Chapter 7

I bluntly continued, "Our family runs a business, not a charity. Otherwise, just go get a loan. I'd like to see if any bank would be willing to lend to Newton Group." The private hospitals under Newton Group were involved in a major scandal in the past. Their reputation took a huge hit when the counterfeit drugs they bought at a low price led to several deaths. Many of them have since closed down. Now that Casey was suddenly rushing to get our wedding photos taken, I was sure she'd urge us to register our marriage next. Once she married me, she'd be able to secure a bank loan using Ranford Corporation's name to sustain the Newton family and save some of their hospitals. After that, they would just need to wait for my research to turn things around. In my past life, it was my research's success that restored Newton Group. Casey's gaze wavered as she was rendered speechless. After a while, she said, "You never used to be this pushy, Jace." "That depends on who I'm talking to." I closed my eyes, not bothering to look at her exasperated expression. … We arrived at the studio about 30 minutes later. Before we could even step inside, a familiar voice said, "Are you here to get your wedding photos taken, Cass and Mr. Ranford?" Casey's eyes lit up when she saw Andrew. I stood beside her and said nothing. She glanced at me and said, "This studio belongs to Andrew's friend. Let's head in together—we might even get a discount!" I didn't call them out on their little ploy and walked in nonchalantly. I got a call from the hospital halfway through—one of the patients had taken a turn for the worse and needed urgent care. After giving out instructions, I stepped into the changing room only to find Andrew zipping up Casey's dress. Her back was fully exposed to him, while his hand rested on the small of her back. They were standing close to each other, and the air between them was thick with romantic tension. Andrew looked prim and proper after changing into a suit, seemingly matching Casey well. Beside them, the salesperson happily said, "Your wife looks absolutely stunning in this wedding dress, sir. She matches you well!" Casey smiled bashfully, not correcting the salesperson. Andrew, too, felt shy as he slowly said, "How about you take this dress, then? It matches your skin tone well." Casey smiled and nodded. I smirked before heading straight in. "When did the other men start showing up so openly in public now?" The salesperson was stunned, and embarrassment colored her face. Andrew's expression froze before he smiled awkwardly. "I'm just helping you try on the suit, Mr. Ranford. We just wanted to see if it matched Cass' wedding dress. Please don't mind me." He then added, "She still loves you." Andrew then stepped back awkwardly and said with a hint of grievance, "I'll go get changed now." Casey couldn't bear seeing him feel aggrieved the most. She immediately glared at me and spat, "Andrew is my friend! Can't you show him some respect?" She then turned around to look at Andrew with a gentle gaze. "I'll apologize on his behalf. Please don't take it to heart." I felt nothing but disgust when I saw them flirting before me. I smirked. "Whatever your relationship with him is, I don't care. I'm heading back to the hospital now. I have no time for your little games." Wasn't Andrew here just to stake his claim? Just as I was about to turn to leave, Andrew said, "Are you jealous, Mr. Ranford? There's nothing going on between us, and Cass loves you a lot. Please don't fight over me." I turned around and looked at him. "What, do you think I'm jealous because of you? Maybe you should get yourself a mirror and see if you even measure up." Andrew's expression froze while Casey frowned. I calmly continued, "Mr. Lowell, don't keep saying that there's nothing between you and Casey, then turn around and continue acting like the other man. It's rather humiliating on your side." I took him in with a quick glance and noticed the ring on his ring finger. No wonder the salesperson got confused—Casey had the same ring on her finger. Both of them had discreetly put on their "engagement rings" under my nose. I looked at their matching outfits and clicked my tongue. "You guys enjoy taking your wedding photos. I'm not sticking around for this." Casey immediately ran after me and grabbed my arm. "You're the one I'm marrying. What's the point of taking wedding photos with someone else?" I replied, "Oh, so you're aware that I'm the one you're marrying? Then why are you wearing an engagement ring that matches someone else's? "You're already so openly hugging and kissing him even before we register our marriage. Are you two going to end up right in bed if we actually got married?"