Jessie Sterling woke up in a daze and rubbed her eyes.
She was a little hungry.
But the moment she opened her eyes, Jessie Sterling was stunned.
Above her was a massive crystal chandelier. Lynn Jennings had once joked that the thing was absurdly expensive—a single cleaning cost enough to buy an entry-level luxury handbag.
This was the bedroom she had lived in from childhood until she got married.
Jessie Sterling sat up. A pale yellow silk slip hugged her graceful figure, feeling smooth and comfortable against her skin. She was on a soft, king-size bed, not the cramped airplane seat where she could barely turn over.
Even though the room couldn't have been more familiar, she stared at it with a blank, dazed expression.
Jessie Sterling leaped out of bed. Ignoring the ostrich-feather slippers on the floor, she ran barefoot straight into the nearby bathroom.
The mirror above the bathroom vanity reflected Jessie Sterling's current appearance.
The young woman in her early twenties looked youthfully radiant. Well-rested, her face had a healthy, rosy glow. Her long, slightly wavy hair was messily draped over her shoulders.
Out of sheer shock, the eyes of the person in the mirror widened, giving her an adorably bewildered look.
This was her.
She looked down and saw a bottle of FCCR perfume on the counter. It was the centennial celebration edition. She'd waited for ages at the flagship store in London to buy the global limited edition back when she was studying abroad.
This was the year she had just returned from her studies in the United Kingdom.
And it was the year she got engaged to Julian Grant.
"Jessie, what are you dawdling for? You have to pick up Julian today, have you forgotten? Hurry up! Don't be late and make a fool of yourself."
Just as Jessie Sterling was staring blankly in the bathroom, a knock came at her bedroom door, followed by Mrs. Sterling's voice.
Jessie froze. She grabbed her phone, glanced at it, and the situation finally clicked.
Julian Grant was a year older than her and was pursuing a combined bachelor's-master's degree abroad. She, on the other hand, had struggled to adapt to life overseas and had returned home immediately after finishing her undergraduate studies.
The Sterling and Grant families were both prominent fixtures in Southaven society. Their houses were even in the same neighborhood, making Jessie Sterling and Julian Grant true childhood sweethearts from perfectly matched backgrounds.
In the past, Jessie would have been over the moon, rushing to get ready. But now, she was certain this wasn't just a dream. 'Happily go see Julian? Impossible.' She even felt a strong urge to run away.
Before she had even graduated from college, her mother had told her to prepare for a marriage alliance; her father had already selected a candidate.
Jessie Sterling didn't possess any exceptional talents. Her privileged upbringing had given her the bad habit of always doing exactly as she pleased.
Besides, she had a younger sister, Quincy Sterling, who would casually transfer her a 6.66 million "lucky money" bonus for her birthday.
Quincy was two years younger than her but had already been working at the family company for two years.
As a genius, Quincy had skipped several grades. At twenty, she had already completed her combined bachelor's and master's degrees. Faced with a younger sister who had clearly hit the genetic lottery, Jessie felt no jealousy whatsoever.
So, when her mother had first mentioned that someone in the family needed to enter into a marriage alliance, Jessie knew it had to be her.
Her family had given her a choice. She could either follow the prescribed path—study the major they chose for her and inherit the family business after graduation. Or, she could follow her own path, live off company dividends, and lead the life she wanted, never having to worry about money.
Jessie chose the second option.
Being the head of a wealthy family wasn't like it was in TV shows and novels—all fun and games, just signing a few papers in an office before jetting off around the world.
In fact, Jessie couldn't remember her father ever taking more than a few days off in a year. He was at the office by seven every morning, without fail.
Even on cold winter days, when the sky had yet to fully brighten, he went, rain or shine.
As the first-born, Jessie had been doted on her entire life; she simply couldn't handle that kind of hardship.
And after Quincy displayed her astonishing talent, Jessie felt even more... justified in her thinking.
'Wouldn't it be a total waste of that brilliant mind of hers not to have Quincy run the company?'
