To my surprise, when my parents heard about Rhys's blatant favoritism and Janet Fox's existence, their reaction was unanimous.
My father set down his teacup. "If the Gilbert boy is that worthless, this marriage isn't worth having."
He paused. "My daughter's happiness comes first."
Joan's side was even more direct. Her father slammed his palm on the table the moment she finished:
"Benefits bought by selling my daughter? The Hensons don't need them. Find a way out of this—I'll handle whatever comes."
The resistance was far less than I'd expected.
The next day, Joan and I went to the Gilbert estate together.
Rhys's expression soured the moment he saw us.
I played word games with him: "The Pruitt family has changed their mind. They've agreed to the marriage."
His tension visibly eased—then his gaze cut to Joan, wary.
He expected her to make a scene.
But Joan only shrugged. "No objections here."
Rhys relaxed completely. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
I continued, "But my family has one condition. The Pruitts are traditional—the wedding must follow Chinese customs."
After all, once that red veil went on, he wouldn't know who the bride was.