<spanng="EN">Seth’s POV


    <spanng="EN">I arrived at my parents‘ home earlier than usual. I needed to seriously speak with them about what Roger was about to do to Ana. We need to ensure that Roger ends up looking bad in this situation, not Ana. I had a difficult time staying homest night. My sister, who is one of the nicest people I know, has done too much for this jerk.


    <spanng="EN">He had never been worthy of her; he just didn’t know it yet. I knew that Ana had created a fake profile, so Roger never discovered her true identity. That was the deal that was made. I know she stuck to it, as that ***** had already married Sasha. He wouldn’t have done that if he had known who Ana was. I couldn’t wait for him to find out what a monumental mistake he had made.


    <spanng="EN">Roger was the definition of a man–child. My sister had already purchased their new home, a lovely vi, for them to live in after getting married. He should have been the one to do that. He moved in over two months ago. Everything had been handpicked by Ana as she made the vi their home. I can’t imagine how terrible she is going to feel once she realizes what Roger was nning to do to her.


    <spanng="EN">Roger forgot a life lesson: you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. He was so entitled that he honestly thought he was going to get away with this unscathed. I would never allow that to happen. I would defend Ana with all I had, and I was going to have Mom and Dad help me do it. Dad didn’t get where he was by being lenient when his family or his bottom line was attacked. I wasn’t looking forward to showing them the video. But it had to be done.


    <spanng="EN">I usually arrive around noon to have lunch with them, but I got here early. Ana would asionally join us, had to arrive early in order to get a n together. I had already solved the problem. Holden liked Ana; he never balked at the arranged marriage that our mothers cooked up. Our fathers also supported the union. They came up with it when Ana was fourteen years old, and her crush on Holden started.


    <spanng="EN">After clearing the gate, I drove up the winding drive to pull up at my parents‘ home. I smiled just thinking about how excited she was going to be when she found out that she was going to marry Holden. She started her junior year in high school just fine, but then at Christmas, everything changed. It wasn’t a gradual change either, it was like she had flipped a switch, and all her affection disappeared. It was apparent she didn’t want to be around him anymore. Holden didn’t know what had happened. He was as in the dark as we were at the time.


    <spanng="EN">Ana was always a little chunky, but she was still beautiful. She looked like our mother, except her hair wasn’t blonde. She had Dad’s brown hair, the only thing she received from him. He doted on her; we both fell in love with her the moment she was born. She had Mom’s caramel–colored eyes, which to me were her best feature. After she wrote Holden off, she started to gain weight. Mom and Dad were concerned. They knew something was wrong, but Ana refused to talk about it.


    <spanng="EN">They sent her to therapy, but she only went a few times before she refused to go again. No one knew how to help her. None of us mentioned her weight gain. We did ask if she wanted to talk, and she would just look at us. We backed off, and she lost a little weight after starting college. She was happier there than she had


    <spanng="EN">been in a long time. I was just d that she had moved on. Things would be tense when Holden woulde over to our house. So I started going over to his house more often.


    <spanng="EN">Our parents never pushed, and Naomi, Holden’s mother, told us to leave it alone. She said, “When Ana wants to tell us what happened, she will. I know it isn’t that sweet girl’s fault.”


    <spanng="EN">Thatment was always made with a re towards Holden. We knew whatever it was had been serious, but Ana never said a word. She was focused on designing and working with the temporary CEO Dad had put in charge of thepany. She studied hard, and she excelled. She was always sessful in whatever she undertook. She made it look easy. No one knew Fashion Forward was hers. Our parents had given us both the funds to start our own business when we graduated from high school.


    <spanng="EN">They wanted us to do what we wanted to do with our lives. Dad told me that I could always take over his business when the time came, and I will. I have someone in mind to run mypany when the timees. owned an e–sports and merchandisepany that was doing well. But it wasn’t the kind of challenge I needed. I needed more, and I was now being trained to step in when Dad decides to step down in the next year or two.


    <spanng="EN">I pulled up to the mansion and quickly got out. I was proud of my father for taking the five million dors he had been given by my grandparents to start hispany after he married Mom. He had been stunned to find out that she was a Wade. They were an elite family, and still hold wealth and status. They keep a low profile. Our father had turned that money into a multi–billion–dorpany.


