Chapter 10
On Saturday, Tia Clark attended her high school reunion.
She wanted one last chance to see these people and bid farewell to her youth once and for all.
What she didn’t expect was for Nathan to show up.
Nathan was never fond of social gatherings; in the past, it was always Tia and Victoria who dragged him along.
Yet here he was, and he had even brought Sylvia with him.
Everyone was drinking, singing, and chatting, and before long, they started clamoring to play some games.
“Come on! Let’s play spin the bottle! Whoever it lands on has to do the dare or truth!” someone shouted.
Nathan stepped out to take a work call and missed the start, while Tia was reluctant to join but was pulled in
anyway.
When the bottle spun, it pointed to Tia in the first round.
The dare was to kiss the next person who walks through the door for ten minutes.
Tia held the slip of paper in her hand, silent.
Sylvia smirked and taunted, “Tia, I know you’re all pure and innocent. If you can’t handle it, you could always kneel and polish my shoes instead, and we’ll call it even.”
Tia saw the mischief in Sylvia’s eyes and clenched her fists.
What did it matter to her, a woman living on borrowed time, to kiss someone?
Calmly, she said, “I’ll take the dare.”
Sylvia wasn’t surprised, her smile only deepened, and a gleam flickered in her eyes.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, Nathan finished his call and turned around, only to see a scruffy–looking man approaching with excitement.
The man was on his phone, bragging to a friend, “I just got a big gig, someone wants me to kiss a beauty!” He hung up as he reached the door of the private room, wiped his mouth with a sleazy grin, and was about to enter when a firm hand gripped his arm.
“Excuse me.”
Nathan’s voice was cold as he brushed past the man and stepped into the room first.
The room fell silent at his entrance, everyone stunned to see him.
Sylvia’s expression turned sour. How could this happen?!
Tia was equally surprised to see Nathan.
Unfazed, Nathan asked coolly, “Why is everyone staring at me?”
Someone hesitated before answering, “Tia picked a dare to kiss the first person who walks in for ten minutes.”
Nathan sat down calmly, clearly uninterested in participating. “Boring.”
Sylvia quickly agreed, “Yes, yes, let’s skip this round.”
Everyone knew Nathan was engaged, so they hurried to move on from the awkward moment.
The party ended.
Sylvia scolded the man in private, “Didn’t I tell you to get in there quickly?!”
14:56
Chapter 10MEDIA
He looked bewildered, “It’s not my fault… That guy yanked me away, I think he did it on purpose”
The thought of Nathan protecting Tia made Sylvia furious.
Their families had been engaged for two years, yet Nathan never mentioned marriage.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. After dismissing the man, she made a phone call.
The next day, Nathan was summoned home by his parents.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
Eleanor, his mother, was displeased, “I want to know when you plan to marry Sylvia. You’ve been engaged for ages, and she’s been complaining. The Summers family wants you to wed soon.”
Nathan’s expression remained unchanged. “The company is busy right now.”
“That’s just an excuse!” Eleanor cut him off sharply. “Don’t think I don’t know the real reason you won’t marry Sylvia is because you still can’t forget Tia Clark!”
Nathan’s hand froze mid–sip of his tea, his demeanor turning icy.
Seeing his reaction, Eleanor knew she had hit the mark.
Her anger deepened. “You and Tia Clark will never be possible!”
She dragged Nathan to stand before Victoria’s portrait. “Are you seriously considering marrying someone who was responsible for your sister’s death?”
“I know Tia wasn’t directly to blame, but she indirectly caused Victoria’s death! Victoria died protecting her. If it weren’t for Tia running away, Victoria might have had a chance, even a slim one, and our family can’t get past that. Tia will never be welcome in this family, not unless I die first!”
Eleanor wept as she spoke, clutching Victoria’s portrait tightly, tears streaming down her face.
Staring at Victoria’s young, innocent face in the photo and his mother’s sobbing form, Nathan felt a suffocating weight on his chest.
In a hoarse voice, he acknowledged the truth he’d known all along, “I won’t marry Tia Clark.”
But that wasn’t enough for Eleanor. “Then promise me, in front of your sister, that you’ll marry Sylvia.”
Nathan was silent for a moment, then two, then three.
Finally, he spoke slowly, “I will marry Sylvia.”