The only point of contention regarding the marriage alliance was the difference between Jessie's choice and her father's.
The Sterlings were in finance. The family had built their fortune in banking for over a century and held considerable influence nationwide.
The Grant family had made its name in venture capital. For a banker like Mr. Sterling, he preferred his daughter to marry into a family involved in tangible industries.
Besides, Julian Grant had a long-term girlfriend in college, so Mr. Sterling wasn't particularly fond of the young man next door.
A man knows a man. If Julian really liked his daughter, they would have gotten together ages ago. But all these years, he felt it was a one-sided affair, with Jessie doing all the chasing.
That was why Mr. Sterling favored the Morgan family from Aethelburg.
But the moment Jessie heard the words "the Morgan family of Aethelburg," she would throw a fit.
They were on opposite ends of the country; she didn't want to marry someone so far from home.
Besides, she didn't even know this Victor Morgan person. Hearing he was five years older than her only made her dislike the idea more.
A strange man from the north, or the childhood sweetheart she'd grown up with and even had a crush on—naturally, Jessie chose the latter.
After leaving her room, she took the elevator downstairs.
It was the weekend and already noon, so both Mr. Sterling and Quincy were home.
When Jessie stepped out of the elevator, Quincy, who was sitting on the sofa reading a financial paper just like her father, was the first to look up at her. "My lady," Quincy said in surprise, "you're wearing *that*?"
It was summer, and Jessie was just wearing a plain T-shirt and slacks. While the outfit itself wasn't cheap, for Jessie to appear without a single decent piece of jewelry was completely out of character.
Hearing Quincy's comment, Mr. Sterling looked up as well.
"Out of money?" Mr. Sterling asked.
He sounded ready to give her an allowance if she so much as nodded.
"That can't be right," Quincy said, surprised. "Didn't I bring back that vintage blue diamond necklace you wanted? What else did you buy?"
A pang of bitterness went through Jessie's heart. Her family was one of the reasons she hadn't wanted to go abroad in the first place.
The feeling of being cherished by her parents and sister was infinitely better than being all alone in a foreign country.
She had agreed to go abroad with Julian back then, arrogantly assuming he could be like family to her. She was wrong.
Now, hearing her father and sister's voices, Jessie raised an eyebrow. "What?" She glanced down at her clothes. "Aren't we just going for a casual meal?"
'Do they expect me to get all dressed up just at the mention of Julian's name, like I used to?'
'Is he even worth it?'
Quincy said nothing, simply exchanging a look with her father. Both of them could see the shock in each other's eyes.
The fact that Jessie had a crush on Julian from next door was an open secret in the family.
Later, at the dining table, Mr. Sterling saw Jessie eating with gusto, seemingly in a great mood. He ventured, "Sweetie, we're having dinner with Uncle Grant and his family tonight. You remember, right?"
In truth, it wasn't just a simple welcome-home dinner; it was also a sort of informal engagement party.
The two families first had to sound each other out. Once things were confirmed, they would consult a master for an auspicious date, send out invitations for close family to meet over a meal and discuss the details, and only then would they have the formal engagement party, which would require booking a hotel and inviting a wider circle of guests.
Today was merely the first step.
"Mhm," Jessie replied without looking up. "I know." She took a bite of fish maw. 'Have to admit,' she thought, 'the soup our cook makes is the best.'
Quincy stared at her as if she'd seen a ghost. "Then why are you dressed so… plainly?"
Jessie took a bite of two-head abalone, nearly closing her eyes in satisfaction. She then spoke, her tone the picture of innocence, "Why not? We're just seeing the neighbors, aren't we? Did you expect me to get all dolled up?"
CLATTER—
It was the sound of chopsticks dropping onto the table.
The air seemed to fall completely silent. The other three people at the table stared at Jessie as if they were looking at a ghost.
"The—neighbors—from—next—door?" Quincy couldn't control her volume. "Didn't you tell Dad you wanted to marry him?"