Chapter 1

"Nessa, we arranged an engagement for you years ago. Now that you're almost fully recovered, would you be willing to return to Jirphia to get married? If you still don't want to, I'll speak with your father again to cancel the engagement."

In the dimly lit room, Vanessa Shepherd could only hear silence.

Just as the person on the other end of the phone thought she would fail at persuading her again, Vanessa suddenly replied, "I'll go home and get married."

Diane Norman was taken aback. She seemed surprised as she stammered, "Are you… agreeing to it?"

"Yes." Vanessa's tone was calm. "But I need a bit more time to finish things here in Xerton. I'll be back within half a month. Mom, you can start preparing for the wedding."

She then reminded Diane about a few more things before hanging up the phone.

As the call ended, the loud music from downstairs echoed up, with faint sounds of people singing "Happy Birthday".

It was a birthday party Keanu Lowe and Seamus Klein had organized for Hannah Zahn.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door. Hannah then walked in with a slice of Black Forest cake, smiling at her.

Her doe-like eyes blinked a few times. Her delicate face adorned with fine makeup was marred by a few streaks of whipped cream.

"Nessa, come down and join us!"

Vanessa had already seen through her facade. She said coldly, "I still have work to finish; I won't be joining. Enjoy yourselves."

Almost instantly, Hannah's eyes filled with tears. "Nessa, do you not like me? Is that why you're avoiding me?"

Vanessa frowned instinctively; she hadn't done anything, yet Hannah acted as if Vanessa was bullying her.

Uninterested in seeing her act, Vanessa smirked inwardly. "Save these theatrics for Keanu and Seamus. They don't work on me."

As soon as she finished speaking, she moved to close the door.

"Nessa, don't—"

Hannah suddenly stretched out her hand to stop the door. As the door shut, her entire hand got caught, turning her fair skin instantly bruised.

"Ouch!"

At that moment, Keanu and Seamus came upstairs and happened to witness the scene. They rushed forward almost simultaneously, wrapping Hannah protectively in their arms and carefully examining her hand.

Seamus' eyes turned red with concern when he saw the injury on Hannah's hand.

Always the hot-tempered one, he lashed out at Vanessa without holding back. "It's one thing if you don't like Hannah, but why do something so underhanded, Vanessa? You weren't like this before!"

Keanu, usually calm and reserved, looked at Vanessa with disappointment in his deep-set eyes. "Nessa, it's Hannah's birthday today. You really shouldn't have gone this far."

But when he lowered his gaze to Hannah, his tone softened immediately. "Hannah, does it still hurt? Let's go and put some ointment on it."

Watching Keanu lead Hannah away, Seamus hurried after them, trying to comfort her. "Hannah, don't be upset. I'll give you my new sports car! After the party, I'll take you for a spin. A short drive will cheer you up!"

On the receiving end of the two men's doting attention, Hannah finally stopped crying, though her voice remained a bit choked. "Thank you, Keanu."

She then looked at Seamus with tear-filled eyes, softly pleading, "Seamus, don't go racing. It's dangerous. I'll worry about you."

Seeing her smile through her tears, Seamus quickly promised, "Alright, alright, whatever you want, princess. As long as you're happy."

As Vanessa stood in the doorway, watching them walk downstairs, she felt as if she were in a dream. She remembered when she had been the one standing between Keanu and Seamus a long time ago.

She had been frail since childhood and suffered from asthma. The damp, rainy climate of Jirphia wasn't good for her health.

So, when she was five, her parents sent her from Jirphia to Xerton to recuperate. It was a place with mild weather year-round. She stayed there with her aunt, Dr. Maya Shepherd.

It was during this time that Vanessa met Keanu and Seamus, who lived next door to Maya. The three grew up together as childhood friends.

From the first moment the boys saw her, they were captivated. They stuck to her daily, becoming her self-appointed protectors.

When they were children, they walked her to and from school, bought her breakfast and milk, tore up any love letters she received, and never allowed any boy to get close.

After they grew up, one became a CEO inheriting the family business, and the other became an internationally renowned race car driver.

Despite their busy schedules, they bought the houses on either side of Vanessa's, combined them, and lived with her. They made sure to come home every day to cook for her.

When Vanessa's health had mostly recovered and her family started urging her to return to Jirphia, they had even tearfully begged her not to leave, or they would give everything up and go with her.

They always used to say, "Wherever Nessa is, that's where we'll be." It was because of them that Vanessa, even after her health recovered, delayed her return to Jirphia.

However, everything had changed ever since Hannah came into their lives.

