When Lenora found out about the fish, she called me a freak.

"I gave it to you so you could eat it, not keep it. What's the point of keeping that cheap grass carp alive? Are you sick or something? Honestly, you're so uncultured."

Emma smacked her on the back. "He wasn't keeping a fish. He was cherishing you! You're the one with poor taste and a muddled head!"

Lenora stuck out her tongue and scurried away, only to exaggerate the story and spread it around behind our backs.

Just like that, I became a joke to many people.

Now that I thought about it, the whole thing felt pathetic. I turned to leave, but Lenora stepped in my way.

"I was just joking. Why are you so upset? I knew it—you were just faking it."

I took two steps back and said, "Have some self-respect, Ms. Bray. I'm leaving."

She gawked at me in disbelief. "Self-respect? You're a simp, so don't start acting noble now.

"You were the one dreaming of marrying me, and now you're talking about self-respect. Who started without it anyway?"

"Since when have I ever wanted to marry you?" I snapped back.

The moment the words left my mouth, the room erupted in laughter.

"If you're not marrying me, why did you spend years groveling?" she retorted. "Besides, everyone knows our grandmas had an agreement to unite our families, and my grandma honors her promises above all else.

"In the Bray family, only our seventh cousin, Raven, is unmarried aside from me. But she's been sickly since she was a kid, so there's no telling when she'll die.

"I've even heard that she can't have children. Are you sure you want to be the man who ends the Hatfield family bloodline?"

All eyes turned to me as everyone in the room waited for my reply.

That was when Raven appeared. She did look unwell and undeniably frail with pale lips and sunken eyes.

Another wave of ambiguous snickers rippled through the room.

I was about to announce that I would marry Raven, but Emma's words rang in my mind.

"You can choose Raven if you want, but don't announce it just yet. People will understand once everything's settled."

After a brief hesitation, I decided to swallow my words.

Raven said nothing. All she did was glance at me briefly with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

I wanted to follow her and explain, but she quickly disappeared around the corner before I could catch up. So, I turned and left.

…

On the way back, Jerome rode in the same car as me. He flaunted his watch nonstop, and the reflecting light was so glaring it nearly blinded me.

"Even if you marry Lenora, so what? You'll never win her heart since you aren't fit for each other."

To others, Jerome was the epitome of a gentle, refined gentleman. He would only reveal his true, sly nature in private.

As I looked at him, I remembered catching him and Lenora in bed in my past life.

Back then, he had hidden behind her and shouted, "I may be an adopted son, but I have the right to pursue my happiness, too! Just because Andre and I fell for the same woman, it doesn't mean that I have to step back for him!"

Lenora had shielded him and remained completely indifferent to my pain, while I had been so worked up that I vomited blood on the spot.

Later, Mom and Dad sent him abroad, where he married a naive, wealthy heiress. He ended up living a life far more comfortable than mine.

This time around, I planned to let him have Lenora and wanted to see how their story would end.

The thought brought a smile to my lips.

"You're right," I said. "There's no point marrying her if I can't even win her heart.

"Try harder, Jerome. I do hope the two of you end up together, and I'll wish you both happiness."

My words caught Jerome briefly off guard, but he quickly recovered.

"Don't think I'll believe you just because you say that. I know you're just trying to pretend not to care, but don't forget that Lenora truly loves me."

…

Some time later, Emma hosted her birthday party. Mom and Dad were away, so they had me attend the party in their place.

Once I stepped through the Bray residence gates, I ran into Jerome, whom I hadn't seen all day. It turned out that he had arrived early at Lenora's invitation.

He was dressed in a luxury, hand-stitched suit with a brand-new, priceless watch fastened to his wrist. He looked like the prized, true son of the Hatfields more than I did.

When he saw me, he smirked provocatively. "How do I look, Andre? Lenora gave me everything, including the suit and the watch.

"I told her I'm just an adopted son and that I shouldn't accept the gifts, but she insisted. She told me that even if I'm an adopted son, she loves me for who I am, not my identity."

I frowned impatiently and tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm.

"Are you jealous, Andre? There's nothing I can do if Lenora wants to pamper me, is there?"

When I tried to pull free, he suddenly collapsed to the ground. "Why did you push me, Andre? Don't you know that I've been sick lately?"

I scoffed. I couldn't believe that a grown man like him was pulling a soap opera move and faking an injury just to stir up some drama.

