Chapter 1755:


    The following day, before Giselle even had the chance to ry Sandra’s reluctance, Brandon called first and proposed letting the two spend more time together.


    Giselle passed the message along. Sandra turned it over in her mind for a full night and slowly came around to a different conclusion. Dominik wasn’t handsome, and he wasn’t wealthy enough to dazzle her—but he was, by any honest measure, a solid choice. A rtionship built on mutual benefit, she reasoned, was actually one of the more stable foundations for marriage.


    “I’ll give it a try,” she told Giselle the next morning.


    What followed surprised her. Dominik proved to be a genuinely good man. Aside from his unremarkable looks, he had no real faults—no scandals, noplicated romantic history. He was gentle, thoughtful, and steadily loyal. By most standards, he was an ideal partner. And as for money, someone from a family like his was hardly struggling; he simply didn’t make a show of it.


    Over the next six months, Sandra’s rtionship with Dominik progressed far better than she had expected. The connection even earned her generous allowances from Shepard, who clearly approved of the direction things were heading.


    Their engagement ceremony was extravagant—grander by far than the birthday celebration Sandra had thrown for herself three years ago. It was during that event that she finally grasped what she represented to both families. She wasn’t marrying for love, but she found herself making a quiet peace with the practicalfort the arrangement promised.


    Dominik, for his part, felt he hadnded exceptionally well. Marrying Sandra brought the Harper family’s influence within reach and gave him a natural connection to Ethan—advantages that would smooth his path considerably in the years ahead.


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    The engagement day turned out to be wless—sunny skies, warm golden light, and a festive atmosphere that filled the entire venue with energy and warmth.


    Friends and rtives of the Harper family arrived one by one, each offering their congrattions. Before the assembled guests, Shepard, Ernst, and Dalton each stepped forward to present their gifts to Sandra. Shepard handed her a check for one billion dors, while Ernst and Dalton followed with five hundred million each. Shepard also transferred ownership of twopanies into her name, and even Brenna contributed five hundred million dors of her own.


    Sandra felt the full reality of her new position settle over her. Watching the stunned expressions and barely concealed envy on the faces of the guests, she felt, for the first time, that she had truly arrived among the upper ss.


    Giselle added to the asion with several luxury cars, a collection of properties, and twomercial buildings.


    It was in that moment that Sandra understood, withplete rity, the extent of the Harper family’s generosity. As long as she conducted herself with dignity and avoided unnecessary trouble, they were more than willing to treat her well. She was deeply grateful she had never followed Keira’s persistent advice to demand money from them outright.


    She had kept a low profile all along—staying close to home, asionally making breakfast for the family, pouring most of her energy into her fashion designs. From time to time, she had even made clothes for various family members. They rarely wore them, but they epted the gifts graciously, and to Sandra, that alone had always been enough.


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