Chapter 2

After sending the texts, my head was still spinning.

I stumbled toward the kitchen, desperate for a piece of chocolate to stop the trembling in my hands.

Just then, Wallace and Juliet walked out of the dressing room, laughing and whispering.

The moment Wallace saw the chocolate in my hand, his smile vanished.

“Alice, you’re supposed to be at the gym right now,” he snapped.

“I’ll let the laziness slide this once. But chocolate? High-sugar junk food?”

“Where is your self-control?”

I stared at the tiny piece of chocolate in my palm, completely stunned.

The man standing in front of me, screaming at me over a bite of chocolate, felt like a total stranger.

I remembered when we first graduated.

He had absolutely nothing back then. He did freelance sketching to pay the bills.

He worked until his wrists were swollen just to make a few thousand dollars, and he spent every single penny of it on me.

He used to buy me snacks and desserts, never caring about carbs or calories.

He loved buying me pretty dresses and would always tell me how beautiful I looked.

He never cared if I fit into a sample size.

Now, with my heart racing from the hypoglycemia, I asked him quietly,

“You can let Juliet model your couture, but I need your permission just to eat a piece of chocolate when my blood sugar crashes?”

Wallace noticed my hands shaking. For a split second, guilt flashed across his face.

He grabbed a glass of orange juice from the counter and handed it to me.

“If you’re having a medical issue, of course you can eat. I didn't mean it like that.”

But Juliet’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. She bit her lip, looking incredibly hurt.

“Alice, if you’re mad at me, I won’t wear the dresses. I’ll take them off right now.”

“I know my body isn't as perfect as yours. I’m not a professional like you.”

Wallace panicked instantly. “No, Juliet! Don’t say that!”

“Alice is too skinny. It’s unhealthy. You look perfect just the way you are.”

“And besides, this collection was made for your curves. No one else can pull it off.”

He turned back to me, his eyes full of annoyance.

“Alice, if you really care about Juliet as a friend, stop comparing yourself to her. It’s pathetic.”

“She has something you don’t. She’s not like those cookie-cutter runway models.”

Without waiting for my reply, he grabbed Juliet’s wrist.

“Come on, Juliet. Ignore her. Let me take you out to that seafood place you wanted to try.”

The front door slammed shut.

So, he knew being too skinny was unhealthy.

So, all his strict rules were just a lie.

All of Wallace’s professionalism and high standards disappeared the second Juliet was the one on the table.

My eyes burned with tears.

I tilted my head back, forcing them down.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from my dad.

[Alice, I’m so glad you’ve finally come to your senses! Leo is going to be thrilled. The engagement party is set for two days from now. Is that too soon for you?]

I replied instantly: [No. Two days is perfect.]