Chapter 4

When the driver pulled up outside the hotel, the first thing I saw was Stuart, standing at the entrance, glancing around, his face tight with worry.

Jocelyn stood beside him.

She had sharp eyes. She pointed at our car and tugged at his sleeve.

"Stuart, don't panic. See? Sylvie's here."

I stepped out of the car.

The moment Stuart saw me, he hurried over.

His face was twisted with anger, and he was about to lay into me, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of my parents getting out of the car behind me, and swallowed it down.

"Sylvia, good timing. My parents are still waiting on us. Come on, let's get married, get through the ceremony, and we'll deal with everything else afterward."

As he spoke, his parents came closer.

Their faces were dark.

Stuart's mother marched up and jabbed a finger at my forehead.

"Sylvia, what's the matter with you? Making our whole family stand here waiting on you. If you don't want to get married, then don't!"

I knocked her hand aside.

Only after I'd made up my mind not to go through with it did I see just how ugly the whole Gilbert family really was.

Even his mother, from a small, low family, thought she could point her finger in my face.

I, Sylvia Sinclair, had been doted on by my parents from the day I was born. No one had ever cursed at me before.

"Mrs. Gilbert, I think you've misunderstood. I'm not here to get married. I'm here as the Sinclair heiress, to settle the affairs between our two families."

The arrogance froze on her face.

She stumbled back a few steps, her eyes going wide.

"Sylvia, what are you talking about? You want to divorce my son?"

The color drained from Stuart's face in an instant.

He ignored my resistance and dragged me off to one side.

"Sylvia, are you done throwing your fit yet? When I said I'd marry Jocelyn earlier, I was only trying to scare you. Now that you're here, let's go get married. What you pulled just now, that little meltdown, I'm willing to overlook it."

I curled my lips in contempt.

That look of mine stung Stuart right where it hurt.

His tone hardened all at once.

"Sylvia, I'm warning you, stop making a scene. I don't believe someone as into me as you are would actually walk away from this wedding. Kicking up a fuss once is cute. Do it too many times and it just makes you a bore!"

I was about to say something when my father came over, pulled me back, and put himself between me and Stuart.

My father had always been tall, and there was the presence he'd built up over the years running the company.

Stuart's swagger vanished on the spot.

He forced out an ingratiating smile.

"Mr. Sinclair, Sylvie and I just had a little disagreement. There's no need to trouble you over it."

"Don't worry, the wedding's still on today. Why don't you and Mrs. Sinclair go inside and have a seat."

My father gave a cold snort and ignored him entirely, turning to me instead.

"He didn't hurt you just now, did he?"

I shook my head and slipped my arm through his.

"Dad, let's just go in. The manager's already waiting over there."

Stuart watched, helpless, as my father and I walked away.

As we passed him, I caught the flash of panic that shot through his eyes, and it struck me as more ridiculous than ever.

By the time we reached the hotel banquet hall, the manager was already waiting.

He came over smiling, bowing and scraping to me and my father.

"Mr. Sinclair, a small matter like this shouldn't have you and Miss Sinclair making the trip yourselves. I've already sent people to start taking the banquet hall down. Mr. Sinclair, our director said there's no need to cover the cost this time. Consider it a gift, from us to you."

My father waved a hand.

"The bill gets paid all the same. Actually, leave the hall for me. My daughter has something to take care of."

With my parents watching, I walked up onto the stage in the banquet hall.

All at once, countless lights swung onto me.

The reporters who'd been held back by the bodyguards earlier crowded up in front of me, cameras raised.

"Miss Sinclair, we've heard you're canceling the engagement with the Gilbert family. Is that true?"

"The engagement between the Gilberts and the Sinclairs is tied to your business partnership. Have you really thought this through?"

"So does this mean every deal between the Sinclairs and the Gilberts ends here?"

Stuart had just stepped up onto the stage when he caught that last question.

He rushed forward in a fury and knocked the reporter's camera aside.

"Don't spread nonsense!"

"The Gilbert and Sinclair wedding is going ahead as planned, and the partnership isn't ending either."