Old Dreams Fade

His grip was hard, and panic finally showed in his eyes.

Of course I knew why he was panicking.

Shaw capital was the key every family in Harbor City was fighting for.

Whoever I backed would take the chair of the Chamber of Commerce.

Just then, the doors to the banquet hall burst open.

Evan’s face went completely rigid.

The moment I saw who had come in, the rage from my previous life swept through me again like wildfire.

I looked at Evan and gave a cold laugh.

“Mr. Pierce, I don’t joke.

“And there’s one more thing I may as well tell you now.

“As of today, I, Clara, am officially ending my engagement to Evan.”

Evan glanced at me in surprise, his brows drawing together.

But soon, his attention shifted back to Bianca, who had just walked into the hall.

“Clara, stop throwing a tantrum.”

His eyes stayed fixed on Bianca. He did not even turn his head.

“Bianca is just someone I trained with. She only came to the party tonight to clear her head.”

Looking at how justified he seemed, I almost laughed.

Ten years of growing up under the same mentor, close enough that Evan had to invite her even to his own engagement party.

In my previous life, it had happened on this very day.

Bianca had said, all soft and fragile, that she did not feel well. Evan stayed by her side the entire night.

And I, his actual fiancée, became a joke in front of everyone.

“Clara?”

Evan called my name tentatively. When I still said nothing, he simply walked straight toward the entrance.

His steps were light, and there was a smile on his face that even he did not seem to notice. He slipped an arm naturally around Bianca’s shoulders.

Bianca stood beside him, gentle and understanding, the picture of delicate warmth.

“Clara,” she called softly from a distance, giving me a small nod.

Evan brought her over. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he said,

“Oh, right. Bianca is highly qualified. She’d be a good fit as my assistant.

“You won’t need to worry about the company anymore. With Bianca helping me, things will be easier for you too.”

Every word meant the same thing.

He was afraid I would interfere with his business.

I looked at the trace of tension in his eyes. He was probably afraid I would refuse, afraid I would damage the precious bond between him and Bianca.

I lifted my glass and smiled as if it had nothing to do with me.

“Sure. Do whatever you want.”

Evan froze, as if he had not expected me to agree so easily.

“Then...” he began carefully.

“Bianca and I will go dance first. Is that all right?”

He was trying to provoke me.

In my previous life, my eyes would have reddened at that. I would have begged him, humbly, not to leave.

Now, I only found it funny.

“Your legs work, don’t they?”

Evan’s expression shifted.

In the end, he only gave a cold snort, then turned and left with Bianca in his arms.

I ignored him.

Just then, a timid voice sounded beside my ear.

“Wow. You’re really good at shutting people down. Can you teach me?”

Warm breath brushed my ear, carrying a faint, crisp scent of mint.

I turned my head and found myself looking straight into a pair of bright, shining eyes.

At some point, Miles had leaned in close, his face full of admiration.

“...Did no one ever teach you about personal space?”

I was helpless.

He froze, then looked down at his own feet.

As if suddenly understanding, he took half a step back and scratched his head.

“Oh... right.

“I just wanted to learn how you talk.”

Then he leaned his head forward again.

“That way Victor won’t keep scolding me, saying I can’t even speak properly.”

When he said it, there was no resentment in his eyes, only a little hurt.

Like a puppy that had been kicked and still did not know what it had done wrong.

Something in my chest suddenly ached.

If Victor had not kept suppressing him all these years, Miles would never have been left with no way to rise.

In the end, he had even become a knife in Victor’s hand, planning the kidnapping in my previous life.

But right now, he knew nothing about any of that.

“It’s fine,” I said, my voice softening. “I can teach you.”

Miles’s eyes lit up at once. He was just about to say something when a gentle voice cut in.

“Clara.”