“Have you made a decision?” Ryan tapped the contract on the table. “You might end up staying in the UK indefinitely.” I gave a wry smile. On the day Asher proposed to me, his long-lost love was hospitalized. Asher rushed off to the hospital from the proposal, leaving me to handle the guests and journalists on my own. At that moment, my heart broke completely. Without hesitation, I signed my name on the contract. “You’ll be flying to the UK in three days. The branch there will take care of your accommodation and meals. Will you be ready?” “Plenty of time, thank you.” As I left the law firm, I let out a deep sigh. Asher, you let me down. (1) Three days ago, Asher proposed to me. Jasper rented an entire stretch of coastline, arranged a grand fireworks display, as if to announce to the world he was marrying the girl he loved. Jasper knelt down before me and asked, “Lily, will you marry me?” His eyes were red, and his hand trembled slightly as he held the ring. “I will!” I managed to say through my tears. His eyes flickered, and he let out a relieved breath. Jasper slipped the ring onto my finger and gently embraced me. Amidst the cheers and blessings, I heard him whisper in my ear, “The result…” “The result?” A brief moment of panic passed, and I heard him say, “The result is you, that’s wonderful…” I smiled, wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes, feeling that he truly loved me. But just as I was basking in happiness, Asher’s phone rang at the worst possible moment. I glanced at the screen; it was an unfamiliar number. “Jasperllo?” Asher answered in a different tone. “What did you say!? I’ll be right there!” he said, quickly ending the call. “What…” “Lily, there’s a problem at work, I’m sorry! I have to go!” Asher interrupted me, jumped into his car, and drove off without looking back, leaving the journalists and audience puzzled, speculating on his sudden departure. I smiled awkwardly, explaining he had an emergency, that he was busy with work. The crowd dispersed, skeptical, as if the grand and absurd drama had ended, marking the beginning of a tragedy. Exhausted, I returned to the villa, waiting until the middle of the night for Asher to come back, reeking of alcohol. “What happened?” I approached him, only to be pulled into his arms. I froze, detecting an unfamiliar perfume on him. “So good… so good…” Jasper murmured into my neck, his emotions unclear. I helped him to bed and received two messages on my phone. One was from Ryan, asking if I wanted to work at the overseas branch, promising a good future but requiring a long-term stay abroad. The other was a photo from a friend at the hospital. In the photo, a girl with black hair and a white dress was hugged tightly by Asher, as if he feared losing her. Caption: Is this your boyfriend? I was thunderstruck. Yes, it was the man who had just proposed to me. The woman in his arms was Emily, his childhood friend, whom everyone said once saved his life by donating blood after a car accident. But in truth, Emily fainted from fear, and it was I, accompanying my mom on duty, who donated the blood. That day was July 23rd. All of Asher’s passwords are 0723. I planned to tell him the truth on the day of his proposal, thinking he would love me more. Looking back, I was wrong. I looked at the man who had just proposed to me, wondering if he was hoping Emily would come back when he was waiting for my answer. Did he regret proposing to me when he rushed to Emily? Did Asher ever truly like me? As these thoughts intertwined, my mind was unexpectedly clear. I replied to my friend saying I knew, and told Ryan I would consider the overseas position. Then, exhausted, I put away my phone, crafting a plan in my mind. The next day, Asher woke up exhausted and walked into the living room. I handed him a glass of warm water. “Drink,” I said coldly. Asher, looking guilty, said, “Thanks… um…” “You drank too much yesterday,” I cut him off. “Sorry.” Jasper gently hugged me, but this embrace lacked the sincerity and love he had shown Emily. “Now, can you tell me what happened?” Asher’s eyes flickered like he didn’t know how to start. As we stood there, the doorbell rang. “Asher!” A sweet voice accompanied by the click of high heels approached—it was Emily. She boldly opened the door herself! “0723, I can’t believe you still use that date as a password after all these years.” Emily gave me a malicious look, “This is Lily? She’s beautiful.” “Lily, this is Emily, she’s my… friend.” I looked at Emily dragging a suitcase in and smiled slightly, “A good friend, I see. No wonder she knows the house password, and you left the proposal to see her.” “Don’t blame Asher, Lily. I came back to the country yesterday and accidentally got into a car accident. Asher came to see me out of friendship.” Emily leaned closer to Asher, acting pitifully. “I didn’t know you and Ms. Emily had such a special bond?” Emily, pretending to be surprised, hooked her arm around Asher’s, “You didn’t know? When we were kids, Asher had a car accident, and I was the one who donated blood to save him. That day was July 23rd.” Asher turned to look at Emily with a tenderness I had never experienced. A classic case of someone taking over, Asher silently allowed Emily’s transgression. My heart grew colder. “Sorry, Lily. I just got back and haven’t found a suitable place to stay, so I have to stay here for a while, is that okay, Asher?” She looked up at Asher, smiling sweetly, as if I was the outsider. “Of course!” Asher responded swiftly, not