Audrey's POV

The Ocean Deep wasn’t just any gift. It was an underground marine exhibit that had been under construction since the day I was born.

On its southeastern end, a rare patch of imperial green jade sat beneath the water. When the sunlight hit just right, the reflections shimmered like stars across a galaxy.

Six months ago, the project was nearly complete. My father entrusted the finishing touches to Melvin, asking him to officially present it to me during my upcoming birthday banquet.

But now, the Ocean Deep, something meant for me, had somehow become Addison’s.

I turned my gaze on Melvin. He was in charge of the final stages of construction. Without his approval, no one should’ve been able to access the unfinished site.

Caught under my stare, Melvin looked uneasy and turned away in irritation. “Addison grew up in the countryside. She’s never seen any marine exhibit, let alone something like this. I just wanted to give her a special experience. Besides, the ownership is still yours, isn’t it?”

Then he added, as if he were doing me a favor, “Stop being unreasonable. If it means that much to you, I’ll announce our engagement at your birthday party next month. Happy now?”

He looked at me like I should be grateful. For a second, I wondered if I was the one who’d been taken in.

What stung even more was that nobody else in the room thought anything was wrong. In fact, they all acted like Melvin was some kind of martyr.

“Why would you sacrifice yourself like that? Audrey is spoiled, arrogant, and downright cruel. Marrying her’s worse than becoming a monk,” Darren scorned.

Gerald even derided, “She’s probably over the moon now. Been dreaming of this for years.”

“Please, Melvin, don’t throw away your happiness for me! I’ll bow to Audrey, serve her like a slave. I’ll do anything!”

My throat felt dry, but I still managed to get the words out. “I’m not marrying you.”

Melvin’s eyes narrowed in disbelief while Darren and Gerald exchanged nervous glances, probably terrified I’d pick one of them instead.

I had grown up with these three, and now even they looked at me like I was some kind of burden. I suddenly wanted to get out of there before I cried.

I turned to leave, but Addison yanked my wrist, stopping me.

Her eyes welled up again, and just like always, she dropped to her knees.

“Please don’t be mad at Melvin,” she pleaded, her voice trembling. “The three of them were taken in by your family. We’re already lower than everyone else. If you’re upset that they gave the Ocean Deep to me, and you’re planning to tell Mr. Rodgers, then please...” she lowered her forehead to the ground, “...let me apologize.”

She started bowing, hard again and again. Before long, her forehead was red and bleeding.

Melvin immediately rushed to pull her up, his expression dark with fury as he turned to me.

“You say you don’t want to marry me? Then prove it. Don’t pick me when the time comes!” he snapped. “You're making things hard for me again just to get what you want. Now, you’re using this to force her out!”

I stared back at him, cold and calm. “I don’t know what you’re even talking about. But don’t worry, I have no intention of choosing you.”

I thought that’d be the end of it, but Melvin suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“If not me, then who? Gerald? Darren?” he demanded. “Darren’s leaving the country to study art. Gerald wants a free life. Isn’t ruining my future enough? Now you want to drag them down too?”

Suddenly, he let out a heavy breath, then softened his tone a little. “If you promise to stop targeting Addison, I’ll marry you. Let’s just stop this nonsense, okay?”

He looked exhausted, like I’d been tormenting him for years.

I looked him straight in the eye nad said, “Everything will go exactly how you want.”

If he didn’t want me and was only worried about Addison, marrying Luke would fix everything. I wouldn’t have to look at Melvin again.

I stayed away after that. I didn’t see him until the day of the banquet.

When he finally showed up, his face was like ice. Darren and Gerald were with him, and they didn’t look too thrilled either.

I frowned and turned to my assistant. “Didn’t I make it clear that I’m not announcing my engagement to any of them today? Why are they even here?”

Audrey's POV

My assistant shook her head wildly, clearly saying, “Don’t look at me. I didn’t invite them. They came on their own.”

