Chapter 1

"Nessa, we arranged an engagement for you years ago. Now that you're almost fully recovered, would you be willing to return to Jirphia to get married? If you still don't want to, I'll speak with your father again to cancel the engagement." In the dimly lit room, Vanessa Shepherd could only hear silence. Just as the person on the other end of the phone thought she would fail at persuading her again, Vanessa suddenly replied, "I'll go home and get married." Diane Norman was taken aback. She seemed surprised as she stammered, "Are you… agreeing to it?" "Yes." Vanessa's tone was calm. "But I need a bit more time to finish things here in Xerton. I'll be back within half a month. Mom, you can start preparing for the wedding." She then reminded Diane about a few more things before hanging up the phone. As the call ended, the loud music from downstairs echoed up, with faint sounds of people singing "Happy Birthday". It was a birthday party Keanu Lowe and Seamus Klein had organized for Hannah Zahn. Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door. Hannah then walked in with a slice of Black Forest cake, smiling at her. Her doe-like eyes blinked a few times. Her delicate face adorned with fine makeup was marred by a few streaks of whipped cream. "Nessa, come down and join us!" Vanessa had already seen through her facade. She said coldly, "I still have work to finish; I won't be joining. Enjoy yourselves." Almost instantly, Hannah's eyes filled with tears. "Nessa, do you not like me? Is that why you're avoiding me?" Vanessa frowned instinctively; she hadn't done anything, yet Hannah acted as if Vanessa was bullying her. Uninterested in seeing her act, Vanessa smirked inwardly. "Save these theatrics for Keanu and Seamus. They don't work on me." As soon as she finished speaking, she moved to close the door. "Nessa, don't—" Hannah suddenly stretched out her hand to stop the door. As the door shut, her entire hand got caught, turning her fair skin instantly bruised. "Ouch!" At that moment, Keanu and Seamus came upstairs and happened to witness the scene. They rushed forward almost simultaneously, wrapping Hannah protectively in their arms and carefully examining her hand. Seamus' eyes turned red with concern when he saw the injury on Hannah's hand. Always the hot-tempered one, he lashed out at Vanessa without holding back. "It's one thing if you don't like Hannah, but why do something so underhanded, Vanessa? You weren't like this before!" Keanu, usually calm and reserved, looked at Vanessa with disappointment in his deep-set eyes. "Nessa, it's Hannah's birthday today. You really shouldn't have gone this far." But when he lowered his gaze to Hannah, his tone softened immediately. "Hannah, does it still hurt? Let's go and put some ointment on it." Watching Keanu lead Hannah away, Seamus hurried after them, trying to comfort her. "Hannah, don't be upset. I'll give you my new sports car! After the party, I'll take you for a spin. A short drive will cheer you up!" On the receiving end of the two men's doting attention, Hannah finally stopped crying, though her voice remained a bit choked. "Thank you, Keanu." She then looked at Seamus with tear-filled eyes, softly pleading, "Seamus, don't go racing. It's dangerous. I'll worry about you." Seeing her smile through her tears, Seamus quickly promised, "Alright, alright, whatever you want, princess. As long as you're happy." As Vanessa stood in the doorway, watching them walk downstairs, she felt as if she were in a dream. She remembered when she had been the one standing between Keanu and Seamus a long time ago. She had been frail since childhood and suffered from asthma. The damp, rainy climate of Jirphia wasn't good for her health. So, when she was five, her parents sent her from Jirphia to Xerton to recuperate. It was a place with mild weather year-round. She stayed there with her aunt, Dr. Maya Shepherd. It was during this time that Vanessa met Keanu and Seamus, who lived next door to Maya. The three grew up together as childhood friends. From the first moment the boys saw her, they were captivated. They stuck to her daily, becoming her self-appointed protectors. When they were children, they walked her to and from school, bought her breakfast and milk, tore up any love letters she received, and never allowed any boy to get close. After they grew up, one became a CEO inheriting the family business, and the other became an internationally renowned race car driver. Despite their busy schedules, they bought the houses on either side of Vanessa's, combined them, and lived with her. They made sure to come home every day to cook for her. When Vanessa's health had mostly recovered and her family started urging her to return to Jirphia, they had even tearfully begged her not to leave, or they would give everything up and go with her. They always used to say, "Wherever Nessa is, that's where we'll be." It was because of them that Vanessa, even after her health recovered, delayed her return to Jirphia. However, everything had changed ever since Hannah came into their lives. Hannah was an intern Vanessa had taken under her wing. On her very first day at the company, she hesitated to go downstairs to lunch with the others. It continued like this daily until Vanessa found her alone, nibbling on a vegetable sandwich in a corner. When Vanessa asked her about it, she discovered that Hannah had come from a remote mountainous area. Since she grew up in poverty, she saved wherever she could. As the eldest daughter of the Shepherd family, Vanessa, raised in comfort, felt a pang of sympathy for her. Out of the kindness of her heart, she began looking after Hannah in various ways. Occasionally, she would even bring Hannah along to meals with Keanu and Seamus. This was how Hannah met Keanu and Seamus. Keanu, typically reserved, would never have attended such a rowdy party. Yet now, he was willing to make an exception for Hannah. For Seamus, racing was everything. No one could ever persuade him otherwise. But now, a simple word from Hannah was all it took to make him give it up. These shifts happened countless times over the past month. In the past, Keanu and Seamus had never hidden their affection for Vanessa, often causing dramatic standoffs when they demanded that Vanessa choose between them. There was a time when Vanessa felt moved by them and had seriously considered choosing one to be with. But now, agreeing to the marriage her family had arranged didn't seem like such a bad idea. With a small smile, Vanessa set a countdown timer on her phone for her departure. From now on, she would no longer intrude on the three of them.