Chapter 3

All at once, every pair of eyes turned toward the two people whose names had just been called. Minerva remained perfectly still in place. Conversely, Frederick rose to his feet, adjusted his suit jacket, and stepped confidently onto the stage. Under the spotlight and with everyone watching, he confidently accepted the bouquet meant to symbolize a future of love and commitment. But to everyone's surprise, he didn't hand it to Minerva. In fact, he walked past her entirely and headed straight for Yolanda. Still smiling, he gently placed the bouquet in Yolanda's hands. Yolanda looked down at the flowers in disbelief, her eyes brimming with tears. To her, this had to be a promise—a quiet vow for their future together. Throwing her arms around him, she choked out, "Frederick, thank you. Thank you for coming into my life—for being my home, my safe place." Frederick gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. His voice was low and tender as he said, "Silly girl. I'm the lucky one for meeting you." It should have been a touching moment, full of romance. But the room remained eerily quiet. In that stillness, Minerva was the first to smile and applaud. A second later, applause erupted from every direction, peppered with murmured congratulations and heartfelt wishes of blessings and lasting joy. Amid the rising chatter, Minerva picked up her purse and quietly slipped away to the restroom. She moved too quickly to notice the pair of eyes watching her from across the room—calm, unreadable. … At 3:00 pm, the wedding finally came to an end. Rowena stopped Minerva at the door, guilt written all over her face. She apologized at once. "I'm sorry, Minerva. I didn't know you and Frederick had broken up." Minerva knew she hadn't meant any harm, so she simply smiled and shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. We were never together to begin with. There was no breakup." Rowena's expression fell further. She squeezed Minerva's hand, her voice rising with frustration. "He never said anything? No confession, nothing? Then what the hell was Frederick doing all these years? "Last year, when someone tried to drag you to that blind date event, he showed up with his buddies and tore the place apart. He never let any guy near you, ever. He's been guarding you like a hawk since we were kids—and now he just moves on?" Minerva was touched by Rowena's indignation. A flicker of warmth settled in her chest. "Rowie, it's not that he doesn't want me anymore. I'm the one who doesn't want him." Just as they were speaking, Frederick came over with his arm wrapped around Yolanda. Watching the two of them act so intimately as if no one else existed, Rowena couldn't hold back any longer. She was ready to confront them on the spot. Minerva quickly reached out to stop her. She shook her head and said, "Let it go. From now on, there's only one kind of relationship between me and Frederick." "What kind of relationship?" Rowena asked. Minerva leaned in and lowered her voice. She told her everything—how Algernon and Maxine had asked her to move into the Davison residence, how they had suggested adding her to the family record, and what she had agreed to. Rowena's eyes widened in disbelief. It took her a second to process it all. Then, grinning, she whispered, "Damn right you did." After exchanging a few more heartfelt words, Minerva headed downstairs. From a distance, she spotted the couple waiting beside their car. Just as she was about to take a different route to avoid them, Frederick called her name casually, one arm still around Yolanda. "Minerva. Get in the car." Caught off guard, she froze for a second. Then, she politely declined. "No thanks. I'll hail a cab." Frederick's smile dropped. His voice turned cold as he said, "Why are you acting up again? This area's remote. You think you'll find a cab?" Trying to ease the tension, Yolanda stepped forward, smiling sweetly as she took Minerva's hand. "Ms. Sowle, we're heading to Halewood too. It's on the way, so we can give you a ride." Before Minerva could refuse again, Yolanda gently took her hand and guided her to the back seat. The door shut, and the lock clicked behind her. During the drive, Yolanda deliberately tugged her collar lower, revealing the faint red marks scattered along her neck and collarbone. She coyly pouted. "It's your fault for being so rough last night. I'm still sore all over." Frederick shot a glance at the rearview mirror, the corners of his mouth curled in a lazy, smug smile. "You're the one who kept asking me to go harder. Landa, I always take care of you." "There's someone else in the car. You're so naughty!" Blushing a deep shade of red, Yolanda giggled and pulled out a small box of fruit. She picked out a cherry and brought it to his lips. "No more talking!" Watching her playful act, Frederick couldn't help but laugh. As he bit into the cherry, he accidentally caught her finger between his teeth. Yolanda's face flushed even deeper. She bit her lower lip, then slowly ran her damp fingers along the edge of his jaw, tracing down his throat to the center of his chest. Something shifted in Frederick's gaze. He slammed the brakes without warning, gripping the steering wheel tightly. After a long pause, he turned and looked at Minerva. "I've got something to take care of. You need to get out of the car." Minerva rubbed the side of her forehead where it had bumped against the door. She said nothing in response. Quietly, she opened the door and stepped out. She pulled out her phone and opened her rideshare app, selecting her destination. Just as she finished, she heard the unmistakable sound of a man gasping, breath hitched and low. Her eyes flicked to the Maybach parked a few feet away, its frame beginning to rock in a slow, unmistakable rhythm. Minerva's lashes fluttered, and her eyes stung with the burn of unshed tears. She thought, "So eager, huh?" She remembered how, years ago, after he had first gotten his driver's license, he had promised to take her for a drive. But when he saw her in that simple white sundress, he couldn't resist and ended up holding her in his arms for two hours on the edge of town. Somehow, it all started to make sense to Minerva. Frederick had always been ruled by his desire. Minerva exhaled slowly. She stared at the app's interface that showed no cars in range, then turned and began walking.