Chapter 1

May, Seattle The clouds hung low, the weather brewing with mugginess. Just after the typhoon passed, the air carried a damp mist, accompanied by a gentle breeze blowing into the room through the window. The clock ticked slowly, steadily pointing to eight o'clock sharp. Just then, there was a light sound outside the door. Upon getting a response from Stella Carlson, Aurora, dressed in professional attire, entered the hotel's presidential suite. Merbeil, where Aurora worked, was the best-known wedding planning company in the industry, specializing in high-end clientele. Of course, the services provided were also absolutely considerate and meticulous, worthy of the million-dollar fee. Two months ago, Merbeil received a commission for a luxury wedding. After internal competition, Aurora stood out and officially won the planning for this luxury wedding. The top-floor presidential suite at SIMO Hotel was elegantly simple in style, yet luxurious details were subtly embedded. Even the water glasses casually placed on the coffee table were custom-made by Queen-W. Upon entering the room, Aurora saw the bride, Stella, standing silently by the window. With a polite smile, she kindly asked, "Miss Carlson, it's still early, would you like to rest first?" Upon hearing her voice, Stella turned around. Her bright eyes were clear and charming, with a soft light akin to water. With chestnut hair and red lips, her delicate features adorned her swan-like neck and shoulders. Her skin resembled porcelain. She was draped only in a loose bathrobe, yet her beauty stunned Aurora, who was also a woman, almost rendering her unable to look away. The beauty's gaze fixed on the clock on the wall, which was moving constantly. Then, with a faint smile, she gently asked back, "Is it still early?" Her voice was soft, as if asking Aurora, yet also as if speaking to herself, which puzzled Aurora a bit. After all, it was just past 8 o'clock, and according to the wedding schedule, it would be another two hours before Mr. Malone arrived. As the head wedding planner, Aurora naturally had some understanding of the groom and bride. The Malone family was among the few prominent elites, and the groom, Aaron Malone, was the current head of the Malone family. This well-known young man was truly the pride of heaven, born with a silver spoon, educated in prestigious schools. He successfully launched a startup while studying, which later went public, and then orchestrated the largest medical merger in the industry after inheriting the family business. However, the wealthy bachelor, what people found most fascinating was a rumor. Many gossip accounts speculated about the ambiguous relationship between the elite Mr. Malone and the rising starlet in the entertainment industry, Avery Fletcher. Naturally, Aurora was also curious. But after interacting with him during this period, she felt that Mr. Malone's attentive care for his fiancée, Miss Carlson, didn't seem fake. Miss Carlson was both beautiful and graceful, not inferior to Avery, who stood out in the entertainment industry for her looks. It was heard that she entered the Radiant Arts Institute with outstanding results in liberal arts in Seattle, and later pursued further studies at the Lawton Business School, a definite academic achiever. Such an illustrious lady with outstanding credentials and a personable demeanor. After two months, Aurora had become a loyal supporter of Stella. Avery had a solid background, and negative news about her had been wiped clean. However, Aurora still heard from her screenwriter friends that Avery tended to throw tantrums while filming. If Mr. Malone wasn't blind, why would he ignore his fiancée, who was stunningly beautiful, and instead favor Avery, who only knew how to market her beauty like a duck trying to imitate a swan? Aurora felt that perhaps the rumors were just hearsay, merely the online community chasing shadows. Unaware of Aurora's thoughts, Stella glanced at her phone, closed the window, and walked over to the sofa to sit down, asking, "Aurora, I remember you're from L.A.. Do you know how long it takes to travel from L.A. to Seattle?" "If you're taking a plane, it's less than two hours. Hmm... but today might be an exception. I have a friend who wants to come to Seattle for a visit. Originally, they had a flight booked for today, but just saw on their social media that many flights from L.A. have been canceled." Both Seattle and L.A. were coastal cities, and this season, there were often typhoons, occasionally causing flight delays due to weather. Just as Aurora finished speaking, her two colleagues entered, pushing a rack with wedding dresses. Stella, in a relaxed posture, nodded casually while half-leaning on the sofa, no longer engaging in further conversation. ... The presidential suite had a separate dressing room, where Stella went to change. The wedding dress was a special custom design from Stella's friend Natalie Barrett's personal brand. Layers of sheer white chiffon cascaded, adorned with hundreds of pearls and diamonds, shimmering in the light. The fitted off-the-shoulder design highlighted her sexy and delicate collarbones, accentuating her graceful and enchanting figure. It had to be said, this dress and Stella were a perfect match, and everyone exclaimed at how beautiful it was. The wedding team's executive assistant, Hannah, walked over at this moment to help with arranging the train of the dress. The Carlson family might not be as prominent as the Malone family in recent years, but they were still considered notable figures in Seattle. Most importantly, Stella was about to marry into the Malone family and officially become Mrs. Malone. Hannah tried to please, casually tidying the wedding dress while also complimenting, "Miss Carlson, I've worked with many clients, but this is the first time I've met such a handsome groom like Mr. Malone. Mr. Malone said you two met when you were 16. First