He took Nina Shaw’s hand in his, the warmth of his palm instantly noticeable. Her first instinct was to shake him off, but Xavier Quinn’s grip was unyielding; he gave her no chance to break free.
Realizing that she was no match for his strength, Nina Shaw relented and let him hold her hand.
Ugh, what rotten luck. Even after coming back to Ancheng, she still had to put on an act. She really didn’t want to spend a single moment with this infuriating man.
On the surface, she looked reluctant and put-upon, but deep down, she rather liked the feel of his hand in hers. What was wrong with her?
A commotion came from outside the window, drawing everyone’s gaze.
Brilliant fireworks burst into bloom against the night sky, their dazzling colors reflecting in the glass. Lauren Shaw turned to Yancy Shaw, her eyes alight with surprise. “Was this your idea too?”
Yancy Shaw arched an eyebrow, his little smirk as if to say, Satisfied? Go on, praise me.
“Yancy Shaw, you must have been good at making girls happy in the past, right?” Lauren Shaw couldn’t help the sour note in her heart, imagining how many other women he’d treated this way.
Somewhere inside her, a possessive urge began to stir.
“Didn’t you know I was never interested in women before?”
“Why not?” How could that be? He was obviously such a natural at it.
“Because I’m only interested in you. You’re the only exception I’ve ever made.” His words hovered somewhere between a confession and one of his usual flirtatious lines.
Slipping his arms around her waist from behind, they stood together at the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly taking in the fireworks set off just for them.
Meanwhile, Chris Cooper, who orchestrated the whole fireworks show, was feeling absolutely worn out.
Was it romantic? Sure—romantic as could be, if only he didn’t have to be the suffering assistant. Still, for the Third Master’s happiness, a little exhaustion was worth it. More importantly, year-end bonuses were on the line—Yancy Shaw had even bumped up his salary again tonight. There's nothing like more cash in hand.
Henry Mills edged closer to Claire Xu, tracing circles gently on the back of her hand with his finger.
Claire Xu frowned and slapped his hand away. Henry Mills winced, rubbing where she'd smacked him. “Can’t you be a little gentler? Always acting like a tomboy.”
“Why should I be gentle to a shameless creep who drools over my photos?” Claire Xu shot him a look of undisguised contempt.
Henry Mills’s pride felt thoroughly trampled.
“I— I just fell asleep, that’s all...” he mumbled, scratching his head, embarrassed.
Claire Xu rolled her eyes, let out a long sigh, and gritted her teeth. “You’re going home tonight, understand? Don’t even think about staying at my place!”
“I’m not leaving.” Henry Mills turned away huffily, refusing to listen—pretending he was deaf to her demands.
Claire Xu glared daggers at him. If it weren’t for all these people around, she’d have given him a piece of her mind right then and there.
Standing nearby, Nina Shaw couldn’t help laughing softly at the bickering pair. Seeing her smile, Xavier Quinn sidled closer and smoothly pulled her into his arms.
Feeling his warm hand wandering along her waist, she glared up at him. “Xavier Quinn, don’t push your luck!”
“You’re my lawfully wedded wife. What's wrong with a little touching and hugging?”
He gazed at her with absurd seriousness, even as his hand snuck down to give her a playful squeeze on the behind. Nina Shaw yelped in surprise, quickly clapping her hand over her mouth and muttered, “Xavier Quinn, are you nuts? Why’d you pinch me?”
Xavier Quinn paid her scolding no mind. Leaning in close to her ear, he lowered his voice, “If you’re any louder, everyone here’s going to know about our bedroom antics.”
Nina Shaw was speechless. This damn man—acting all proper when he’s anything but! She could have bitten him right then and there.
Seeing her expression, Xavier Quinn looked out the window in a buoyant mood, a dazzling smile lifting his lips.
Nina Shaw found herself momentarily lost—was it the fireworks’ beauty or that blinding grin? For whatever reason, her heart was pounding out of control.
…
On the way home, Lauren Shaw felt as though the whole night had been a dream—utterly unreal, except Yancy Shaw was here, right by her side.
“What are you thinking?” Yancy Shaw asked, noticing her distracted expression.
Lauren Shaw blinked. “Yancy Shaw, why does it feel like I’m dreaming?”
The proposal tonight, the fireworks, his heartfelt confession—they all replayed in her mind. To say she wasn’t moved would have been a lie.
She dropped her gaze to the diamond ring glittering on her finger. The first ring they’d exchanged when registering their marriage, she’d heard, used to belong to Yancy Shaw’s grandmother. The three Shen brothers had each inherited one, to be given to the person they loved most.
Since the ring was so precious, she’d taken it off and put it away in a drawer at home while she was busy recently.
The new ring Yancy Shaw had custom-made for her was engraved with both their names. He wore a matching men’s ring on his right hand, the one she’d slipped onto his finger tonight.
When they registered the marriage, it had all been too rushed—nothing had been prepared at all.
“Silly girl, how could this be a dream? I’m sorry I’ve made you wait.” His voice was gentle, tinged with a little guilt.
Mrs. Chen had been right: he’d married her without even a proper wedding, just a certificate. He owed her a wedding, owed her the chance to be his bride.
Lauren Shaw wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “I haven’t felt wronged at all.”
He cherished her as much as if he were holding her in the palm of his hand—how could she ever feel aggrieved?
“I saw Hugo Pierce at the party tonight.” She glanced at Yancy Shaw. “You’ve known he was Zhu Yurou’s younger brother all along, haven’t you?”
She remembered how unwilling he’d been to talk about it when she brought it up before. It really was a shock to see it with her own eyes, more so than just hearing it from others.
The car stopped at a red light. Yancy Shaw picked up her hand and kissed her fingers. “I only found out recently.”
He clearly didn’t want to dwell on this. It was someone else’s business, nothing to do with him.
Lauren Shaw had known Hugo Pierce for a long time—it was through Claire Xu originally, and then that led to meeting Yvonne Sung. Fate really was a mysterious thing; every encounter seemed orchestrated by destiny.
She didn’t feel the need to dig into Hugo Pierce’s family background. Changing the topic, she asked, “So how did you manage to get little uncle and my sister here tonight?”
She was genuinely curious. Her little uncle was supposed to be in East China—what were the odds he’d just happen to bring his girlfriend home today?
And Nina Shaw too. Ever since getting married, Nina Shaw had rarely come back to Ancheng. For her to show up tonight, looking almost like she’d come just to see Lauren Shaw’s happiness… It was both a surprise and a delight.
Yancy Shaw just smiled without answering.
“Honestly, how did you manage to set this all up so silently? And how did their partners stay so tight-lipped? You kept everything under wraps, not a whisper of it.”
“I gave everyone a little incentive, of course. Otherwise, how could they have kept such a secret?” Yancy Shaw would never admit how much effort—how many phone calls—had gone into arranging this proposal, just so her family could be there to witness her happiness.