Chapter 1

Nathan Meyer doted on Kathleen Floss for two decades. Kathleen had assumed they would naturally date each other and marry, but her hope for their happily ever after was dashed on the day he came home with another woman.

He announced, "Kathy, this is your future sister-in-law."

…

"Mr. Atwood, I've decided to start my career in Eldoria," Kathleen revealed.

Clive Atwood beamed at the good news. "It's about time you come here. With your talent, you would have already become an internationally renowned photographer if you had come to Eldoria earlier."

She flashed a polite smile. "Thanks for the praise, Mr. Atwood."

"When will you arrive? I ran into a few editors of fashion magazines in Milsworth lately. They were really interested in your work, and they would love to meet you."

After some deliberation, Kathleen cautiously replied, "I think I need a few more weeks to wrap up some stuff back home."

"Ah, that makes sense. Nathan will surely worry about you living alone in a foreign country. You're his precious little sister. I hope you talk it out with him."

After ending the call, Kathleen turned her attention to Kelsey White, who was trying on wedding dresses in the distance. Nathan stood beside Kelsey with a smile.

A wry smile played on Kathleen's lips. Indeed, Nathan had doted on her for the longest time, to the point that his mom, Heather Woodridge, joked, "You shouldn't cling to your little sister all the time. People are going to talk."

He merely arched a brow. "And what are they gonna say?"

"They might think you're a couple, not siblings!"

Hearing that, Kathleen looked both baffled and surprised, but she blushed when she met Nathan's tender eyes.

He looked at her like how he was smiling at Kelsey. Then, he gently replied, "Well, let them talk, then."

People lived for happy moments in life. That particular moment became the sweetest moment in Kathleen's life. Since then, she had waited for Nathan to put a label on their relationship. She would say yes when he asked her to be his girlfriend.

She waited and waited. In the end, he fell in love with another woman.

Kelsey was Nathan's secretary. Kathleen recalled that Nathan had shown her a few résumés, asking her to make a pick.

Kathleen felt troubled by the authority assigned to her. "I'm not good at stuff like this. You should ask human resources to do it."

But Nathan insisted, "You should pick someone you like because she will be meeting with you a lot. I want you to feel comfortable around her."

Kathleen was the one who picked Kelsey White as Nathan's secretary. Little did she know that she had picked Nathan's future bride and her future sister-in-law.

"Kathy!" Kelsey excitedly called out to her, "Come take a look! What do you think of this dress? Nathan is really indifferent sometimes. He has no opinion at all."

Sighing, Kathleen remarked, "It's your wedding dress. I'm fine with it as long as you like it."

Kelsey immediately pouted. "Kathy, you know I come from a humble background. I'm worried my poor taste will bring shame to Nathan. But you're different from me! I trust your taste because you're a professional photographer!"

"All I know is take photos and look at compositions. I'm not good at picking wedding dresses."

Looking upset, Kelsey sounded a little disgruntled and sad. "Kathy, do you still refuse to accept me?"

Kathleen opened her mouth only to realize she had no idea how to deny the accusation. It wasn't that she refused to welcome Kelsey. She was just puzzled at Nathan, who suddenly fell in love with another woman after having doted on herself for years.

Kelsey turned to Nathan. "Nate, please check on Kathy. I think she's still upset with me over what happened last time."

Nathan brushed off her concerns. "Nah, that's impossible."

"I was wrong to accuse her unfairly. How about we put a stop to our wedding? We can get married when she's no longer upset at me," she suggested.

Nathan furrowed his brows. "Why do we have to postpone our wedding just because she's upset?"

"But she's your little sister after all. I want her blessing."

After some serious thinking, Nathan slowly strolled over to Kathleen. He coldly addressed her, "Are you still upset over last time?"

She turned her face away. "No."

"It's only natural for Kelsey to misunderstand our relationship after you suddenly hugged me. Kathy, no grown-up siblings act intimately with each other. As an adult, you should know your boundaries."