Hannah was an intern Vanessa had taken under her wing. On her very first day at the company, she hesitated to go downstairs to lunch with the others. It continued like this daily until Vanessa found her alone, nibbling on a vegetable sandwich in a corner.

When Vanessa asked her about it, she discovered that Hannah had come from a remote mountainous area. Since she grew up in poverty, she saved wherever she could.

As the eldest daughter of the Shepherd family, Vanessa, raised in comfort, felt a pang of sympathy for her. Out of the kindness of her heart, she began looking after Hannah in various ways. Occasionally, she would even bring Hannah along to meals with Keanu and Seamus.

This was how Hannah met Keanu and Seamus.

Keanu, typically reserved, would never have attended such a rowdy party. Yet now, he was willing to make an exception for Hannah.

For Seamus, racing was everything. No one could ever persuade him otherwise. But now, a simple word from Hannah was all it took to make him give it up.

These shifts happened countless times over the past month.

In the past, Keanu and Seamus had never hidden their affection for Vanessa, often causing dramatic standoffs when they demanded that Vanessa choose between them.

There was a time when Vanessa felt moved by them and had seriously considered choosing one to be with. But now, agreeing to the marriage her family had arranged didn't seem like such a bad idea.

With a small smile, Vanessa set a countdown timer on her phone for her departure.

From now on, she would no longer intrude on the three of them.

Chapter 2

Not wanting to hear the noise outside, Vanessa closed the door and put on her earbuds.

Since she had decided to return to Xerton and get married, she would have to resign from her job in Jirphia. To avoid inconveniencing anyone, she wanted to complete her remaining tasks.

Sitting alone by the floor-to-ceiling window, she worked through her final tasks. Outside, the sun was setting, and the sky gradually darkened.

After a while, Vanessa took out her earbuds and stretched. She was finally done with her work. It had also gone completely quiet downstairs.

Out of habit, she unlocked her phone to unwind. That was when she saw a message from Hannah pop up.

She instinctively opened it.

Hannah: "Why didn't you like my Moments post?"

Hannah: "Why didn't you like my post?"

A minute later, another message arrived.

Hannah: "Sorry, Nessa, I sent that by mistake. Please don't be mad, okay?"

Curious, Vanessa clicked on Hannah's social media post to see what she'd posted.

The first thing that caught her eye was a grid of nine photos, showcasing all the gifts Keanu and Seamus had given her.

One photo featured a luxurious pink princess dress, spread out like a pink cloud. To match it, Keanu had given her a pair of custom crystal-studded heels, their dazzling sparkle reflecting an extravagant glow. And then, there was the red sports car which was obviously a gift from Seamus.

The center photo showed Hannah standing between Keanu and Seamus, holding onto each of them with a sweet smile. Her caption read, "Yay, I got to be a princess too today!"

Vanessa knew Hannah had posted this to get under her skin.

In the past, Hannah's two-faced attitude would have undoubtedly gotten to her. She wouldn't have been able to stand the fact that Keanu and Seamus had given things once special to her to someone they had only known for less than a month.

However, now that she was leaving, Vanessa didn't care about these things anymore. She tapped the screen indifferently, and a little red heart lit up.

From now on, she, Keanu, and Seamus would be nothing more than friends. She had let Hannah make the difficult choice.

The next day, Vanessa went to the office and submitted her resignation.

When she returned home, she gathered all the photos of the three of them together. As they had known each other for over 20 years, they had enough photos to fill a dozen thick albums.

Flipping through them, she found snapshots of Keanu and Seamus playing house with her as kids, the three of them winning awards in high school, and their travels together during university…

Vanessa looked at each picture; the memories felt vivid as if they had just happened.

But now, none of it mattered anymore.

She ignited each photo, one by one, and tossed them into a trash can, forming a small bonfire. The flames licked at the images, consuming them until there was nothing left but ashes.

Keanu and Seamus came home one after the other just in time to see this.

Realizing what she was doing, Keanu quickly walked over and demanded in a shaky voice, "What are you doing?"

Vanessa glanced at him and said, "Nothing much. These photos are getting moldy, so I figured I'd just burn them."

Seamus instinctively reached out to grab the remaining photos from her hand, but she deliberately let the photos slip as she tossed the last of them into the fire.

The flames quickly spread, not giving them a chance to save anything.

Seamus tried to snatch a photo that hadn't fully burned yet, but the intense heat forced him to pull his hand back.

"Even if they're moldy, there's no need to burn them. These are all memories!" He spoke with a pained expression, his eyes reddening with distress.

Keanu, too, looked at the fire in sorrow but was powerless to stop it.