    <spanng="EN">Our father understood why Mom had hidden her wealth from him. He loved her for who she was. He dotes on her to this day, their love still evident in all they do. They are a team and are willing to do anything to protect each other. I wanted a love like that, but I’ll admit I haven’t gone looking for it yet. Holden and I have yed the field and now know who and what we don’t want for our wives.


    <spanng="EN">Holden was the lucky one; he would have a precious treasure for his wife. I’ll still be on the lookout, but I’m not liking the selection that is currently out there. I have to admit I’m d that Naomi and Hudson have stopped trying to push Tiffany at me. She was a mistake I had made years ago. I should never have messed with her that one time. It made her think she had a chance, but I’ve never liked her.


    <spanng="EN">We had shown up to swim at the Vaughns‘ house one day. Ana had gone straight through the house and out the back door in her excitement. I knew she wanted to get to Holden quickly, and I hadughed at her excitement. One day, I hoped to be that excited about someone, I stopped to grab a drink from the fridge when I heard Tiffany call out to me. I knew she liked me; she made no secret of it. She wanted what Ana had, an arranged married, with me as her groom. Tiffany was eighteen and about to start her senior year. She was one year older than Ana.


    <spanng="EN">She was wearing a barely there bikini, and when she just dropped to her knees in front of me, I was stunned, but I didn’t tell her no. I was twenty, and I don’t think anyone in my situation would have refused. We went into the pantry for some privacy, and I wore protection. Holden and I always suit up. When I finally made it outside, Ana was gone. ording to Holden and Gretchen, no one had seen her. I texted Ana, but she said something hade up and she had to go back home. Turns out, she walked the two miles back home. The mood after she left was tense. Both girls were clinging to us like we had proposed to them or something. Which wasn’t going to happen.


    <spanng="EN">I avoided Tiffany like the gue after that, and we were d to go to college. The next time I saw Ana, it was Christmas. She was fine with me, but the love and care she had for Holden was gone. She never mentioned it, and our mother assured us all that it was just a minor setback. Ana was a teenager, and she had stress at school. She had a security detail, but they had been instructed to stay back unless someone physically threatened her.


    <spanng="EN">They had reported to my parents that they had seen nothing at school. We knew if she were having difficulties, she would tell one of us. We all figured that it was just teenage angst. Except it was still there. I started to wonder if my solution would be something Ana would ept. She might have loved and cared for Holden before, but she could barely stand to be in the same room with him now.


    <spanng="EN">“Seth,” My mother happily greeted me.


    <spanng="EN">“Hey, Mom, yeah, I know I came early, but I needed to show you and Dad something. I don’t know how well you’ll take it, but don’t worry. Holden and I have already devised a n to prevent Ana from being humiliated. Holden has agreed to marry her, in Roger’s ce,” I replied. I needed to let them know that, although this was a problem, a solution had been created.


    <spanng="EN">“Is it a video of Roger admitting he’s married and his wife is already pregnant?” my father asked. I was shocked that he knew. He seemed pretty calm. I know for a fact that he would never allow anyone to intentionally hurt Ana.


    <spanng="EN">“It is. If you knew about it, why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. Why was I not kept in the loop?


    <spanng="EN">“Holden sent it to Ana, and she was naturally upset. She was crying, and we all knew that you would rush over and beat Roger up. She didn’t want you to get in trouble or arrested. She’s already working everything out. She’s cancelling the wedding. She is going to sell her shares and watch as Roger’s business copses. Let her deal with this, Seth. I am going to help her. Ana will be fine. She’s hurt, but she’s resilient. I already know that she doesn’t want to marry Holden,” my father replied.


    <spanng="EN">“I have to say that I’m a little hurt she didn’t call me,” I responded.


    <spanng="EN">“Ana didn’t want you to get into trouble trying to defend her, and she knew you would. She was thinking of you and thepany. It would cause a scandal. She’s right, it would cause a problem, but she wants to be the one to deal with Roger. Despite her being heartbroken, she still has her head on straight. We didn’t try to exclude you. She just needed us to help her make ns. She also thought you might havee over with Holden, and she didn’t want to see him,” my mother advised, and I flushed. I would have done exactly that.


    <spanng="EN">“I know she wants to deal with this alone, Mom, but the invitations have already been mailed out. We can’t stop the wedding; we can only change out the groom. Holden has always cared for Ana. Things are awkward between them, but you know as well as I do that Ana will have to get married in three weeks. It’s out of our hands now. She has to realize that we can’t back out of this. This isn’t just about Ana anymore. The Caldwell name is at stake,” I reminded them.