"Getting married?"
Ronald was momentarily taken aback.
"Yes." Kari exhaled a sigh of relief, "Bro, I've known my fiancé for ages, we've been together for years, and the wedding is just around the corner. You're more than welcome to come."
A buzzing noise filled Ronald's ears. The last time they met, they were still scraping by, worried about finances, and now, Kari was getting married.
He knew Kari always saw him as a big brother, and he understood that her getting married was a good thing. He took a deep breath and managed a strained smile, "Sure."
Back home, Ronald was in a daze as he took a shower.
Memories of Kari flooded his mind.
After a while, he headed to his study, opened a drawer, and pulled out a stack of documents.
They included property deeds, car titles, investments, and a portion of his savings.
This was what he had prepared for Kari.
Over the years, he had struggled every step of the way within the Malone family, all to one day stand in front of Kari again and offer her the best life possible.
They had been apart for ten years, and he had considered the possibility that she might have her own family by the time they reunited.
In that case, these were meant to be her dowry.
If she was unmarried, he had hoped to explore a different kind of relationship with her.
Perhaps as husband and wife.
Ronald flipped through the documents in his hands, as if filling in the gaps of the past decade, making everything perfect.
...
On the eve of Kari and Nathan's wedding.
Ronald made a trip to the Malone family estate to deliver the items to Kari.
"Bro, I can't accept this."
It was too much.
Kari refused to take it.
She wasn't aware of Ronald's net worth, but the contents of these documents could support her for the rest of her life. She couldn't accept them.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire Who Stole My Heart