Helpless, I sighed and tried to act like I hadn’t seen anything. But the guests downstairs were even more excited than I was indifferent, greeting the three of them like stars at a red carpet event.

“Mr. Butler, you’re truly impressive. That project you closed last month must’ve brought in millions. No wonder Miss Rodgers only has eyes for you.”

But I was the one who negotiated that project from start to finish. Melvin just showed up to sign the paperwork.

“Mr. Richards might have a bad temper, but he has a strong sense of justice. Miss Rodgers will be safe with you, no doubt.”

I nearly laughed. Darren was the one who bullied me most often, like he saw me as poison that needed to be wiped out.

“Mr. Pearson is such a gentleman. Miss Rodgers wouldn’t go wrong choosing you either. Just don’t forget us when you’re in charge.”

The three of them looked perfectly at ease at my birthday party, like they owned the place.

I frowned and was about to shut this whole circus down, but before I could speak, the three of them all lowered their heads and pulled out their phones.

All of a sudden, Darren’s face turned cold, then he marched straight toward me and slapped me across the face before I could even react.

My ears rang, and I nearly lost my balance.

Gasps echoed around the room. But no one dared step in.

Melvin clenched his fists, stopping Darren from striking again. Then he turned to glare at me, voice shaking with anger. “We’ve already let you treat us like merchandise, parading us here for you to choose from, and you still aren’t satisfied? You won’t stop until you drive Addison to her death, will you?”

I stared at him, confused, trying to process what he meant. Before I could ask, Gerald coldly cut in, “You waited until we weren’t around, then tried to have Addison kidnapped. But it won’t work. We won’t let you get your way.”

The moment he said that, I realized exactly what had happened. Addison had set me up again.

And the people in this room, my father’s so-called friends and business partners, they just stood there, watching. Not a single person stepped in to stop the slap.

I understood then. They’d already decided the Rodgers wouldn’t end up in my hands. So they were smart enough not to offend the three of them.

I clutched my cheek and looked straight at Darren, my voice steady. “Apologize.”

But he only glanced at my teary eyes and sneered, “Addison almost got assaulted, and you’re whining about a slap? How pitiful.”

That was when Addison came running in, sobbing. Her dress was torn, her hair a mess, a perfect picture of victimhood.

Before anyone could say a word, Melvin had already thrown his jacket around her shoulders and turned to me with disgust in his eyes.

“You’re still the same manipulative woman. I’ll never marry someone like you.”

Even Gerald, who rarely spoke, stepped in front of Addison protectively and said, “Your mother couldn’t give birth to a son to inherit the Rodgers, so she brought the three of us in as tools. We accepted our fate. But apparently, you’re still not satisfied. If that’s the case, then forget this fake peace.”

He turned and walked away without a second glance, clearly not caring about the Rodgers’s reputation.

Just before leaving, Melvin tossed one last sentence over his shoulder. “I’ll marry you, but only in name. If you want me to protect the Rodgers’s assets, you’d better learn your place.”

I laughed. Had they forgotten?

If it weren’t for me, the Rodgers would’ve never adopted them in the first place.

Finally, a few guests tried to stop them, sensing the awkwardness.

But I raised my voice, cold and sharp. “Let them leave.”

With no one noticing, Addison gave me a sideways smirk, like she’d just won the whole world.

Yet, I stood there silently, watching them go, until my assistant rushed over, clearly panicked, and asked, “What do we do now? All three of them are gone. Who are you going to choose?”

The guests started murmuring, all of them frowning in confusion.

Audrey's POV

“She’s a woman. She’s going to get married off sooner or later. If even the three men who grew up with her don’t want her, who else could she possibly marry?”

I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes, forced a smile, and raised my wine glass toward the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as you may already know, today isn’t just my birthday party, it’s also my engagement party.”

The moment I finished speaking, the giant screen behind me lit up with a photo of a cold, sharp face.

A collective gasp swept through the room.

“Isn’t that Luke Davidson from Washington, D.C.?!”