Kathleen teared up when she saw the accusatory look on Nathan's face. When he still favored her, he always clung to her. When there were outsiders, she would put some distance between them, only for him to unhappily pull her closer.

Nathan tagged along when she traveled to the countryside for photography inspirations. He even followed her all the way to Andonesia when she went there to take photos of animal migrations.

Nathan had promised to stay behind her no matter where she went. He promised that he would be in her sight whenever she turned around.

On the day of the misunderstanding, she had merely hugged Nathan out of pure joy after she won the gold prize in an international photography competition.

Yet, Kelsey wandered into the room without knocking and came across that scene. From that day onward, Nathan's attitude clearly changed. He tried to stay away from Kathleen whenever possible.

Taking a deep breath, Kathleen mumbled, "I'm sorry for overstepping the last time and causing Kelsey's misunderstanding. I will be more careful in the future. That will not happen again."

He nodded softly. "I'm glad you acknowledged your mistakes."

She grunted. "You guys should keep trying on the dresses. I'm not feeling too well. I need to leave soon."

When Kathleen left the wedding dress store, tears streamed down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and booked a flight ticket on her phone.

In a few weeks, she would board that plane, leaving this city and Nathan behind for good.

Chapter 2

Kathleen spent her time wandering outside until past midnight. It was one thing to decide to leave, but another to extricate oneself from a relationship spanning two decades. She struggled to get over her relationship with Nathan.

To avoid having regrets, she decided to stay away from Nathan before she left for Eldoria.

She came home to a house steeped in darkness. She dragged herself to her bedroom without turning on the lights.

Suddenly, someone called out to her from the living room. "Kathleen Floss."

She spun around and saw a figure on the couch. "What's the matter, Ms. White?"

Dressed in a black lace nightdress, Kelsey rested against the arm of the couch in a sexy pose. Smiling, she said, "Nate bought this nightdress for me. How does it look on me?"

Then, Kelsey sat up straight, revealing the hickeys on her chest and across her waist. They looked appealing and sensual underneath the black lace. She gently touched the hickey on her neck before letting out a painful gasp.

She grumbled coyly, "Nate might not be the best at picking out wedding dresses, but he's a pro at selecting nightdresses. He says I drive him crazy when I put on this nightdress."

Kathleen perched on the stairs and stared down at Kelsey. She smirked at Kelsey's little act. "Kelsey White, cut it."

"What do you mean?"

"Stop acting like a slut."

Kelsey burst out laughing. "But that's how Nate likes it! He couldn't wait for me to slip on this night dress when he got home. After that, he—"

"Stop. I don't want to hear about it."

"Like it or not, that's the truth. Nathan is madly in love with my body. Your 20 years of relationship with him means nothing. A man will only choose a good bed partner."

Kathleen had no wish to engage with Kelsey. Turning around, she snapped, "Yeah, keep faking it. I don't have time to watch your little act."

But Kelsey wasn't about to let this slide. Holding the hem of her night dress, she caught up with Kathleen. "You probably can't see the marks he left all over my body from a distance. Kathleen, stay. Have a good look…"

While speaking, Kelsey grabbed Kathleen by the arm.

Kathleen, feeling nauseous, instinctively removed her arm from Kelsey's grasp. "Don't touch me!"

Nathan emerged from the bedroom. He asked, "What are you talking about at this hour?"

Before Kathleen could explain herself, she saw a calculative smile on Kelsey's lips. The smile quickly turned into a horrified gasp as Kelsey tumbled down the stairs.

Following her scream, Nathan hurriedly set down his mug and rushed over to pull her into his arms. "Are you okay?"

Kelsey lay in his arms weakly. She cooed, "I'm fine. Please don't blame Kathleen for this. She didn't do it on purpose."

He shot Kathleen a look of disappointment. "Kathleen, no matter how upset you are, you shouldn't push Kelsey down the stairs! That was so dangerous!"

His tone switched to one of tenderness when he turned to Kelsey. He gently scooped her up into his arms. "Let's go to my room. I'll check if you're hurt or not."

