Chapter 1

"Janice, Amy is in such a bad state now that she can't even walk on her own. Why don't you be her bridesmaid and help her up the stage? You know her condition. "We still have a long way to go. I'll make up for this by preparing a more splendid wedding for you once her wish has been fulfilled." The man leaned against the gray leather couch as he took a drag of the cigarette. He said those words without a hint of emotion. Janice Smith hadn't expected the request from her boyfriend, Simon Fitzgerald, whom she had dated for seven years. They had built their business together from nothing. It was harder for her to imagine that the wedding that everyone had been paying attention to wasn't for her but for Simon and his childhood sweetheart. A month ago, Amelia Burnett had gone to Simon and told him that she had lung cancer and that her days were numbered. Her only wish was to have a wedding. They were childhood friends. Janice knew that Simon had a crush on Amelia when he was young. Hence, Janice felt her heart had been torn apart when Simon agreed to Amelia's request without hesitation. Another woman would take credit for everything she had done. Yet, she dared not retort a word. She would be called selfish if she made a fuss about it or rejected it since someone was dying. The wedding invitation cards had been sent out, and she would be the bridesmaid instead of the bride on the day after tomorrow. She would probably become a topic among the wives of the rich tycoons in Greenfield City. Janice could feel the bitterness surging from her heart and occupying her mind. "I've been preparing for this wedding for more than eight months. I sewed the wedding gown myself. The jewelry is my family's heirloom. What can you do to make up for this?" "Janice Smith, are you talking to me right now?" Simon frowned. "I've explained everything to you. You've always been thoughtful. Why are you being so fussy with me now?" Was she fussy? Seemingly sensing that she was displeased, Simon stubbed out the cigarette and leaned in to hold her hand. "Janice, you know her days are numbered. Let's not make a fuss about this with her, okay? Could you just take this as helping me out?" He was prideful and arrogant. Janice was stunned to see him begging her like this because of an outsider. What was she going to help him for? Was she going to help him marry another woman? Had she not done enough, though? Throughout the years, whenever the company faced a financial crisis, Janice would secretly participate in competitions and sell her work. Then, she would use the prize to support Refined Threads Co., the company they founded together. Simon had no idea that Janice was the globally renowned seamstress who was skilled in doing double-sided crochet. He also didn't know that Refined Threads Co. had only received many orders because the other bosses thought highly of Janice. Besides, he didn't even know that many big companies in Greenfield City, including Prosper Stitch Group, the pioneer in the crochet industry, were poaching Janice. Janice mentioned nothing about all this because Simon disliked a woman who was stronger than him. Warm tears filled her eyes, hurting her skin. All the hard work and struggles in the past seven years flooded her mind. "Okay, I'll be her bridesmaid." Her voice was so soft that she sounded like she was mumbling. It seemed as though she had used up all her might to say that. Simon smiled delightedly. "Janice, you're so kind." "Mr. Moore, I found it." At the overseas divisional branch of Prosper Stitch Group, the man at the desk was still working. He paused and lifted his eyes. Harrison Cullen gathered himself and said, "The top seamstress who won the global crochet competition this time was actually Ms. Smith from Refined Threads Co." Edward Moore stopped writing. "Janice Smith?" "Aside from this competition, the five crochets that were bid at tens of millions of dollars last year and the Reversible Crimson Pheasant that the museum took were also done by Ms. Smith. It was just that she had joined the competition using her cousin's name, Shirley Olson." The globally renowned top seamstress, Shirley Olson, was actually Janice. Harrison was impressed. "It seems like Ms. Smith is the only seamstress in the country who has mastered the skill of doing double-sided crochet." Edward fell silent for a moment before he said, "Have Matilda arrange for a dinner." Holding the documents, Harrison shook his head. "I don't think that's possible for now…" "Hmm?" "Ms. Smith is getting married the day after tomorrow." … On that day, almost all the well-known companies in Greenfield City sent representatives to attend the wedding of the founders of Refined Threads Co. Classical music echoed in the grand hall that was full of guests. Outside the hall, Amelia looked charming as she was born with a pair of beautiful eyes. At this moment, she was wearing the wedding gown sewed by Janice, looking lavish and stunning. Besides, she even wore Janice's family heirloom on her head and hand. "Janice, I'm glad that you're this magnanimous to fulfill my wish." Amelia wore makeup, so she didn't look pale. Then, she said in disdain, "It's slightly broad around the waist. It'll suit me better if you make it more fitting." "I'm sorry, but this was made according to my size." Janice didn't even have the courage to look at Amelia. She was afraid that she would lose herself and rip the gown off Amelia. "But I'm the one wearing it now." Amelia suddenly laughed as though she was the winner. She reached out her hand and took Janice's like she was her helper. Janice stared at the bony hand in silence. She gritted her teeth until she felt numb before she finally held Amelia's hand. The huge door of the hall opened gradually. As the music played, Janice held Amelia and walked up to the stage. As soon as the door was opened, all the guests cast their gazes upon the two. However, they were baffled by the scene. They wondered what had happened. The bride was a different person, and the original bride had even become the bridesmaid. They had no idea who the new bride was. Janice was prepared for the people to gossip about this. Nonetheless, she couldn't care less about what others thought of her. Her heart ached when she saw Simon's deep and excited gaze. He wasn't looking at Janice but at Amelia. Perhaps his biggest dream was to marry his crush. It felt like forever for Janice to walk up the stage. Her heart ached with every step she took. Simon's reaction was beyond her expectations. He had told her that he was just fulfilling Amelia's wish. She couldn't help but wonder why Simon was this excited. As the music echoed in the background, her vision of Simon, who wore the wedding suit designed and sewed by her, gradually became blurred. Everything became like it was seven years ago. Simon's family was pretty wealthy but was no match for Amelia's family. The Fitzgerald family had run a business for generations, but Simon's grandfather had squandered all the money. He had only left the town when he grew up because of how ambitious he was. Janice had been dating him since she was 20 years old. They used to spend time together overnight on the bench in the park before they finally could afford a house. She could only secretly attend competitions to avoid hurting his pride so that she could customize decent suits for him with the prize. With that, he would look good during business talks. All these years, she had hurt her fingers countless times. She would cut her fingers just as her wound was healing. The same thing happened again and again. She wouldn't hurt herself so easily now. Even if she did, she wouldn't feel the pain anymore. She thought she was finally seeing the silver lining after going through all the hardships with him. As she reached the end of the aisle, she could tell Simon looked extremely nervous, like he had finally gotten what he'd wanted and didn't know how to react. After hesitating for a moment, he finally reached out his left hand. This was something Janice had told him before—to ask for her hand with his left hand at their wedding. However, he was using it now to take someone else's hand.