The result of not wanting to lose was that I slept until ten o'clock the next day.
When I woke up, the house was quiet.
I slowly put on my slippers and opened the door.
Sunlight filled the living room downstairs.
At the tea table, my father and his two sons-in-law were sitting.
The atmosphere, which should have been harmonious, was now tense.
"Yesterday was all a misunderstanding. The day after tomorrow, I want to invite the guests again, so nobody spreads rumors."
Rodrigo took a leisurely sip of tea,
"I have no objections. Just so happens that my parents want to visit the day after tomorrow to discuss the details of Skye's and my wedding banquet."
My father's face was split into a wide grin. "Good, good. As for Mr. Stewart..."
Calvin had a grim expression. "Helena and I will pick our own date, not together with them."
Helena had come out at some point.
Her complexion was not good, and when she saw me looking at her, she began to try to salvage the situation:
"He saw that I was too tired and asked me to take a break for two days before meeting my parents again... You shouldn't think too much about it."
"Nonsense."
I spoke seriously. "You obviously went to sleep early last night, you weren't tired at all."
Helena's face paled. "Skye, do you think you can hide your shameful deeds?"
I rolled my eyes. "Take care of yourself."
...
In the blink of an eye, it was the day when Rodrigo's parents were scheduled to visit.
Helena was acting strange today, and she had called Calvin over early in the morning.
She had changed from her gloomy demeanor of the past few days and said with a smile, "Sister, you have to be energetic today. After all, there's a tough battle ahead."
I smiled and accepted her provocation.
Once today was over, I would force my father to hand over all the properties.
Then I would kick Helena and her mother out.
After waiting for so many years, this wish was about to come true.
I couldn't wait to burst into song right there.
At eleven o'clock in the morning, the doorbell rang.
Helena ran ahead to open the door.
The Paul family hadn't arrived, but many familiar faces showed up.
Seeing them, my smile froze on my lips.
Several people entered the house in an orderly fashion, as if walking down a red carpet, and greeted me naturally.
"Miss Bowers, it's been a while, hasn't it? The last time we met, you confessed to me, and now you're married to Mr. Paul."
"Funny coincidence, you confessed to me on the same day."
"Does the Paul Family know about this?"
"Probably not, otherwise they wouldn't have let her in."
My heart sank, and I slowly clenched my hands.
Calvin sensed something was amiss and furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"
Helena said with a smile, "You didn't know, did you? Sister confessed to you on the same day she said the same thing to them, but you believed her—"
She suddenly covered her mouth, as if realizing she had said something wrong.
Calvin's face instantly turned extremely ugly. "Skye, is what they're saying true?"
I pursed my lips and said nothing.
Clearly, this secret was about to be exposed.
Calvin realized he had been played, and his face turned pale,"Good, Skye, you're doing great. When Rodrigo dumps you, I'll settle accounts with you properly."
My pent-up anger finally exploded, and I asked coldly,
"What's wrong with me?"
"Is it illegal to confess to eight men at the same time?"
"Then report me to the police!"
Calvin's expression faltered. "You... You..."
"What else? My dad was going to marry me off to a seventy-year-old man the next day, what else could I do?"
"I didn't cheat on anyone. You were willing to fall for it and let me use you, blame me?"
"You cheated on me with Helena, I chose someone else, we're even!"
Calvin laughed in frustration. "Skye, listen to what you're saying! How do you manage to sound so self-righteous?"
Helena spoke softly, "According to your logic, did you also just use Mr. Paul?"
I felt like someone had hit a sore spot, and I clenched my fists, ready to let everything go:
"What's it to you?"
"I chase men with my skills!"
"I want to live a good life, what's wrong with that!"
I knew that what happened today would eventually reach Rodrigo's ears.
This is who I am.
Selfish, greedy, unfeeling.
I was born to scheme for my own benefit.
Even if things completely fall apart between Rodrigo and me.
The worst-case scenario is marrying a seventy-year-old man and starting over.
Helena smiled slightly and stepped aside.
"Go ahead then, talk to Mr. Paul yourself."
Only then did I notice that Rodrigo had somehow entered the room.
Embarrassment surrounded me instantly.
I looked into his eyes.
There was no gentle smile as before.
