Chapter 8

Rebecca had followed Eli to the side when he suddenly produced a beautifully-wrapped gift box out of nowhere. Upon opening it, a dazzling diamond necklace lay within. He said, "This is Mr. Frank's apology to you. He worked around the clock nearly all week just to wrap everything up in time to get back for the wedding, but he fell sick as soon as he boarded the plane. "We were so worried about his health. It took a lot of effort to convince him to rest a few more days, just so he could show up to the wedding at his best. I hope you don't hold it against him." Rebecca quickly shook her head. She wouldn't hold it against Frank. She was the reason they had to switch out her marriage partner in the first place. The fact that he was even willing to go with it made her more than happy. Not to mention how Frank had overworked himself, all just to rush for the wedding. Rebecca was more worried about his health than whether he could come back on time or not. She was relieved to hear he was fine and only needed a few days' rest. Since Frank wasn't around, there was no reason for Rebecca to stay any longer at the welcome party. After bidding goodbye to Eli, she turned to leave, only to be blocked by the three Shaw brothers. "What were you just talking about with Uncle Frank's assistant?" Brandon's sharp gaze narrowed slightly as he scrutinized Rebecca. Yves seemed to have connected the dots when he saw the gift box in her hand. "You really never learn, do you? You couldn't win over Uncle Frank, so now you're trying to butter up his assistant." "You still owe Sally an apology! Come with us!" Harvey said, reaching to grab Rebecca's arm, but she immediately ducked away. Not wanting to waste her time on them, she turned around and left quickly. … Rebecca was sound asleep during the middle of the night when her abrupt ringtone woke her up. The calls came one after another. Annoyed, she reached for her phone only to find that the calls came from Brandon, Yves, and Harvey's friends. As soon as the call was connected, the voice on the other end barked, "I can't believe you're still here sleeping, Rebecca! Don't you know Brandon, Yves, and Harvey ended up in a hospital after a street race? Are you actually sleeping soundly instead of visiting them?" Rebecca had indeed heard rumors about it in the afternoon. In order to win back a necklace Sally wanted, the three Shaw brothers entered a life-threatening street race, but ended up losing control of their cars and getting hurt. But what did that have to do with her? "I'm not going." Rebecca coldly ended the call. She then blocked all their friends' numbers, giving them no chance to react. For several days, she stayed home to prepare for the wedding—trying out dresses, picking out rings, and scouting venues. Word got back to the three Shaw brothers, who were just discharged. The next moment, Brandon sent a text. His text read, "It seems like you didn't take a single word we said to heart, Rebecca. I've told you—the engagement can proceed, and we can give you the title, but no matter who you pick, the three of us won't be attending the wedding. And yet here you are, making such a spectacle out of it. You're really not afraid of becoming the laughingstock of the city, aren't you?" "I'll give you one last chance. Go to the north side of the city, get in line, and buy Sally's favorite cream puffs from Dream Patisserie. If you manage to deliver them within 20 minutes, we'll consider showing up on the wedding day." Rebecca let out a bitter laugh reading his assumptious text. It would take her hours just to get in line for the cream puffs from that shop. There was no way she was going to buy them. However, Rebecca did have to meet up with the three Shaw brothers about something. She returned to her room and came out with three boxes soon after. … As soon as Rebecca stepped into the private room, Harvey's mocking voice rang out. "As expected of the shameless bootlicker—she'd come wagging her tail with just a bit of bait." Several people in the room burst out laughing at his words. Sally was flanked by the three Shaw brothers. She smiled slightly before sweetly tugging at Brandon's suit, saying, "I'm no longer craving cream puffs anymore, Brandon. I feel like having the cake from the bakery on the west side of the city." "Haven't you heard her? Sally wants some cake. Hurry up and go get it!" he barked. Rebecca smiled thinly. She hugged the boxes close to her as she calmly said, "I didn't buy the cream puffs, and I certainly wouldn't go get the cake." The three Shaw brothers frowned and asked in unison, "You didn't buy it? Why are you here then?" "I'm here to dump some trash," she said, before placing the three boxes on the floor. Rebecca picked up the topmost box, walked over to Brandon, and threw it straight at his chest. She said, "You've been obsessed with AI recently, Brandon. I've been researching and bought all kinds of latest tech—just to understand you and have something to talk about. From now on, I won't waste time keeping up with your interests!" Rebecca then grabbed the middle box, walked over to Yves, and did the same. She said, "You've always had trouble sleeping, Yves. I spent three months learning how to make aromatherapy blends to improve your sleep. These are all my failed experiments. I know how to make them now, but I'm done making them for you!" Finally, Rebecca threw the final box at Harvey. She said, "You've always liked extreme sports since young, Harvey. To ensure your safety, I've travelled all across the city—buying good luck charms, burning through candles and prayers, even carrying around all these stupid trinkets. But from now onward, your safety has nothing to do with me!" The three heavy boxes landed squarely on Brandon, Yves, and Harvey. Their minds went blank, unable to react.