Chapter 5 Meeting

Dahlia.

I was hurt, totally shattered, and yet, I couldn't find the right words to describe the pain that was twisting through my heart, cutting through my veins with vicious intensity, rendering me immobile, but luckily, my face came to the rescue, carrying the marks of the pain that eyes couldn't see, the ache that words couldn't accurately name.

And as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, more tears trailed a path on my face.

My eyes were puffed, swollen to the point that I couldn't see clearly, red, with a horrifying hue, dark circles proudly adorned my skin, and my face looked deathly pale, a pale that no makeup could accurately mask.

'This is the reward I get after loving you for years, Jason,' I whispered, my voice cold, a sardonic tagging at the corners of my lips as I carresed my swollen eyes.

I had been crying for hours, for the entire night, actually. For the whole night, sleep had been a luxury to me.

After I had finished talking to my Mom, then responding to Dalton's message, I dragged my tired body to search for a place to sleep. I couldn't bring myself to go home, not in that condition, and clearly, after I found Jason's true plans, I couldn't bring myself to go to his villa.

And from how foggy my mind was, I couldn't navigate my phone's settings to book a hotel room.

Luckily, I had stumbled on a not-so-decent hotel, its modest condition, a far cry from the polished life I had been leading my entire life, but again, that wasn't even my concern.

At that moment, fate had pitied me, talking away my germophobia. Or, should I thank Jason? His betrayal had dealt me a heavy blow, to the point that any other pain, aside from the one gnawing at my heart and senses, was insignificant.

After loving him for ten years, for ten f*cking years, I could get a pass after mourning over the broken relationship for the whole night, right?

Yes. I had loved him for so long. At ten, even before I knew what love really was, my heartbeat, which only danced to his presence, taught me how to.

At thirteen, I was sure that he was all that I wanted, as a husband, as a life partner, and yet, after ten years, after promises of forever, whispered dreams, all I got was a broken heart, and a promised apology, a half-hearted apology.

'I will never plan your wedding with that b*tch, Jason.'

' As for your charity love? Save it for her.' I whispered, a glint of ruthlessness cropping my eyes as I took one last look at my reflection.

I was in a long A-line dress, one with a long slit that ran from the mid-thighs all the way to the toes, beautiful and black, perfectly accentuating my figure. Showing just enough legs, elegant and not too flirtatious, just the right balance for meeting a future husband.

Yes. After a night of crying my heart out, I woke up the following day, a few hours from my meeting with Dalton Riggs.

Yes. Dalton Riggs was my future husband. After Jason betrayed me, my mother wasted no time in finding me a perfect husband. But perfect? I couldn't care less. After Jason broke my heart, I would never trust my heart to choose the perfect husband for me. I think I was safer with my mom's choice.

And here I was, ready to meet my future husband, with puffed eyes, a pale face, and a broken heart.

And the culprit? His nephew.

They shared the same surname, the famous Riggs name.

After we were done talking, my mom shared all the crucial information about Dalton Riggs, and I was only able to read the message after waking up.

Apparently, Jason's family, which was a big deal in Goldville, wasn't the main branch of the Riggs family.

There was the main branch of the Riggs family, which was based in Silverdale, an old money tree, its roots stemming from legal to the underworld, an absolute powerhouse, the number one rich family in Silverdale, the capital city.

It turned out that Jason, and his father, had no relationship with the actual Riggs. Yes, they shared blood ties, but that was the farthest their relationship went.

Jason's father was an illegitimate son of the chairman of the Riggs family. Her mother had used underhanded means to conceive.

She had drugged the Riggs patriarch, taking advantage of his moment of weakness to sleep with him.

Jason's father was the product of the deceitful act. She had wanted to climb the social ladder, bearing the name of the woman who gave birth to a Riggs. What she didn't know was that the Riggs were an old traditional family, holding their family traditions very dearly.

When the truth was exposed, the woman was served with court sermons, facing huge charges from the Riggs.

To save herself, she had begged for a private settlement, but the offer she got was very far from the fortune that she had dreamed of. She was entitled to child support, not too much, just enough to keep Jason's father from starving.

The child could keep the name, but they had no formal attachment to the main branch of the Riggs.

So, Fin Riggs, Jason's father, the same man who once kicked his son out when he lost his eyesight, and brought in his mistress, and his illegitimate son, was the famous Riggs family's illegitimate son.

After reading through their family history, a lot of things started making sense, honestly, and suddenly, Jason's betrayal wasn't as surprising, at least, not anymore.

I mean, wasn't he just like his scum of a father? And wasn't his father just like his homewrecker mother?

Where was the surprise there?

And what's more, Jason had chosen Sofia over me, that homewrecker's daughter, didn't that make perfect sense?

They were a family of traitors, a match made in hell, perfect for each other.

Speaking of which, the fact that Jason wanted to foster a relationship with the main branch of the Riggs wasn't a secret to me.

On several occasions, he had expressed his desire to gain their recognition. And his admiration for the business genius, Dalton Riggs? It had actually bordered on obsession.

Dalton Riggs was Jason's role model, the mentor that he could only watch from afar, stalk on social media, and read about in finance magazines.

And now, his role model was about to become my husband.

I couldn't wait to see Jason's reaction when he found out the truth.

Thinking about it, a cold smile tacked at the corners of my lips, and my mood lifted significantly.

I was surely looking forward to the future, a future as his aunt.

" Take me to Goldville Heights. "