Chapter 46
In the days that followed, Elena was busy with the project and was out of the office most of the time. This suited her just fine because it meant that she didn’t have to constantly face Justin.
As the project neared completion, a sense of relief began to settle over her. Soon, she would finally be able to leave this place behind.
Still, no matter how busy she was, she hadn’t forgotten to prepare a birthday present for her best friend,
Camila Smith.
The two of them had grown up together, though Camila had been studying abroad for the past few years.
She had just returned to Hupolis a few days ago, and Elena and Camila had agreed to have a proper reunion once both of them were in the city.
At noon on Camila’s birthday, Elena was having lunch at a restaurant when she received a call.
“Ahh!” Camila’s shriek filled Elena’s ears the moment she picked up the call. “Lena! How did you know I’ve always wanted this camera? I love you to death!”
“Lower your voice. I’m going to go deaf,” said Elena, instinctively holding the phone away until Camila calmed down. After a moment, she brought it back to her ear and said, “I saw that you’d liked an ad for that brand on social media.”
“Aww, I knew you were the best, Lena!” Camila’s voice softened with emotion. “Just thinking about how Justin got to have you all to himself while I was away makes me so angry!”
Elena fell silent for a while before saying, “I’ve already broken up with him.”
“What? Really?” Camila couldn’t hide the delight in her voice. “Finally, you’ve come to your senses! I told you before that he wasn’t good enough…”
Before Camila had gone abroad, she had once shared a meal with Elena and Justin. At the time, he had been nothing but attentive and loving toward Elena. He had also treated Camila well while keeping a respectful distance.
Despite that, Camila had sensed that something was off about him, though she couldn’t explain exactly
what.
She had warned Elena about Justin, but Elena had been so in love with him then that she hadn’t listened
to any of Camila’s advice.
After Camila went overseas, she had been busy with school, while Elena had been tied up with work. They had contacted each other less often, but their bond had remained just as strong.
When Elena first learned the truth about Justin, she had wanted to tell Camila right away, but Camila had been swamped with graduation matters then. Elena hadn’t wanted to distract her, so she had kept it to
herself.
Elena said with a bitter smile, “Yeah. I really should have listened to you back then.”
“Lena, what made you finally come around?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything when I get back.”
“Okay… Oh, that reminds me! No wonder I heard my family talking about your arranged marriage last night. I had a few drinks, so I thought I was hearing things. Turns out it’s true! Are you really going through
with it?”
“Yes, I already told my dad that I’m willing to try,” answered Elena. “But I still don’t know who they’re setting me up with.”
“I heard it yesterday!” Camila shrieked. “I think… they mentioned Golden. It must be Zachary Golden! He’s from the Golden family’s side branch. Do you remember him?”
Elena lowered her gaze and stared at the food in front of her. “Yeah, I think so.”
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“Yeah, my parents definitely mentioned his name. They even said you two would be a good match. Honestly, I agree. Zachary’s really handsome, and he’s a well-known painter now. I heard he’s holding an
exhibition soon.”
Once they started talking, Camila couldn’t stop. She continued, “I’ve met him a few times before. He’s gentle, decent, and way better than Justin.”
Elena conjured up an image of Zachary in her mind. Indeed, he was an art prodigy who had striking looks,
and he was also known for his good character in Hupolis’ circle of elites.
“So, the man Dad chose for me is a Golden,” she thought.
Suddenly, she thought of Zachary’s cousin, Alexander. Did he already know about her arrangement with
Zachary?
He had been helping her so much lately. Could it be because he had known that they were going to be family soon?
