replaced by a newfound sense of admiration.

“Wow, you’re amazing, dude. How do you still remember all of this after graduating high school?”

Sean closed his notebook and replied casually, “I don’t remember everything. I reviewed a bit before coming over.”

Then, he paused and tapped her forehead lightly with his pen.

“Watch your manners. From now on, call me Sean.”

That summer, during her second year of high school, Sean spent two months tutoring her.

At the time, he was in his third year at Jersey University, yet he had spent nearly his entire break teaching her math instead of going out.

When school started again, Sean still had vacation left. Every day, after class, Charlotte would come home to find him sitting in her family’s living room, waiting to tutor her.

Thanks to Sean, her math grades skyrocketed.

With her other subjects already strong, her math improvement pushed her overall performance up, and she successfully got into Jersey University.

She became Sean’s junior.

Back then, Charlotte had thought of him as nothing more than a wonderful, reliable older brother.

She respected him. She liked him. But there wasn’t a trace of romantic feelings.

So when her father brought up the idea of her marrying Sean, she couldn’t accept it.

He had always been her older brother figure.

How could a sister marry her brother?

As Charlotte lost herself in these memories, the bedroom door suddenly swung open.

Zac stood at the doorway, leaning against the frame as he looked at her.

“Are you done packing?”

Charlotte glanced at her suitcase and nodded. “Almost.”

Zac didn’t leave. Instead, he remained where he was, watching her.

After a pause, he said, “Charlotte, is there something you want to say to me?”

Charlotte looked up at him, her expression puzzled. “What?”

Zac assumed she was still upset, deliberately holding onto the gift instead of giving it to him right away. That was fine. He could give her an out.

Softening his tone, he said, “I spoke too harshly at the store earlier. Don’t be mad, okay?”

That should do it.

Charlotte sighed, meeting his gaze with an earnest expression. “I’m not mad.”

Zac scoffed. “Sure you’re not.”

“Believe whatever you want.”

The casual indifference in her voice instantly irritated him.

“Charlotte, I already apologized. What more do you want?”

She continued packing, her movements unbothered. “I don’t need your apology.”

Zac stared at her for a few seconds, his expression unreadable.

After a moment, he asked, a little awkwardly, “Where’s the gift?”

Charlotte turned to him. “What gift?”

“Eugene said he saw you buying me a watch,” Zac said. “Didn’t you get it to apologize and make up with me? I’m back now. Aren’t you going to give it to me?”

Charlotte had been about to tell him the watch wasn’t for him, but before she could, Zac continued as if the matter was already settled.

“Come on, enough already. Dragging this out is pointless.”

At that, Charlotte suddenly laughed.

Zac’s brows furrowed. “What’s so funny?”

“You,” she said, looking at him with amused disbelief. “You’re hilarious.”

She met his gaze, her tone light but sharp. “I did buy a watch, but it’s not for you. And I don’t think I did anything wrong, so why would I need to apologize?”

Zac’s face darkened. “Not for me? Then who the hell is it for?”

Charlotte smiled. “None of your business.”

Zac clenched his fists, his temper flaring. “None of my business? I’m your boyfriend! And you’re out here buying gifts for another man? How the hell is that not my business?”

Compared to his growing anger, Charlotte was entirely calm.

She raised a brow. “Aren’t you Wendy’s boyfriend?”

Zac tensed, immediately blurting out, “It’s not like that between us!”

His voice was noticeably quieter than before, lacking its usual confidence.

Because he knew he was guilty.

His relationship with Wendy wasn’t exactly that of boyfriend and girlfriend—it was more like an affair.

He had already crossed the line, already done things he shouldn’t have.

And yet, on paper, Charlotte was still his girlfriend.

He liked Wendy’s passionate, daring energy and the way she was flirtatious and unafraid to take the lead.

But at the same time, he also liked Charlotte’s beautiful face, her soft, gentle nature, and the way she always seemed to understand him.

He wasn’t ready to tell her about Wendy and him. Not yet.

Trying to salvage the situation, he added, “Today, when I went to the jewelry store with Wendy, it really was because of my mom. We weren’t looking at rings for Wendy. We were picking out jewelry to match my mom’s new dress.

