Once she sent them on their way, Whitney turned to find the man standing right in front of her.
“Carter, are you ever going to give this up?” she demanded, her tone bordering on exasperation.
Carter’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he extended a shopping bag toward her. “For you. That dress you liked the other day.”
Whitney caught a glimpse of the purple fabric peeking out and frowned. “What, Emily didn’t want it, so you’re giving it to me?”
Carter looked exasperated, his frustration evident. “It’s brand new! Whitney, I bought you a new one. It’s not something she wore.”
Whitney’s mouth twitched in disbelief. “Then I definitely can’t take it. Wearing the same outfit isn’t scary; whoever looks worse just ends up embarrassed. If your precious baby sister gets overshadowed by me later, she’ll blame me for it.”
She added, “Look, I may not have a lot of money, but I can buy my own dress. Stop pursuing me.”
Carter had spent the last few days imagining Whitney in that dress, and he couldn’t let go of the idea. “But you really liked it, didn’t you?”
Whitney shot him a cool glance. “Doesn’t matter how much I liked it. If Emily wants it, I don’t want it anymore.”
‘I don’t want the dress, and I don’t want him either,’ she thought, a sense of finality settling in her mind.
Carter stood frozen, the sting of rejection hitting him hard.
“Whitney, Milly and I aren’t what you think we are,” he said, desperation creeping into his voice.
Whitney let out a cold laugh. “Oh really? So what are you then? Just a pure, innocent brother and sister?
“Would a pure, innocent brother set his password to his sister’s birthday?” she asked, her voice growing sharper with each question.
“Would his photo album be filled with nothing but pictures of her? Would he stand up his own girlfriend on the day they were supposed to register their marriage just to have dinner with his sister?”
She looked at Carter, a hint of pity in her eyes. “You can lie to me all you want, but don’t lie to yourself.
“Honestly, I hope you and Emily end up together,” she added, her tone cutting. “At least then you’d stop bothering me.”
Without waiting for a response, Whitney turned and walked away, her heart racing with a mixture of relief and anger.
Carter watched her retreating figure, confusion washing over him like a cold wave.
He glanced down at the dress in his hands, a sense of defeat settling in, and tossed it into the nearest trash can without a second thought. ‘She doesn’t want it anymore,’ he thought, a heavy weight pressing down on him. ‘There’s no point in keeping it.’
Unbeknownst to them, someone observed the scene from a distance, their gaze burning with intensity, fixated on Whitney and Carter until they both disappeared from view.
Klein had a dinner meeting scheduled for that evening, but he pulled out his phone, swiping it open with a determined expression. “Cancel my dinner tonight,” he instructed. “I’m going home to eat.”
–
James was elated to hear that Klein was returning home, and he made sure everyone gathered for dinner.
“Klein, you’ve been so busy lately; you haven’t been home in forever,” James remarked, a broad smile on his face.
Klein returned the smile, albeit faintly. “Dad, it’s only been a week. I’ll make an effort to come home more often.”
“Klein, don’t tell me you’ve been skipping home to spend time with that girlfriend of yours,” George teased, a playful glint in his eyes.
Klein was in a good mood, and he cast a lazy glance at his nephew sitting across from him.
“George, you’re worried about me? You should be asking Carter when he and Milly are finally tying the knot,” he replied, a mischievous smile creeping onto his lips.
Carter’s head snapped up, startled by the sudden attention. His eyes met Klein’s deep gaze, and he couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Why is Klein suddenly interested in my marriage?’
Emily’s fingers tightened around her fork, her heart racing. She thought, ‘Does Uncle Klein support us getting married too?’
If Klein was on their side, then even if Carter hesitated, their wedding would be inevitable.
Carter, however, was not ready to marry. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he simply couldn’t marry his own sister. “Uncle Klein, Milly and I are not what you think,” he asserted, his voice steady.
It was always the same explanation, and he was growing tired of it.
Klein raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Oh? Really? Then what is it? You two got engaged the other day, didn’t you? Or are you saying, Carter, that you want all of Ravorport to laugh at the Harris family twice?”
His words carried a heavy weight.
The first embarrassment was glaringly obvious-what should have been a wedding had turned into a grandchild’s engagement party.
If Carter backed out a second time, the other elite families would have a field day mocking them.
The atmosphere around the table grew tense, thick with unspoken words.
“Uncle Klein,” Carter began, but the words died in his throat, choked by the pressure of the moment.
Klein turned his gaze from Carter, shifting his focus to George instead. “George, many eyes are on our company right now, and plenty of them are just waiting for us to slip up.
“If Carter continues to treat marriage like a joke, and something goes wrong later that affects the company, are you going to take responsibility for that?”
George understood immediately-his brother was actually advocating for the marriage, perhaps even pushing for them to hurry up and tie the knot.
Honestly, he couldn’t figure out Carter. Carter had clearly shown interest in Tina before; there was no reason for him to be dragging his feet now.
James made the final call, his voice resolute. “Let’s do it mid-next month then. That should give you enough time to prepare everything. I agree with Klein-I don’t want the Harris family to be laughed at a second time.”
Klein couldn’t help but smile at the decision. ‘Once they’re married, he’ll have to settle down,’ he thought, a sense of satisfaction washing over him.
Whitney found herself sprawled across her apartment sofa, the day’s exhaustion weighing heavily on her. The silence was broken by the sudden ring of her phone, and her heart skipped a beat.
The first chime echoed through the room, but she let it go unanswered. After the whirlwind of emotions they had shared just yesterday-so close, so intimate-she felt unprepared to confront him. How could she possibly face him after everything that had transpired?
Then, the doorbell rang, slicing through her thoughts like a knife.
She froze, her mind racing. ‘Who could possibly be looking for me at this hour?’ she wondered, a hint of anxiety creeping in. She hadn’t ordered any food, nor had she expected visitors.
Just as she was piecing together the puzzle of who might be at her door, her phone lit up once more, his name glaring back at her.
Whitney hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest, but ultimately she answered, “Hello?”
His voice flowed through the receiver, smooth and captivating, with that familiar upward lilt that sent shivers down her spine. “It’s me. Open the door.”
Whitney remained silent, the weight of his presence palpable even from behind the door. So, he was already here, waiting for her.
No matter how much she wanted to avoid this moment, she knew she had to rise and let him in.
As she opened the door, his sharp, defined features came into view, and she felt her breath catch. Today, he sported silver-rimmed glasses that rested perfectly on his straight nose, softening the intensity of his deep-set eyes just a fraction.
He wasn’t dressed in a suit, but rather a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up, revealing forearms marked by prominent veins. The collar hung open, exposing the delicate curve of his collarbones beneath.
Whitney’s gaze was drawn to a small beauty mark near his collarbone, and an unfamiliar sensation stirred within her-something she couldn’t quite place.
‘Refined scoundrel,’ she mused, feeling a rush of warmth flush her cheeks. She quickly averted her eyes, discomfort creeping in. “What brings you here?”
Klein had just stepped away from Harris Manor, his gaze lingering on her flushed earlobes, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I wanted to check if you’ve finished setting up the house,” he replied, his tone casual yet probing.
Whitney blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the unexpected question. “I’m sorry, I haven’t been there these past few days.”
Klein nodded, unfazed. “That’s alright. Are you free this weekend? We could go check it out together.”
‘Why would he drive all the way here just for this?’ she thought, her mind racing. ‘And picking out furniture together? That feels way too couple-like!’
Despite her reservations, she found herself nodding. “Okay.”
Klein raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.