Kelsey blushed deeply. "Let's keep a distance between us when we're around Kathy. It's normal for a sister to want control over their brothers. She must feel horrible after I entered your life and took away your attention. We need to think in her shoes and give her some time to get used to this."

Nathan growled unemotionally, "She'll get used to it. It's a matter of time."

He carried Kelsey back to his bedroom with steady steps. While in his arms, Kelsey turned around and flashed Kathleen a victory sign.

At that moment, Kathleen realized that her world had changed. Kelsey's presence had shattered the world as she knew it. She couldn't wrap her head around Nathan's choice of woman. Why did he pick Kelsey out of all the women in the world?

Perhaps Kelsey was right. Men would always pick lust over love.

The question boggled Kathleen, but she no longer wanted to understand Nathan's motive.

…

The next morning, Kathleen dropped by the magazine's office, where she had worked three years as a photographer for their columns. She formed a solid relationship with her colleagues.

The editor, June Hilton, appeared surprised when Kathleen tendered her resignation. June asked, "Is this because of your pay? You can bring this up. I can talk to the magazine director."

Smiling, Kathleen shook her head. "Thank you, Ms. Hilton, but I didn't resign because of the pay."

"What was the reason?"

"I have other priorities in life now."

June immediately understood. She beamed. "Ah, you're about to marry Nathan, aren't you? That's great. He's been sending you to work and picking you up almost every day. He really cherishes you. It'll be good to marry a man like him. I have no objection, of course."

Kathleen had wanted to explain right after June started speaking. She wanted to tell June that Nathan was indeed getting married, but not to her.

However, she lost interest in explaining the situation to June after the latter gushed about Nathan's qualities. The relationship between her, Nathan, and Kelsey was too complicated to be explained in a few words.

All she wanted was to hand in her resignation and leave the city that had broken her heart—just a few more weeks, and she'd be gone.

"By the way, when's the wedding, Kathleen? Please send me an invite. I will make sure to be there."

Kathleen flashed June an awkward smile. At that moment, Poppy Costner, the front desk staff, poked her head into June's office.

Poppy announced, "Kathy, your boyfriend is here to pick you up again! Heh heh. He has a surprise in store for you!"

Chapter 3

After Kathleen left the magazine office, she found Nathan leaning against his black Cullinan. He lowered his head, seemingly lost in thoughts.

She drew closer and finally understood what Poppy meant by "surprise". The black Cullinan was packed with fresh red roses. Only the front passenger seat, the back seat, and the trunk were clear.

She heard the gossip among some of the female colleagues with whom she was close. Hiding behind the company signage, they stole glances in her direction while giggling amongst themselves and shoving each other.

In the past, Nathan would pick her up with something she loved—cupcakes, milk tea, or her favorite snacks.

Her colleagues were no strangers to his actions. Still, they'd poke fun at her each time. "Every time your boyfriend shows up, it'll be raining snacks in the office. It's all thanks to you, Kathy!"

In the past, Kathleen had met their jokes with a quiet smile before distributing the snacks that Nathan brought her. She bet her colleagues were eyeing the roses in Nathan's car now.

She called out to him, "Nate."

Nathan raised his head, but he wore a scowl. He treated her coldly. "It's just Nathan."

Taken aback, she slowly nodded. "Got it, Nathan."

"I was a bit harsh on you last night. Hope you don't take it personally."

"Okay."

"But you're not a child anymore. Don't you ever do something as dangerous as pushing someone down the stairs."

Kathleen's head snapped up. She laughed incredulously. "So, are you here today to interrogate me?"

His face fell. "Do you still refuse to admit to your mistakes?"

"Nathan Meyer, you and I have known each other for 20 years. Even if I wanted to hurt Kelsey, I wouldn't be that stupid to do it at home!" she cried, but she immediately regretted her actions.

What was the point of explaining herself when she had planned to leave for good?

She said exasperatedly, "Whatever. Please go. I'm going back to work."