love always holds the most sincere feelings." While Hannah's attitude was teasingly polite, Stella remained lost in thought, politely smiling at the end without responding. Feeling a bit awkward, Hannah was relieved when Stella's phone rang at the right moment, giving her a chance to change the subject. She smiled and said, "Mr. Malone is really considerate, calling at this moment." Seeing Stella slightly furrow her brows, Aurora thought she might not appreciate Hannah's approach, so she spoke up, "Alright, let's not disturb Miss Carlson anymore. Let's go over the wedding itinerary again." Although Hannah had some support behind her, she didn't dare openly defy Aurora, the executive of the wedding team, so she reluctantly bit her lip. The three soon left the room. The room quieted down as Stella walked to the window and answered Aaron's call. The man's voice was gentle and calm. "I'm sorry. The flight got canceled, and I won't make it back in time." Stella rubbed her brow as if she had expected it, her tone flat. "I know." Her voice was as gentle as ever, putting Aaron at ease on the other end of the phone. Next, Aaron's voice became steady and firm, as if he were handling business matters. "It's still early. We can reschedule the wedding for tomorrow. I've already called Daniel. He'll inform the guests later. Don't worry." Don't worry? Hearing Aaron's words, Stella found it ridiculous and smiled, almost as if mocking herself. Yesterday, when Aaron said he had to rush to L.A. for a branch matter, he used the same gentle and calm tone to assure her not to worry, that he would come back and it wouldn't affect the wedding. "Aaron, I know Avery was admitted to the hospital last night. Are you at the hospital now?" Stella asked directly. Aaron obviously didn't expect her to know the reason for his trip to L.A. and remained silent for a moment. Stella's eyes dimmed slightly, a touch of self-deprecation coloring her gaze as she spoke knowingly, "So you're at Avery's apartment." There was a pause on the other end, and he spoke softly, "I'm sorry, Stella, for not telling you yesterday. I was afraid you'd misunderstand." "Misunderstand? But look, even though you knew I might misunderstand, you still went there." Her tone betrayed no emotion, adding a hint of irony. Aaron's tone grew somewhat indifferent, "I know you have some bias against Avery, but she's your cousin. She's injured, and neither you nor I can turn a blind eye." The man's obvious defense of Avery caused Stella's hand to tremble slightly. She sighed deeply, quietly lowering her gaze. "Yes, Avery is my cousin." She was also Aaron's ex-girlfriend, and more importantly, his childhood sweetheart. The Carlson and Malone families were close, and Avery moved in at the age of six with her mother, becoming Aaron's true childhood friend. Earlier, when Hannah tried to make light of the situation, Stella remained silent because Aaron's childhood affection didn't belong to her. "How is she now?" she asked. The two had argued too much over Avery, so Aaron didn't want to dwell on it now. He simply replied, "She's been discharged from the hospital, nothing serious." "Oh, I see." Though she had anticipated it, Stella still felt a bit relieved. If Avery had really been seriously injured, Stella's grandfather, Thomas Carlson, who had been in poor health in recent years, probably wouldn't be able to handle it. However, when Stella received those photos just now, she already understood that Avery probably wasn't really in trouble. "Stella," Aaron softened his tone, "My decision to come to L.A. before the wedding was not well thought out, but for now, we need to make sure tomorrow's wedding is properly arranged, okay?" Because Avery was injured, he had to cancel last minute, so he wanted to postpone the wedding. Stella was acutely aware, from the moment Aaron proposed to her, that the significance of this wedding in their hearts was different. She remained calm, silently gazing out the window. The city bustled with activity, towering skyscrapers dominating the skyline. Perhaps the air conditioning indoors was too strong. With one arm wrapped around herself, she stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the flowing traffic below, yet feeling no sense of reality. It was as if she had returned to the year she turned 16. After a long pause, she spoke again, "Aaron, do you remember when I first came back to the Carlson family, I lost the jade Buddha the dean gave me? I searched for it for a long time but couldn't find it. I hid in the attic and cried alone. Then you found me in the attic, didn't tell anyone, and secretly helped me find the jade Buddha." Her voice was ethereal and soft, causing Aaron to be drawn into reminiscence, softening his heart. Later, he chuckled softly, "At that time, I wondered why you would hide and cry just because you lost something. But seeing how sincerely you cried, I had to help you find it." Stella smiled. Actually, she knew Aaron hadn't found that jade Buddha. It was just his gentlemanly upbringing that compelled him to not ignore a crying girl and so he bought a similar-looking one. "Why bring that up all of a sudden?" Aaron asked. "I just suddenly felt that losing that jade Buddha wasn't really worth being sad about." With that said, most of the emotions in her heart dissipated. Initially, her tears were more about the overwhelming scrutiny she faced when she first returned to the Carlson family, suppressing too many emotions. Later, when she got into the Radiant Arts Institute, she heard plenty of flattery and praise from outsiders. The jade Buddha Aaron bought for her was also lost, but she seemed to feel nothing about it. Time ultimately heals all wounds, and nothing is immutable. So what had she been holding onto all these years? It was as if she had pondered one thing for too long and finally made a decision in this moment. "Let's put an end to this wedding," she said. "Let's break up."