And now, he was marrying someone else.


    She had personally trained this devoted puppy, and now he belonged to another woman. The thought was unbearable.


    After all, the Henry of the past had been a cynical, yboy heir. It was she who had made him devoted and steadfast, she who had molded him into a caring Prince Charming.


    And now Selma Quigley was reaping all the benefits.


    If she hadn''t been so fixated on bing Mrs. Goodwin back then, the title of Mrs. Holt would have been hers long ago.


    And it was alln''s fault.


    He was the one who was like a distant, unattainable iceberg, always keeping her at arm''s length, giving her just enough hope to keep her hooked but never letting her get close.


    For him, she had fought her way into exclusive circles, learned to be elegant, to be noble, to be everything she thought he would want. She had passed up an excellent man like Henry, who was right within her grasp, to gamble on a possibility.


    In the end, she had gotten nothing.


    And the main culprit behind it all wasn.


    Although Vanessa hated her own greed, she refused to admit it was her fault.


    If she could do it all over again, she would have married Henry first.


    Then she would have found a way to deal withn, topletely destroy his marriage to Eleanor and make him taste the bitterness of wanting something he could never have.


    ***


    An international private jet touched down.


    When the cabin door opened, Xavier stepped out gracefully, holding the hand of Vivian, who had a small backpack on. Vivian looked up at him, her face beaming with excitement. "Uncle, does this mean I can live with you and Grandma from now on?"


    Xavier knelt down to straighten her crooked cor, a gentle smile on his face. "Yes. From now on, you''ll live with me and Grandma."


    Xavier had won the custody battle.


    "Yay! I can''t wait to go back to school. I miss Evelyn, and I miss Ms. Sutton, too," Vivian said.


    Xavier''s brow furrowed slightly.


    "Uncle, do you miss Ms. Sutton, too?" Vivian might be small, but she wasn''t naive. Sometimes, she saw things more clearly than the adults.


    "Don''t you go guessing about grown-up matters, you little rascal." With that, Xavier took her hand and led her toward the airport exit.


    "Uncle, you said you''d take me to a wedding reception in three days. Is that true? Will I get a gift?" Vivian asked, skipping along.


    "Yes. Evelyn will probably be there, too."


    "Yay! That''s great!" Vivian was happy again.


    Xavier let out a sigh of relief. He looked out at the familiar scenery of his home country. Thewsuit bad. kept him away


    foma full three months.


    He had returned earlier than


    nned, leaving some paperwork unfinished to be dealt withter He couldn''t miss his good frend


    Henry''s wedding.


    The early summer weather was wonderfully warm, mirroring Xavier''s own light and rxed mood.


    Just then, his phone rang. He answered it. "Hello? Henry, I''vended."


    "If you''d skipped my wedding, I''d have skipped yours. Hmph!" Henry grumbled from the other end.


    Initially, Xavier had nned to miss the event and had told Henry he''d make it up to him with drinkster.


    "I don''t even have a girlfriend. How am I supposed to get married?" Xavier said with a helpless smile.


    Henry fell silent for a few seconds on the other end, then asked, "Did you see the news about Eleanor andn this morning?"


    Xavier frowned. "What news?"


    "Oh, nothing much. Just some


    media outlet snapping pictures ofn picking Eleanor up from the airport, carrying her bags and all that. Looks like they might be getting back together."


    Xavier''s gaze dimmed slightly. "Is that so?"