Vanessa found his words amusing. Here she was, standing right in front of them, and yet they could hurt her time and again for Hannah's sake.

Now, they were heartbroken over a pile of photos.

She was suddenly curious about their reaction if they found out she was planning to go home to get married.

Chapter 3

Looking at the two anxious men before her, Vanessa calmly said, "They're just photos. We can always take more."

"You've burned everything! There's no other way but to take new ones next time. We haven't traveled together in a long time anyway."

As Keanu conceded, Seamus quickly added, "Yeah, and we could bring Hannah along this time; she's always said she's never traveled before."

Vanessa couldn't help but scoff at herself once more at Seamus' suggestion.

Keanu and Seamus, assuming she had agreed, visibly relaxed. Just as they were about to head inside, they noticed several boxes in the living room that weren't there when they left that morning.

"What's this?" they both asked in unison.

Vanessa glanced over. "Oh, I quit my job. I'm planning to find a new one."

"Didn't she really like that job?" The same question lingered in both men's heads.

For some reason, Vanessa was acting unlike herself that day. It unsettled Keanu and Seamus.

Seamus opened his mouth and started to ask more when an abrupt ringing interrupted the moment.

Keanu answered the call, and Hannah's anxious, helpless voice came through on the other end.

"Keanu, there's a sudden blackout at my place. I'm scared… What should I do?"

Seamus' expression immediately changed at those words. He quickly interjected before Keanu could respond, "Don't worry, Hannah. I'll be right over."

Keanu's brow furrowed, tension written all over his usually calm face.

With worry for Hannah taking priority, Keanu and Seamus both grabbed their car keys and hurried out.

Vanessa remained as calm as ever. After they left, she made a phone call to Maya.

When she was younger, she lived with Maya, who treated her like a daughter. Now that she was leaving, it was only right to properly bid Maya goodbye.

After learning that Vanessa was going home to get married, Maya asked in a tone filled with reluctance and surprise, "Nessa, do Keanu and Seamus know about your plans to get married in your hometown?"

Vanessa paused for a moment. "They don't know, Aunt Maya. Please keep it a secret for me. I don't want things to get more complicated than this."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Maya let out a deep sigh. "I understand. Since you were young, you were like a treasure to them.

"From the way you guys always stick together, anyone could see those two boys liked you. I thought you'd eventually marry one of them. What a shame…"

Vanessa smiled and said calmly, "There's nothing to be sad about. We don't suit each other."

Hearing this, Maya didn't press further. Instead, she lamented, "Nessa, I always knew you'd go back home one day. I just didn't expect it to be so soon. I watched you grow up…

"Come visit me before you leave, alright? Who knows when we'll meet again after you go back to Jirphia…"

Vanessa chuckled and lovingly whined, "Of course I will. I have a few gifts for you too, Aunt Maya. I'll miss you as well."

Maya continued to talk a bit more before finally hanging up the call.

Just as Vanessa put down the phone, another call came in—it was her supervisor.

"Nessa, your recent design won an award for the company. The trophy just arrived. Since you left before receiving it, I had your intern bring it to your place."

The doorbell rang as soon as the supervisor said that.

Vanessa ended the call. When she opened the door, she found Hannah standing there with the trophy in her hands.

Chapter 4

Hannah showed no joy for Vanessa's success as she hugged the trophy, nor did she seem inclined to hand it over.

Instead, she bit her lip and pitifully said, "Nessa, the supervisor asked me to deliver this trophy to you. It's a prestigious award. You're amazing.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something, though it might be a bit shameless. I've never won this award… Could I borrow it for a few days?"

Lend it to her for a few days?

Vanessa had never heard such an absurd request before. She frowned, her smile not reaching her eyes as she replied, "You shouldn't have asked if you know it's shameless. If you want one, go and win it yourself."

With that, she reached out to take the trophy from Hannah.

Hannah hadn't expected Vanessa to respond so bluntly, and her face turned pale. She looked as if she'd been seriously wronged. "Nessa, how can you speak like that? I'm not taking it from you; I just want to keep it at home for some motivation."

As Vanessa reached for it, Hannah clutched the trophy even tighter, refusing to let go. In their struggle, the crystal trophy fell with a thud, shattering into pieces on the floor.

Just then, Keanu and Seamus walked in. They immediately rushed over, pulling Hannah protectively into their embrace.

"Hannah!" They surrounded her, expressions filled with concern as they carefully checked her for injuries.

Keanu lifted Hannah's skirt slightly. When he saw her calf bleeding from a glass shard, his eyes widened in concern. "I'll take you to the hospital!"

Ignoring Hannah's struggles, he picked her up and carried her away.

