Chapter 5

I threw it hard backward. The bouquet arced through the air.

The groomsmen all jumped at once, hands reaching in the same direction.

Sienna was protected in their midst.

Someone batted the bouquet, and it spun mid-air.

The lily of the valley flew over all the reaching hands, heading straight for Lucas.

He caught it instinctively, with barely a second's hesitation.

He directly stuffed the bouquet into Sienna's hands.

The room went silent for a second.

"Man, I thought Lucas would side with his woman, but turns out he's thinking of our Sienna first."

"You're done for. Careful the missus doesn't let you into the wedding chamber tonight."

"What's to fear? Our Sienna's wearing a wedding dress too. If there can be two brides, why not two wedding chambers?"

"Right, right. With Sienna and Lucas's revolutionary friendship, worst case Sienna makes another sacrifice."

Only when the suggestive cheers erupted did Lucas realize what he'd done.

He looked at me, face full of awkwardness.

"Emma, don't mind it. She's been eyeing this bouquet all day. If I didn't give it to her, she'd make a scene again."

Sienna hugged the bouquet, cheeks flushed, playfully punching Lucas.

"Listen to you, making it sound like Emma's so petty. She's always been the most generous, right, Emma?"

I looked at her, suddenly remembering how in college she'd done the same thing—using an innocent tone to say the most hurtful words.

Back then, Lucas had specially flown abroad to prepare my first birthday gift, bidding on a pink diamond necklace.

The next day it was around Sienna's neck.

I stared at that necklace in shock.

Lucas rubbed his nose. Before he could speak, Sienna said in an envious tone:

"I've had my eye on this necklace forever. There's only one, and he snagged it first. Lucas said I could borrow it for a while. That's okay, right, Emma?"

She stuck out her tongue then.

"Emma's so generous, she definitely won't be mad."

Lucas chimed in from the side.

"Exactly. It's just a necklace. Next time I'll pick an even better one for you."

But I never received any necklace after that.

That pink diamond eventually just sat gathering dust in Sienna's jewelry box.

"Emma? You're not actually mad, are you?"

Sienna's voice pulled me back.

I smiled gently and said softly:

"It's just a bouquet. Why would I care?"

Lucas suddenly looked at me. He seemed to sense something.

He was about to walk toward me when Sienna grabbed his arm.

"You just agreed to grant me one unconditional request. Come closer."

I watched as Sienna stood on tiptoes, lips pressed against Lucas's ear.

His ears instantly turned bright red. He tried to dodge sideways but was pulled back.

I stood at the edge of the crowd, taking it all in.

Lucas's lack of hesitation.

Sienna's sense of entitlement.

The smile on Mrs. Harper's face.

The guests' suggestive jeering.

I turned and walked toward the mobile display that had been sitting in the corner of the banquet hall.

My heels clicked softly on the marble floor, but step by step, I cut through the crowd.

The noise gradually died down.

All eyes turned to me.

I stopped in front of the display, hand on the edge of the red silk, and yanked it off.

"Mr. Harper, Miss Winters. Congratulations on your nuptials, and congratulations to me for finally having nothing more to do with the Harper family."