Bride To Be Not Me (Janice and Simon)

In the car, Janice quickly tried to return the gift Barbara had given her to Edward.

"You don't like it?" Edward asked.

"It's not that. It's too precious."

Inside the box was a piece of jewelry Edward's grandmother, Madelina Chaucer, had given to Barbara before she passed away. Though it wasn't a family heirloom nor a symbol of acknowledging a daughter-in-law, it still held a special significance.

Edward opened the box.

Inside was a pure silver ring that was slightly wide, with a pale white gemstone embedded in it. The craftsmanship wasn't ornate, but its vintage design exuded an understated elegance.

He picked up the ring, took Janice's hand, and slid it onto her middle finger without hesitation.

She barely had time to react before the ring was on her finger. "Edward..."

"The Moore family has never taken back a gift once it's given. My grandmother loved beautiful things. If she knew her jewelry was being cherished by someone even more beautiful, she'd be happy."

Since losing her mother, Seraphina Kingswell, Janice had been without any older family members. Hearing Edward's words, she hesitated.

"Then once we no longer have to pretend, I'll return it to you."

Edward said nothing.

After dropping Janice home, the Bentley drove off.

Later that night, after showering and drying her hair, Janice was going over preparations for the upcoming Winter Tournament when a thought crossed her mind. It was that moment in the car.

She opened WhatsApp.

Janice: "Are you busy?"

Edward: "No."

Janice: "Were you complimenting my looks earlier in the car?"

She didn't hesitate to ask as he had told her to act naturally.

Minutes passed without a response, and she pinched her earlobe.

Was that too abrupt? Well, it was too late to take it back now.

Just as she was about to let it go and return to work, her phone vibrated.

Edward: "Yes."

A short, direct reply. Yes, he did think she was pretty.

Janice felt her face warm as she rubbed her palm against her cheek.

Just then, she received another message.

Edward: "Do you really not realize your own beauty?"

Janice: "I thought you had high standards, Mr. Moore."

Edward: "No standard is too high when it comes to you."

Janice could no longer bear to look at their chat. She left the message unanswered and buried herself in work.

The Winter Tournament was set for the afternoon two days later. The next day was the weekend, so she had the day off. This meant that she would be teaching Heidi crochet techniques for artifact restoration.

Early the next morning, Janice left for the designated studio.

Her phone buzzed again.

Edward: "How long will it take to teach her?"

Janice: "If she is quick to pick it up, three or four days. It depends on her when she'll master it. Don't worry, I won't get into any conflicts with Heidi. If she says something unpleasant, I'll just cover my ears and ignore it." She sent the message and started driving.

Upon arriving at the studio, she was met with an unexpected sight—Heidi wasn't alone. Before she could process it, Edward's reply finally came through.

"So, this is the outsider?" one of Heidi's former colleagues sneered.

Elowen Sterling smirked sarcastically as she continued, "Heidi, why bother arguing with someone who only climbed up the social ladder using her body and lies? Women like her will end up beneath our feet sooner or later."

Janice set down her bag, completely ignoring them. Instead, she pulled out her phone and opened WhatsApp. Edward: "Why cover your ears? What you should do is shut them up-permanently."

Along with the message, a notification popped up. It was a Venmo transfer of a hundred thousand dollars. Edward:" That's for medical expenses."

Staring at his messages, Janice was momentarily stunned.

Then, her gaze sharpened as she looked up at the group of women. "Were you just talking about me?" No one expected the supposedly outnumbered Janice to challenge them so directly.

Elowen crossed her arms and smirked. "So, you do have some self-awareness. You're not even worthy to be a maid in my household. Our maids at least have clean backgrounds. You, on the other hand, are constantly entangled with different men. Who knows if you've spent these years learning crocheting or learning how to seduce?"

The group burst into laughter, and even Heidi joined in. But two seconds later, their laughter died in their throats.

Janice, her expression calm and unreadable, was slowly walking toward them.