To what extent were they strangers?
Before they were married, she recalled, they had only met three times.
The first time,
During summer break when she was ten, she went to Northgate with her brother for a visit.
Silas was sixteen then, at that spirited age of youthful bravado. He was studying abroad, a carefree scion of a wealthy family, with a refined, almost ethereal bearing. The sight of him was like a breath of fresh air, as dazzling as a thousand blossoming trees.
He was devastatingly handsome.
When they first met, the other older boys had all given her trendy little trinkets. He was the only one who gave her an electronic learning aid, and on top of that, he asked, "Joyce, have you finished your summer homework? How many tutoring classes did you sign up for?"
Suddenly, Joyce thought:
'His looks are...'
'...actually just average!'
—
The second time,
She was eighteen. To celebrate her reaching adulthood, her brother threw a small, private party for her, and Silas was there.
He was with a woman at the time.
Joyce overheard someone say the woman was his confidante.
She ended up walking in on someone confessing their feelings to him and nearly forcing a kiss, only to get caught by him while she was snooping.
It was also then that she learned her grandfather had arranged a childhood betrothal with the elders of the Thorne Family.
Silas was the second son. The one betrothed to her was his older brother.
'Wouldn't that mean I might become his...'
'...sister-in-law?!'
—
And yet, the third time they met,
they got married.
She had just graduated from college. Her grandfather was critically ill and preoccupied with the marriage contract with the Thorne Family. Joyce had arranged to meet the family's eldest son, but it was Silas who showed up.
"Aren't I supposed to be engaged to your brother?" Joyce frowned.
"My brother's eight years older than you. Are you into older men?"
At the time, Joyce thought:
'You're six years older than me. It's not like you're young, either!'
"Heard you were dating someone?"
"We broke up."
"Happy freedom, then."
Joyce gritted her teeth. "I got dumped."
"Such a sad little face."
"..."
Joyce fumed silently:
'Is there anyone who can poison him mute!?'
Silas continued, "Your grandfather's health is failing, and he's still hung up on the marriage contract between our families. Honoring it would fulfill his final wish. For me, marriage secures my inheritance. Our families, in turn, can deepen their cooperation. It's mutually beneficial. Think about it."
Her grandfather was on his deathbed at the time, and Joyce had just broken up with her ex-boyfriend. Not thinking clearly, she agreed to the marriage.
It was a marriage of convenience, with no romance involved.
There was no need to fulfill any spousal duties; they only had to put on an act for the elders during holidays. Aside from a seven-figure monthly allowance, she would also receive a nine-figure settlement and some fixed assets upon divorce.
After the wedding, she went abroad for graduate school, spending most of the next two-plus years there. She had only just returned after graduating.
So, even though they were husband and wife, they had met only a handful of times.
Besides...
She'd heard he had an old flame he couldn't forget, one with willow-leaf eyes.
Coincidentally, so did Joyce.
'Could it be that since he couldn't have his true love, he had to find a stand-in, even in a marriage of convenience for his inheritance?'
'Who would have thought? He's quite the romantic.'
**
"Joyce, this is..." Lily nudged Joyce's arm, pulling her out of her thoughts and trying to get her to confirm Silas's identity.
"He... He's..." Just as Joyce was about to speak, her eyes met his again.
Silas watched her with an amused expression, as if he too were looking forward to her introduction.
Joyce pressed her lips together and avoided his gaze. "He's a friend of my brother's, Mr. Thorne."
A friend of Joyce's brother with the surname Thorne... in all of Northgate, that could only mean one family. They were true aristocrats. Even in a city teeming with the wealthy and powerful, the Thorne Family had always been the ones to look down upon everyone else.
As for Mr. Thorne,
he was the youngest person to ever rise to power in the Thorne Family of Northgate.
He wielded immense authority, and though he appeared gentle and refined, he was a formidable figure capable of moving heaven and earth.
Once his identity was known, the private room fell into a dead silence. No one could believe that the legendary figure would actually be here.
After all, getting to see him in Northgate was nearly impossible, let alone here in Graymoor, a thousand miles away.
"Is he *the* Mr. Thorne?" Lily whispered, keeping her voice down as she asked Joyce.
'Mr. Thorne?'
'She's not in a position to call him that.'
Joyce gave a slight nod.
Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Silas slowly leaned down until he was at her eye level. He asked in a low voice, "Joyce, am I only... 'Mr. Thorne' to you?"
That one sentence made Joyce's ears ring.
An invisible string in her heart was pulled taut—
—causing her heart to hammer violently against her ribs.
A flicker of panic crossed Joyce's eyes, and her fingers curled into a tight fist.
Everyone else's eyes widened in shock.
"What does Mr. Thorne mean by that? Is there... something special between them?"
"They can't possibly be together."
"Don't be ridiculous. Think about who Mr. Thorne is."
In contrast to Joyce's anxiety, the man across from her was the picture of calm nonchalance.
He even let a smile grace his lips, and when his warm breath brushed against her face, Joyce felt her heart clench as if seared by the heat.
She was flustered, her heart trembling without end.
"Mr. Thorne, what do you mean by that?" Joyce forced herself to stay calm, but shot him a look, silently pleading with him to be mindful of their surroundings.
