Chapter 12
Lena had no clue about any of it.
Right now, her biggest problem? Picking a dress.
Benjamin had already arranged her engagement, but she hadn’t even met her fiancé yet. Since arriving in Engloria, she had been
too weak to do much of anything. Her fiancé had sent gifts, had people check in on her, but this was the first time they’d actually
meet.
She’d seen his photo–handsome, sure. But personality? Total mystery.
Which meant this first impression had to be perfect.
She settled on a sleeveless, halter–neck A–line dress, soft pastel pink, just brushing her knees. Elegant, safe. Her waist–length
hair was pinned up with a simple jade hairpin.
Stepping through the grand doors, she spotted him immediately.
Standing by the castle’s floor–to–ceiling windows, Vernon Chopard rose to greet her.
If Andrew was ice, Vernon was spring.
She hadn’t believed Benjamin at first–how could a man like Vernon actually dote on his wife? Especially in a family like the
Chopard clan?
Before the date, she had done her research.
One word summed up the Chopard family–chaos.
Vernon’s direct bloodline had a reputation for loving their wives, sure. But the rest of the family? A disaster. Illegitimate children
everywhere.
And Vernon? He had grown up in an estate full of relatives of the same generation.
No one walked away from that unscathed.
Today, Lena realized just how wrong she’d been.
The second she sat down, Vernon took charge–introducing himself, sliding over documents with answers to everything she
might’ve been curious about.
And he didn’t just talk. He noticed the little things. Pouring her tea. Passing her a napkin. Making sure she was comfortable
without making a big deal out of it.
By the time their meeting wrapped up, Lena felt completely at ease.
She studied the man across from her ten years older, composed, effortless in his gestures. And for the first time, marriage to
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Chapter 12
someone like him didn’t seem so bad.
At the end of the date, Vernon drove her home himself.
