A mother knows her daughter best; seeing her like this, she could already guess most of what had happened.
Lauren Shaw nodded and told them everything about Yvonne Sung and Yana Quinn.
"How outrageous! He actually dared to treat you like that." Father Li slammed his palm down on the table in anger.
"I'm calling the Sung family right now! I want to know how they’re raising their son, acting so shameless, and still thinking he can marry my daughter!"
"Mom, Dad, let me handle this myself." After all, she’d insisted on the engagement in the first place; breaking it off was hardly something to be proud of. She didn’t want her parents to get involved.
Mother Li looked at her with concern. "Are you sure you can handle this on your own?"
Lauren Shaw had always been gentle and easygoing; people liked her, but with a personality like that, she could easily be taken advantage of.
Lauren Shaw nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry—I can do it."
The next day at noon.
She called up the Sung family and asked to meet for lunch.
She'd only met them twice before, hadn't interacted much, but her impression of them was still fairly positive.
She dialed Yvonne Sung's number.
He answered quickly, his tone impatient. "Lauren Shaw, I made things clear last night. The wedding will go according to your wishes."
"Yvonne Sung, that's not why I'm calling. I’ve invited your parents to lunch. Are you coming or not?"
In the three years they’d known each other, Lauren Shaw had never spoken to him in such a firm tone.
Yvonne Sung was a bit surprised but didn’t pay it much mind. "I’m busy. Just go on your own. And don't call me unless it’s important—I have a lot on my plate."
Busy, huh? Fine. Looks like he doesn’t even need to be told what's about to happen.
She arrived at the restaurant.
Dean Sullivan greeted her warmly. "Sheng Sheng, you're here! Come, have a seat."
She was, after all, his ideal daughter-in-law: a good family background, beautiful, no trace of arrogance. She’d had eyes only for his son these last few years, and with the Shaw family as a solid backing, the Sung family could only benefit after the marriage.
With assets like that, who wouldn’t be happy?
Beside him, Zoe Carter kicked him under the table and shot him a look. In a low voice, she muttered, "Why so eager? She’s not even in the family yet. Are you going to put her on a pedestal once she is?"
Dean Sullivan’s expression shifted; he’d been about to stand to greet Lauren Shaw, but after his wife’s nudge, he sat back down with an awkward smile.
Zoe Carter looked at Lauren Shaw with a faintly mocking air and cleared her throat. "Sheng Sheng, it won’t be long before you’re our daughter-in-law. From now on, you need to start looking after us, since we’ll be your in-laws."
Lauren Shaw met her gaze coolly.
Seeing Lauren Shaw’s silence, Zoe Carter thought her words had taken effect—clearly, she saw herself as the one in charge.
"From now on, don’t keep us waiting at meals. We’re your elders; letting us wait would look bad."
Zoe Carter went on and on, giving orders as if already her mother-in-law.
The more Lauren Shaw kept silent, the more Zoe Carter seemed to press her point.
Finally, Dean Sullivan interrupted, "Alright, let’s eat first."
Zoe Carter shot him a disgruntled look.
"Sheng Sheng, you mentioned this morning you had something to discuss. What is it?" Dean Sullivan asked, steering the conversation away—he clearly didn’t want Zoe Carter to keep going.
Lauren Shaw smiled faintly at him. "Uncle, I want to break off the engagement with Yvonne Sung."
The silence in the air was thick and awkward. Even Zoe Carter was at a loss for words.
"Wh-why would you suddenly want to break it off?" Dean Sullivan wondered if he’d misheard.
"Yvonne Sung and I just aren’t right for each other. Let’s cancel the wedding at the end of the month."
"What? Just because you say you’re not right together? Do you have someone else outside? You just want to dump our Yuche?" Zoe Carter’s voice rose, her tone harsh as she glared.
Lauren Shaw didn’t want to argue. She picked up her purse and stood up. "If you have questions, take them to Yvonne Sung. I’ve said what I needed to. Enjoy your meal—I’ve already paid the bill."
She left, leaving the couple staring at each other in shock.
After handling everything, Lauren Shaw felt a tremendous weight lift from her heart. She’d finally let go of her long-held obsession.
Three years ago, when she first met Yvonne Sung, her period had come unexpectedly. Her white dress was ruined by a red stain, and he'd gallantly taken off his jacket to hide it for her.
That simple gesture had made her fall for him, wholeheartedly, for three years.
But now, all her passion was gone.
She hadn’t been gone long when Yvonne Sung called.
Lauren Shaw sneered and declined his call, then blocked all his contact info.
"Bye," she said, waving her hand as a farewell to the past.
Yvonne Sung stared at the disconnected call, then, furious, threw his phone to the ground.
Yana Quinn was so startled by his reaction that she didn’t dare make a sound.
When he finally calmed down, she asked quietly, "What happened? Why are you so upset?"
"Lauren Shaw called off the engagement."
To Yana Quinn, this was the best news imaginable, but she hid her delight and instead looked at him with supposed worry.
"What will you do now? Won't your father be angry?"
The only reason he’d agreed to the marriage was his father—for the Sung family’s future, he had to marry a woman he didn’t even like, so he resented Lauren Shaw.
But now that she’d called it off, why didn’t he feel happy? Why was he even more irritated?
Yana Quinn came up behind him and hugged him around the waist. "Yuche, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come back, but I missed you so much."
Yvonne Sung looked at her guiltily and then hugged her back. "The breakup is for the best. Now, I won’t be stuck anymore."
That afternoon, Lauren Shaw returned to her studio.
She’d majored in design at university. After graduation, she started her own business—a clothing design studio.
As soon as she walked in, her staff started teasing her.
"Sister Sheng, you’ve been gone the last couple of days—did you go on your honeymoon?"
"Sister Sheng, your wedding dress arrived. Want to try it on?"
A young woman pushed out the wedding dress displayed on a mannequin. Everyone stared at it in awe, but Lauren Shaw’s eyes drifted from bright to dim.
"No need. Just pack it away."
Weddings could wait. She could think about marriage again once she met the right person someday.
Her staff stared, surprised, but didn’t dare pry.
After all, who would gossip about the boss?
That night, when almost everyone had left, Lauren Shaw was at her desk, pen in hand, sketching designs.
"Sister Sheng, someone’s coming by later to pick up this gown. I’ll leave it here, okay?"
"Sure, just leave it there."
Although her studio wasn’t very famous, plenty of clients came seeking custom dresses. Lauren Shaw’s name carried some weight in the fashion world, though she kept a low profile.
Her team had all gone home, but the client still hadn’t arrived to pick up their dress. She checked the time and decided to wait a little longer.
She was tidying her desk when she heard the door open. Thinking it was the client, she looked up—
But the moment her eyes met his, she froze.
"Why are you calling off the engagement?" Yvonne Sung demanded.