'They had an agreement to keep their marriage a secret!'
'Could it be that...'
'...he's going to break the contract?'
"What? Don't I even deserve to have my name mentioned? You just introduced me as 'Mr. Thorne'?" Silas raised an eyebrow at her. "Am I an embarrassment to you?"
"Of course not! Who doesn't know the name of Mr. Thorne? I just didn't expect you to be here, so I was startled."
Joyce finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your brother had something come up and couldn't make it to Graymoor for your birthday this year," Silas explained, creating some distance between them. "I happened to be in the area for business, so I offered to bring his gift to you."
"Oh, I see. Mr. Thorne, please, have a seat."
Lily, ever the enthusiastic host, invited him to sit and had someone quickly call a waiter to clean up the floor.
It dawned on everyone then. Silas was a good friend of Joyce's brother—their relationship was said to be unusually close—so it made sense that he had defended her earlier.
Otherwise, given his words and actions when he dealt with Ina Sutton, anyone who didn't know better would have thought he and Joyce were a couple.
Just as Joyce was about to sit down, she noticed a red wine stain had appeared on her clothes at some point, soaking into her yellow dress and creating a large, dark patch.
"Mr. Thorne, my dress is stained. I'm going to go clean up," Joyce said, looking at Silas.
He merely gave a quiet acknowledgment.
—
Wine stains are difficult to remove. In the restroom, Joyce tried water and hand soap, but she couldn't get the stain out. Instead, she just soaked a large section of her skirt, making it unwearable.
She was about to call someone to bring her a change of clothes when a waitress came in carrying a shopping bag and asked quietly, "Are you Miss Monroe?"
"Yes."
"A Mr. Thorne asked me to give this bag to you."
'Silas?'
Her task completed, the waitress hurried away. When Joyce opened the bag, she was surprised to find a red dress inside.
'How thoughtful of him.'
But...
'Why did he pick this color? It doesn't seem like his style.'
Silas was a man of gentle and understated taste, always presenting the image of an upright, proper, and self-restrained gentleman.
'He should prefer more muted colors. Why red?'
'Could it be...'
'...that his old flame likes red?'
After changing into the new dress, Joyce came out and saw Silas standing not far away with a cigarette between his lips, his head tilted as he listened to an assistant.
He pulled a lighter from his pocket. CLICK—A blue flame flared to life, casting his features in a sharp, cold light.
She had to admit:
'He really is devastatingly handsome.'
As Silas tilted his head to light the cigarette, he caught sight of Joyce out of the corner of his eye. He put the lighter away, crushed out the cigarette he had just lit, and walked toward her. His expression was as refined as ever as he looked her over. "Does the dress fit?"
"Thank you, it's great."
"Why aren't you in the private room?"
"It was stuffy. I came out for some air."
Joyce nodded. 'He was probably being bothered by people trying to curry favor with him,' she thought. 'He's Silas, after all. It's not every day you get to see such a titan.'
Back in Northgate, they said that just exchanging a few words with him was enough to give you bragging rights for years.
Silas took the bag with the soiled dress from her hand. "Are you and that girl from tonight mortal enemies?"
"She and I have never gotten along."
"If you hadn't stepped in today, I would have thrown her out myself. Tossed her into the wilderness to feed the mosquitoes all night." A birthday should be a happy occasion, and it was frustrating to have it ruined by someone so irrelevant.
"She's been picking fights with me since our school days. It's so annoying."
Joyce complained offhandedly before quickly changing the subject.
"Mr. Thorne, how long will you be staying in Graymoor?"
"It depends on how work goes. The timing is uncertain."
Joyce pursed her lips. They were practically strangers, yet their relationship was so complicated. She didn't know what to say. It was just so awkward!
But what she didn't know was...
...something even more awkward was waiting for her.
As she pushed the door to the private room open, POP! POP! A few party poppers went off, startling her for a moment.
As pink confetti rained down, Lily's voice rang out, "Surprise! Honey, come and see the gift I got for you!"
Only then did Joyce realize that eight men, all with different vibes but equally fantastic physiques, were standing in the room. They bowed to her and chorused, "Happy birthday, Miss!"
She knew at a glance...
...they were male escorts from a club!
Joyce was completely dumbfounded.
'Could this be the birthday surprise Lily had arranged?'
She knew her friend had always been audacious, but this was...
"So? What do you think? I picked them out myself. They're all very 'clean.' See anyone you like? You can take one home tonight!" Lily beamed, wiggling her eyebrows at Joyce as if to say:
'Aren't you surprised, girl? Don't you just love it!'
Before Joyce could even process what was happening, a voice came from behind her:
"I never realized you were this sort of person in private."
"Mrs. Thorne..."
"Which one are you planning on taking home tonight?"
His voice had always been pleasant.
It was deep, husky, and mellow, with a texture like fine sand. He seemed to be standing too close now, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath as he spoke. His tone, laced with teasing amusement, made her ears burn.
'Mrs. Thorne?'
Hearing that title at this moment made Joyce's heart suddenly clench.
Her entire face flushed a deep crimson.
She was mortified beyond belief.