“My mom said Wendy has good taste and knows how to match accessories, so she asked her to go with me. It wasn’t just about rings—we had to pick out necklaces, earrings, and bracelets too, all carefully matched to go with her new dress. I know you misunderstood, but I was upset at the time, so I didn’t bother explaining. I wanted to see if you’d get jealous.”

“Jealous?” Charlotte’s eyes turned icy. “Oh? So now you care whether I’d get jealous?”

“Charlotte, I’m sorry—” Zac tried to smooth things over.

She cut him off. “Your apology is noted. I don’t accept it. And no, the gift isn’t for you.”

Zac’s patience snapped. His voice rose sharply.

“Then who’s it for?”

“My fiancé.”

Zac let out a sarcastic laugh, his eyes filled with mockery.

“Wow, Charlotte Riley, you really will say anything to force me into marriage, huh?” He scoffed. “So what, you’re saying that unless I agree to marry you—become your fiancé—you won’t give me the gift? And then you’ll forgive me? That’s what this is about?”

Charlotte frowned.

Where did he get this level of delusion?

Did he really think she couldn’t live without him?

Zac’s eyes were filled with disappointment as he shook his head at Charlotte.

“Charlotte Riley, I thought you understood the impossible gap between us. I thought you were sensible. But you just keep pushing for marriage over and over again. You’ve really let me down.”

Charlotte was rendered speechless.

With that, Zac turned and walked out.

The bedroom door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Charlotte let out a helpless sigh and shook her head.

She had been planning to use this moment to have a serious talk with him—to officially break up and tell him the truth that she was the heiress of the Riley family in Jersey City and was returning to get engaged to Sean Jasper.

But Zac hadn’t even given her a chance to speak.

Charlotte thought to herself that maybe the reason he was so convinced she was desperate to marry him was because she had given him that confidence.

For years, she had played the role of the obedient, understanding girlfriend—never checking up on him, never getting jealous, never prying into his personal life.

Except for physical intimacy, she had rarely ever denied him anything.

Maybe that had led him to believe she couldn’t live without him.

But what he didn’t know was that her so-called obedience wasn’t because she was naive.

It was because she had known all along that he never planned on making her his future.

A year ago, she had thought about taking Zac back to Jersey City and telling him about her true identity.

But then, she had accidentally overheard his phone call with his mother, Monica.

“Mom, don’t worry. I know you’d never approve of her marrying into our family. I’m just dating her for fun. If I ever actually plan to get married, obviously, you’d have the final say.

“You raised me better than to let some random girl drag me into a marriage. I know the difference between dating and marrying.”

Oh, so he knew the difference.

That was when she finally realized that Zac had never intended to have a future with her.

To put it plainly, he didn’t even love her that much.

But Charlotte wasn’t the kind of woman to lose herself over love.

She had always been able to pick things up and let them go.

Since Zac only wanted a relationship with no endgame, fine—she went along with it.

At the time, she needed companionship, needed emotional warmth in a city where she had no one.

That was all.

She had protected herself well—her first kiss and first time still untouched.

So why hadn’t she left earlier?

Because at the time, she had still liked him.

And she had gotten used to him being there.

Emotions were complicated. They weren’t always black and white, all or nothing.

After overhearing that phone call, she had never mentioned her family background again.

But after finding out she was nothing more than a substitute for Wendy, she suddenly found everything meaningless.

She could accept that there was no future between them.

She could accept that he didn’t love her as much as she once thought.

But she could not accept that he had been using her as Wendy’s replacement.

She was Charlotte Riley.

She was her own person.

*

However, Charlotte never expected Monica to show up at her door.

The woman was dressed in a deep blue silk dress, her ears and neck adorned with sapphire jewelry, and on her finger sat an enormous pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring—the same shade of blue as her outfit.

It seemed Zac was right. His mother was indeed the kind of person who would buy an entire set of jewelry just to match a dress.

Monica looked at her with an expression as if she were examining something she found distasteful.

Her eyes were filled with criticism.

“You must be Charlotte Riley?” Monica’s voice was indifferent, her tone carrying an air of condescension.

Charlotte remained polite. “Hello, Mrs. Gibson.”

“Mm.”

Monica stepped inside, her gaze sweeping over the room before finally settling on Charlotte.

“I’ve heard all about you and Zac.”

She sat gracefully on the couch, her legs crossed at an elegant angle. Her posture was refined, but her words were rough.

“Do you really think a girl like you is good enough to marry into the Gibson family?”