Since explaining myself would be pointless anyway, I simply kicked him.

Right on cue, Lenora arrived. "Andre! What are you doing? Are you even human for bullying your brother?"

I looked at her, then at Jerome, and chuckled. "The Hatfields are in the real estate business, not the theater. Where's all this performative innocence coming from?"

A loud smack rang out as Lenora slapped me hard across the face. "I won't let you talk about Jerome like that!"

As a sharp sting spread across my cheek, Lenora seemed to realize she had overreacted and stepped toward me, as if to apologize. But on the ground, Jerome suddenly broke into a fit of violent coughing.

"Lenora, I-I can't breathe…"

Right in public, she leaned in close and pressed her face against his.

The murmurs around us grew louder. "Aren't they the Hatfield brothers? They're embarrassingly fighting over a woman in public.

"That's especially the case for Andre. Lenora clearly has her eyes on another man, so why does he keep forcing the issue?"

Lenora glared at me with disgust. "You're shameless, Andre. Apologize to Jerome right now!"

"Me? Shameless and apologize? You two are openly flirting in public, so you're the ones without shame."

She sneered. "That was CPR. Honestly, how did I ever get entangled with such a petty, malicious man like you? That's so troublesome."

Her friends covered their mouths and snickered.

"This won't do, Mr. Hatfield. Lenora isn't some delicate flower. She's meant for bigger things, so some little acting is inevitable."

"If you can't even tolerate your brother today, how will you survive marriage?"

"It's fine. Mr. Hatfield knows how to keep a fish. His devotion could move the heavens."

Amid the mockery, Lenora stepped closer to me and whispered in a voice dripping with disdain, "Grandma will announce our engagement today. If you still want me to marry you, don't forget what I told you.

"After we're married, we'll live our own lives. Don't think about interfering in mine, much less controlling me."

I stared at Lenora in disbelief and couldn't imagine how a wealthy heiress from a distinguished family could say something so absurd.

She mistook my silence for acceptance and continued, "As long as you behave, I'll make sure not to embarrass you in public."

She was utterly convinced that in this lifetime, I would only marry her.

Just then, footsteps were heard from within the house. Emma's personal assistant, Diana Beltran, emerged and asked, "What's all this noise? It's a celebration, and you'll upset Mrs. Bray Senior."

Raven was standing beside her. She was dressed in a mermaid-style gown with her hair elegantly pinned up to reveal her graceful collarbones. She looked completely different from the last time I had seen her.

She walked past the crowd and stopped in front of me before asking, "Andre, are you okay?"

Seeing her reminded me that in my past life, she was the only one who stayed by my deathbed and cried until her eyes were raw and red. After I died, she had gone nearly mad gathering evidence of Lenora's crimes, exposing her embezzlement, and sending her to prison.

The memory nearly brought tears to my eyes, and I smiled. "I'm fine."

Lenora let out a mocking laugh. "Why do you care about him, Raven? He's your future in-law, so you should keep your distance.

"We're not from some ordinary family. Don't make a fool of yourself."

Diana's expression flickered with surprise at her words, but in the end, she said nothing and urged everyone to head inside.

"Mrs. Bray Senior is waiting."

Before we entered, Lenora reminded me again, "Don't forget what I told you, or don't even think about marrying me."

Her eyes held the same confidence and arrogance as always, but unfortunately for her, that smugness wouldn't last long.

Once everyone had gathered in the main hall, Emma appeared with Diana's support. He stood at the top of the stairs and smiled warmly as she waved at me.

"Today's a special day, and I have an announcement to make," she began saying.

After a pause, she continued, "Andre has turned 22 years old. According to the agreement between our families, his future wife will be chosen from among the Bray family's granddaughters. After they marry, his wife will inherit all assets under my name, including my jewelry."

Emma was born into prestige and had spent decades in business. Even by setting aside her remaining assets, the jewelry in her safe alone was worth more than what most people could earn in several lifetimes.

Envy flickered across faces.

"Now, let's invite the young couple to come forward so everyone can bear witness."

Lenora smiled and lifted the hem of her gown as if she was reluctantly stepping up, but Emma stopped her.

The latter extended her hand toward Raven on the other side. "Come up, child. Today must be a special day for you."

The long tassel earrings at Raven's ears shimmered under the lights like ripples across a lake. She gracefully glided to my side and smiled at me.

"I'm ready, Andre. What about you?"