Her colleagues quickly noticed something awry when she returned to the office entrance. They put on concerned looks.

"Kathy, did you fight with him?"

"Hey, cheer up. He must be here with the roses to make up with you. Give him a chance!"

"Right. Kathy, you need to count your blessings. It's hard to find a good boyfriend like Nathan."

Kathleen urged them with a blank face, "Stop gathering around. Get back to work."

She commanded a certain level of authority in the company due to her superb talents. Her colleagues always listened to her. So, they reluctantly dragged themselves back to work with disappointed faces.

Poppy, who was closest with Kathleen at work, quietly pulled her aside. "Kathy, may I ask him for a stalk of roses? I saw the roses in his car. Look—I even got a vase ready."

Kathleen felt a headache coming up. "I'll buy one for you. Don't worry. I will fill up that vase of yours."

She could not calm down even after getting back to work. She forced herself to process some old photographs she had taken. Suddenly, she received some notifications on her phone.

Kelsey texted her a few photos, along with the message with a blushing face emoji, "Which one do you prefer?"

Those were photos of night dresses in different designs. Actually, they looked more like skimpy lingerie, exposing all the private areas.

Soon, Kelsey retracted her text. "Oops, sorry. I texted the wrong number."

Kathleen turned off her phone and tossed it into a drawer, knowing full well that Kelsey intended to provoke her with the texts.

After work, she finally pulled her phone out of the drawer and turned it on. There were no missed calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages—just radio silence.

In the past, Nathan would spam her with calls and texts if she went missing for 30 minutes or more. He'd even look for her at the magazine's office.

He no longer did that.

Kathleen noticed that one of her Instagram contacts had updated their story. She tapped into the story and saw a familiar scene of a black Cullinan filled with fresh red roses.

Standing in front of the car, Kelsey smiled happily with a bunch of roses in her arms. The caption read, "Thank you, my dear. Best birthday present ever!"

Kathleen belatedly learned that it was Kelsey's birthday. Nathan turned out to have bought all the flowers just to celebrate with Kelsey.

After work, Kathleen was reluctant to go home at first. However, Heather called worriedly, "Kathy, why have you been working late nights these days? I'm worried about you; you're a lone woman. I'll get Nate to pick you up."

But Kathleen no longer wished to take his car. His front passenger seat and his roses were not meant for her.

She replied, "It's fine, Mrs. Meyer. I'll take a cab."

"Alright. Just be careful."

When Kathleen got home in a cab, she ran into Nathan and Kelsey in the house. Kelsey, who dragged along a huge suitcase, happened to wander out of Kathleen's bedroom at that moment.

"Kathy, you're home!" exclaimed Kelsey.

Kathleen fumed. "You entered my room without my permission!"

Chapter 4

Nathan slammed the mug on the table. "I allowed her. What's the issue here?"

"Why is she in my room touching my stuff without my permission?"

"Kathleen, you're staying in the Meyer residence. As my fiancée, Kelsey can enter whichever room she likes."

Kathleen felt like someone had poured ice water over her. Kelsey gently chided Nathan, "Nate, how could you speak to Kathy in that tone? She'll be crushed."

She turned to Kathleen. "Kathy, I heard from the family maids that Nate stored his clothes and shoes in your room. You know, we girls have a lot of clothes. He's just taking up your closet space. That's why I volunteered to move his clothes to the room I share with him."

Before this, Nathan always clung to her. He was the reason no guy had ever written her love letters.

Later, he moved all his clothes to Kathleen's bedroom, claiming that he wanted her to pick out his clothes and ties for work every day. She knew precisely where his stuff was located in her closet.

Kathleen dashed upstairs into her bedroom. Her clothes, shoes, and makeup were scattered across the floor, looking like the aftermath of a house robbery.

Pointing a finger at the mess, she confronted Kelsey about it, "Is this how you move Nathan's clothes?"

