Chapter 89: Chapter 89: I Promise You

A wave of panic washed over Clara Grant. As if needing to be sure, she typed a line of text and sent it to Sarah Shelby, her hand trembling slightly as she clutched her phone.

—Is Miles Quinn Seth Quinn’s younger brother? His *actual* brother?

Sarah Shelby replied quickly. Her message was just three words,

—You don’t know?!!!!!!!

The question mark was followed by a string of exclamation points that conveyed her shock.

Seeing those three words, Clara Grant was rendered completely speechless. She turned weakly and leaned against the bathroom sink.

’Miles Quinn was Seth Quinn’s actual younger brother! And Seth Quinn was Miles Quinn’s actual older brother!’

A sliver of despair began to rise in Clara Grant’s heart. It expanded rapidly, instantly filling her entire chest until she felt suffocated and unbearably distressed.

’How could Seth Quinn be Miles Quinn’s actual older brother? How could they be biological brothers?’

’She had a crush on Miles Quinn, yet she’d had a one-night stand with Seth Quinn.’

’What a messy, tangled relationship this was!’

Before, she had felt that losing her virginity hadn’t been her fault, so she had held on to a tiny sliver of hope for her and Miles Quinn.

But now, she was utterly hopeless.

’The man she’d slept with could have been anyone, but it absolutely could not have been Seth Quinn!’

She couldn’t accept having slept with Seth Quinn, only to then pursue his actual brother, fantasize about becoming his girlfriend, and maybe even marry him.

’If that happened, how unbearably awkward would it be between the three of them—her, Miles Quinn, and Seth Quinn!’

’But reality had to be this cruel!’

’Of all people, it had to be Seth Quinn—Miles Quinn’s full-blooded older brother!’

’So, from the moment she slept with Seth Quinn, any hope for her and Miles Quinn was well and truly gone!’

At this thought, Clara Grant felt a sharp pain pierce her heart, and she subconsciously clutched the fabric over her chest.

’Miles Quinn was the one she had fallen for at first sight when she first experienced the pangs of love!’

’He was the one who, with just a few words, had inspired her to work desperately to get into The Nymphaea, the one she had vowed to follow!’

’He was the one she had harbored a crush on for three long years!’

’In her heart, he was her first love!’

Even though it was just a secret, one-sided crush, Miles Quinn had truly been the most beautiful secret buried in her heart for the past three years.

The warmest and most innocent part of her life.

Now, her three-year-long secret crush was about to be buried forever before it even had a chance to see the light of day.

Her phone chimed with a notification. Clara Grant glanced down unconsciously. It was Sarah Shelby again.

Sarah must have sent another message since she hadn’t replied in a while:

—Clara, don’t tell me you’ve known Miles Quinn for three years and had no idea he’s the second young master of the Quinn Family?

It was no wonder Sarah Shelby was surprised. To emphasize his own achievements, Miles Quinn’s identity as the second young master of the Quinn Family was never mentioned in any reports about him, whether in magazines, news articles, or newspapers.

Even his most dedicated fans only knew about his personal accomplishments, not his deeper family background.

’But Clara was different. She wasn’t like his other fangirls. She and Miles Quinn knew each other. They had even been so intimate before!’

’How could Clara possibly not know everything about him?’

’So, she had always assumed Clara knew.’

’She finally understood. When she first learned that the man Clara had slept with was Seth Quinn, she’d had a huge headache just thinking about the complicated relationship between the three of them. Now she knew why Clara had seemed so calm about it all.’

Staring at Sarah Shelby’s message, Clara Grant forced a bitter smile. She had known Miles Quinn for three years, but apart from that one intimate night a year ago, their other encounters had been nothing more than a quick greeting and a few sentences of small talk.

’They really weren’t that close! Not close enough for him to tell her everything!’

’And she, of course, had never even thought to ask him about something like that.’

Clara Grant forced herself to focus and replied to Sarah with a few words:

—I didn’t know.

Sarah seemed to sense something was wrong, her reply came back cautiously:

—Clara, are… you okay?

Clara didn’t want her friend to worry, so she typed back:

—I’m fine, don’t worry. I have to go, talk to you later.

After sending the message, she tossed her phone onto the sink.

Leaning against the sink, Clara Grant bit her lower lip, her mind a chaotic whirl of thoughts.

So much had happened this morning. One event after another had cornered her, leaving her with only one choice, one final path to take.

…

Seth Quinn didn’t know how long he had been staring at the bathroom door, but it finally opened. Clara Grant walked out, her expression serene.

She stopped a few feet away from him, staring at him in silence. Seth Quinn didn’t speak either, simply meeting her gaze.

After a moment, Clara Grant took a deep breath and started to speak. “I…”

But at the exact same moment, Seth Quinn also spoke, with an uncanny sense of timing. “You…”

Hearing each other’s voice, they both fell silent simultaneously.

The pause lasted only a second before Clara Grant spoke again, as if rushing to get the words out. “Let me speak first.”

’She was afraid that if Seth Quinn spoke first, she would lose the courage to tell him her decision.’

Hearing the urgency in her tone, Seth Quinn paused for a moment, then gestured with his hand for her to go ahead.

“I’ll marry you. But you have to keep your promise and give me everything I want!”

After Clara Grant finished speaking, Seth Quinn simply stood there, watching her quietly, as if he hadn’t understood what she’d said.

Seeing him remain silent, Clara Grant grew flustered and annoyed. ’What does he mean by this? Wasn’t he the one who’d been forcing me to marry him?’

’Now that I’ve agreed, he’s just going to stand there and not respond? Isn’t he clearly just toying with me?’

’He was just waiting for this, wasn’t he? Waiting for me to agree so he could mock and humiliate me!’

The more she thought about it, the more humiliated and furious Clara Grant became. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Seth Quinn’s voice.

“Good.”

’Of course it was good. He hadn’t expected her to agree so readily. Just a moment ago, he had been thinking that if she really continued to refuse, maybe he should stop pressuring her.’

’He had discovered that he couldn’t stand seeing her struggle. When she was upset, he felt uneasy too.’

’But now she had agreed, and that was, of course, a good thing!’

’If his actions up to this point had hurt her, then after they were married, they would have a lifetime together. Even if he could never fall in love with her, he would ensure she never felt wronged for the rest of her life.’

’He would spend a lifetime giving her everything she wanted as compensation.’

The insults Clara Grant was about to hurl got stuck in her throat. While she was still dazed, she heard Seth Quinn’s next sentence.

“Tomorrow at nine in the morning. Bring your ID and household registration. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Go where?” Clara Grant blurted out instinctively.

“The Civil Affairs Bureau.”

“…To do what?”

Seeing her confused expression, Seth Quinn found it somewhat amusing. “We’re going to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Naturally, to get our marriage license.”

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