Seeing the mess of broken glass on the floor, Seamus' expression darkened. "Vanessa, you have everything already. Why do you have to fight with Hannah over things?" he asked.

Fight with Hannah over things?

Vanessa was so enraged she could laugh.

"That was my trophy! I worked hard for three months to earn it. It's my honor. Yet, she's clinging to it like a pathetic child, and you say I'm fighting with her over it!"

Vanessa trembled in rage as she pointed at the shards on the ground, her voice cold enough to freeze the air. "She broke my trophy. I want her to apologize to me."

She thought her few words were enough to clarify who was right or wrong. To her surprise, Seamus became even angrier.

He even raised his voice as he said, "I thought it was something important… It's just a trophy! You can have as many as you want; of course, Hannah can't compete. You hurt her. I think you're the one who should apologize to her!"

With that, Seamus rushed off to care for Hannah without caring about how Vanessa reacted.

Staring at the shards on the floor, Vanessa stood there, stunned. Seamus' words echoed in her mind. Did he actually want her to apologize to Hannah? To have the victim apologize to the perpetrator?

She thought, "Seamus, you're really something!"

Pain pierced her heart, and only then did she realize that her leg was also hurting. She discovered that she had a long cut on her leg. With blood oozing out, it was even worse than Hannah's injury.

Gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, Vanessa cleaned up the shards on the floor before she went to take care of her wound.

That evening, Vanessa received a message from Diane, who sent over a dozen wedding dress styles for her to choose from. She looked through them all before calling Diane.

After a few exchanges, Diane noticed Vanessa's tired tone and couldn't help but ask what happened.

Remembering the grievances she faced that day, Vanessa felt her eyes redden but didn't say anything. Instead, she changed the subject. "Mom, I should be able to settle things here in about a week. How's the wedding preparation going?"

Just then, Keanu and Seamus came home. Hearing Vanessa's last two words, they both asked in unison, "Wedding? What wedding?"

Chapter 5

The call had ended at some point.

After calming down, she replied, "My close friend is getting married. Are you two going?"

Now that Keanu and Seamus were increasingly cold toward her, the next time she returned to Jirphia, they wouldn't see each other again—not even as friends. There was no need to tell them the truth about her upcoming wedding back in Jirphia.

Upon hearing her words, Keanu and Seamus exchanged a glance, both sensing something was off. However, they didn't think much of it. They casually replied, "No, you can go by yourself. I'm busy with work."

After saying this, seemingly still angry over Hannah getting hurt because of her, Keanu coldly grabbed some documents and headed to the study.

Seamus also had a serious look when he advised Vanessa, "Hannah got hurt because of you. You'd better apologize to her. Otherwise, I'm not interested in going to any wedding with you."

With that, he strode back to his room.

Vanessa let out a self-deprecating laugh, not responding to them.

The next morning, Vanessa got up to make breakfast. As she stepped out, she found the entire living room filled with dozens of vases overflowing with fresh flowers, exuding a delicate fragrance.

Pollen was blowing in with the wind, overwhelming her senses. Vanessa's face instantly turned pale, and her breathing became increasingly rapid.

She had asthma and was allergic to pollen!

Her chest rose and fell heavily, and her vision began to blur as she struggled to breathe. However, the air that entered her lungs was diminishing, making it difficult to breathe.

"My meds…"

Following what she remembered, Vanessa stumbled to the medicine cabinet, desperate to grab her asthma medication. However, her hands flailed aimlessly as she gradually lost strength.

In a moment of carelessness, she knocked over the vases on the nearby cabinet. As the vases fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, flowers and water spilled messily everywhere.

Hearing the sharp sound of breaking glass, Keanu and Seamus rushed over. When they saw the mess on the floor, they didn't even have time to notice Vanessa's distress; instead, they were filled with rage.

"What are you doing?" they demanded.

At that moment, Vanessa had just managed to get her medication and could barely focus enough to respond to them.

Seamus, however, looked alarmed as he rushed over and pushed her aside. He crouched down anxiously to pick up the flowers that had fallen.

"Ah…"

Vanessa was already weak to begin with. The heavy shove caused her to bump her knee against the edge of the cabinet, instantly scraping off a layer of skin, leaving it red and swollen. She held the medicine bottle tightly with trembling hands as her breathing quickened.

Finally, she opened the cap and found the spray nozzle.

It was like she had found a lifeline. While spraying the medication for herself, she limped toward a corner of the room.

As the medication entered her airways, the dryness and pain in her throat eased slightly.

While she fought hard to regain her breath, Keanu and Seamus were still busy cleaning up the flowers and shattered glass on the floor.