Kelsey immediately teared up. "I'm sorry, Kathy. It was an accident…"

"This looks like the aftermath of a disaster, and you're calling it an accident? Wow, that's some mental gymnastics!"

Hearing that, Nathan scolded Kathleen with a frown, "Kathleen, watch your tone!"

Kathleen chuckled. "I did nothing to her, but it was still my fault. Right?"

"You need to respect Kelsey. She's your future sister-in-law."

"Nathan Meyer, why don't you take a look at my bedroom?"

He slowly made his way upstairs. Momentarily stunned at the mess in Kathleen's room, he nonetheless collected himself.

Shooting Kelsey a doting smile, he said in exasperation, "Just let the maids clean and tidy our bedroom in the future."

"But I don't want them to touch my clothes, especially… my night dresses." Kelsey placed a strong emphasis on her night dresses as she blushed.

He nodded in exasperation. "Fine. I'll clean our bedroom. You just sit and watch. How does that sound?"

She playfully made a face at him. "Nate, don't you think I'm a little useless?"

"It's fine. You have me. You can be as useless as you want."

Kathleen shut her eyes upon listening to their exchange. Never had she ever hated the notice period so much in her life. Without it, she would have already been on a flight to Eldoria, not subjected to this appalling mess.

"Look, Kathleen. Go over your stuff and let me know what has been damaged by Kelsey. I'll compensate you," Nathan offered.

She let out a laugh. How ridiculous it was of Nathan to throw money at problems, not to mention her problems.

Kelsey touched her elbow, whispering, "Kathy, just inflate the numbers. He'll pay you no matter how much it is because I'm here."

He replied dotingly, "Oh, you're siding with outsiders now to empty your husband's pockets, aren't you?

Kelsey made a face at him again. "I'm Kathy's future sister-in-law. Of course I'll side with her."

Kathleen snickered at the thought of Nathan's remarks—outsiders. Nathan and Kelsey were close. On the other hand, she, an adoptive daughter of the Meyer family, was an outsider indeed.

Suddenly, she received a call from Clive. She quickly composed herself. "Hi, Mr. Atwood."

Clive asked, "Kathleen, I recall you took a series of excellent photographs of birds. A magazine editor here would like to take a look. Can you send me the films?"

"Of course. Mr. Atwood, give me a minute."

She went back to the bedroom and searched for the films that she kept in a locked drawer. As a photographer, she preferred working with film cameras. Just when she was about to get the key and unlock the drawer, she realized the entire chest was wet.

"Kathy, I'm sorry. I accidentally spilled my coffee, but I didn't want to stain your chest. So, I rinsed the entire thing with water…"

Kathleen's heart sank with each word that came out of Kelsey's mouth. She ignored the latter and hurriedly unlocked the drawer, only to be shattered by the sight of the rolls of films in water.

Some had unfurled, while some had faded. Others were tangled. The water turned into a murky brown color.

She shuddered in anger when she realized that all the films of her works in the past three years were ruined.

Nathan entered at some point. Seeing the situation of the chest, he said flippantly, "Well, count those in. I'll pay for Kelsey."

Kathleen finally erupted in anger. "Those film rolls are priceless! Does Kelsey even know what these rolls mean for me? What about you?"

Nathan furrowed his brows. "But the films are ruined now. Your anger will change nothing. Kelsey kindly offered to organize my clothes. The spilled coffee was just an accident."

"How could she claim that everything was an accident? Does this mean she could run over a person and apologize?"

"Kathleen!" Nathan's tone became serious. "Don't be unreasonable! You can't compare film rolls to human lives. If you lost the film rolls, just take some new photographs! It's not that serious."

Clive sounded worried on the phone. "Kathleen, are you alright? Did something happen at home?"

Sighing deeply, she reported, "Mr. Atwood, I… I don't think I can hand the films to you. I'll just take some new photographs in my free time and send them over."

"Okay. Take your time. It'll take weeks for the visa to be issued anyway."

"Alright."

Nathan keenly spotted the keyword. "What's the talk about visa? Are you going abroad?"

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