even glancing at me, let alone asking for my consent. At that moment, I lost all hope. “Well, then, you two talk. I have work at the law firm.” I walked out without looking back, dialing Ryan. “Draft the contract, I’m going to the UK.” (2) “Have you made up your mind?” Ryan tapped the contract again. “I just heard you got proposed to yesterday. If I had known, I would have…” Ryan scratched his head, annoyed. “No, I should thank you,” I interrupted him, signing my name on the contract. “As long as you’re sure, three days later you’ll fly to the UK. Everything will be arranged by the branch there. Will you manage?” “More than enough.” I left the law firm, raising my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, noticing the glaring diamond ring on my ring finger. I took it off in disgust, hesitating whether to throw it away. “Fancy meeting you here.” A pair of leather shoes stopped in front of me. “Running into each other so soon?” I looked up into a pair of captivating bright eyes, a handsome face with a delighted smile. “Jasper?” I said in surprise. “After all these years, aren’t you going to give me a hug?” I smiled wryly, but before I could refuse, Jasper pulled me into a hug. It was a strong embrace, filled with complex emotions, and I cried uncontrollably. Was it the same kind of hug Asher gave Emily? Jasper and I were high school classmates. His family runs a family business, and he went abroad after graduation. We hadn’t kept in touch much these years. I fulfilled my dream of becoming an international lawyer, and I thought we’d gone our separate ways until today. At the café, Jasper handed me two tissues. “You scared me. Why the sudden tears? Who bullied our Lawyer Lily?” My nose was stuffy, and I didn’t answer his question, changing the subject instead. “What brings you back suddenly?” “Not suddenly. Your law firm’s UK branch is handling my company’s IPO business, so I came to meet my partners.” Jasper smiled at me, “Impressive Lawyer Lily, looking forward to working together.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Jasper spoke, “Feeling better now?” “Mm?” “You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you going to share?” Jasper crossed his arms, looking like he had seen through everything. “You can’t hide it from me.” Just as I was contemplating whether to speak, a piercing female voice interrupted. “Oh, isn’t this Lily? What are you doing here?” Emily? What’s she doing here? “What are you doing here?” Emily was accompanied by a visibly angry Asher. “Who are you?” Asher’s sharp gaze fell on Jasper sitting across from me. “Me? Jasper.” Jasper leaned back lazily yet authoritatively, the tension between them was palpable. “I’m just saying, Lily, Asher proposed to you yesterday, and today you’re out with another man? That’s not good, is it?” The crowd murmured, until someone spoke from the crowd. “Jasper? Is that the Jasper from the Bennett family…” Emily? What is she doing here? “What are you doing here?” Asher, standing next to Emily, looked visibly angry. “And who might you be?” Asher’s piercing eyes zeroed in on Jasper, sitting across from me. “Who, me? I’m Jasper.” Jasper leaned back in his chair, exuding a laid-back yet commanding presence, creating an air of tension between them. “Honestly, Sister Lily, Asher just proposed to you yesterday, and today you’re meeting another man? Isn’t that inappropriate?” The crowd murmured until a few voices rose above the rest. “Jasper? Could it be the Jasper family…?” “Oh! Now I remember! Jasper’s the CEO whose company is doing remarkably well overseas!” Jasperaring this, Emily and Asher looked visibly uncomfortable, unsure of how to respond. “Mr. Jasper is my client. Is there an issue, Miss Emily?” I asked coldly, raising my voice. “An An means no harm; she’s just concerned about your reputation. Don’t misunderstand her intentions.” Asher lowered his voice, trying to defuse the situation. Reputation, right? I smiled, knowing the real troublemaker was right in front of me. “I’m quite curious,” Jasper chimed in. “As Miss Emily mentioned, Mr. Asher proposed to Lawyer Ye yesterday, and today Lawyer Ye met me for business. So, Mr. Asher, why are you here with another woman just a day after your proposal?” Jasper’s smile was icy as he glanced at Asher. “I’m Asher’s…” Emily started. “I wasn’t asking you.” Jasper interrupted her sharply, his expression turning cold. “Why would a colleague call someone ‘brother’ so affectionately?” someone in the crowd remarked. “She’s a cousin,” Asher lied. “She’s just my sister~~,” another guest added sarcastically. I tried hard not to smile. Jasper smiled, satisfied. “I see. Well, Mr. Jasper and I have some business to discuss. If there’s nothing else, please excuse us.” Staying any longer would be impolite. Emily’s mouth twitched, her ears turning red. “I’ll wait for you at home,” Asher said, pulling Emily away, restoring the calm. Jasper noticed my barely concealed smile and seemed in good spirits. “You probably guessed what’s going on,” I said, looking at him. “Yeah, I pretty much figured it out.” Jasper turned to me. “Let me share some good news.” “Oh?” “I know Emily.” “You know her?” I leaned in, surprised. “She didn’t seem to recognize you earlier.” “Well, I know her family and some of her scandals, which might be useful to you.” I looked at Jasper with anticipation. “Lilyt to know?” “Yes.” “I’ll tell you, but I have one condition.” “What is it?” “Be my girlfriend.”
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