"Because her background is humble, and her heart is sensitive." My voice softened. "If I'd told her I was the Ashford heir from the start, she would've felt inferior. She would've run."
I looked my sister in the eye. "Living under an assumed name proved everything. She didn't care that I was poor. She stuck by me when we were scraping pennies for meals. Three years of poverty, just to be with me. That's true love."
When I first met Delia, I was captivated. But I was the helmsman of the Ashford empire, and she was an ordinary worker. The gap between us was a canyon my family would never accept.
I didn't want a woman who loved my money. I wanted a woman who loved me.
So I devised a plan. I became Ethan the delivery driver. I used my resources in the shadows to turn her into a rising star, preparing her for the day she could stand beside me as an equal.
I thought I'd succeeded. I thought we were ready.
Michelle was sharp; she hadn't let me down.
"You care that much about this woman? It must be true love if you're finally revealing your identity and bringing her home," she teased over the phone. "I've already smoothed things over with Dad. Going public with your marriage won't be a problem."